How to play

A mystery night with friends. One host narrates; everyone reads, discusses and votes.

Quick start

Choose Create a new game, add your players and pick a story that fits your group. Open the waiting room (called the lobby on the game screen) and share its QR code. Follow the reader prompts until the final reveal.

Most stories support 3–12 players; Woodland Hollow needs exactly 14. Plan about 60–90 minutes, with extra time for larger groups or longer discussions. Use one host screen plus everyone's phone.

Both the host and guest phones support the listed main-site mysteries: The Secrets of Via del Pellegrino, Woodland Hollow, Blackwater Row, Ravenmoor, The Lago Cabin, LOCKDOWN and the Briar House playtest. Additional testing stories remain available on the testing website. Choose the player count shown on each mystery's card.

Woodland Hollow uses exactly 14 players and six rounds. Dead characters remain players and read their ghost memories. Discuss after each round, then continue to the next chapter or the author's ending; this mystery does not use ballots.

The Secrets of Via del Pellegrino uses exactly 12 players and seven rounds. Read in the prompted loops and discuss after each round. After Round 7, make final accusations and vote; the host then reveals both guilty characters and reads the historical account.

Start a gathering

How it works

  1. Choose your mystery. Add your players. The game selects a version of the story with one character for each player. Assign characters and open the waiting room.
  2. Meet the cast. Guests join on their phones without accounts. The host reads the setup aloud, then each player reads their character card. Discuss the introduction if you like.
  3. Read, discuss, vote. The turn banner tells you who reads next. Everyone reads one clue each round, then the group deliberates and votes. Make final accusations and a final vote before hearing the full story and its fixed reveal.

Devices

A laptop or tablet is ideal for the host; guests use their phones. Use a current Chrome or Safari browser and an internet connection on every device. Keep the host screen open and awake.

These instructions cover the free murder mysteries. Unreleased games and purchase features are not part of the main site's catalog.

Host guide

Preparing & running a story

Review the character assignments before opening the lobby. The host counts as a player only if assigned a character. The review contains spoilers, so keep it private from players.

Read the narration aloud and call on the reader named in the turn banner. Mark each clue read. Every player reads once per round; discussion and voting follow every round.

On your turn, your phone brings your read-aloud clue into view and gives its border a gentle gold glow. Read the full clue, then let the host mark it read. The glow stops when the turn moves on. Turn off Visual effects in Ambience, or use your device's reduced-motion setting, for a still gold border instead.

Murderer identity notification is off by default. The host can enable it during character review. Ghost parts appear only where the story calls for them; they stay in the reading order.

The game chooses the reading order for you. Each player reads about other characters; some stories repeat a reading when needed. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Connections, rejoining & saved games

The host's browser runs the mystery room. A closed laptop, locked device or paused browser cannot keep it running, even when sleep prevention is available.

If someone disconnects, leave their character assigned. Phones retry automatically and keep their last received clues; voting needs a connection. Return to the host screen or choose Reconnect room, rather than creating a new room.

Your game is saved on this device after you add a player. Opening an empty setup screen does not save a room. To reopen a saved game, use Resume on the same browser and device. Guests keep the same link and character. Browser Back preserves your saved game; replacing it asks for confirmation.

Clearing browser data can lose progress. There are no online backups for free games. Some networks block connections between players' devices; try another network or browser.

Contact & support

Email grimgatherings2026@gmail.com for help, feedback, privacy questions or older purchases. Include your browser, device and what happened. Never send passwords or card details.

Report bugs through our GitHub support tracker. Include your browser, device and steps to reproduce. A GitHub account is needed to post.

GitHub reports are public. Never post passwords, tokens, live room links or personal information. Use email for private questions.

Atmosphere image credits

The current estate uses owner-reviewed AI-generated artwork: the mansion, gate and fence from Microsoft Copilot, and supporting scenery from Google Gemini. Images were cut out, resized and color-adjusted locally. Use follows the Microsoft Services Agreement and Google's generative AI terms; the artwork is not claimed to be CC0 or exclusive.

Earlier artwork & source credits

Earlier AI-labeled Pixabay artwork includes the original mansion, replacement house by PixelLabs, withered tree and gate ornament by Art_Dreams. Adapted under the Pixabay Content License; retained as earlier versions, not standalone artwork downloads.