I played my first murder mystery game (剧本杀) in China. I was the murderer. I got away with it.
My friend from Canada was invited to a 剧本杀 (jubensha - literally "script murder") game by his Chinese colleagues.He had no idea what it was. They said: "It's like Clue but you actually act."
He said yes.
What is 剧本杀?
It's China's hottest social activity. A group of 5-8 people gather in a themed room. Each person gets a character script. One person is the murderer. The rest try to figure out who.
It's part board game, part theater, part escape room. Sessions last 3-5 hours.
There are 50,000+ 剧本杀 venues across China. It's a ¥20 billion industry.
The setup:
Venue: A 剧本杀 studio in a Shanghai office building, 8th floor.
Theme: 1920s Shanghai gangster era.
Players: 6. My Canadian friend + 5 Chinese colleagues.
Language: Chinese scripts. My friend had a bilingual host translating for him privately.
Cost: ¥128 per person.
My friend's character:
He was "Mr. Chen," a wealthy tea merchant with a secret gambling debt.
He read his script. Found out: he was the murderer.
His task: Deflect suspicion. Lie convincingly. Get away with it.
The game:
Round 1: Introductions. Everyone explains who they are and why they're at the gangster boss's mansion. My friend played the nervous merchant perfectly.
Round 2: Evidence reveal. Clues are distributed. My friend's "debt letter" was found. He claimed it was a fake.
Round 3: Accusations fly. One colleague accused another. My friend subtly redirected suspicion toward the "jealous nephew."
Round 4: Final vote. Everyone wrote down who they thought was the killer.
Result: 4 out of 5 voted for the nephew. My friend got away with murder.
The aftermath:
His colleagues were impressed. "You're a natural liar!" they said. He wasn't sure if that was a compliment.
They went to dinner after. The game gave them endless conversation material. My friend felt closer to his team than he had in 6 months of working together.
Types of 剧本杀:
By genre:
• Murder mystery (most common)
• Historical/political
• Horror (some venues have actual NPCs in costumes)
• Fantasy/wuxia
• Romance
By difficulty:
• Beginner (2-3 hours, simple plots)
• Intermediate (3-4 hours)
• Expert (5+ hours, complex multi-layered stories)
By format:
• Tabletop (sit around a table, read scripts)
• Immersive (wear costumes, move through themed rooms)
• "Real scene" (actual actors play NPCs)
For foreigners:
Language: Most scripts are Chinese only. But:
• Some venues in Shanghai/Beijing have English scripts (growing trend)
• You can bring a Chinese friend to translate
• Some apps offer bilingual scripts for private groups
Where to book:
• Meituan or Dianping: search 剧本杀
• Walk into any commercial district - there's probably one nearby
• Book in advance for weekends (popular venues fill up)
Price: ¥80-200 per person depending on venue quality and script complexity.
Etiquette:
• Don't be late. A missing player ruins the game.
• Don't read other people's scripts.
• Stay in character.
• No phones during gameplay.
• It's okay to be bad at acting. It's about fun, not performance.
My Canadian friend is now addicted. He goes every two weeks.
"I came to China for work. I stayed because I need to know if I can get away with murder again. Also, my Chinese improved dramatically from reading those scripts."
Anyone else tried 剧本杀? Were you the killer? Did you get caught?
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