Case file · Castle Ravensmoor, Midwinter Night

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Poison at the King's Feast murder mystery party game

151 printable pages. Print characters 1 to however many guests you have.

auto_storiesThe story badgeThe cast receipt_longThe kit styleLook inside

groupWorks at every headcount from 8 to 20

theater_comedyThe host can play a character too

printUS Letter, home printer, black and white is fine

nightlifeCastle Ravensmoor, Midwinter Night • Medieval Court

Poison at the King's Feast

"A dying king, a crown up for grabs, and poison in the loving cup."

Guest count

8 to 20

Print 1 to however many

Duration

~2½ Hrs

Three murders

Rating

PG-13

Scandal, nothing explicit

Host

Host & play

Solution on a sealed page

Delivery

PDF download

Print at home

Casting

6 flexible roles

Man or woman

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Includes: host guide, 20 character packets with sealed envelopes, evidence, play money, action cards, ballots, awards and invitations.

group_addScales to your guest list Characters join in order

8 GuestsThe core cast

12 GuestsCore + characters 9 to 12

16 GuestsCore + characters 9 to 16

20 GuestsCore + characters 9 to 20

Somebody cancels the morning of the party? Print one fewer character. The case never rests on anyone after number 8.

Midwinter

The story · read to your guests

The King Names His Heir Tonight

Castle Ravensmoor, Midwinter Night. Snow has closed the pass, so nobody leaves before morning. Old King Aldric is ailing, and when the loving cup comes to him he will name his heir. A scheming queen, a rival lord with an army in the north, a taster who knows everyone's secrets and a court full of liars all want a say in who wears the crown.

Your guests scheme, bribe each other with Royal Crowns, swear oaths they don't mean and chase their own side goals. Then the poison starts to work. After each murder everyone opens a sealed envelope with new secrets, new jobs and fresh gossip, and the dead come back as ghosts with nothing left to lose. By the end of the feast the clues point to one guest, and everyone casts a ballot: who did it, how, and why.

Setting: Castle Ravensmoor, Midwinter Night•Three murders•PG-13

The suspects

The Cast of Suspects

These eight are in every game. Each guest gets a character card with things to share, a secret to hide, goals for the night and three sealed envelopes.

Core cast

King Aldric

King of Ravensmoor, Called the Weary

Costume suggestion:

A crown (paper is fine), a long robe or a blanket worn as a cloak, a sceptre, a weary sigh.

Core castMan or woman

Master Tobias Crane

The Royal Taster

Costume suggestion:

A plain servant's tunic, a napkin over one arm, a spoon on a string round the neck, a suspicious nose.

Core castMan or woman

Lady Margery Quill

Royal Steward and Keeper of the Rolls

Costume suggestion:

A dark gown or robe, ink-stained fingers, a big ring of keys on the belt, spectacles if you have them.

Core cast

Queen Isolde

Queen of Ravensmoor

Costume suggestion:

A long gown, a crown or circlet, white powder on the face (and hands, if you dare), a small posy of herbs.

Core cast

Lord Garrick Blackthorne

Head of House Blackthorne

Costume suggestion:

Black and silver, a heavy cloak, a black feather or raven pin, a scowl.

Core cast

Pip

The King's Fool

Costume suggestion:

Motley (two bright colours), a cap with bells, white face paint (hands too, if you dare), a fool's stick or a rubber chicken.

Core cast

Sir Roderick Vane

The Queen's Champion

Costume suggestion:

A tabard or tunic over armour (a baking-tray breastplate counts), a sword, a heroic jaw.

Core castMan or woman

Lord Edmund Ashcombe

The King's Hand

Costume suggestion:

A rich robe, a chain of office, a scroll or ledger, the look of someone who's been up since dawn.

group_add

Hosting 9 to 20 guests?

Twelve more characters join in order: Bishop Osric, Rosamund Fairfax, Bram Ironside, Morwen, Hilde Brewer, Magister Ignatius Vell, Wynn Harper, Count Valdoro, Tam Fletcher, Goody Thorne, Silas Penny, Cuthbert.

All in the kit

What's in the kit

Everything You Get in the Download

151 printable pages. Print only the characters you need.

menu_book

Part 01

Host guide

12 pages: setup, rules, who's who, the night minute by minute with read-aloud murders and evidence, and the sealed solution. The host can play a character too.

mail

Part 02

20 character packets

A character card plus three sealed envelopes each, opened after each murder. A goals checklist and costume tips on every card.

Part 03

Man-or-woman roles

Six characters come in a man and a woman version, with their own names and portraits.

fingerprint

Part 04

Evidence and props

Typeset evidence for all three murders, a bill of fare for the table, and room signs for staging.

local_atm

Part 05

Party extras

Royal Crowns, 20 action cards, name tags, ballots, three awards, a royal proclamation and flagon labels.

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Part 06

Invitations

One per character, naming who they'll play and what to wear.

Real pages from the kit

Look Inside the Kit

Nothing here gives the game away. Tap a page to see it full size.

Poison at the King's Feast: real printed pages of the kit laid out on a party table — Real pages from the kit, printed at home: the cover, a character card, evidence, action cards and money.

Who's Who: print characters 1 to however many guests you have

Invitations name each guest's character and costume

Action cards force out secrets and shake up the feast

Name tags with each character's woodcut portrait

Stress-free seating

Plays Seamlessly From 8 to 20 Guests

Print characters 1 to however many guests you have. Here's who joins as the list grows.

Up to	Who plays	Characters	What changes
8 Guests	The core cast	King Aldric, Master Tobias Crane, Lady Margery Quill, Queen Isolde, Lord Garrick Blackthorne, Pip, Sir Roderick Vane, Lord Edmund Ashcombe	Every clue the case needs
12 Guests	Core + characters 9 to 12	+ Bishop Osric, Rosamund Fairfax, Bram Ironside, Morwen	More schemes, deals and gossip
16 Guests	Core + characters 9 to 16	+ Hilde Brewer, Magister Ignatius Vell, Wynn Harper, Count Valdoro	More schemes, deals and gossip
20 Guests	Core + characters 9 to 20	+ Tam Fletcher, Goody Thorne, Silas Penny, Cuthbert	More schemes, deals and gossip

Host questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people can play? expand_more

Anywhere from 8 to 20. Characters 1 to 8 carry the murders and every clue the solution needs, so print characters 1 to however many guests you have. Each extra guest adds a character with their own goals, so nobody's role is missing and no clue is lost.

What if someone cancels on the day? expand_more

Just print one fewer character. Because guests join in a fixed order and the case never depends on characters 9 to 20, the game still works at every headcount from 8 to 20.

Is it like Game of Thrones? expand_more

It has that feel: rival houses, a succession crisis, poison at a feast and plenty of backstabbing. It's an original kingdom, though, and magic is only atmosphere: the case is solved from motives, alibis and evidence, not spells.

Can women play the men's roles, or the other way round? expand_more

Yes. Six characters have a man and a woman version with their own name, pronouns and portrait, and anyone can play anyone if your group likes cross-casting for laughs.

Can the host play too? expand_more

Yes. Nobody knows who the killer is, not even the killer until the final envelope. The host runs the timeline and can play a character, as long as they don't read the solution page until the end.

How long does it take? expand_more

About two and a half hours from doors open to the awards, with three murders spaced through the feast.

Is it hard to solve? expand_more

It's designed to be fair and a little on the easy side: you can guess after the first murder and prove it after the third. Ballots score who, how and why separately, so even close guesses earn points.

Do I need a colour printer? expand_more

No. The kit is black woodcut art with one red accent, made to print cheaply and read well in black and white.

What do guests wear? expand_more

Robes, capes, paper crowns, a bedsheet tunic: medieval costumes are the easiest of any theme. Every invitation suggests a costume made from things most people own.

Is it suitable for kids? expand_more

It's written PG-13 for adults and older teens: scheming, affairs, secret heirs and poison, nothing explicit and no gore.

New to hosting? Read how to host a murder mystery party.

Now inspecting:Poison at the King's Feast

PDF download · print at home8 to 20 guests · Coming soon

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