GRIEF STREET PRESENTS

THE DISORIENT EXPRESS

[ illustration by tom haugomat ]
The Disorient Express is a short-term, one-shot murder mystery game, inspired by murder mystery parties and whodunnits. Characters are passengers aboard a luxury train line when they get stuck in a heavy blizzard. One of their fellow (NPC) passengers is murdered, and it’s up to the characters to figure out who killed them and why. Everyone has secrets to hide, and everyone is a suspect! Hope you enjoyed Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.

The game is run by Everett (

wolfnoir) and will be invite only. Players on Everett’s timeline can extend one invite to an additional person.

The game will have a heavy focus on investigation, interpersonal drama/intrigue, and of course, murder. It will take place over the course of two weeks, and will require high levels of engagement. We ask you to carefully consider these factors before committing to this game.

Reserves will open November 4th, 2022. The game will start on November 20th and end on December 3rd. Up to 15 players can participate, with the game running on a minimum of 10 players. Make sure to follow our Plurk account,

griefstreet for updates!

Please read our rules and expectations page before proceeding!

What’s the schedule for this game?

The game will have the following schedule:

[Week 1] Sunday to Friday – Mingling, character interaction. Getting settled in the mystery.
[Week 1] Saturday – Murder! Initial investigation of the crime scene.
[Week 2] Sunday to Friday – Further investigation through conversation/mingling, exploring the other areas for clues.
[Week 2] Saturday – Final parlor discussion, voting on the culprit.

Days will take place on a 1:2 timescale, with every day in character being two days out of character. For example, Sunday will be Day 1 Morning, Monday will be Day 1 Evening, Tuesday will be Day 2 Morning, and so on and so forth.

How is the murderer chosen?

After receiving everyone's applications, we will randomly select a player to be the murderer. We will then work with the player to come up with their method of murder and the evidence surrounding the case.

How do we solve the mystery?

During the first murder investigation, characters will discover the victim’s body and be tasked with scrounging up evidence. This will be structured similarly to a murdergame investigation. However, unlike in a murdergame, there will not be a trial the next day.

Over the course of the second week, characters will then take the opportunity to further investigate through conversation with other characters, revealing (or trying to hide) personal secrets, as well as searching for clues in other areas. On the final day of the game, the characters will gather to have a final parlor discussion–similar to a murdergame trial–and put together everything they’ve uncovered to pin the culprit.

We highly encourage players and characters to work together to unravel the mystery. Note-taking is also invaluable. Pay close attention to what other characters are saying–or, rather, what they aren’t saying. And don’t forget–contradictions often illuminate the way to the truth.

So…what happens before the murder? Do people just magically not know what’s happening, like in murdergames?

Nope. Your character is free to move about as they please, so long as it doesn’t interfere with the murder. At the beginning of the first week, we’ll put up a post asking players to tell us what their characters are doing on the evening before the murder. Comments will be screened for the sake of secrecy. This will allow us to introduce red herrings and offer additional, potential clues for players to investigate. Fun!

You’re also free to collaborate with other players on pre-murder plans, as well. Just make sure you keep in the spirit of the game and don’t metagame–no saddling up with literally everyone in the game except the murderer to try and sniff out who they are. Everyone should be a little suspicious when the mystery first begins to unfold. That’s just how murder mysteries are. We’ll also let you know if you have to change your character’s movements for whatever reason, in order not to reveal the culprit too quickly.

What happens if we vote for the wrong culprit?

Well, your characters will have to live with the fact they've condemned someone innocent. The murderer gets away with their dirty deeds, and you all go on with your lives. We try to make these cases solvable, but outcomes like this happen sometimes.

Alternatively, if characters are unable to come to a solid conclusion or find themselves split on who to vote for, the authorities will likely take all of those on board into custody and make your life a living hell. And, of course, the murderer will still get away, because the police are useless in these kinds of murder mysteries. Regardless of outcome, an epilogue will be posted describing the events that follow the end of the game.

This sounds pretty cool. How do I reserve/app?

Playing out a short-term murder mystery is difficult when characters don’t have shared history or reasons to care about the situation at hand–not to mention that it’s hard to come up with potential motives. Thus, in order to create more personal stakes and already-defined character relationships, our application process is a little different than most other games. Instead of being an essay of how well you know your character, your application will act more like a ‘dossier’, or information/reference on how your character relates to the mystery at hand.

After reserving your character, you’ll spend the next two weeks brainstorming with your fellow players about your characters and how they relate to each other, filling out your application as you go along. There are two options for creating characters:

A player can create an alternative history for a canon character to fit the setting. Basically, you’ll be making an AU for your character. Why not have Kermit the Frog fill the role of the bumbling, stalwart detective, or Victor Frankenstein be a shady doctor lurking at the back of the crime scene?
Alternatively, a player can create an entirely original character for the setting.

In both cases, we highly encourage people to consider characters who are driven to engage with the mystery at hand.

Character brainstorming can be discussed in private with other players or on a dedicated brainstorming post, which will be put up after reserves open. We encourage players to get creative with their writing choices. If you’re ever unsure of any ideas, feel free to reach out to the mods and ask! We’re here to collaborate with you and make this experience as enjoyable as possible. More information to help you build your character can be found on the application and setting pages.

If you find that your current character isn’t working for whatever reason, you’re more than welcome to reach out and change your character before the mystery starts.

Since this game takes place in the 1930s, will characters face bigotry associated with the time period, like racism/misogyny/homophobia/transphobia/etc?

No. Characters will not be affected by the bigotry that would be expected of the time, since we personally don't want to subject people to that without their consent. However, if you want to explore the impact that such bigotry might have on your own character's history and the obstacles they've faced throughout their life as a result, you're free to do so! All we ask is that you approach such topics mindfully.

What does activity look like?

There will be no formal activity check for the game, as it only takes place over two weeks. However, we highly encourage players to evaluate how much time they can commit to the game. The game flourishes with a lot of hands-on engagement and conversation–essentially, you’ll get what you put into this! If you realize that you’d like to drop out of the game, please reach out to us immediately so we can work out a solution.

In lieu of activity checks, we will be giving people tasks to fulfill throughout the two weeks, depending on what you’ve written on your application. For example, if your character is secretly having an affair with another character, we might ask you to drop hints in week 1 threads that your character is exasperated/bored with their current partner. We want to use these tasks as an opportunity to plant seeds of investigation and add intrigue to the game without the threat of punishment.

Is there a canon cap?

Yes. Only one character per player, and there is a canon cap of two characters per series. Franchises that have different timelines/continuities (Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, etc) have a total franchise cap of 6 characters. We know that this may seem odd, as that canon characters have alternative history in-game, but we want people to draw upon a variety of media for their characters to ensure a diverse roster and create unexpected cross-canon relationships. Original characters to the setting do not have a canon cap.

Are there any restrictions on the characters I can make/app?

Characters must be 18 or older.
For player safety and comfort, we will not be allowing characters who are rapists or pedophiles.
Characters based on extant real people such as internet celebrities or actors are not allowed. Fictionalized versions of real people (such as Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter) are allowed.

Other than that, we have very few restrictions on what kind of characters you can app. The AU aspect neatly takes care of CRAUs, blank state protagonists, fandom OCs, and many other things that would otherwise not match the tone in a typical game. Go wild. We also ask that you be respectful and display tact towards any sensitive topics that may be discussed with your character.

Is there any power nerfing/humanization?

For the sake of having a simpler murder mystery that focuses on the characters first and foremost, all powers will be nerfed. However, non-humanoid characters will remain non-humanoid. We’re operating on Muppet logic, folks. Any characters that are too big for the setting will be scaled down appropriately.

Are there regains?

Unfortunately, because the game is so short, there will be no regains. However, your characters will be allowed to have personal possessions with them. You can read more about that on the application page.

I have another question!

Feel free to ask below!

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EPISODE 1 - FAQ