Murder at the Silver Owl Saloon

The story

It is Railroad Eve in Turquoise Wells. The track is laid, the first train steams in at dawn, and the whole town has come to the Silver Owl Saloon to dance under the lanterns. At midnight old Josiah Bramwell will announce who gets the Wells, the only sweet water in the valley, wanted by the railroad, the ranchers and the town alike. He never gets the chance. During the anvil salute he is found dead in his bolted back office, and his strongbox is gone.

Your guests play the sheriff, the saloon owner, the town doctor, a railroad agent, a schoolteacher, a bounty hunter, a singer, a prospector and more, each with a public face, a private secret and three goals of their own. Telegrams arrive as the night goes on, the Midnight Stage brings sealed letters, every guest wears a Sheriff’s Badge with three favors to spend, and one of the four wanted posters on the wall describes somebody at the party. Over four rounds your guests search the town, trade clues and solve a three-part case, and a fair, satisfying solution waits at the end.

What’s inside

• Host Guide with the round plan, narration and round reveals. It never names the killer, so you can read from it all evening
• A Deal Sheet that tells the host who plays which character, and a separate Solution to open after the final vote
• One character file per guest (20 characters in all), each with a painted portrait, costume ideas, a public page, a secret, three personal goals and a page for every round
• A painted town map, illustrated Evidence Cards, telegrams, four wanted posters, sealed letters from the Midnight Stage and search cards for every building
• A Case Sheet for every guest, a bonus puzzle and an Invitation to send ahead
• Party Extras: name tags, Sheriff’s Badges, telegram forms, award certificates, signs, a Railroad Eve supper menu and tips for setting the scene
• Every size in US Letter and A4, each in a full colour design and a printer-friendly design (12 downloads in all)

Three sizes in one purchase

Every size uses the same story, so you can pick the right one on the day.

How to play

1. Choose the size that fits your guest list: Mini, Classic or Grand.
2. Send the Invitation a week or two before the party, then send each guest only their own character file.
3. Print the Case Sheets and cut out the Evidence Cards. There is nothing to assemble.
4. On the night, the host reads the narration round by round while guests mingle, trade clues and chase their goals.
5. Everyone writes their answers on the Case Sheet and votes. Then the host opens the solution and hands out the awards.

Who it’s for

Made for adult dinner parties, birthdays, Western theme nights and groups of friends who like dressing up. Teens 12+ can play too. Frontier finery or dusty trail clothes, hats and long dusters are all welcome.

Printing tips

Print single-sided on plain paper. The Printer-Friendly Edition uses light backgrounds and saves ink; the Colour Edition looks best on screen or on a colour printer. You can also mix: read on tablets and print only the pages you want to hold.