Terminology

Words to know for Murder Mystery Dinner Theatres!

MMDT: Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre!

MD: stands for Mystery Director. This is the person who will be responsible for distributing character sheets and impressions sheets, hiding the clues, and keeping the MMDT on track. The MD is almost always the host of the event.

Character Sheet: a sheet sent to a player, usually in advance, that outlines their character's name, background, and motivation for the dinner. It may also include personality and attire suggestions, depending on the intricacy of the MMDT.

Challenge: one of three types of clues. Challenges are puzzles such as cipher wheels or riddles that players must figure out to learn more information.

Clue Deposit: a clue deposit is a place where all players put Dynamic clues they have found during the course of the dinner so that everyone can see them and figure them out together.

Crime Zone: the area in which clues are hidden. In the plot of the MMDT, the scene of the crime you are investigating may or may not be the same as the Crime Zone that the players are in. It may be a good idea for the MD to mark the boundaries of the Crime Zone so that players know the boundaries of the area they need to search.

Dynamic Clue: a clue that a player can pick up, hide from other characters, and carry around the Crime Zone. If you have Dynamic clues, it may be a good idea to have a Clue Deposit so everyone gets to see the clues as they're found (unless you want characters to hide clues from one another).

Escape Room: may include many of the same elements as a MMDT, including puzzles, crimes, and clues. Escape rooms differ from MMDTs in that players don't play as characters; you must figure out the story by piecing the clues together, rather than talking to other characters.

Evidence: one of three types of clues. Evidence includes anything physical - the murder weapon, a cloth with fingerprints, or the victim's clothing - that players may discover.

Host: whomever is responsible for the location the MMDT is being conducted at. This may be the MD, the MD's parent, or the facility manager (if you rent a facility). Make sure you leave your MMDT spaces just as you found them, including collecting all clues, props, and food items that may have been dispersed over the course of the MMDT.

Point of confusion: the MD may refer to themself as the "host" over the course of the MMDT; this means that their character is hosting the event, not that they are the Host of the location.

Impressions Sheet: a sheet given to players at the beginning of the MMDT that essentially tells them what they think of the other people at the dinner, including the host. These are often optional, which is why they're not included in many of our stories.

Investigation MMDT: a MMDT in which the murder occurs before the MMDT itself and the players must try to figure out which of them is the murderer.

OOC: stands for Out Of Character. It's a good idea to establish either an OOC zone or a protocol for asking the MD questions out of character.

Perpetration MMDT: a MMDT in which the murder occurs during the MMDT and the players must either work to prevent it or figure out which of them is the murderer.

Puzzle Pieces: one of the three types of clues. Puzzle Pieces include things like newspapers and diary entries that may discuss one of the secrets of the mystery.

Static Clue: a clue hidden somewhere in the Crime Zone that cannot be moved, such as something written on a wall. If the MD doesn't want players to be able to hide clues from one another, all clues may be static. Even if the clue is something mobile, like a piece of paper, the MD may establish in the rules that are clues are static.

*: Characters with a * by their name are essential to the plot. This is why the templates have group size ranges. It's a good idea to delete the * before sending out character sheets.