Thomas
Host · BBC radioThe reporter. On-air, off-script, halfway into a tumbler of scotch. Narrates every act and sells clues at bargain rates.
The parlor · No. 1A dinner party,
A dinner party,
1937.
The Hindenburg has fallen. A king has abdicated for the woman he loves. The whales are being quietly rescued in Seville. A very famous aviator is about to take off from New Guinea for the longest flight of her life. Sevenpeople sit down to dinner, three courses and a radio broadcasting from the corner. Some of them are murderers. Most of them are in love with someone they shouldn’t be. All of them are lying about at least one thing.
How many at the table?
The canonical night. Spencer, Josephine, George — the full cast, the clean mystery, the baseline kit.
7 at the tableThree acts, three coursesRoughly three hours
You're invitedHosted by you
A Dinner Party, 1937
Three courses. Three acts. One body.
- Date
- Saturday evening
- Seven, for drinks
- Place
- Your dining room
- London, Seville, and New Guinea in three hours
- Attire
- Cocktail attire — the darker the better
- Reply
- Please reply; the table is set for seven
Some of us are murderers. Most of us are in love. All of us are lying about at least one thing.
RSVP
by Sat
by Sat
The shape of the night
Three acts, one body.
Every act opens with a radio broadcast. The host reads it aloud, in character, with enough gravitas to sell the lie. Then the course arrives and the bribes begin.
- Act IAppetizersLondon — May, 1937Eddie and Bessie's engagement party. Free mingling; bribes flow. Closes with a slip that sets the Hindenburg plot in motion.
- Act IIEntréeSeville — June 8, 1937The International Agreement for the Regulation of Whaling. Everyone seated; whispered bribes down the table. A mixed-up satchel reveals a photograph.
- Act IIIDessertNew Guinea — July 2, 1937Emilia's takeoff. Radio bulletin. Someone dies. The ghost walks the room until the detectives commit.
The cast
Seven people, every one lying.
You play Thomas, the BBC reporter; your guests pick the rest. Every character is based on a real figure from 1937 — part of the game is uncovering who. The host packet knows everything. Nobody else should.
Emilia
AviatorNearly killed in May. Takes off from New Guinea in Act 3. Becomes the ghost when the radio bulletin hits.
Eddie
British Navy captainIn love with Bessie. For the sake of the whales. Hand on his heart, entirely earnest.
Bessie
SocialiteIn love with everyone. Bygones be bygones. Touches her pearls when she lies.
Spencer
American Navy captainBessie's ex-husband. Habitual intemperance. Was, regrettably, just there.
George
PublisherEmilia's something-or-other. A story sells itself. Taps the table, smugly.
Josephine
Circus acrobatTakes any gig. Survived the Hindenburg. A girl's got to make a living.
What’s in the box
Everything one host needs for the night.
The kit is free and printable from your browser — no install, no login, no DRM. Player envelopes get their own section below; this is the host’s side: the packet you read alone before the night begins, the props that go on the table.
Tip: hit “Print the host bundle” to send the host packet and the props to your printer in one job. The Final Ballot bundle is optional — only print it if you want a paper trail for the Star of the Show vote.
- Host packetTimeline, narration script, rules, answer key, troubleshooting — everything one person needs to run the night.
- Six player packetsOne envelope per guest, four sealed sections inside (intro + three acts). Each character carries their own history, motives, and catchphrase.
- PropsTelegrams, a newspaper clipping, the photograph from the wrong bag, the radio bulletin.
- The reveal (and the titles)No scorecards, no tally. Thomas walks character by character, pauses for applause, then hands out three capstone prizes and a one-line title for every guest.
- Playlist suggestionsBritish jazz, flamenco, American swing — one act each. You can drop a ten-hour YouTube loop of radio static under it all.
Print host bundleHost packet + props — one print job.6 final ballots (optional)One slim slip per guest for the Star of the Show vote. Skip it and run the vote by applause.
Or open individual files
Hand out the envelopes
One link per guest. Drop them into a group chat.
Each character has their own URL — a Vityy-framed page with the full packet inside. Copy the link, send it to the player who’s playing them, and tell them not to share it. They open it on their phone the night of, no app or account needed. Print versions are still one click away if you’d rather fold paper envelopes.
6 player envelopes · 1 host packet
Emilia
AviatorNearly killed in May. Takes off from New Guinea in Act 3. Becomes the ghost when the radio bulletin hits.
“a mere [N] miles from home”
Eddie
British Navy captainIn love with Bessie. For the sake of the whales. Hand on his heart, entirely earnest.
“for the sake of the whales”
Bessie
SocialiteIn love with everyone. Bygones be bygones. Touches her pearls when she lies.
“bygones be bygones”
Spencer
American Navy captainBessie's ex-husband. Habitual intemperance. Was, regrettably, just there.
“habitual intemperance”
George
PublisherEmilia's something-or-other. A story sells itself. Taps the table, smugly.
“a story sells itself”
Josephine
Circus acrobatTakes any gig. Survived the Hindenburg. A girl's got to make a living.
“a girl's got to make a living”
You play Thomas — the BBC reporter who narrates every act. Don’t share the host packet with anyone else; it spoils the whole night. Open the host packet on your laptop and keep it close.
The playlist
45 tracks · ~2h 40mQueue the night’s soundtrack.
The music they actually heard. London dance bands → Latin standards → American swing.
Playlist coming soon — the host is curating it on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Track list below is final.
London — The Engagement Party
British dance bands · ~55 min
Arrivals, cocktails, the speech. Pre-disaster calm; a pre-war evening in a warm room.
- This Year's Kisses· Ambrose & His Orchestra1937
- Let's Face the Music and Dance· Ray Noble Orchestra1936
- + 13 more
Seville — The Whaling Agreement
Latin + Spanish, pre-war · ~45 min
Entrée, whispered bribes, a mixed-up satchel. Honest caveat: Spanish Civil War limited 1937 recording in Spain itself — the net here is Argentine tango, Mexican romantics, and pre-war Spanish classical.
- Por Una Cabeza· Carlos Gardel1935
- El Día Que Me Quieras· Carlos Gardel1935
- + 13 more
New Guinea — The Takeoff
American swing, real 1937 · ~60 min
Dessert, breaking news, the ghost. The strongest-dated act — 1937 American swing is bottomless.
- Sing, Sing, Sing· Benny Goodman1937
- Marie· Tommy Dorsey1937
- + 13 more
See all tracks + notes →
Drop a 10-hour YouTube loop of radio static underneath if you want to sell the radio bit.
Day-of checklist
What you need before guests arrive.
0/8
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Send
Stage
Progress saved in this browser — close the tab and come back, it’ll remember.
The menu
Three courses, three cities.
Each course maps to the act it opens. Keep water glasses full. Guests will forget if you don’t refill them.
- Appetizer — LondonDeviled eggs, cucumber sandwiches, smoked-salmon crostiniChampagne or a gin rickey
- Entrée — SevillePaella or a Spanish tortilla with chorizoDry sherry or tempranillo
- Dessert — New GuineaPineapple upside-down cake, coconut macaroons, a flaming rum banana if you're braveCoffee and a cocktail with rum in it so Spencer has something to drink
Invite them properly
A murder mystery deserves a real invitation.
One click creates a draft event in your Vityy dashboard — the copy above is already written, the template is already picked. You add guest emails and press send. No drafting turn, no AI to wait on, no template to browse.
- Pre-filled promptThe page hands the copilot a 1937 pitch; the draft lands ready to edit, not blank.
- Dark cocktail templateDefaults to Velvet Hour — deco palette, editorial type. You can still swap before sending.
- Per-guest signed linkEach of your 6 co-conspirators gets a link that knows who they are. One tap to confirm.
- RSVP, then radio silenceGuests reply once and never hear from Vityy again. The surprise stays yours to deliver.
Thomas Woodroffe has the microphone.
The fleet’s lit up.
One Saturday, six friends, a dining room that turns into London, Seville, and New Guinea in the space of three hours. Send the invitations. Print the kit. Keep the water glasses full.
Free · Printable · No paywall, no login