A Will to Murder

Your character is:

Cornelius Khan
Welcome to A Will to Murder!
A Will to Murder is set in the 1930s in Albion House, a stately
dwelling in the small English village of Highthorpe. Albion
House belonged to Roy O’Leary – who was murdered yesterday
afternoon.
Roy O’Leary was an elderly and wealthy man, and there are
several family members who may benefit from his last will and
testament. O’Leary’s lawyer has asked the family to gather
together at Albion House, the day after the murder, to hear the
reading of the will.
The police are also present – because the O’Leary family are the
prime suspects in the murder case.
Everyone listens respectfully, as the Lawyer reads out the will.
The main clause is very simple, as O’Leary must have had a
premonition or warning of his dreadful end. The whole of Roy
O’Leary’s splendid fortune is left to whoever identifies his
murderer!
Cornelius Khan – Roy O’Leary’s son-in-
law, an accountant
You have a successful accountancy practice in Highthorpe, your
wife Regina is attractive and brilliant, and you’re generally
pretty pleased with the way your life is going – up until this
murder.
That’s partly because you also have Gillian. For the past six
months, you and she have been having a passionate affair – you
find her rather dominating nature tremendously exciting. You
are very eager to continue the affair, and you don’t want either
your wife or Gillian’s husband to find out about it. At the
moment you have the best of both worlds!
Not that you would mind adding another arrow to your quiver.
You have always been rather keen on Janis O’Leary, who is a
rather hot bit of stuff. She has just been widowed, but you don’t
imagine she can really have felt much for old Roy. This might be
the ideal time to offer her some of your special brand of
sympathy.
Snooping around the Trodes’ house when visiting Gillian
recently, you happened to see the account books for Alan’s
motorcycle business and for Gillian’s sculpture workshop.
Neither of them are doing at all well – the bikes haven’t really
taken off, and the sculpture is in difficulties (a shame, because
you think that Gillian’s work is really terrific). Not only that, but
both of them have resorted to fiddling their account books to
conceal the losses. You don’t know whether either of them knows
the details of the other’s business. Your wife and business
partner Regina also knows – you sent her a note about it – but
you haven’t yet discussed it with her. She tends to be rather
defensive about her inept relatives.
Lunch yesterday was a rather trying affair. Roy was very
grumpy, and complained that no-one appreciated him properly.
The family all (except Corey, who merely stared off into one
corner) hastened to assure him that yes, he was very much
appreciated, and in the end Janis managed to calm him down.
All the same, no-one could quite be sure what was in Roy’s mind
when he went off to redraft his will (something the old chap did
quite frequently).
You popped in to see old Roy, of whom you were quite fond, at
around ten past five (he let you in through the patio doors) to
warn him, on your wife’s instructions, that his own wife Janis
was planning to kill him. (You’re not sure how Regina knew this,
but she seemed pretty confident.) Roy took the threat seriously,
put aside the draft will he was working on, and (as you sat there
just across the room) swiftly drew up a new one. He signed it,
called one of the gardeners in to witness it, sealed it and handed
it to you, telling you that it left his money to be divided between
Regina and her sister Gillian, and that you should deliver it to
his lawyer’s office. Which you faithfully did. But it turns out he
was lying to you – miserable old toad!
Today, the lawyer came to the house to talk to all the family.
The lawyer read out the will that you delivered: it leaves the
whole fortune to whoever is able to identify Roy O’Leary’s killer.

Your goals
ƒ Find Roy’s killer: You need to ensure that you (and / or
Regina, if you’re still together) end up with the inheritance.
And, of course, you might be a suspect yourself, as you must
have been in with Roy just before his death!
ƒ Trode finances: Decide what to do with your knowledge about
Alan and Gillian’s finances. Really, you should discuss it with
Regina.
ƒ Keep Gillian warm: Make sure your relationship with Gillian
holds steady, and that it doesn’t jeopardize either of your
marriages.
ƒ Play for Janis: Get something going with Janis as well, if she’s
not too busy playing the “grieving widow”.
 Other people
Alan Trode: a pompous buffoon, with a nasty temper – you try to
get along with him, for the women’s sake, but you don’t really
like him at all.
Atkins: you find the old retainer a rather sly character, and tend
to be quite wary.
Corey O’Leary: has a good respectful attitude, but can be rather
humourless and detached.
Doctor Barker: you attend the local surgery quite a lot, and find
the doctor a reliable and insightful old soul – although not
always taking your illnesses as seriously as they deserve.
Regina Khan: you are fond of your wife, but maybe you’re too
similar – you don’t find her body any more exciting than you do
her ‘Detective Daventry’ books. You stay with her partly in the
hope of getting a share in her father’s money…

Tips for beginners

If you’ve not played a Freeform Games murder mystery game
before, then we suggest you start by doing the following:
ƒ Ask Regina what she thinks you should do with your
knowledge about Gillian and Alan’s finances.
ƒ Ask Janis whether an attractive woman like her will consider
another relationship once her mourning is over.
 Abilities
You have three abilities, as shown below. Each ability explains
how many times it may be used – check a circle each time you
use it. Once they are all checked, you may no longer use that
ability.

Read between the lines

Ability

You are good at asking questions. After speaking briefly

and inquiringly to another player, show them this
Ability and they must show you their Information.
Three uses: O O O

Let’s gossip!
After speaking briefly to another player, point to
another person. They must then tell you everything that
Ability

their Other People section says about that person. If

that person isn’t mentioned in their Other People section
(and not everyone they have information about is), then
they must tell you about another person of their choice.
Three uses: O O O

Pickpocket
You have naturally light fingers. Tell the Lawyer what
Ability

Item you want to pickpocket from another player. If that

player does not have the Item you seek, the Lawyer will
take another Item at random.
Three uses: O O O
 Your Secret and Information
Your Secret contains your guilty secret, while your Information
contains one or more items of information you know. Both may
be affected by abilities.
While you can show your Secret and Information to whomever
you like, you will probably not want to reveal your Secret too
often.
(Please note that you can’t solve the murder by looking at
everyone’s Secret and Information – it’s not that easy!)

You are having a

Secret

passionate affair with

Gillian.

The finances of Alan’s

Information

business are in a very

poor state, but he has
been trying to conceal this
fact.
 Rules for A Will to Murder
The Lawyer’s Word is Law: The Lawyer is impartial. If you have
a problem or want to do something unusual, see the Lawyer. The
Lawyer’s power is absolute – and cannot be affected by Abilities!
Winning and Losing: You can achieve most of your goals simply
by talking to people. The Lawyer will announce when the game
is over. If you haven’t succeeded by that point – you’re too late!
Be warned – not everyone here will want you to succeed!
Doing Stuff: Ordinary actions are resolved by simply carrying
them out. If you want to try something unusual (such as set fire
to the curtains), see the Lawyer. The Lawyer knows everything –
and will be able to tell you the outcome of whatever it is that you
are trying to do. (For example, the furnishings may be
fireproofed.) Do use your imagination, though! – this is a very
flexible game, and you can do all sorts of things beyond what’s
listed in these rules.
Politeness and Fighting: Civilized behaviour would be expected
at a sombre occasion such as a will-reading. Any fisticuffs or
tussling is quite outside the spirit of the evening.
Leaving Albion House: The constabulary have requested that no-
one leave the premises while Roy O’Leary’s death is still under
investigation. A discreet police presence around the grounds
insures that escape will be impossible.
Item Cards: Any items of importance within the game are
represented as Item cards – and the only items that can affect
the game are those detailed on the cards. If you do not have an
Item card, you do not have that item with you.
Time: A Will to Murder is played over three hours, with extra
time for reading your character etc. There will be breaks to get
drinks and food! The Lawyer will tell you when each period
starts and finishes.
 A Will to Murder – Cast List
• Janis O’Leary: Roy O’Leary’s widow, his second
marriage – formerly a model and actress

• Gillian Trode: Roy’s oldest child, she is a professional

sculptor

• Alan Trode: Gillian’s husband, who owns a motorcycle

sales and repair business

• Regina Khan: Roy’s middle child, a well-known writer

of detective novels

• Cornelius Khan: Regina’s husband, an accountant

• Corey O’Leary: Roy’s youngest child, an amateur

naturalist, who still lives at home

• Atkins: the O’Leary family’s old retainer

• Dr Barker: the local physician and an old family friend

• Inspector Harris: the police detective investigating the

case

A Will to Murder is copyright © 2010 Freeform Games LLP www.freeformgames.com