This week Murder by Post creators Natasha & Oliver spill the beans on the inspiration behind their vintage murder mystery games, how their company first came about and their recent collaboration for a live murder mystery event. They also talk about what goes into making one of their murder mysteries and some games on their wish list. Make a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy!
Who are you?
We’re Oliver & Natasha, a London-based couple who create vintage murder mystery games. We both work for international charities, so while we’re professional do-gooders by day, it’s fun to plot murders by night!
We started Murder by Post last year, and we feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to turn our hobby into a small business. It’s hard work, but a lot of fun! In our spare time, we love travelling (we met on a plane), theatre (we’re Hamilton-obsessed), reading (audiobooks are real books), the pub (who doesn’t?), and spending time with the people we love the most.
Have you always been drawn to murder mysteries?
We’ve both been Agatha Christie fans since childhood, and I (Natasha) still read/watch/listen to plenty of Agatha. On the more contemporary side, we’re been riveted by the Hawthorne & Horowitz series from Anthony Horowitz, and charmed by Ian Moore’s hilarious Follet Valley mysteries.
All in all, we love a cosy mystery. There’s definitely a place for the more gritty and scary mysteries that make you think about the issues of the day. But there’s something very gratifying about a cosy mystery that you can puzzle through and resolve. It’s escapist entertainment, and we’re here for it.
What inspired you to take this interest and create Murder by Post?
During lockdown, we started playing treasure hunt and murder mystery games and soon realised that they’re a fun and intriguing way to spend an evening without breaking the bank. As we played more games from various companies, the inspiration blossomed, and storylines and clues started to coalesce – so we decided to create our own games, with a vintage twist.
As an independent business, what sort of obstacles do you face when developing and selling your games?
Getting the word out is the hardest part – especially when you’re at the mercy of a monstrous and volatile algorithm! When people find out about our games, we often hear, ‘I’ve never seen anything like it!’. It’s wonderful to hear, but it reminds us we need to work harder with our marketing, as we tend to lean toward the creative side.
I played Peril at the Edge of the World and fell in love with the vintage aesthetic. Why did you decide to set all your games between 1920 and 1950?
At the moment, all of our mysteries are set in the 1920s and 1930s. This period has always had a natural draw – I think most people tend to imagine that inter-war period as a dreamy Great Gatsby-esque haze of social liberation, wild jazz, and glamourous parties. It was also a tumultuous time characterised by the Great Crash, Prohibition and early Civil Rights Activism.
New technologies including mass radio broadcasts and the rise of automobiles made the world a little more connected. In some countries, design, art and architecture took new, bold strides forward through the Art Deco movement and Bauhaus philosophy. It was also the Golden Age of Detective Fiction when many of the conventions we know and love today were first established.
All in all, it was an incredible period of change that will never cease to fascinate. We love the vintage themes and aesthetic of that period and try to bring some of its magic into our mysteries. In the next couple of years, we’ll create games set in the 1940s-50s, but they’ll remain firmly vintage.
What goes into making one of your games?
It always starts with a big idea. With Peril at the Edge of the World, we knew we wanted to create a round-the-world mystery and convey the charm and intrigue of a time when world travel was still in fairly formative stages.
Our games are story-led, and for that mystery, we did a lot of research on Nellie Bly. This incredible woman was light-years ahead of her time. In 1889, she travelled around the world in record-breaking time, beating the fictional record of Phileas Fogg. She pioneered a new kind of investigative journalism, became an advocate, a novelist, industrialist, and inventor, and at one point was mistaken for a British spy. So it was obvious we had to create a story inspired by her!
We’ll jot down a framework, outlining what our sleuths will need to discover (eg. what was the murder weapon? Who was the accomplice? etc). Then to the clues. We’re always noting down new clue ideas – whether they’re word-based or visual, or involve lateral thinking and deduction. We’ll try clues on for size, and see what fits well within the set framework. Meanwhile, we want to weave the story and characters through the clues, so you’ll get to know them as the game progresses.
Graphic design always presents fresh challenges, but it’s an incredible thing to see the ideas come to life. And sometimes the design inspires the clue. Then it’s time to ‘zoom out’ again. We print everything out so we can test and tweak the game until we’re satisfied that all the elements work well together.
One of the most exciting steps comes once everything is properly printed, and we can assemble a pack for the first time. Production and assembly of a full print run can take time, and we often rope in some very kind family members to help!
Not all murder mystery games feature puzzles, some are purely deduction-based. Is it important for you to include a puzzle element?
We love a good puzzle. We try to include a variety of clue types in each mystery, including codes, double meanings, puzzle-hunting, visual and word clues. But we also include Holmes-type deductive clues that lead to the big ‘AHA!’ moments.
We always aim to create something that we’d enjoy playing, and we find it’s so much more satisfying when you’re not spoon-fed the answers. So we include a few deductive clues that encourage people to think laterally within the world of the mystery. This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but we know that many of our sleuths find these types of clues the most challenging and rewarding.
You also offer an Advent Calendar with a difference in Death in a Snowstorm and The Vanishing Prof Vanderkopf which is perhaps a more affordable option for those wishing to try you out. Can you share a little more information on each of these?
Death in a Snowstorm is our Christmas mystery box, comprised of 12 cute mini envelopes. In this bitterly cold case from 1931, you follow the story of six friends who brave the darkness and snow to celebrate Christmas together at a cosy log cabin in rural Norway. But once the snowstorm clears, only five will leave the cabin alive. The game can be hung up with the enclosed twine and pegs and used as an Advent Calendar, or it can be played in one evening over a bottle of wine.
The Vanishing Prof Vanderkopf is our first postcard mystery, set in 1938. The esteemed Professor Vanderkopf vanished just before he was due to present a crucial scientific breakthrough. Your job is to solve the mystery and recover the Professor’s papers before it’s too late! At just under £8, this mystery is a set of 4 postcards, designed to be posted one at a time to a friend. As a bonus, you can solve the mystery for yourself before you pop them in the post.
Last but not least, there’s our original mystery-in-an-envelope, Murder at Pettifog Hall. In November 1932, Lord and Lady Carmichael hosted a lavish weekend party for friends and family at their English country estate, Pettifog Hall. But the festivities come to a sudden and shocking end when one of their party is found murdered…
Do you have any ideas for your next game?
Oliver was born in East Germany in the 1980s. Back then, the Stasi had reached their tentacles into every corner of society through their elaborate spy network, as they encouraged everyday people to inform on their friends, neighbours and colleagues. Fast-forward to the present day and citizens of the former East Germany can request to see the files the Stasi compiled about them.
On a recent visit to see family, Olli’s dad showed us the Stasi’s file on him. We were shocked, fascinated, and even amused by some of the information shared with the Stasi authorities by colleagues and acquaintances – most of which was wildly inaccurate. But an informant could never really know which morsels of information they shared were innocuous, and which could alter someone’s life forever.
It was a mind-boggling insight into a very troubled time, but needless to say, it was the lived reality of so many people, not so long ago, or far away. We’ve been thinking about the many brave people who lived in quiet rebellion under this regime, and we think they could inspire an upcoming mystery storyline, set in the ‘40s or ‘50s.
You recently partnered with Frankie and Adam from ‘The Labours Of Hercule’ Podcast to run a sold-out murder mystery night. How did this come about and do you hope to do more events?
The Labours of Hercule is a favourite podcast – it’s brought a lot of fun and laughter, particularly during a time of prolonged illness. We had planned to reach out to Frankie & Adam to ask about a collaboration of some kind, but they beat us to it! We’re so glad they did because we’ve really enjoyed plotting this spooktacular Halloween event together.
We were shocked to sell out within a day of the tickets going on public sale, so we added a second event, which also promptly sold out – this is largely due to Adam and Frankie’s incredible audience, who are the loveliest people you could meet.
The first event was an absolute hoot, and the effort that some people put into their spooky fancy dress was impressive!
What games do you like to play? Can you share any you have played recently?
During lockdown we tried an online game from Hidden City – it still stands out as one of the most thrilling interactive games we’ve played. They currently focus on real-life treasure hunts through the city, which we can’t wait to try.
We also have our eye on the Literary Adventure Society games and hope to play one at Christmas. I love their old-world aesthetic, and it seems like a lot of thought and love has gone into their creations. PostCurious games look pretty epic too – there are a lot of wonderfully creative game creators out there who provide bags of inspiration.
Anything last words?
In recent years, we’ve both been dealing with chronic illness – as so many more people have since the pandemic. It makes us feel even more fortunate to run a small business that brings us joy and hopefully spreads a little joy to others.
We’ve met some incredibly lovely people along the way, and it’s been great to keep in touch with several of them. We’re always delighted to add new sleuths to our little community, and we hope you can join us. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
A big thank you to Natasha and Oliver for such great answers! You can feel their passion for murder mystery and the level of research that goes into their games is inspiring. I can say first-hand that their games are great! If you are still on the fence, check out my review of Peril at the Edge of the World.
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