The Idol Hands of Death

Please Read This Information BEFORE You Read Your Character Biography

Welcome to The Idol Hands of Death, a Live Action Role Playing Murder Mystery. This is a game where you're going to spend an entire day back in 1921, along with two dozen others. Somewhere along the way, a murder is going to happen, and the investigations will begin. This is an immersive event; you should come prepared to be your character for the entire duration of the game. It's a great deal of fun, and there's a lot to do.

Here is what you should have in your packet:

Please check your character packet to make sure you have everything!

Game Mechanics:	These pages. This is general information about the party. This includes guidelines based on previous experiences with murder mystery parties. It includes rules and suggestions you should consider carefully when thinking about (and playing) your character. This information is not confidential; please ask the Game Masters if you have any questions. What's A Game Master? This is the person who can answer the confidential questions about your character. The Game Master has read the entire scenario and will be the arbiter of any disputes that may arise. Please read the rest of these pages before discussing anything!
Directions and Contacts:	Maps, driving directions, and parking instructions will be provided. Several contact phone numbers will also be provided. While you'll also have an email address for contact reasons, please CALL if there are any issues in the last week. The GMs will be busy preparing for the game and may not see any last minute email.
Public Description:	This is a list of the characters and who is playing them.
Your Biography:	This is CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION This is all of the real details about who you are. This is who you are going to 'be' for the evening. Again, please read the rest of these pages before saying anything!
Miscellaneous Information:	There are several pages of miscellaneous material provided as background information. This material may or may not contain clues of relevance to your goals.

Game Mechanics:

There are some things you need to know about the party itself:

Date of the Party:	Please mark your calendar with the real date of the game, which has been provided to you separately. In game time, the party takes place in the Summer of 1921.
Party Time:	This is an all-day game, requiring 12 hours to run altogether. While that may seem like a long time, there's a lot to do, which means that we'll need every minute. Please try to be prompt. You can arrive as early as 45 minutes before the game. (This will give you a chance to meet people 'out of character'). If you are going to be late, PLEASE CALL. Contact information has been provided; please use it!
Place:	See the maps and directions. PLEASE CALL if you have any questions or issues.
Food:	The money paid in advance will be used to cater the party and to purchase soda, wine and beer. If you have any dietary limitations or special preferences, please let us know as soon as possible.
Attendance:	This party is created around a scenario that is plotted very tightly. The absence of any character could cause a major upheaval in the plot that would be disastrous. Thus, if you are unable to attend for any reason, please contact us as soon as possible. This is extremely important. If you can find a substitute for you, that would be very helpful. If you cannot, we'll have to do something fast. Remember, you and your character are integral elements in this scenario.
Costuming:	In order to bring as much realism to this party as possible, it helps to be decked out properly. The party is informal dress! You don't have to dress authentically, but it should look "period". Blue jeans are not acceptable! Check out the scenes in and about Cairo in Raiders of the Lost Ark for ideas. There are books at the library that can also help. A quick trip through a Banana Republic store may also give you some ideas.
Questions:	If you have questions about any of the information in any of this material, please give one of us a call at home or work. You have the numbers.
General Conduct:	You know facts about certain guests and they know some things about you. You also have things that you must accomplish during the evening. You may not have all of the information you need, so you'll have to socialize with the other characters. You don't have to tell the truth, but dishonesty may not be in your best interest. Social interaction and conversation are important.

Guidelines:

Here are a few general rules and suggestions for participating in the mystery party:

Don't Panic: Don't worry if you make a minor mistake. Remember, everyone else is trying to role-play as well. If you make a minor mistake, simply say "I didn't say that" and go on. Don't worry about it. If someone says they didn't say something, do your best to forget it. If you make a big mistake, it probably means you didn't understand your character sheet.

Read your character sheet! There's a lot of facts that need to be learned. Dig into the sheet. There may be some important fact subtly hidden inside. (Would we do that to you? Trust us!) For every fact you find, think about all of the different possible interpretations. Try to link one fact to another. Ask the Game Masters about ambiguities and fill in the holes as soon as possible.

Read your character sheet AGAIN! Come up with a list of questions that your character would like to know the answers to. Figure out who you want to talk to and what you want to ask them. Remember that some of the characters may have reasons not to tell you about themselves. Are there other ways to find out the information? Who else might know the answers you need?

Yes, read your character sheet again: Picture your character in your mind. Ask yourself questions like "What would the character do if someone was murdered?", "How would the character react if so-and-so died?", and so on. You may want to model your character based on someone you know or read about. Remember, this is a night of role-playing. Use your character sheet as a guideline to shape your character to suit you (within reason!)

Read the sheet yet again: If there is something that you have to cover up, come up with rationalizations (or outright lies) that your character would come up with to clean up your past. This may require some additional props or research. Think more about your character's past. You may want to develop more details for the biography.

Reread the character sheet one more time: There are a lot of details in each of the character sheets, which you should know about. However, there is a lot of detail that isn't there. You'll have to fill it in, as necessary - but you should use the biography as a rough guideline. For example, if it doesn't say that you are a raving pyromaniac or a drag queen, then you probably aren't and shouldn't introduce it into your character. Use your judgment when you improvise.

KEEP QUIET! Do not discuss the confidential information in your "kit" with anyone beforehand. Even though it may be a great temptation, please don't start acting as your character before the party. In order for everything to work out, the relationships between the characters cannot change from those described in the biography before the action starts. Furthermore, there is a lot of detail in each biography that may be crucial to the "plot" of the evening. If you are living with or meet someone else in the scenario - don't peek or probe until the party starts. (This means you!)

NOTE: If there is a "set" scene (a planned fight or confrontation, for instance) that you are sure both you and the other player know about (we have told you in your sheet), you may get together with the other player and "rehearse" the scene. Just be careful not to let any of your personal information slip out during the rehearsal.

Don't worry that you've been typecast! Remember the old saying that "all characters are fictional". All of the characters in this scenario are exaggerated a bit. The character is not intended to be a reflection on you in any way. Just remember that everyone else is in the same situation. You've been cast in this part because we thought that you'd enjoy it and that you could bring something special to the role. The idea is to relax and have some fun with the part. If you are a nice person at heart and your character is a master of ultimate evil, take the chance to play-act the other side of life. (And vice-versa of course.)

Do some research: If your character has some skills or knowledge that you don't have, then learn something about the subject before the party. Don't be a druggie that doesn't know the names of drugs or a policeman who doesn't know the Miranda rights that must be read before an arrest. You don't have to be an expert for the party, but it's more fun if you sound like you know what you're doing. This is especially important in this scenario about archaeology and historical events. Some information is provided to make things easier, but you may want to poke around an encyclopedia or some history books. If you don't know where something is located, look for it in an atlas or on a world map.

Get some sleep beforehand: The party will run all day. At some time about an hour before the end of the party, we will stop and take a poll of everyone to see if the murderer was caught. This debriefing may take some time - so we may go a while beyond the planned end time. If you tend to nod off early, then take a nap beforehand.

Don't anticipate the crime: First and foremost, this is an opportunity to role-play. Don't try and second-guess the crime until after it happens. Remember, your character is not expecting murder at this party. (Unless you are the murderer! Your character sheet will tell you if you are the murderer. It will tell you if you are the victim. If it doesn't say anything, then you are an 'innocent bystander' Hah!)

Memorize your character sheet: There are a lot of people at the party. More than likely, you will know a few of them. You might not know anyone else. Learn the characters and your character's relationship to each of them. We will take Polaroid pictures of everyone (mug shots) and put them on a sheet with everyone's name. (Having been in a scenario with 31 other people and knowing only three of them by name, I discovered that not knowing anyone is actually a little easier to deal with. Don't try and learn real names. Just learn the character names.)

Pack the right things: Some of the biographies call for props. If you need one and can't get it, then let us know about it as soon as possible. If there are other things that you think you should have, then feel free. Again, use your judgment. ALL PROPS MUST BE FAKE! If you want to bring a gun, that's fine as long as it is obviously fake! If you want to bring drugs, that's fine as long as they are obviously fake. Remember, it must be clearly fake! Anything that is faked (a bag of oregano for 'pot', a secret spy doohickey, a hypodermic filled with some clear liquid, etc.) must be labeled with something that tells what it is. (This is in case you are searched or you decide to 'lose' something.) Some items are specifically mentioned in specific c haracter sheets as being allowed. If you have any doubts, please ask first.

Play off of everyone else: It's easier to get into character by reacting to others in character, especially those who are stronger players. Try and pace your activities; you don't have to do everything in the first half-hour. Remember, everyone else has things they want to do as well. It might be better to let things develop for a while.

Keep your biography close by: You'll probably want to check it at some time. Simply say that you want to take a "Reality Check" and step away.

Keep your biography close by (part 2): Don't leave your character sheet lying around. If you see a character sheet sitting around, try not to read through it (unless it's your own!). It will really foul things up if the page saying "you are the murderer" is left face up on the couch for all to read. It's best if you keep it on you at all times.

One suggestion - if you take your biography to copy machine that can do reductions, you can squeeze your sheet down to about 3"x5" sheets. It takes about three or four reductions at 70%. This is a really convenient way of carrying around your vital information without having to lug around lots of paper.

Come in character: Please come completely in character - from props and histories to dress and attitude. It's OK to step out for an occasional "Reality Check" as needed. It's more fun when everyone stays in character as much as possible.

Don't worry about personal impressions: Everyone is playing a character. If there is someone you don't know or haven't met, don't worry. You probably won't have time to talk out of character during the party. Play it as if you knew them. Just play your character and let it all hang out! Remember, that if someone yells and screams at you, (hopefully) they are yelling at your character. Don't be offended. React as your character would.

Most importantly: RELAX! Work with and off of the other characters. Have fun. Be creative. Finally, don't forget your sense of humor. (...and read your character sheet again!)

Agenda:

This section provides a rough idea of what's going to happen and when...

Early	GMs arrive on-site to set up. All communication must be by phone.
Noon	Players may begin to show up on-site. Last-minute questions will be answered if at all possible.
1:00 PM	All players must be present. BE ON TIME! Mug shots taken and posted. There will be a quick recap of the rules. Any specific house rules will be made clear.
1:00+ PM	(Approximately) Party starts.
Tea-time	(Approximately) Tea is served.
7:00 PM	(Approximately) Dinner is served.
10:00 PM	(Approximately) Debriefing begins.
Midnight	(Approximately) Debriefing complete.

During the party someone will be killed. Don't try and anticipate it! Just relax and don't worry about it! Remember, your character doesn't know that something is going to happen. (Unless you are the murderer or the victim.) The victim must play it as if they don't know their fate.

The victim will "come back" as a new character. We're not going to say who he or she is, so you'll just have to wing it when the time comes.

Rules:

There aren't a lot of specific or complicated rules for this game:

There will be no 'unofficial murders' until the 'official' murder has taken place: There will be no 'unofficial murders' until the 'official' murder has taken place: You may have a great reason for "killing" another character. Please wait until the first body has fallen. Of course, such spur of the moment plans rarely succeed. Don't kill someone just for the heck of it - because it will have an unbalancing effect on the scenario. If you want to do someone in, you MUST check with a GM first! If you've been given an OK, then act it out. If you succeed in your plans, please inform the victim of this fact and tell them how they died. Then, when the "body" is found, the investigator will be able to find out what's happened.

The 'TRUST ME' stamp: Some documents will be stamped with a special sign. This stamp means that the document is official. If it has instructions, YOU MUST FOLLOW THEM! If the stamp is on some piece of evidence, then the evidence is authentic.

This might suggest that something not stamped with a TRUST ME stamp is not official. Don't count on it. We can't (and won't) stamp everything. Some things, like money, are not practical to stamp.

All you can know is that if it has a TRUST ME stamp, then it is official. You can drive yourself crazy if you try to read anything more into something that isn't stamped.

The GMs, Asking for Help, Green Ribbons, and Metagaming: As you might guess, there are occasionally questions that you can't resolve. The usual urge is to stop what your doing, find a GM and resolve the issue.

The other players may have the same urge.

Since the GMs are also playing characters, this can interrupt their play as well. Remember that there may be twenty or so characters and one very busy GM. What do you do?

Try to resolve the issue before play! Do your homework ahead of time! A lot of these questions can be answered up front. That's why we suggest you go back and read your character sheet so many times. It's also why we provide GM phone numbers.
Show up a little early and catch one of the GMs before play on the day of the scenario. Be forewarned that the GMs will be very busy with last minute details, so be patient.
Try to resolve the issue yourself. Go back to your character sheet and look carefully. You can do this on your own, without a GM. If you read your sheet again, you're likely to find the answer - or to find something that hints at the answer.
OK - this is something that needs a GM. Go find one. Catch their attention BUT DON'T INTERRUPT THEM! Give them a chance to complete whatever it is that they're doing.
The GMs will have green ribbons. Green ribbons are a strip of cloth that may be green. (They're called green ribbons for purely historical reasons. They may be any color.) If you see a GM holding up a strip of cloth, it means that they are in GM mode. They are not in character. In fact, consider them INVISIBLE! Anyone they are with is also considered in GM mode - it's not an interaction between characters - so don't jump to any conclusions based on a mysterious hushed conversation between characters.

If a GM has a green ribbon out, then you're going to have to wait. In fact, it may be a few minutes, and it may be something vital to the scenario. GO AWAY! Find another GM or wait for a few minutes.
When you finally get the attention of the GM, make it brief!

Arrival Information: Some people will be given additional information on arrival at the scenario. Surprise! Don't panic - there won't be a lot. There are just some things we don't want to give away until the very last minute.

Envelopes: There are some things that we don't want to give away until some time into the scenario. There are some instructions that must be synchronized with other events. For that reason, you may get one (or more) sealed envelopes in your character sheet.

DON'T OPEN THE ENVELOPE UNTIL THE APPROPRIATE CONDITION IS MET! THE CONDITION WILL BE SPECIFIED ON THE ENVELOPE! When in doubt, see a GM!

If there are instructions in the envelope, YOU MUST FOLLOW THEM IMMEDIATELY!

Other character sheets: NO PEEKING! It's not fair to look at other sheets. If you see one, don't look. In fact - if one is sitting face up somewhere, flip it over so no one else sees it.

Remember, you wouldn't want your secrets known by the wrong person. This means that you should take care with your sheets. Don't leave them where anyone can find them.

The 'Off-limits' room: One room will be marked as 'not being there'. This room is for coats and things. Please do not go into the room unless absolutely necessary. Do not hide anything in the room. It will probably be a real disaster area, so please ignore it.

Interrogation: Asking everyone what they know about the crime can be very time-consuming. We are going to try and streamline this process as much as possible. Please be brief. If you don't know anything, say so, BUT stay in character. If your character would rather cover his or her misdeeds than find the killer, by all means behave accordingly. "Winning" this role-playing game is a matter of personal definition. To some, it may mean finding the killer. To others, it means playing the character to the hilt and getting the evening's goals accomplished without letting your own skeletons out of the closet. To others, it will mean letting all the secrets of everyone else leak slowly out, much to their consternation.