WATERLOO, Iowa — In 1883, Waterloo resident Henry Grout, not yet a state legislator, received a chilling telegram: “Your brother was shot and killed... letter will follow.”
 
Henry immediately boarded a train heading west. His brother, Warren Grout, had been murdered on his ranch just outside of Tombstone, launching Henry into a real-life mystery involving a suitcase filled with money, disputed land, political corruption, a prison break and a secret society.
 
 “Two Murders and a Podcast” brings that history into the present. 143 years after Warren’s death, descendants of people connected to the original case gather to do interviews for a true-crime podcast hoping to determine what really happened in 1883… Then another body drops, and the facts are all connected. 
 
Guests portray the suspects, uncover clues and interrogate one another as they attempt to determine who killed the modern victim—and what secrets from the Warren Grout case may have survived for generations. 
 
Two Murders and a Podcast is a true-crime themed murder mystery party for 8-32 players by Christopher D. Schmitz.
 
Destroy this Book: This game book includes everything you need to run the game with friends. The book is meant to be cut apart with pages distributed to different players. It is constructed in such a way that players can work through this mystery with or without a host who knows the outcome. Players do not know the outcome until the end of the game (not even the killer(s) know, so no poker-faces are required.) There are spoiler warnings on pages to prevent ruining the mystery for players choosing to run this game without a host.
 
The license included in the game is for private groups. To run this game commercially or for a nonprofit, you will need to purchase an additional license good for one year, available on this website.