Client Concept Document

by Dias & Resin Interactive

1
Overview
Gem is a fine dining restaurant based in NYC, characterized by its unique seasonal menu and
variety of culinary inspirations. As stated in their RFP, the restaurant is interested in providing a
non-traditional dining experience for a limited time, hoping to create a sense of community
through food. In response, we developed three separate concepts for a game that would fulfill
their requirements.

The Gem team ultimately selected the Murder Mystery Game concept, noting preferences which
we have taken into account in our revision. In this document, we will walk through the design
and structure of the experience, as well as the proposed budget and schedule.

Constraints
We took our client’s limitations heavily into consideration while designing this experience.
Such constraints are:

❖ Location: The game must take place within the Gem establishment.
❖ Audience: A maximum of 16 guests is allowed, along with 2 actors.
❖ Budget: $200,000 will be provided to fund development.
❖ Development Time: 6-month time period for development, rehearsal and setup.
❖ Team Size: 4 people would be hired to create the experience.

Design Values
Along with our constraints, we also would like to reiterate our values that we’ve incorporated in
every choice made during our development process.
Through feedback provided by the Gem team, we’ve ensured that no matter the outcome of the
event, all guests should feel equal throughout the dining experience.

We should be able to provide an immersive opportunity and interesting dynamics, without

taking away the main interest of the restaurant: the courses.

The experience should be collaborative, with guests working together to overcome the game’s
various challenges.

The designs themselves should be simple yet elegant, reflecting Gem’s trademark ambiance..

Overall, the game should be fun and engaging, but not overly disruptive to the dining
environment.

2
Setting the Stage
Upon being seated for the evening, a host greets you with some…unsettling news.

Indeed, a ghastly specter haunts this establishment, the spirit of one who was murdered in
this very place a long time ago… Our only hope of exorcizing this poltergeist is to unravel the
secrets of their demise.

The staff at Gem have done all they could to gather whatever shreds of evidence remain, but
alone, they could only get so far. Using clues provided by the host, and hidden about the very
courses of their meal, the sixteen diners must cooperate to piece together the dish the
deceased was eating at the time of death, the table they were sitting at, and the identity of the
murderer.

Gem Floor Plan

Hint Cards
Once situated, the diners will find a trio of starting hint cards by their place settings, each
containing a piece of information meant to prime the diners’ speculative instincts for the task
at hand. Hint cards can be shared with other diners, and are delivered alongside each dish.

Hint Card Design Sample

3
Wanted Posters
Glancing about the restaurant will reveal wanted posters for the possible culprits behind this
grisly crime, each one labeled with a name. Paying close attention to their features will be
necessary for interpreting the various clues associated with their identities.

Wanted Poster Sample

4
The Menu
They’ll soon find that the menu contains not only the various dishes available, each one a
suspect in its own right, but an encrypted message associated with them. Each dish is
accompanied by a special hint card, which may be of use in deciphering these clues.

Menu Concept

5
The Game Loop
Once in play, the diners gradually accumulate hints and make deductions with the help of their
dining companions over the course of the night, one revelation leading naturally into the next.
Once they feel confident in their understanding of the case, each cohort may submit their
guess at the dish, table, and suspect in an envelope located at the center of their table. They
have until the end of the evening to make their claim.

Flowchart Illustrating the Game Loop

Example
Paul inspects the various hint cards which have been distributed to him, deducing from their
clues that neither the Grilled Scallop nor the King Crab is likely to have been the final meal of
the deceased. With the help of his partner, he’s become rather confident that the murder could
only have happened at either tables three or four. What he’s less sure of, however, is the identity
of the murderer, but that’s about to change. He examines the hidden messages on the menu
and, comparing one against a cipher on a hint card he received during the previous course,
decodes the message, “Pay me and I’ll talk.” He orders the Monkfish, and, alongside his meal,
receives a new card which narrows his list of suspects.

6
Stage Task Description Time
Create and finalize concepts for cards, set and
Concept 1 Week
story

Design Finalize document, approved by Gem

Design Document 1 Week
associates

Art Direction Establish theming and art style 1-2 Weeks

Card Design Prototype Design practical cards & playtest 1-2 Weeks

Set Design Planning Create set drafts and material requisitions 3 Weeks
Pre-
Alpha
Script Draft Create first story pass 2 Weeks

Casting Locating and hiring a suitable actor 4 Weeks

Test Rehearsals Running passes of the actor and the script 3 Weeks

Edit the script accordingly from the acting

Revise Script/Writing 2 Weeks
pass
Alpha
Revise Set Design Optimize and arrange assets in the set 3 Weeks

Revise Art Refine cards from playtest 3 Weeks

Dress Rehearsals First costume pass and rehearsal with set 3 Weeks

Finalize Script Final edits and additions in script 2 Weeks

Beta
Finalize Set Design Final touches and passes of the set space 3 Weeks

Card Production Finalize card design and send off for printing 2 Weeks

Final Revisions Last minute adjustments to set or script 2 Weeks

Gold
Opening Night First full show with guests 2 Weeks

Post Maintenance Maintain set integrity and game functionality TBD

Within our allotted time of six months, we’ve developed a detailed schedule that our
developers can reference over time. During the Design and Pre-Alpha period, the focus should
be on designing something functional and testing it out until we have a fun experience.
Alpha and Beta should be about revision, testing and finalizing the event. Gold will be our
final step, in which we will put on our Murder Mystery for the first time, and Post-Launch will
be the preservation of future nights.

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 Role 6-Month Budget
Game Designer $41,000

Artist $35,000

Production Manager $42,500

Actor $34,000

Prop Budget/Overhead Costs $47,500

Total $200,000

Our projected budget consists of our development team roles, our actor within the restaurant
event, and our set design/prop costs combined with our overhead costs. Overhead costs
include insurance for not only our development team, but for the restaurant as we set up a set
within the space, but also production costs for the cards, posters and other props.