A card game that was created in Morecambe which was to help a local entertainment company survive throughout the pandemic has just garnered two industry awards.
Foul Play : The Murder Mystery Card Game has just been awarded the Imagination Games Seal of Approval in the Imagination Gaming Awards as well as being crowned 3rd Place in the Family games category of The BlogOn Toy Awards 2021.
Ben Cooper-Muir one of the creators of the game tells Beyond Radio:
“When the pandemic first hit and all live events were cancelled we weren’t sure our company would make it through,” explains Ben Cooper-Muir one of the directors of Lancaster & Morecambe based After Dark Murder Mystery Events, “We effectively had all of our income wiped out, so we had to adapt and think on our feet! That’s when we came up with the idea of creating a card game. The majority of other entertainment companies had opted to create online entertainment, so the market became flooded pretty fast. Besides, we knew that we’d be back to live events sometime (or at least we hoped we would be) so we wanted to come up with something a little bit different that we could continue investing in after the lockdowns had ended.”
So one fateful evening, Ben and his partner Lee decided to come up with a whole new way to murder people. Keeping their cards close to their chests they plotted and schemed until Foul Play : The Murder Mystery Card Game was born. So, what to do next? This is where After Dark enters the picture. After all, Ben and Lee were two of the operators of the infamous murder mystery company. Maybe they could collaborate to bring the game to the masses. When Lockdown restrictions were eased a top-secret meeting was held with the other criminal masterminds behind After Dark, Helen Burrows, Sophie Webster & Tom Fisher and a pact was made. The game would be launched and licensed under the After Dark banner. In true After Dark style, the team burst into action and then began the beta testing, design updates, promotional planning, character changes, proofing, proofing and more proofing until finally all the kinks were ironed out, mysteries solved, and FOUL PLAY : Manor House Murder came to life!
The team didn’t stop there though! Due to the popularity of the first game, a second version ‘Once Upon A Crime’ was put on the table, designed, and then launched on Kickstarter. Fully funded in under 48 hours the team at After Dark had another success on their hands and players had another murder in theirs!
“We had hoped to be able to continue selling the game after the pandemic was over,” continues Ben, “but we had never dreamed that it would be this popular and to win awards for the game is just amazing! We’re really grateful to everyone who voted for us and have purchased a copy so far to support us during the pandemic.”
So what next? Well, now that live events are back on the cards, the team at After Dark Murder Mystery events have created a live tie-in show that works alongside the card game!
“We’re all entertainers at heart and it’s great to be back performing again, but now we know we can create games, it’s just another string to our bow and we can use it as another way to bring our own special brand of murder, mystery and entertainment to the masses!”
Foul Play: The Manor House Murder and Foul Play: Once Upon A Crime are available to buy for £8.95 each + p&p from www.foulplaygame.co.uk or you can find out more about After Dark Murder Mystery Events by visiting www.afterdarkmurder.co.uk
Children's play area in Lancaster opens after £118k revamp
Illegal tobacco and counterfeit clothing seized during raid on Lancaster city centre shop
Lancaster bowling green fundraiser hits target
Six food businesses in Lancaster district fail allergen tests
LISTEN: Stars of Morecambe and Wise stage show can't wait for Eric's 100th birthday
LISTEN: Thousands enjoy Wray Fair finale to annual scarecrow festival
PHOTOS and VIDEO: Incredible sand art on Morecambe beach honours Sir David Attenborough
Row over Morecambe FC debt as ex-directors' firm issues winding-up petition against club
Morecambe Pride handed £3,500 grant boost
North West awards delight for talented stars of Lancaster musicals
Music festival set for Lancaster over Bank Holiday postponed due to ‘ongoing planning’
Lancashire Police Museum in Lancaster celebrates fourth anniversary
Police investigate alleged sexual exploitation at Lancaster flat
Beyond the Beat: Two arrests after assault in Lancaster city centre
Morecambe MP "appalled" as Lancashire set to quit refugee resettlement scheme
Replica RAF helicopter to go on display in Lancaster at three-day show
Life-size knitted mannequin pops up ahead of Eric Morecambe's 100th birthday
Stars play in celebrity football match in Morecambe in memory of brave teenager
Roses are red! Lancaster University students celebrate fifth straight victory
70 homes in Carnforth evacuated after bomb scare
