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maybeK4T1E's Murder in the Dark (Other)
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| [January 27, 2011 01:53:31 AM]
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Murder in the Dark is a popular children’s game that is a derivative of tag.
_Players_
The minimum number of characters for the game is three, and there is no maximum. However, the optimal number of players is between five and fifteen for an average-sized house. I played the first game with eight people and the second with ten.
At the start of each game, each player selects a slip of paper from a hat or other container. One slip designates a player as the cop, one designates the murderer, and the others are civilians. The contents of the paper must be kept secret from all other players, and they are returned to the hat before the start of play.
_Gameplay_
There are two factions of players. The cop and the civilians are on one side, and the murderer is on the other. The cop and the civilians want to discover the identity of the murderer. Additionally, the cop wants to avoid being killed at all cost because if he is the murderer automatically wins. The murderer wants to avoid being caught and to kill as many people as possible in the hopes that one of his victims is the cop.
When the game starts, all lights are turned off, and the players start to move around the house. Since the murderer does not want to arouse the suspicions of the other players and the cop doesn’t want the murderer to target him, all players behave like civilians, either sneaking around or hiding.
Once the murderer feels it is safe to do so, he begins looking for good opportunities to kill people. He does this by sliding his hand across their necks. Victims are not allowed the struggle against him or shout, and after they are killed they slide to the ground and must remain silent and motionless. The only exceptions are when the murderer forces them to move to another location or if someone asks them if they are alive.
When someone finds a dead body, he yells, “Murder in the dark!” and everyone turns on the nearest light. The murderer is allowed to kill people as long as the lights are off, so it is important to get the lights on quickly to avoid being killed.
Once the lights are on, any dead people are allowed to go into the main base with everyone else, but they cannot take part in the discussion and voting and can’t play for the rest of the game.
All living players, including the unknown murderer and cop, then discuss who they think is the murderer, and everyone votes on a single person. During the voting, all players become vigilantes and kill the suspect, meaning he is also out of the game. The suspect then reveals if he is or is not the murderer, and if the cop was killed he reveals his identity. If the murderer or the cop is killed by anyone, the game is over. Otherwise, the lights are turned off again, and the remaining players continue until the murderer kills the cop or they catch the real murderer.
Players may include their own house rules to increase or decrease difficulty. I and my friends limit games to fifteen minutes and forbid people from sticking together in groups for safety, but we also allow a minute or two at the start of each game to allow people to adjust to the darkness and find hiding places before the murderer can start killing.
_Set-Up_
Darkness is the most important element of the game. The play area, typically someone’s house, must be as dark as possible. Windows and blinds must be shut, TVs and computer screens must be turned off or covered, and all lights must be turned off. Adequate hiding places are also important. Any fragile or dangerous objects should also be put away to prevent anyone hurting themselves stumbling around in the dark. One central play area, such as a living room or kitchen, acts as a base where players will convene to discuss the identity of the murderer and find out their roles for the round. That room’s light does not get shut off until real play begins.
_Game Sessions_
Game 1:
At the start of the round, each player drew their roles from the hat. I was a civilian. Once everyone indicated they were ready to begin, the living room light was shut off. All players were familiar with both the game and the house, and several people quickly settled into their favorite hiding places. People usually altered between hiding and walking around, trying to find people behaving suspiciously and checking to make sure the people in hiding places were still alive.
I knew that the area beside the refrigerator was well-shadowed and would give me a decent hiding place before everyone’s eyes adjusted fully. It would allow me to observe the other players while still staying in a place that was too wide open and centrally located for the murderer to feel comfortable killing me there. I almost gave my friend a heart attack when I finally stood up. I thought he had seen me, but clearly he hadn’t! After abandoning the kitchen, I made my rounds around the house, searching out people hiding and checking to see if they were still alive.
After about five minutes, my friend Sara shouted, “Murder in the dark!” and everyone quickly moved to turn on the nearest lightswitch. Bruce had been slain! We all convened in the living room and voted on our suspect. We decided to kill Danny, who revealed he was not the murderer. Neither one was the cop, either. Down two players, we resumed gameplay.
This time I decided to hide. I settled in at the back of the laundry room, feeling secure in my very dark spot. Unfortunately, the murderer must have been following me, because no sooner did I settle in did I feel a hand sliding across my neck. It was Sara! She had been the one to “discover” Bruce’s body! Feeling annoyed at falling for her clever trick, I spent the next five minutes on the floor, hoping that someone would find me in my obscure hiding place. No such luck, but thankfully another body was found elsewhere in the house, and I could get up. Sara had made quick work of the others, and now only three people remained alive. Unfortunately, one of the people killed was the cop, which meant Sara won the game.
Game 2:
The second game was played immediately afterward, with the addition of two more players. Again I was a civilian. Determined to catch this round’s murderer in the act, I decided to follow people around. This ended up backfiring because every time someone spotted me sneaking around, we ended up warily dancing in circles around each other, each suspecting the other was the murderer and unwilling to turn our backs on each other. Changing tactics, I instead found a hiding place that would allow me to see into the master bedroom, where I was hoping to catch the murderer in action.
I watched several people go through the room, but everyone left alive. After several uneventful minutes, someone started to approach me. I hopped up, hoping to get away in time, but I was cornered and murdered by Morgan.
Unlike methodical Sara, Morgan didn’t hesitate after he made his first kill. He went on a killing spree, hoping to get as many people as he could before anyone discovered a body. From my spot, I could tell that the house was growing very quiet and worried that Morgan would end up killing everyone and winning the game.
Luckily, Danny had other plans. Knowing that Austin was well-hidden in the living room, Danny did his best to lure the murderer in there as well. The murderer would think he was alone with Danny and would take the opportunity to kill him, while Austin secretly watched all the action. It was a risk, since he wasn’t sure if Austin was the real murderer, but in the end it was a success. Danny was murdered, and Austin called, “Murder in the dark!” and flicked on the lights. With an eyewitness report, the remaining players quickly decided to off Morgan, and the civilians won the round!
_Opinion_
Murderer in the Dark is a very fun game to play with friends. It is accessible to most ages and all skill levels. While it is similar to hide-and-seek or tag, the dark, creepy environment and the threat of being “murdered” create an air of urgency and excitement. The game changes with each group of people because everyone has their own play style and schemes, and even within the same group people are always switching up tactics. I really enjoy the game, but I do suggest putting a fifteen or twenty minute time limit on games, because it can get tedious waiting up to ten minutes for a hesitant murderer to finally start killing.
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maybeK4T1E's Murder in the Dark (Other)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 27 January, 2011
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