A Dead Man's Chest (12–16) 12+

A Dead Man's Chest – a murder mystery party game with a pirate setting for 12 to 16 guests

"A Dead Man's Chest was very clever, excellently written and we all LOVED the open-ended nature of what people could do. SO much plotting and back stabbing."
Jack Lawrence, United Kingdom

Recommended for ages 12+
Costs US$29.99
Written by Mo Holkar

A Dead Man's Chest is a dinner party murder mystery game for 12 to 16 guests and a host – download the free introductory pdf file.

Join us in a thrilling evening of piracy, intrigue, heroism and skulduggery. You will be in the middle of the action and it will be up to you to wheel and deal with the other guests. Can you achieve your goals, keep your secrets hidden and survive A Dead Man's Chest? It's up to you.

A Dead Man's Chest

Two pirate crews descend upon the sleepy Caribbean island of Santo Oloroso -- to avenge the death of their former master Captain Flint, or to find and grab his treasure?

Old enmities will surface, deals will be made and broken, and some folk will swing from the yard-arm while others receive the dreaded Black Spot, before these affairs are settled, for good or ill.

Old enmities will surface, deals will be made and broken, and some folk will swing from the yard-arm while others receive the dreaded Black Spot, before these affairs are settled, for good or ill.

Will fortune favour the brave? Will faint heart ever win fair lady? How many Pieces of Eight make a Doubloon? Find out all this and more at A Dead Man's Chest.

A Dead Man's Chest lasts for about four hours and is suited to an evening. It is often played over a meal – a finger buffet if possible to allow guests to circulate and talk in private.

"Just wanted to tell you that A Dead Man's Chest was an awesome mystery – my friends really loved it. Thanks for a great product!"
Michael Eddings,

The free introductory pdf file contains an introduction to the game, a cast list of all the characters, and a copy of the Caribbean Courier – plus details of how to buy the game.

These are the characters in A Dead Man's Chest:

• • 'Black' Jack McCracken – The dashing and gallant captain of the Scurvy Knave
  • 'Saucy' Nancy Martin – The bold and fiery captain of the Fury
  • 'Sawbones' McGraw – The detached, sarcastic ship's doctor of the Scurvy Knave
  • Alice Tremain – The shrewd, imaginative First Mate of the Fury
  • Bill Pistol – The marooned former pirate, currently as mad as a brush
  • Blaise Richelieu – The temperamental, passionate ship's cook of the Fury
  • Captain Hal Overy – The upright, stubborn Royal Navy captain
  • Cassinga – The enigmatic, powerful shaman of the Indian tribe
  • Don Inigo de Velez y Contrera – The aristocratic and condescending Spanish nobleman
  • Elizabeth Stanforth – The free-spirited elder daughter of the Governor of Jamaica
  • Hayapitl – The hard-working, responsible chief of the Indian tribe
  • Quintus Swelter – The sinister but talented ship's cook of the Scurvy Knave
  • Salamanca – The resourceful, cynical valet of Don Inigo de Velez y Contrera
  • Sir Percival Stanforth – The trustworthy, steadfast Governor of Jamaica
  • Tokeleth – The independently-minded daughter of the Indian chief Hayapitl
  • Tom – The keen young ship's boy of the Scurvy Knave

How Freeform Games Murder Mysteries Work

A Dead Man's Chest is unlike many murder mystery games. Although the game starts with a murder, most of the characters have more important things to do than to investigate it. And the killing may not be over – it is unlikely that everyone will survive the remainder of the evening!

A Dead Man's Chest is played just like a murder mystery game. You may be trying to solve the murder, but primarily you are (initially at least) concentrating on your own goals and objectives. Unlike most boxed murder mystery games, A Dead Man's Chest lets you decide how to achieve your goals and thwart your enemies.

"We played A Dead Man's Chest in honor of my 21st birthday and had SUCH a great time! …The next day, the game was the ONLY thing being talked about in the theatre department – everyone was telling everyone how much fun it was, all the funny jokes, everything – it was quite a hit!"
Bonnie Prather, United States

On the evening of the game the guests are met by the organizer. They then receive their detailed backgrounds - including dark secrets, objectives and money. The players can form alliances, blackmail each other, steal items and even mutiny. Along the way they may solve some of A Dead Man's Chest's mysteries. Why was the Governor's daughter kidnapped by pirates? Who is the masked do-gooder 'El Cuervo'? Where is the fabled treasure buried? And of course, how did Captain Flint die? Finally, the game concludes and everyone finds out how they did, and what secrets everyone else was concealing.

Extra characters

Sometimes you have too many guests and you need more characters. So we've written a free extra character for each of our games that you can add in, and some of our customers have created their own characters for their parties and are kindly willing to share them.

• • 'Ginger' Roberts – freelance reporter in search of the Big Story. (Any)
    (by Freeform Games)
  • Balavari – young Taino tribesman. (M)
    (by Jenni Malloch)
  • Belladonna – Jack McCracken's fancy-woman. (F)
    (by Jocelyn Thompson and Bonnie Prather)
  • Bosun Barnes – crewmate of Captain Overy. (M)
    (by Dathan Burden)
  • Bosun Barnes (alternate) – crewmate of Captain Overy. (M)
    (by Dan Johns)
  • Grace Cooper – pirate of the Fury. (F)
    (by Dan Johns)
  • Jay Sommer – stowaway aboard the Scurvy Knave. (Any)
    (by Lisa Perez)
  • Louis de Monnaie – deckhand aboard the Scurvy Knave. (M)
    (by Tara Laben)
  • Madame Zuzu – Santo Oloroso's resident voodoo lady. (F)
    (by Al Kennedy and Carrie Graham)
  • Rev Cecil Howard and Georgiana Fitzsimmons – Missionary minister and she-pirate. Must be used together. (Any)
    (by Andreah Mathews)
  • Reverend Ian Plumpton – missionary travelling aboard the Scurvy Knave. (M)
    (by Dathan Burden)
  • Rose – Ship's Girl of the Fury. (Any)
    (by Dathan Burden)
  • Shay Collins (family-friendly version of Belladonna) – pirate of the Fury. (Any)
    (by Jocelyn Thompson and Bonnie Prather, revised by Lisa Perez)

Please note that we haven't always tested these – and they may not tie in exactly with our games.