Murder on the Astral Express,A murder mystery dinner party game plot!

Setting: The year is 2150. Your party is taking place aboard the Astral Express, a luxury space liner en route to an exclusive resort on a newly colonized planet.

Basic Plot: A Henry Phillips, the trillionaire visionary reclusive investor behind this intergalactic project, is found dead during the voyage, and suspicion falls upon everyone aboard. Amid the futuristic setting, hidden agendas and alien secrets intertwine.

Characters

This is an example of a party for 10 guests. Let us customize a party plan for your next event.

Captain Elias Thorne: Stern and seasoned leader of the Astral Express.
Dr. Mira Sato: Brilliant but enigmatic ship’s doctor with questionable ethics.
Chef Pierre LeBlanc: Celebrated culinary artist harboring a short fuse.
First Mate Zara Khan: Ambitious second-in-command with a ruthless streak.
Jax Riley: Eccentric maintenance engineer who knows all the ship’s nooks and crannies.
Tourist 1 – Vera Ashford: Wealthy socialite with a condescending attitude.
Tourist 2 – Baron Nikolai Von Strauss: Shady industrialist with a penchant for secrets.
Tourist 3 – Professor Luna Clarke: Renowned astrophysicist with a distracted demeanor.
Tourist 4 – Kai Chen: Tech-savvy influencer with an obsession for social status.
Tourist 5 – (Secret Alien) Z’xith: A shapeshifter from a distant star system, disguised as a human, with their own mysterious motives.

Suggested Props

Futuristic drinkware: Metallic goblets, glowing glasses
Control panels: Cardboard cutouts with futuristic dials and buttons.
Medical equipment: Fake futuristic scanners, vials of colored liquids.
Chef’s tools: Odd-looking kitchen utensils.
Holo-screens: Images of stars and planets projected on the walls.
Specimen Jars: Empty jars with labels like “Moon Dust” or “Alien Flora”

Costumes

Crew: Sleek jumpsuits with rank insignia.
Tourists: Extravagant clothing reflecting their personality (outlandish patterns, metallic fabrics, high-tech accessories).
Secret Alien: Subtle difference in appearance – odd eye color, slightly disjointed walk for a touch of the strange.

Decor

Low lighting with star projections
Metallic accents
Control panel backdrop in the main dining area

Outline

Act 1: The Introduction

Guests arrive in costume, mingling and getting to know their characters (Character sheets with backstory and secrets provided beforehand).
Captain Thorne makes a welcome speech cut short by the discovery of the body!

Act 2: Clues and Suspicions

Initial investigation – odd details about the crime scene.
Guests split into groups, exploring ‘rooms’ of the ship (pre-designated areas).
Clues found: Strange symbols, sabotaged equipment, a hidden note, etc.

Act 3: The Dinner Party

Tension-filled dinner where guests trade accusations.
Motives revealed through heated discussion.
Another twist! A vital piece of the ship malfunctions (lights flicker, fake ‘oxygen leak’ alarm).

Act 4: The Final Revelations

In the scramble to fix the ship, more secrets are uncovered.
Each character has a final chance to defend themselves.
The killer is revealed! (With the possibility of an accomplice).

Have maling this party come to life, or engage one or more of our detectives and other character actors to lead your guests.

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The New York Improv Theater is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Google, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Band of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more… (NYC DOE VENDORS)

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Additionally, 1000s of public and private events at The Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Wolf Trap, The Argyle Theater, Emelin Theater, Gerold Opera House, 72nd Street Pier, Cherry Point Marine Base, Disney Resorts, Ohio National Guard, Connecticut DCF, First Nights Winchester VA, Binghamton First Night, Haddonfield First Night, Chateau Briand, Babylon Carriage House, retirement homes, numerous libraries, YMCA, JCC, Parks and Recreation, 1000s of k12 schools and summer camps in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska.Artistic Director, Walt Frasier has 25+ years of professional credits in comedy, Theater and music. He got his big break in TV performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and most recently on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Frasier has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains (Filmed in Puerto Rico), Netflix’s Lilyhammer (filmed in Norway) and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band. In addition to 1000s of live performances around the world, Frasier has also appeared in numerous commercials, industrials, webisodes and reality TV shows. Arthur Avenue regulars may also recognize Walter, if you add a white beard and red suit, as he has been official Little Italy Santa for the past 15 years.

Artistic Director Walt Frasier

With over 30 years of experience in theater, comedy, and television, Walt Frasier is the Artistic Director of Improv Theater LLC, a leading edutainment center known for its high-impact comedy shows and workshops. His extensive career includes performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Walt has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains, Netflix’s Lilyhammer, and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band, in addition to numerous commercials, industrials, and live performances worldwide.