You’ve all heard the term alibi before, most likely on TV, in a book or a movie. A police officer goes around and asks each person that could know or be involved with the murder to provide their alibi. And they invariably do – though it is often not the truth, or at least not the full story.
This is much the same when you are playing a murder mystery game. Alibis are a critical component, so here we will let you know all you need to about alibis, and how to use them to solve the crime.
What is an alibi?
Your alibi is your description of where you were when the crime was committed. When it comes to working out whodunit, there are 3 key questions: did you have the means, motive, and opportunity? Your alibi can mean that you had no opportunity to commit the crime, meaning your fellow detectives will have to look elsewhere for the killer.
For example, if a murder occurred at midday, but you as the cook were making lunch with several other people who can all vouch for you, you could not have committed the crime.
Why should you pay close attention?
Many players make the mistake of failing to truly listen and take note when their fellow suspects are giving their alibis. It can be too easy to accept what they say at face value, but alibis can be stronger or weaker. They can be clear or muddled. And they can be the truth or a lie.
Say one character makes the statement that they were in the bathroom at the time of the murder. This may seem to be the truth, and it could well be so. But there were no others there to confirm, so this is a weak alibi without any proof. Unlike our chef from earlier on who had other players to back up their story.
How can you break one?
One of the key things to listen out for in a murder mystery game is any slip ups when it comes to an alibi. You may hear that the doctor was in the library in the first round, and yet if you listen closely, they may say they were outside when they heard the screams in round 3! You could even realise that you yourself were in the library, and know that you were alone!
There really is only one trick to breaking an alibi, and that is to listen closely at all times and don’t be afraid to take notes as you go along. A savvy detective uses all the skills they have to solve the murder, and if that means putting pen to paper while everyone else is distracted by the tasty food and drink and the banging tunes, that just puts you one step ahead!
What if you are the killer?
Of course, there is just as much fun to be had trying to hide your own guilt as there is trying to find the killer. Try not to state your slip ups too obviously, and when it comes to the accusations, you will see who was really listening, and who let you get away with murder!