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This site contains introductory materials and instructions to download an original mystery game/party which you can play at home or wherever. If you’ve never played or attended a mystery game/party before never fear, all the information you need is here. Besides, surely you’re the type to just boldy go... The game features a mystery story starring five characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation:- Riker, Crusher, LaForge, Troi & Data, as well as two new characters, Dr Alexandra
Navarre & Cpt Forster R’ancoeur. |
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| Never been to a mystery or murder party? Feeling mystified? A mystery party usually involves a host inviting eight or so if his/her bestest friends (or closest enemies depending on his/her level of psychopathy) to the host’s humble abode for a meal, during which the guests take on roles in a mystery story and attempt to solve the mystery by the end of the evening. The game is reasonably structured but also requires some improvisation from the guests. The usual scenario is that the host assigns each of his/her guests a specifc role prior to the event. The guests should arrive in character and usually costume at an appointed hour when the game commences. The game is played in four rounds plus some introductory material & a conclusion. During each
round (which may also be accompanied by a course of the meal) certain information must be
disclosed by players and certain information hidden. All this information is contained in
individual dossiers for each player. At the end of the fourth round the players attempt to solve
the mystery and each player announces his/her solution. The real Solution is then revealed. |
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| In January 1995 my friends & I were looking around for a mystery/murder game to play. We
were keen to play a Star Trek game but weren’t thrilled with the characters included in the
commerically available game. So I decided to write my own. Nicola Bridle and myself came
up with the basic premise for the story and created two new characters. I was then left to write
the rest by myself so Nic would be able to enjoy the game without knowing the ins-&-outs and
the solution. |
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| Firstly, when writing this story we (in Australia) had not yet seen the final season of ST:TNG
(amazing,I know) nor had we seen Generations and had heard only a whisper about
Voyager. Thus the context in which this was written is perhaps a little dated but I don’t think it
affects the game much. Second, I am not an obssessive fan of ST:TNG. I can converse in no alien languages, cannot explain how a warp drive works, do not know the cultural history of the Klingons nor am I able to recite the title of each ST:TNG episode in order of air date and name the guest stars in alphabetical order. I have, however, viewed enjoyed most episodes of ST:TNG. As such I hope this mystery game is true to the spirit of the show. However, those who have absorbed more in depth detail may find my lack of technical knowledge frustrating at times. For example, I have no idea whether the star dates included in the game are even feasible and references to certain technical & theoretical constructs have been designed to sound good rather than accurately reflect my extensive knowledge of the Star Trek universe. In addition, a certain levity regarding the characters is required to enjoy this game, as is a healthy (or perhaps sick?) sense of humour. |
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| Most mystery parties include all the relevant information & materials as printed (on paper) text. But surely it’s much more appropriate for a Trek game to present the information via computer? In this game most materials, apart from the individual Player Dossiers, can presented on any computer that can run a web browser (eg. Netscape) offline. A couple of simple display programs (eg. A password entry program to start the game) are also included. |
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| Well, first you need some mates, pals or chums. At least SEVEN. The game is written for
seven players (sorry about the odd number). You can include extras but it is probably best
played with just seven. You’ll need a venue and probably a meal which can be as elaborate or
as simple as you like. And of course, your intoxicant of choice if you are that way inclined. The rest you can download from this site. The zipped archives contains a Host’s Manual which should explain everything you need to know to run the game with Picard-like aplomb . Also included is a fully formatted invitation ,(Word 6.0 for Windows), which can be printed, photocopied and sent to your guests and seven Player Dossiers (also Word 6.0) which also require printing prior to playing the game. The Player Clues (HTML files + image files) need to be loaded onto the computer you will be using to play the game. Instructions are included in the Host’s Manual. What if you:-
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| Switch to visual, Mr Data and explore these links! |
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An HTML version of the invitation | The Cast (character descriptions & photos of my guests) | The Host's Manual online (abridged) | How to download the game & materials |
OK, you know the drill! Star Trek: The Next Generation and most of the characters in this game are copyright to Paramount Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended! | |
Linda Jeffery / intro.htm / linda@psy.uwa.edu.au | Return/visit my homepage  |