Introduction
Playing the original Clue board game is a fun and engaging activity that has been enjoyed by people all around the world for decades. It requires each player to think strategically as they try to outwit their opponents in deducing who killed Mr. Boddy, where the murder took place, and which weapon was used.
When playing the game, some common strategies and tips include gathering as much information as possible from other players during your turns by asking questions like “What cards do you hold?” or analysis of information presented by other players throughout the game. Furthermore, it is important to be observant about how the other players are moving around the board in order to get a better idea of possible locations for the crime, suspect or weapon. Additionally, keep track of revealed clues throughout the game so you can eliminate potential suspects and narrow down your search for who committed the murder. Finally, be patient, as solving this mysterious crime may take multiple tries and many rounds of play!
Components
The original Clue board game includes a folding game board, 6 character tokens, 6 weapon tokens, 6 colored card keys (secret envelopes), 5 yellow cards (character cards), 5 green cards (weapon cards), 9 red cards (room cards), 10 white clue sheets with detective pencils, 1notepad, 2 dice, and a cardboard storage box.
The objective of the game is for players to work together to solve a murder mystery by using clues provided on the board in order to make an accusation about who the murderer is, what weapon was used and in what room it happened. To begin play each player randomly selects one character token and places it on the designated start square. In turn each player rolls the two dice and moves accordingly around the playing area taking not of any secret passages along the way while trying to determine where the characters, weapons and rooms were located at the time of the murder.
Throughout their journey around the board players are given clues as to which suspect committed this heinous crime; were they holding a wrench? Were they in the library? As they move around they will make mental notes of which characters were in which rooms at certain times and which weapons may have been used during this crime.
When a player reaches a room they can take one of several actions: make an accusation, gather information from other players or use one of their clue sheets to collect evidence given by other suspects regarding who committed this crime. If another player has proof that disproves an accusation then that accuser loses their turn for that round and must wait for their next turn before making another accusation. When all provided clues have been exhausted and all players agree 1 player must call out WHO? WHAT? WHERE? in order to win. The rest of the players will open up their color coded card key document cases revealing who did it with what weapon and also where it occurred!
Setup
To begin a game of Clue, first set up the game board on a flat surface and make sure all the players are present. Each player will choose a character and take the corresponding color pawn to use during the game. Likewise, each player should collect all of the cards representing their particular character for easy reference throughout gameplay. Lastly, place each weapon in its designated room: candlestick in study (Miss Scarlet’s room), dagger in lounge (Colonel Mustard’s room), lead pipe in library (Mr. Green’s room), revolver in hall (Mrs. Peacock’s room), rope in billiard room (Professor Plum’s room), and wrench in conservatory (Mrs. White’s Room). With the pieces all set up, play can now begin!
Starting the Game
Before starting the game, make sure to arrange the colored pegs and corresponding game pieces on their Start spaces on the board. There are six pieces; pick any one of the unique playing pieces to represent yourself and deal out the others to the other players. Make sure all of the cards have been mixed and shuffled between players.
When taking turns, each player will roll a die or dice (depending upon which version of Clue you are playing) to decide how many spaces they may move around the board. After landing on a space, you can either make a suggestion that one specific suspect did one specific crime in one specific room; if you are suggesting something you think might be true, you must turn over a card from another player’s hand to prove it ” this is known as an “accusation.” Players can also take secret passages at any time in order to move quickly around the board.
At the end of your turn, if you were able to disprove someone else’s suggestion or accusation by revealing one of your own cards, then replace that card at random with another from the deck – no new cards should be added otherwise as there are only 18 clues given at once throughout play.
If during any player’s turn they correctly deduce who committed what crime in what room (by piecing together revealed facts via done suggestings and/or accusations) they win!
Making Suggestions
In the Original Clue Board game, making suggestions is a way of narrowing down the possibilities of which character might have committed a given murder. The player attempts to make suggestions that rely on a combination of their own knowledge and the cards they possess.
In order to make any suggestion, players must move one of their pieces into a room on their turn. After doing so, they can announce their intention to make a suggestion to the other players. At this point they then need to name one suspect, one weapon, and enter the room in which they are currently placed. No other player may leave this room until the suggestion has been resolved by revealing information from the “answer envelope”.
Players then take turns taking an ‘accusation token’ from any player who has cards relevant to the suggestion (i.e: one who holds either the suspect or weapon card named). Any players who do not possess such cards discard them face down in front of the making of the suggestion instead. Players holding cards linking to one or more components now compare all among those still holding accusation tokens showing this card face-up and place them on top it subtracting from their hand at once if need be. In case there are multiple suspects or weapons with relevant matchings, each accuses another at random as quickly as possible before moving onto revealing what is under each token just lifted (hoping not to encounter people with incorrect accusation tokens). If necessarily players can agree upon another corresponding suspect/weapon based choice before having chosen randomly again after reshuffling between them again in whatever way desired equiped with further information corrections that needs resolvement accordingly first. Finally anyone without valid matching cards will return all theirs regardless, thus revealing an incorrect statement assumption finally been made concerning all involved!
Accusations
Accusations should be made using the guess cards, with each player (starting with the person to their left of the current player) taking turns getting an answer to a guess. The first player must ask “Who, with what weapon and where?” To make this accusation, the accusing player will select one character, one weapon and one room from their hand. The other players must then show any cards that match these three items.If no card is shown by any of the other players, then that player has figured out who committed the crime and can make an appropriate announcement. This announcement will be followed by a showing of their cards in order to verify they have collected all three correct items. If they do not have all three correct items but still believes they know who did it, they can pass on making an accusation at this time.The winner is determined by who correctly guesses which character committed the crime, with which weapon and in which room (which was held in the envelope at the start of game).
Variations
1. Mystery Player – The Mystery Player is a variation that shakes up the game for a greater challenge. This rule requires someone to leave the room and have another player choose who will be their character (Mr. Green, Professor Plum, etc). When this player comes back into the room, they will have to use deductive reasoning similar to all the other players, guessing which cards the others hold, but without having seen the board or what their designated character was.
2. Timed Rounds – Add some time pressure to each round by setting a timer before each player takes their turn. For added difficulty, allow each player’s turn to still count even if they don’t finish within the allotted amount of time frame.
3. Limited Moves – Restrict how far players can move on their turn before making an accusation with this variation. This can be in terms of the number of moves or even just limiting where they can go during one turn on their own space or those near them. This adds an additional challenge as players will have less opportunities to gain useful information and make intelligent deductions about which cards other players hold.
4. Secret Objectives – Another possible fun twist is assigning special objectives to all players outside of likely winning the game by successfully solving it and circumventing murder accusations incorrectly made by other players by correctly dictating who did it with what and where! These objectives could range from having someone else land on your space twice during their own turn or getting 3 people wrong in a row when making deductions about what cards they cards possess ,etc.. It will require some creativity but adds a whole new level of depth for diligent master sleuths!
Conclusion
Tips and Suggestions:
1. Before starting the game, take time to familiarize yourself with the characters and room names on the Clue Board Game. This can be a big help when trying to make an accusation or deduce which cards other players may have in their hand.
2. A good strategy that veteran players often use is to look for patterns in their opponents’ moves. By doing this, it can become easier to identify what cards they hold and make educated guessing about which cards you need to collect your winning combo.
3. Look for possible “dead ends” when making accusations or deducing where certain cards are held. With some practice you should be able to determine which rooms you should avoid completely until you have more concrete evidence from other players’ turns.
4. Have fun! The original Clue Board Game can provide hours of entertainment for friends, families, and game night enthusiasts! So don’t get too caught up in the rules – unlock your inner sleuth and dive into the world of crime-solving with an enthusiastic mentality!
I love playing all kinds of games – from classics like Monopoly to modern favourites like Ticket to Ride.
I created this blog as a way to share my love of board games with others, and provide information on the latest releases and news in the industry.
