Clue (Cluedo)

1 Game Overview

Clue (known as Cluedo outside North America) is the classic mystery deduction game. Mr. Body has been murdered in Tudor Mansion. One of six suspects did it, with one of six weapons, in one of nine rooms.

At the start, one suspect card, one weapon card, and one room card are secretly set aside in an envelope - these form the solution. The remaining cards are dealt to players. By moving around the board and making "suggestions" (accusations to test), players eliminate possibilities until they can make a confident "accusation" and solve the mystery.

2 What's in the Box

• 1 game board (Tudor Mansion with 9 rooms)
• 6 suspect tokens: Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Reverend Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum
• 6 weapon tokens: Candlestick, Knife, Lead Pipe, Revolver, Rope, Wrench
• 21 cards: 6 suspect, 6 weapon, 9 room
• 1 confidential case file envelope
• 1 detective notepad (one sheet per player)
• 2 dice

3 Setup

1. Place the board in the center. Put each weapon in a different room (randomize).
2. Shuffle each category of cards (suspects, weapons, rooms) separately. Draw one from each pile without looking, seal them in the envelope, and place it face-down in the center of the board.
3. Shuffle all remaining cards together and deal them out equally to players. Some players may get one more card than others.
4. Each player places their suspect token at its starting position on the board.
5. Distribute detective notepads. Players secretly mark off the cards in their own hand (they know those are NOT the solution).
6. Miss Scarlett always goes first; play proceeds clockwise.

4 How to Play

On your turn:

1. Roll the dice and move your token that many spaces along the corridors. You can move in any direction.
2. Enter a room (if adjacent) by stepping through a doorway. You cannot move through rooms - only through doorways. Secret passages in opposite corners let you teleport.
3. Make a Suggestion (if you're in a room): Name a suspect, a weapon, and the room you're currently in. Move the named suspect and weapon tokens into your room.
4. The player to your LEFT checks their hand. If they have any of the three cards you named, they must show you ONE of them privately. If they have none, the next player checks, and so on.
5. Mark your notepad based on what you learn. If no one shows you a card, those three might all be in the envelope!

5 Winning

The winner is the first player to correctly identify all three elements in the confidential envelope: the murderer, the weapon, and the room. Make your Accusation on your turn, check the envelope privately, and announce the solution. If wrong, you're eliminated from making accusations but still play.

6 Strategy Tips

• Track what others can't disprove. When a player can't show a card after a suggestion, note that they likely don't have any of those three cards.
• Make suggestions about your own cards. If you suggest a suspect you know is innocent (you're holding the card), you'll learn something from who shows what.
• Get to rooms efficiently. Use secret passages when they shortcut to your target. Don't waste moves in corridors.
• The notepad is everything. Careful notetaking wins. Track not just what you know, but what each player has shown to others.
• Don't tip your hand. Avoid suggesting the same suspect or weapon repeatedly - others will know you're zeroing in on them.
• Make bold suggestions early. Even random suggestions give you information. Don't wait until you're almost certain to start probing.