A weekend that goes wrong
The Manor House is the oldest kind of murder mystery: a closed house, a short guest list and a body. The library smells of damp paper, the study is locked more often than it is used, and the conservatory is the only warm room after dark. The kitchen staff know everyone's habits, and the long hallway is where people pass each other without saying much.
Nobody arrives or leaves once the case begins. That is what makes it fair: everyone who could have done it is on the board.
How it plays
Manor House cases lean on rooms. The parlour and the study are often small, so a single room clue can place a person at once, while the gallery and the hallway run long and leave more room for doubt. Chairs, sofas and bookshelves fill the floor. A person can sit on a chair or a sofa, but a bookshelf blocks its square, which quietly shrinks the rooms around it.
Start with the smallest room and the people who are said to be in it, then let the row and column rule do the rest.
