What to Do If You Don't Have Exactly 6 Players for Your Murder Mystery Dinner Party
You've ordered the kit, you've hyped up your friends, you've maybe even started thinking about your costume — and then someone cancels. Or you realize you have eight people coming and weren't sure if that was a problem. Or you've been eyeing a RAPTR murder mystery kit for months but can never seem to land on exactly six available humans at the same time. The good news is that none of these situations are dealbreakers. Here's what to do depending on your headcount.
If You Have More Than 6 Players
More than six people doesn't mean you can’t play a RAPTR mystery. There are a couple of ways to handle a larger group, and both work well. The simplest option is Eternal Echoes: Whispers of the Loire, which has no player cap at all. Because it's a collaborative clue-hunt rather than a character-based roleplay — guests collect evidence scattered around the venue and work together to solve the mystery — it scales to any group size naturally. Ten people, twenty, thirty: everyone participates, no one gets left out, and the solving session at the end actually benefits from having more minds in the room. If you have a larger group or a multi-day event, Eternal Echoes is worth a look.
If you're set on one of the dinner party kits and have more than six people, those can work for larger groups too — just not in the traditional one-character-per-player format. Here's the thing: in most groups of eight or ten, there are usually one or two people who aren't especially interested in playing a character but are absolutely happy to show up in a costume, watch the drama unfold, and weigh in on the evidence as it's revealed. Our dinner party kits — Last Ride at the Summerville Ranch and Save the Last Dance...for Murder — are designed with enough humor and theatrical energy that being a "bystander" in the room is genuinely entertaining, not just a consolation prize. The evidence revealed throughout the game gives everyone something to analyze and react to, regardless of whether they have a character packet in hand. Think of the extra guests as the peanut gallery: no formal role, no secrets to keep, but full license to speculate loudly and point fingers at whoever seems most suspicious. In our experience, those guests often end up being some of the most entertaining people at the table.
It's also worth knowing that our next dinner party mystery — a Regency-era murder set in the drawing rooms and country estates of early 19th century England — is currently in development, and it's being designed to accommodate a variable number of players between six and eight. If flexible group size is a priority for you, keep an eye on our shop for updates.
If You Have 5 Players
Five players is the trickiest scenario, but it's very manageable — especially if you reach out to us before game night. Email us at info@raptrmysteries.com with your headcount and any character preferences (gender preferences, whether anyone has a strong preference for or against a particular type of role), and we'll let you know which character to cut and how to handle the evidence that character would normally have introduced. In some cases, that evidence can be revealed as starting evidence at the top of the game; in others, it can be staged throughout the evening.
The mystery won't play exactly as designed, but it will still work — and the core experience of secrets, accusations, and a satisfying resolution stays fully intact. If someone drops out last minute and you don't have time to email us in advance, don't panic. You can still play — just set that character's packet aside and treat their evidence as starting evidence that the host introduces at the beginning of the game. It won't be perfectly balanced, but a murder mystery with five engaged players and one absent character is still a very good evening.
If You're Somewhere in Between — or Just Not Sure
Group size questions are one of the most common things people ask us about before buying a kit, and we're always happy to help you figure out the best approach for your specific situation. Whether you're trying to decide between kits, figure out how to handle an awkward headcount, or troubleshoot something mid-game, reach out at info@raptrmysteries.com and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can. The goal is for your evening to go well — and a slightly unusual headcount is not going to stand in the way of that.
Ready to find the right kit for your group? Browse all three options at raptrmysteries.com/shop, or use this guide to help you choose. If you're specifically planning for six, here's everything you need to know about hosting a murder mystery dinner party for 6.