Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Table of Contents
Welcome!.............................................................................................3
Your Mystery Package and Materials.........................................................7
Optional Suspect Packs.........................................................................13
How To Use The Items Included In Your Package......................................14
The PLAY! Site.....................................................................................21
Costumes ..........................................................................................21
At Your Party.......................................................................................23
Additional Tips and Ideas......................................................................28
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Welcome to Your Mystery
Package
First of all, I would like to say thank you for choosing Wizards: The Wands of
Procyon, an interactive kids/family-friendly Mingle Mystery from Shot In The Dark
Mysteries.
Please take a moment to read Shot In The Dark Mysteries’ official disclaimer. Shot
In The Dark Mysteries does not guarantee results and will not be held in any way
accountable for any personal injury, death and/or loss to the players, Hosts or
observers. This mystery party and the materials herein are solely for
entertainment purposes and cannot be reproduced or reused after one play
without the express consent of Shot In The Dark Mysteries. The characters and
story are fictional. Any similarity to actual living or dead people or events is
purely coincidental.
Whew! Now that we have that over with, here are a few suggestions for making
your party a roaring success.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Thank You For Being A Host
I think that party hosting is a rare art - something that many people don't do
anymore. As our social networks grow, it seems our opportunities to gather
friends and loved ones together face-to-face are becoming fewer and fewer.
This fact became startlingly obvious to me recently, when I emailed a "friend" in a
different city to ask her how she was and what was new. She replied with, "Hi
Leigh! Great to hear from you! To know what's new with me, just check my
Facebook, it's all current.” Ouch!
Now more than ever it's so important to pull together people - real people - faceto-face to create memories that will get us through the months we don't see one
another.
You may be using your mystery for a company event, fundraiser, a party in your
home or just an excuse to bring together family or friends. Whatever the reason
for your party, know that we have designed all of your mystery materials with
YOU, the host, in mind. Pulling people together for some fun is noble, and I think
you're totally rad for doing it.
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Host Guide
You Can Participate Too
So, to answer the # 1 frequently asked question I receive: Yes, you as the host
can play too - in fact, I want you to take a character and have fun solving the
mystery with everyone else. You deserve it!
All of your materials are designed so that you don't have to read through the
mystery and risk "spoilers". Your Host Materials are in files completely separate
from everything else so you don't get confused and accidentally open something
you shouldn't.
"The Big Reveal" solution is contained in a separate file. If your mystery came
with Audio Files, you will find both Audio Files and the transcript (more on that
later) in well-marked files so you can avoid them. Each Suspect receives their
own individual Suspect Guide with their character, clues and instructions on how
to be a Suspect. Simply attach them to an email and send them to the
appropriate guest! You don't even have to open the files.
Not sure which guest to assign to which role? Our exclusive Character Complexity
Rating (found for each character in the Suspect List in your Host Materials folder)
will tell you how complicated each role is, so you can better assign roles for your
wallflowers, curmudgeons, born actors and everyone in between.
Of course, if you don't want to participate in your mystery, that's fine too. Read
through anything you want! Some hosts prefer to know what is going to unfold
before the party, and that's cool - it's all part of your unique hosting style.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
The Host Checklist
Your Host Materials include a Host Checklist that you can use if you like to help
you get organized before your party, and before the mystery begins. Print off a
copy and check off the tasks as you complete them. Also, at the Shot In The Dark
Mysteries website, we offer a free Universal Party Planning Guide with
subscription to our free newsletter, so feel free to sign up and enjoy this 46 page
checklist to help with your party preparations!
We Are Here If You Need Help
If you have any questions prior to the event, please send us an email at
[email protected] (or instant message us via Live Chat on the
website). We are here to help both you and your guests. We often have guests
message us to get clarification or help when they are trying to keep the mystery a
surprise for their host.
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Host Guide
About Your Mystery
Your mystery is classified as an interactive kids and family-friendly “Mingle”
mystery, perfect for getting your guests interacting and having fun! It’s up to the
guests to question the Suspects, identify holes in their story and determine who
had the motive, means and opportunity to commit theft!
Our format is different than the other kids mysteries available. Shot In The Dark
Mysteries focuses on a true question-and-answer investigation (which we call
“Mingle Mysteries”). This true investigation allows your guests to question the
suspects as a detective investigating a case would, and use their intellect to piece
together the information they receive, form a theory and solve the mystery.
But the truth is, our regular mystery format came from the fact that we started in
the mystery industry writing kids' mysteries. The “traditional” read-to-the-groupen-mass turn-based format requires a lot of reading and performing stunts, and
we found time and time again that this format resulted in a number of issues
when kids (and honestly, an alarming number of adults) were participating.
What we found is that when it comes to kids, they all develop at different levels,
especially their reading. When younger people have to read from a long script to
a group en masse, it can be intimidating! But more importantly, if some kids
aren't as strong of readers as the rest of the group, they can become
embarrassed. These kids are just as smart as the others in the group, they just
aren't as advanced when it comes to reading.
The other phenomenon we discovered was that there was always at least one
child who was painfully shy. I don't mean the child who is slightly nervous... I
mean the child who is frozen solid at the idea of trying to read a bunch of
information in front of a group.
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Host Guide
I'm not talking about really young children here, but of parties with eight to 13year-olds. Most adults assume that everyone at their party will be okay and forge
ahead, but there is always one child who isn't as strong of a reader as the rest,
and almost always one who is nervous or shy about sharing their information.
We knew there had to be another way, and our testing of these ideas is how we
created our Mingle Mystery format that has been popular for years. Once
confident with the Mingle Mystery format, we set out to re-launch a line of kids
mystery parties that would honour our original idea of a level playing field for all
of the kids. After all, the children whose reading levels are low excel in the other
areas of the investigation, and we very quickly realized these kids turn out to be
the most clever sleuths.
We have children ourselves, and we love to sneak in a bit of learning whenever
possible, the same way we sneak vitamins into all of our childrens' meals. That's
why the kids/family version of our investigations are broken into three sections:
Motive, Means and Opportunity. Focusing on these individual elements not only
helps the younger sleuths look at each with a focused view, but it also helps them
further develop problem-solving skills and deductive reasoning – a skill that is
usually not taught in schools, but is imperative when students enter higher levels,
like high school and university.
Each new section has its own introduction with starter questions to kick-start the
new round of questioning.
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Host Guide
Here are the items you have, and will need, for the mystery:
–
Suspect Guides – to be delivered to each Suspect before the date of the party,
or as soon as they arrive on the day of the event, although we do recommend
sending them in advance. The more time your guests have to get familiar with
their material and the instructions, the better.
–
Host Guide – you're reading it right now!
–
Host Checklist
–
Announcement of Theft (transcript found at the end of this guide)
–
The Big Reveal – This reveals the culprit
–
Invitations
–
Accusation Forms
–
Name Tags
–
Suspect List
–
Floor Plan
-
Suspect Instructions
–
Sleuth Flipbooks (for each participant to keep track of their investigation)
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Host Guide
Printing Your Mystery Materials
All of your mystery materials have been custom designed to be visually pleasing
to you and your guests, but also designed to keep printing to a minimum. By
emailing your Suspects their information, you can considerably cut down on the
amount of printing you have to do, which we encourage, because everyone at
SHOT is a proud tree-hugging, hippie-type.
Things to Print
●
Name Tags
●
Accusation Forms (1 for each guest attending)
●
Host Checklist
●
Floor Plans (AKA The Map - 1 for each guest attending)
●
Sleuth Flipbook (one for each participant, plus a few extras, just in case)
Optional Printing
●
●
●
●
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Announcement of Theft (Only print if you're not using the audio files) and
investigation introductions
The Big Reveal (Only print if you're not using the audio files)
Suspect Guides (We strongly recommend emailing each Suspect their
information pre-party. Please see “How To Use The Suspect Guides” for
more options)
Suspect List for Introductions
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So, depending on what you choose to print and how many people will be
attending, the number of pages you will need to print will be between 10 and
100.
It's best to have the materials printed at a printer or local stationary store (like
Staples or Kinkos). This will ensure quality and save you ink and wear and tear on
your own printer. We recommend colour printing on a high quality stock, but what
paper and ink you decide to use for your mystery materials is entirely up to you.
What To Expect At Your Mystery
Party
This is an overview of how your mystery is designed, but remember that all of
Shot In The Dark Mysteries' packages are designed to be flexible, so that you can
integrate them into your vision for your party.
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●
Guests/Participants arrive
●
Announcement of Theft/Opportunity Investigation
●
Motive Investigation
●
Means Investigation
●
Sleuths cast accusations
●
The culprit is revealed (The Big Reveal)
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The Thief Does Not Know They
Are The Thief
Some mysteries inform the guilty party that they are guilty. We don't do this for
two reasons. First, not knowing allows all Suspects to be completely honest with
the information they receive. Second, it allows all players to piece together the
mystery equally. With one Suspect not investigating, it quickly becomes clear to
the other players who the culprit is and your mystery ends up ruined. In our
experience, your mystery is more successful when the culprit isn't aware they are
the culprit.
Remind your guests (especially your grown up guests ) to
bring reading glasses if they wear them so they can refer
to their Suspect Guides and see what they have written on
their flipbook.
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You Can Have Unlimited
Participants
In the case where you have more guests than Suspects, don't worry! This is an
interactive “Mingle Mystery”, which means that it can be played by an unlimited
number of guests without anyone being left out. As long as you have enough
people at your party to play Suspects, the number of people “investigating”
(asking the Suspects questions to piece together the mystery) is unlimited!
Investigators can work together in teams as well. You could pair up your extra
guests with a Suspect so they can be privy to the Hide information and also
interrogate Suspects to piece together the mystery.
If you have a few extra guests that you want to be as involved in the mystery as
the Suspects, consider having them read the Announcement of Theft and/or the
Big Reveal at the end and the instructions at the start of each section.
Optional Suspect Packs
Each mystery has an Optional Suspect Expansion Pack available. Depending on
whether your mystery is All-Male, Co-Ed or All Female, you will either have two
optional females, two optional males or one female and one male suspect. These
can be purchased at a different time than when you purchase your mystery
package, so if you find out at the last minute one or two people will be attending,
or if you have one or two people who can't quite commit but want to be involved
if they can make it, the Optional Suspect Pack is for you. We cap the number of
Optional Suspects per mystery at two in order to ensure the quality of your
mystery experience, however if you're in a pickle, don't hesitate to contact us! –
we are happy to help if we can!
To buy the Optional Suspect Pack for your particular mystery, return to the place
you purchased your mystery on our website, scroll to the bottom and you will find
the option to purchase the Optional Suspect Pack.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
How to Use the Suspect List and
Character Complexity Ratings
Your Host Materials folder contains a file called “Suspect List”. Below each Suspect
is a “Character Complexity Rating”, which gives each character a 3, 4 or 5 rating.
These are designed to help you assign characters to your guests based on how
“complex” the role is, with 5 being more complicated and three being less
complicated. You might assign a 3 role to someone who is shy, apprehensive or
worried they might do something to jeopardize the mystery (which is impossible,
so don't worry about that). A 5 rated role could go to someone who loves the
spotlight, is outgoing or is really excited about your mystery party. Use the 4
roles for everyone in between. Remember, these are only guidelines. A “5” role is
not difficult, there is just more information than a 4 or a 3 character.
Many guests and hosts often think that because a character is a 5, they are
probably the culprit. I assure you, this is rarely the case. A “3” role is just as
likely to be the thief than a 4 or 5 role.
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Host Guide
How to Use the Suspect
Guides
Suspect Guides are provided in your mystery materials in a separate file for each
role. These guides describe the character, their hidden motives, what information
they know that can be shared with everyone else. The Guides are formatted in
individual files so you can easily send the .pdf file to each guest playing a
character. Even better, if you, as the host, would like to participate, you don't
have to worry about handling the clues and potentially spoiling the mystery for
yourself.
You should also provide each person with a copy of the file called “Suspect
Instructions”. These file tells the suspect or a parent who is helping the suspect
with their information exactly how to play and what to expect... so that you don't
have to!
We strongly recommend emailing each Suspect (guest playing a role) their
Suspect Guide and the Suspect Instructions to reduce printing. Sending them
their information ahead of time allows them to get familiar with everything preparty. Some Suspects have a complicated back story, and most guests find it
helpful to have time to let all of the information sink in. Some hosts like to email
the Suspect Instructions file and then print the Suspect Guides for their guests to
refer to at the party. Others allow their Suspects to print their own information,
and still others print everything to give to the Suspects at the party, while going
over the instructions as a group. Ultimately, what you do for your party is entirely
up to you. Find the option that fits your party, your guests and your hosting style
and go with it!
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Host Guide
How to Email Suspect Guides to
Your Guests
It's easy to email the Suspect Guides to your guests. Simply attach the Suspect
Guides to an email to each guest and click “send”. We use a .pdf format because
most computers already have a .pdf reader program, like Adobe Acrobat, making
it easier for your guests to use their Suspect guides.
How to Use the Clues (found
inside the Suspect Guides)
There are two types of information the Suspects will receive. The first is “Hide”
information. This type of information is to be kept secret as much as possible,
and not offered freely. If the Suspect is asked directly about the hide information
however, they must answer truthfully.
The other type of information is called “Share” information. Share information
MUST be shared with others, and includes things like alibis and suspicious
things they saw others doing around the time of the theft. The Share information
is what the Suspects will use to direct suspicion away from themselves and
toward the other Suspects.
All clues are directed at the player (for example, “you saw the culprit running
down a dark hallway”). For the sake of getting everyone into the mystery, share
clues should be transferred into the first person (for example, “I saw the culprit
running down a dark hallway”) and into the player’s own words.
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Host Guide
How To Use the Suspect
Instructions
Unlike our other mysteries, the suspect instructions for our kids' mysteries come
in a separate file. Depending on the age of your sleuths and suspects, they may
be able to retain a large amount of information, or they may grow intimidated
with all the information. To help with this, we have separated the extensive
instructions from the “clues” (each suspects mini-story, AKA Hide Information and
Share Information). This allows you as the host more freedom in deciding how to
communicate the “how to investigate” instructions to each person, based on what
you feel is right for your group. You could include the Suspect Instructions file as
an attachment in an email when sending each suspect their Suspect Guide. For
younger sleuths, you could give the Suspect Instructions to a parent or guardian
so that it can be reviewed with the future-suspect. Or, you could review the
information with them pre-party, en masse. It's up to you to decide what is right
for your group of sleuths and suspects.
The suspect instructions are extensive, and we do this for a reason – some people
are “scanners” (they quickly scan information and pick out what they want and
need) and some want to know everything about what the are about to do (to
determine which of the two categories you personally fall under, it's easy! If you
are reading this, and each line and page of this equally extensive Host Guide, you
are the latter!). We provide a wealth of information in our instructions to make
sure we give everyone what they need in order to feel comfortable and confident
throwing and attending one of our mysteries. As the host, you have the flexibility
to do what is right for your group, and we separate the Suspect Instructions file
to give you this flexibility.
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Host Guide
How To Use The Name Tags
Your mystery package includes Name Tags. They are standard name tag size and
will fit inside plastic name tag holders and most name tag stationary. This way
you can print the name tags and use them as-is, with standard name tag holders
or print them on sticker name tags that can be purchased at any stationary store.
Each Suspect has a name tag with their Suspect name. You are also provided an
extra sheet of name tags for additional guests with eight name tags per page.
Simply print off as many copies of the blank name tags page in the “Name tags”
file as you need for your guests.
How to Use the Audio Files
Your mystery may have come with audio files. These audio files are optional, and
we have also provided the transcripts of these audio files (in individual files inside
your Host Materials folder), which can be used in the case where you don't have
access to an audio system.
How To Use The Sleuth Flipbooks
The Sleuth Flipbook is a tool to aid your younger sleuths in solving the mystery.
Designed to be easier for smaller hands to handle than a regular piece of paper or
a spiral notebook, the Sleuth Flipbook is a single sheet piece of paper that is
folded along the dotted lines to create a cool little book, that reads both forwards
and, when upside down, backwards.
Print off as many Sleuth Flipbooks as you have participants (meaning both
suspects and investigators).
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Folding Steps:
1: Fold the page along the dotted lines, simply to make creases in the paper to
make folding it in an accordion easier.
2: Turn the page upside down so you can not see the writing, and fold the paper
in half length-wise
3: Turn the page so the cover page (which reads “______'s Sleuth Flipbook”) is
nearest to you, and facing down.
4: Fold the cover page upwards first, and then fold the rest of the sections back
and forth along the dotted lines so that you have an accordion-style book in which
your sleuths can keep track of their investigation.
Also included in the Sleuth Flipbook are notes about the crime scene given in the
initial “Section 1: Opportunity” file for them to easily refer to as they investigate.
How Sleuths Use The Flipbooks
Each suspect in your mystery has a section in the flip book. As the sleuths
investigate, they will identify whether a particular suspect had the motive, means
and/or opportunity to commit the crime. When they feel they are sure, they will
place either a check mark or an X in the corresponding box under the section for
that particular suspect. So, for example:
I have questioned the suspects and have determined that suspect Joe Jones had
the motive for the theft. I place a check mark in the box next to “Motive” on the
Joe Jones page.
If their investigations went well, at the end of the mystery there will be only one
suspect with three check marks on their page, which should make casting an
accusation easy.
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Host Guide
Regular stock paper will work fine for your Sleuth
Flipbooks. A heavier stock can be harder to fold and keep
together in small hands. If you want a thicker paper, don't
go any heavier than $5 lb.
Be sure to provide enough pens as you will have guests, and
that your pens are working so that your guests can focus on
chasing down the clues to solve the mystery instead of
searching for a writing instrument
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Host Guide
How To Use The The MischiefMaker's Map
Your Host Materials folder contains a Floor Plan called The Mischief-Maker's Map.
This is designed to help each investigator determine where the Suspects were
around the time of the theft as they investigate. This design of “floor plan” is
unique to this mystery, as it has been designed to be folded like a map, but on a
single-sided 8.5x11 standard sheet of paper. It is designed in black and white to
give you a few options. You can simply print and use the map as-is. Alternatively,
you can print it on tinted paper to make it look like old parchment. Another idea
is to print the maps on regular white paper and then “tea stain” them. This is the
more time-consuming (and messier!) option, but it's also more budget-friendly
and is a fun project you can do pre-party with those involved in the party, or at
the beginning of the party as an activity (remember to leave enough time for the
maps to dry – when we tested the activity, we had a hair-dryer on hand!) There
are some great tutorials on our Pinterest board for this mystery if you would like
to see how it's done!
Simply print off as many copies as you need to accommodate those guests not
playing a Suspect to get them engaged in their investigation in a unique and
unforgettable way!
You will need to fold the maps as well to make them look like... well, maps! If you
look closely you will see gray dotted lines on the maps. These lines are there to
show you where to fold. You will notice that the left and right sides of the map
contain a “broken” picture of a castle. When you are finished folding, this picture
should come together as a cover. For a video explaining how to fold the map, see
our Pinterest boards or our Youtube channel HERE!
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Host Guide
The Play Site
The PLAY! Site is a place you can send your guests pre-party to get information
about the mystery you've chosen. Here they can view the trailer, see the Suspect
List, find out what to expect and more. The PLAY! Resources are always being
expanded, and will vary from mystery to mystery (for example, some mysteries
don't require costumes, and are classified as “Costume Casual”, so they won't
have costume ideas, whereas others may have resources like “1920's Slang”. The
PLAY! Site is located here:
http://www.shotinthedarkmysteries.com/play/
Your Suspects are provided this link within their Suspect Guides, but you will need
to advise them, and the other guests who aren't suspects, which version of the
mystery (ie: how many Suspects) they will experience.
Costumes
Costumes are an important part of a themed mystery party, and for the “themed”
mysteries, you will find a discussion about costumes on the PLAY! Site for your
particular mystery. We also have costume ideas on our Pinterest boards at:
https://www.pinterest.com/mysterymaiden/wizards-the-wands-of-procyonmystery-party-ideas/
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If Your Mystery is
“Costume Casual”
Some mysteries have themes that are obvious (ie: A Flapper Murder at the
1920's Speakeasy and The Masquerade Murder) and hopefully costume ideas for
your guests will be obvious as well. But if you have selected what we call a
“Costume Casual” mystery, you will not have costume suggestions, or they will be
vague. We do this on purpose so that you, the host, can set a theme as you see
fit, and instruct your guests accordingly without having them limited by the
restrictions of pre-set costume requirements from us. So, for example, let's say
you are hosting The Getty Affair, The Birthday Party Murder, The Halloween Party
Murder or The Christmas Party Murder. These are great examples of mysteries
that are designed to fit into YOUR party, not the other way around. You can select
costume themes for your guests or experience the mystery as-is, with your
guests dressing in their street clothes. If your guests still can't decide what to
wear for a “Costume Casual” mystery, we are always here to help!
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Host Guide
When You Are Ready To Begin
Begin your mystery experience with the Announcement of Theft. Your mystery
may come with Audio Files (if you have purchased a Mini Mystery version, you will
not have audio files). We encourage you to use the audio files, however they are
optional (See “How To Use The Audio Files” section). If you are using the audio
files, press “Play” on the “Announcement of Theft” file. If you aren't, have
someone read the transcript of the Announcement of Theft/Section 1:
Opportunity file (found in a separate file in your Host Materials folder).
How the Sleuths Ask Questions
The Announcement of Theft provides some questions that will get the
investigators going. Based on what they learn from asking these initial questions,
they will naturally come up with questions of their own.
If a sleuth asks something that is not explained in the Suspect information, the
Suspects should reply with the answer, “I have nothing to say about that.”
This phrase is designed to keep the questions moving along and convey to the
person asking the question that they need to change their line of questioning
without the interrogator or the Suspect having to break character to explain that
there is nothing in their information to answer the question posed. This is
explained to the Suspects in their Suspect Guide as well as to the participants in
the Announcement of Theft.
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Host Guide
The Investigations
The first section of your mystery investigation is “Opportunity”. Play the “Section
1: Opportunity” audio file, or read the transcript to the group en masse if you
prefer (found at the end of this very Host Guide file!) This will set the scene and
give information about the crime, as well as how the sleuths investigate and
questions to ask to get their investigation started.
The time you should allow for the sleuths to investigate is up to you, and can vary
from group to group. You can listen in on the investigations to get a feel for when
everyone has asked the questions relating to the suspect with the opportunity.
More often than not though, putting a time frame on the different sections of the
investigation is the preferred method. We have found 20 minutes is usually a
good amount of time for the first section of the investigation, and that putting a
time limit on the amount of time they have to investigate can create a fun raceagainst-the-clock-type sense of urgency. Only you know your group though, and if
you feel as though they need longer or that you want to see how they get on and
move on when they are ready, you are in complete control over the timing of the
investigation.
When you are ready to move on, play the audio file named “Section 2: Motive” or
read the transcript (found in your Host Materials folder) to the group en masse.
While less information than “Opportunity”, this will instruct them about the
meaning of “Motive” and what to ask the suspects to continue moving their
investigation forward and check the “Motive” boxes off in their Sleuth Flipbook.
Like the Opportunity section, the Motive section should continue for either a predetermined amount of time or as long as you feel is needed for the sleuths to
uncover the information they need to check the “Motive” box for each suspect in
their Sleuth Flipbook.
From there, play the “Section 3: Means” audio file or read the transcript to the
group en masse, and repeat the process. Keep in mind that this is the last round
of questioning, so the sleuths should wrap up their investigation, and hopefully
have completed their check boxes for each suspect in their Sleuth Flipbook.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Keeping in line with traditional book plots, the plot for Wizards: The Wands of
Procyon is complex. The goal of the participants is not to decipher the entire plot,
as all will be revealed in The Big Reveal. Their goal is to figure out who had the
motive, means and opportunity to steal the Wands of Procyon. The entire plot will
be revealed in the Big Reveal at the end, and while they may guess a part of it,
discovering the plot around the theft should not be their central focus. They are
to focus on the three elements: Motive, Means and Opportunity to commit the
theft. While they may pick up on the underlying plot, do not expect them to solve
every part of it! That's part of the fun of the Big Reveal.
The more Suspects you have, the longer you and your guests
will need to investigate.
Beware The Tight-Lipper
There always seems to be one Suspect at the party who wants to appear to be
the guilty party and will try to bait people to interrogate them harder by not
giving any of their share information away.
After serious psychoanalysis, we have determined this person craves attention, be
it positive or negative. But since we're not throwing a mystery party to deal with
people's personal issues, let's just say this person is not cool. Don't fret though,
because all Suspects are advised in their Suspect guide that they have to share
their “Share” information. If you have a tight-lipped Suspect who still insists on
being evasive to the point of party-wrecking, gently remind them that the Share
information needs to be shared or they'll ruin everyone's good time.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
The Accusations
Your mystery includes accusation forms. Print off and/or copy that page as many
times as needed to ensure everyone attending your mystery party has a form on
which to cast their accusation at the end of the mystery. Before the “Big Reveal”,
hand out the accusation forms and ensure every participant has one.
Instruct everyone to look at the columns under each suspect in their Sleuth
Flipbook. If they have investigated well, they should see one suspect with a check
mark in all three boxes. Have everyone write down their accusation first, and then
have each person tell the group who they accused and, if they want to, why they
think that suspect is guilty.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Award prizes for )Best Sleuth*, )Best Suspect* and
more
For large groups, have participants place their
accusation forms in a ballot box for prize draws/door
prizes
If you have a smaller group and/or the time to do it, it's always fun to have
everyone tell the group en masse the name of the person they have accused, and
the reasons why. The purpose of writing down the accusation before casting it is
so that no one can change their mind after hearing the others' accusations and
reasons behind their accusation.
The Big Reveal
The end of the mystery is marked by The Big Reveal. Once everyone has cast
their accusations against the thief, it's time to reveal the guilty party! If you are
having guests cast their accusations in a ballot box, you will want to announce
the deadline for casting accusations before The Big Reveal in order to give
everyone time to get their vote in the box. The Big Reveal is included in a
separate file so you can print it on its own without the worry of stumbling across
it as you read the rest of your Host Materials. This way, you can solve the
mystery too! You can use the audio file titled “The Big Reveal” or read the
transcript called “The Big Reveal”, included in your Host Materials.
After The Big Reveal you can peak through the accusations and award
prizes/titles etc. if this is something you have chosen to do at your event.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
Additional Tips and Ideas
We have a great section for our hosts on our website that is expanding every day.
Visit us for ideas on how to throw a great party, recipes, cocktails, wine reviews
and articles about all things party hosting!
http://www.partyhostingtips.com/
Also, join us in the Party Hosting Lounge on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/partyhostinglounge/
We've also got a great Facebook page for Shot In The Dark Mysteries where our
past hosts have sent us some great pictures to give you ideas for your own party!
Come join our Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/shotinthedarkmysteries
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
A Potential Side Activity:
Locating Procyon With The
Naked Eye
We try to sneak learning into our mysteries as much as we sneak healthy stuff
into our own kids' food (chocolate beet muffins and turmeric in the mac and
cheese anyone?). This mystery contains a little extra fun (don't tell them they are
learning something)! Procyon is an actual star system called a 'binary' star
system, and the brightest of the two stars of Procyon can be seen on a clear night
with the naked eye – both may be seen with a telescope! If you are so inclined, a
trip outside in the evening to try to locate the Procyon star system is a great side
activity, and fits right in with the plot of the mystery!
The “main sequence” star of Procyon (Procyon A) is actually the eighth brightest
star in the sky! Its companion “dwarf” star (Procyon B) is not as bright, but the
two hang around with two other stars, one called Betelgeuse and the other called
Sirius (which should be a very familiar name to any Harry Potter fan!) In fact,
where Sirius is considered the Dog Star, Procyon is often called the “Little Dog
Star”. So, in essence, it's like Sirius' younger star. Sirius and Procyon were
considered to be Orion's dogs, Orion, of course, being The Hunter.
Another interesting, and perhaps a bit sad, fact is that Procyon seems to be
coming to the end of its life. So, get out and see it while you can! Here's how:
(picture to follow)
Locate Orion’s Belt, the three stars that are in a straight line and visible most
clear nights in most places around the world. Procyon A and B are both to the left
of Orion’s Shoulder. Procyon A is easily seen with the naked eye. Procyon B is a
smaller star up and to the right of Procyon A. Procyon should be the next
brightest star beside Orion.
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
(photo credit: StarryNightEducation)
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Wizards: The Wands of Procyon
Host Guide
If, after reading this guide you still have questions before the party, please don’t
hesitate to contact us. We will do everything in our power to ensure your mystery
runs smoothly. Having said that, hosting one of our mysteries is easy - just relax
and have fun!
Sincerely,
Leigh Clements
Creative Director
Shot In The Dark Mysteries.com
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