Questions, answered honestly

To bring people together. We are Purpose of the Ages Ministries, and we love ministry and fellowship. Part of what we do is gather for things beyond studying Scripture together: fun, fellowship, joy, laughter and celebration. This game is one of the ways we do that. We made it to help other communities have a chance to enjoy each other's company too, centered on the ministry and fellowship of the body of Christ, and open to anyone who wants to join in.

It is a complete, playable demo, offered as early access. Snowbound at Pinecrest Lodge can be hosted from the first scene to the reveal. It is also the first mystery of a startup, so more is coming (a Thanksgiving mystery is in progress) and we promise no dates for any of it. Checkout is not open yet.

The planned early-access prices are $12.00 a month for the host, $19.99 per guest per game, or $149.00 for a group of up to 10 players, with the host's own part included. Checkout opens soon. Until then, Meet Frost and the free rehearsal cost nothing.

A tablet or a laptop running Chrome, an internet connection, and a way for the room to see and hear it: ideally a big screen or a TV, or at least a loud-enough tablet propped on a sideboard. The host screen is where Frost appears, where you press Start and Next scene, and where the clues can be shown large.

A phone with a web browser, the party code you send them, and a PIN they choose when they sign up. There is no app to install and nothing to print: each guest's character, sealed part and clues arrive on their phone. A guest without a phone can still play: you can put any released clue on the big screen.

Because of hands-free listening. When someone talks to Frost, the host screen uses the browser's built-in speech recognition, and Chrome is the browser where that works properly. Other browsers may show the game but may not be able to listen. One tap starts a hands-free conversation: Frost then listens and answers without more taps, and stops listening after 30 seconds of silence, so it takes one tap to start again. We would rather say so now than discover it at your party.

The game is built for about 8 to 34 players, with the host among them. Smaller parties work, though the mystery is easier to solve with fewer suspects in the room, and wild cards only appear from eight guests up. Past 34, extra guests come as ordinary guests of the lodge: witnesses with no secrets, who can still win.

About two hours. There are eight scenes, and Frost narrates each. His introduction runs about four minutes: what the game is, how it works, the house rules, and a prize that is best described as ceremonial. Add time for arrivals, snacks, and the inevitable argument about the furniture.

Yes. The host ticks the late arrival as present, and Frost is told. If there is a clue about that guest's character it comes out at that point, and the answer to the mystery does not change. A walk-in nobody expected can be added by hand on the night.

Before the night, a guest can tap "I can't come after all" on their own page. The host screen shows which part is free and can propose who might step up from a supporting part, though the host decides. On the night, if someone goes home early, the host unticks them and Frost mentions that they have left. Their character stays in the story and can still be accused.

He answers questions about the house and the evening, in character, and he will not tell you who did it. That is, in his words, professionalism. Two honest limits: his filmed lines (the introduction, the set pieces, the Easter eggs) are prepared in advance, while an answer to a question you ask out loud is generated on the spot and spoken in a voice, so it will not have the lip-synced polish. And live answers are capped at 400 per game, after which he falls back to prepared lines, so no single night can run away with itself.

It is a murder mystery, so someone has died before the party begins, but it is played as a dry-witted whodunit in the cozy tradition and is family-friendly (PG). That is our own description, not an official rating, so judge by the premise: a blizzard, a closed road, and a toast that did not end well.

Hosts are adults. Guests under 18 should join through a parent or guardian, who can sign them up and sit in on the sign-up questions. The PG tone makes it comfortable for a mixed-age room, but you know your children better than we do.

It is a murder-mystery party first, and a way to gather. It was made with a Christian Bible-study group in mind, centered on the ministry and fellowship of the body of Christ, and it is presented in partnership with Believe God and Purpose of the Ages Ministries, but it is open to anyone who wants to join in and likes a good whodunit with a dry English butler.

For larger parties, one or two guests who are not the culprit are secretly dealt a "wild card" when the game starts. Everyone else must answer honestly about what they know, though they may keep a secret. A wild card may tell one prepared fib and no other lie. Only that guest sees the card, on their own phone. Nobody else knows who holds one, not even the host, and not Frost. At the reveal, Frost reads out each confession.

The answer is decided when the host presses Start, so a second night does not have to end the same way as the first. A group that has played will remember the setting and the people, naturally.

If a guest's phone loses signal it keeps showing their page as it last was and catches up by itself when it reconnects. If the Wi-Fi is hopeless, the host screen's Clues page has everything the phones would show. Frost's live answers do need a connection, and we do not promise offline play.

The free demo has no account. Chrome's speech recognition sends your voice to its vendor (Google, for Chrome), and your questions are sent to our AI provider to produce Frost's answer. We do not keep a record of what you say. The short notice is on the privacy page.

No account needed: "Meet Frost" lets you ask him a few questions (5 per visit), and the free rehearsal lets you walk through a small practice mystery, the Stolen Fruitcake. The free versions use a synthesized voice and a simpler animated mouth. Frost's filmed, lip-synced clips are part of the paid game. Meet Frost or try the rehearsal.