Inaugural Murder Mystery Party 2012
The year is 1925. Several friends and casual acquaintances are meeting at Ripley Hall in Manchester, Upstate New York. This small gathering is in stark contrast to the decadent parties going on in Manhattan, and everyone is happy for the change of pace. However, with such a small crowd being in such a secluded place, everyone has an agenda for the evening. Some are simple enough like finding investors for some new venture while some are far more sinister.
Characters and Biography
A veteran of both the Spanish-American War and the Great War, Colonel MacDill is a swaggering man of action. He is usually bragging about his exploits in France, but he has the Croix de guerre to back it up. He is good friends with Jacob “Steelhard” Poincaré; they met before the war while Poincaré was working to build his small family smithy into a foundry capable of producing steel at a level comparable to the Germans. The colonel reportedly gave Poincaré his nickname and helped give him the funding needed to build his company.
The Duchess recently inherited her title with her marriage to the Duke of Dover. Though she came from an aristocratic family, she volunteered as a nurse in the Great War. She is an old school friend Sarah Poincaré, and the trio are constantly together.
Professor Bradley runs St. Mary’s Girls School. It has been her responsibility to continue her school’s mission of teaching young women how to be ladies. She has brought along her pupil Erica Sloan to keep an eye on her and teach her some manners.
Erica is a bubbling youth and a perfect example of her sort. She is at the party as the guest of Professor Bradley. Fed up with the young woman’s frequent unauthorized day trips into New York State and her progressive mannerisms, the Headmistress brought her both to keep an eye on her and to try to teach her some ladylike lessons at the party.
The wife of Jacob Poincaré, she is good friends with the Duchess. Things have been strained between her husband and herself, and she’s been spending more and more time with her girlfriends. This trio gossip nonstop.
The Author of our story and the game maker himself.
No living in New York and operating a small P.I. firm, the Detective is also a veteran of the Great War who served under Colonel MacDill. Though the two became fast friends after Spade saved the Colonel’s life, Spade has never really become accustomed to the Colonel’s high lifestyle and thus feels out of place in this crowd. He is only here at the request of his friend, but he will soon learn that the night will be eventful than he first thought.
The Frenchman is a wealthy steel industrialist. He got his start by transforming his family’s village smithy into an industrial powerhouse just in time for the start of the Great War. He is married to Sarah Poincaré, though there relationship seems strained at the moment.
A special thanks to...
Toni Thomas for catering and food service
Toni Thomas for catering and food service