CLUE OR CRUEL (modified board game)

For my modified board game project, I've chosen the classic game Clue by Hasbro. In Clue, the mechanics are about the player moving through spaces in order to reach a doorway to a room. The player must roll dice to progress forward, enter rooms in the mansion represented by the places on the board, and follow through with deductive reasoning in order to make an educated guess of the winning combination of cards inside of a hidden envelope. Movement and the ability to reach a room quickly lead to some dynamics of play. The board is set up with 3 - 6 players and always starts with the character token in the position of Miss Scarlet.

During the gameplay, each player has the opportunity to make a suggestion of what they have decided are the winning cards inside of the envelope marked "confidential". It's a race to finish first, while all players have a seemingly equal opportunity to do so. At the beginning of the game, each player is given an equal portion of the clue cards in order to eliminate some of the incorrect choices. When a player makes a "suggestion", meaning they try to make an educated guess based on the cards they have in their hand, they name off cards that may be in other player's hands. Taking note of each of the suggestions in the provided notebook eventually eliminates the incorrect cards, again revealing a race to the finish. Each player is only allowed to attempt making an accusation once per game, meaning they have to be sure of the final answer, or they will automatically lose.

I think the game designers intended the aesthetic to be based on the narrative behind what it would be like to enter a mansion as a guest only to find out that the owner has been murdered, and the murderer is one of the guests; this is a classic murder-mystery. It's something right out of a dinner theater performance. They've created a classic mystery to be solved by one of the individual guests while everyone remains a suspect. The visual design in the 1986 version is meant to replicate something out of the 1960s. The game is not very difficult with its original rules and layout which makes it an easy game level for ages 8+ (as suggested by the game makers).

In order to change the aesthetic to a more challenging and intricate playthrough, I've decided to add a few features. In the modified game, entitled Clue or Cruel, I've added an economy reward system. Instead of each player instantly being handed a set of clues, they must first travel the board and collect gems to trade in for single clue cards. This creates longer gameplay and more opportunity for failed guesses. The player paying the most attention and taking notes is likely to win. However, I've added another element to create difficulty with its own level of an economy. At the beginning of each game, one player is named as an accomplice, which means there is a feeling that you can be tricked out of cards or an opportunity to win with a few well-placed bluffs. There is an economy system in place for the bluffs as well, as the non-accomplice players are able to call out a bluff using a "bluff token", therefore eliminating the accomplice. If the player is incorrect, they are forced to go back to the starting position. I've intended to create a more challenging aesthetic while adding a few visual and logical problem options to revive an old classic. I've always felt like the empty places on the Clue board could use some additional elements to keep the players engaged while traveling between rooms. I think adding the gemstones to the board also gives the players something more pleasing to see. In addition to adding these challenges, I've replaced one of the player's roles to work against the other players, the accomplice. Finally, the mini-game to choose the first player is also something that gives more of a feeling of luck at the beginning rather than the fight to play Miss Scarlet.

Here's a video made by GatherTogetherGames called "How to Play Clue":

Below is the rules sheet for Clue or Cruel, and below the rules text, you'll see a downloadable pdf to print out if you'd like to try the modified game as well as a brief video demonstration of Clue or Cruel.

CLUE OR CRUEL RULES FOR PLAYING AGES 8+ / 3 to 6 Players

Mr. P. Boddy – apparently the victim of foul play – is found in one of the rooms of his mansion, MURDERED! You are either one of the Guests, or the Accomplice. To win as a Guest, you must determine the answer to these three questions: 1. “Who done it?” 2. Where? and 3. How? To win as the Accomplice, you must trick the other players into using your Bluff in Suggestions! EQUIPMENT 1. A game board, showing nine rooms of Mr. Boddy’s mansion. 2. 6 colored tokens, each representing one of the suspects in the mansion. The colors of the tokens relate to the names of the suspects: Colonel Mustard – yellow; Miss Scarlet – red; Professor Plum – purple; Mr. Green – green; Mrs. White – white; Mrs. Peacock – blue. 3. 1 die and 6 miniature weapons: a rope, a lead pipe, a knife, a wrench, a candlestick and a revolver. 4. A pack of illustrated cards: one card for each of the six suspects; one for each of the six weapons; and one for each of the nine rooms. 5. A pad of detective “notebooks” to aid in the investigation. 6. A bag of 18 gems for obtaining clue cards. 7. 1 accomplice and 5 guest cards. 8. 6 bluff cards.

SET UP 1. Look on the board for the name of the suspect who is nearest to you. Take as your playing piece the token that represents that suspect. Then place your token onto its name. If fewer than six are playing, be sure to place the remaining token(s) onto the appropriate name(s). 2. Place each of the weapons into a different room. You may select any of the nine rooms. 3. Distribute the 18 gems evenly among players, after each player has their gem pieces, they must randomly distribute them onto the yellow spaces on the board. No more than 1 gem can be placed within one yellow square. 4. Next, take the accomplice card and shuffle with guest cards. The number of guest cards to shuffle with the accomplice card are number of players – 1. For example, if you have 4 players, there should be one accomplice card and 3 guest cards. Each player chooses a card and keeps it a secret. 5. Each player takes a bluff card and keeps that in front of them (in their inventory). Only one bluff card is distributed to each player. 6. Place the empty envelope marked “Case File CONFIDENTIAL” onto the “X” in the center of the board. 7. Sort the pack of cards into three separate groups: Suspect Cards, Room Cards and Weapon Cards. Shuffle the three groups separately and place them face down on the table. Then, so that no one can see the cards, take the top card from each group and place it into the envelope. The envelope now contains the answers to the questions: Who? Where? How? 8. Shuffle the remaining cards in each pile together and then place this deck face down on the center of the board over the “CONFIDENTIAL” envelope. 9. Take a detective’s notebook and privately keep track of your clues. You can also use this to mark down your bluffs if you are the accomplice. 10. The player who can recite the spelling of their own name backward fastest – plays first. Play then proceeds, in turn, to the first player’s left. PLAYING A. MOVING YOUR TOKEN. On each of your turns, you try to reach a different room of the mansion or collect a gem to obtain a clue. To start your turn, move your token either by rolling the die or, if you’re in a corner room, by using a Secret Passage.

1. Rolling. Roll the die and move your token along the yellow floor the number of squares that you roll.

a. You may move horizontally or vertically, forward or backward, but not diagonally.

b. You may change directions as many times as your roll will allow. You may not, however, enter the same square twice on the same turn.

c. You may not enter or land on a square that’s already occupied by an opponent’s token.

2. Secret Passages. On the board, rooms in the opposite corners are connected by a Secret Passage. If you’re in one of these rooms at the start of your turn, you may, if you wish, use a Secret Passage instead of rolling. To move through a Secret Passage, first announce that you wish to do so then move your token to the opposite corner.

3. Gems. If you land on a space occupied by a gem, take this gem and exchange it to draw a card from the top of the Clue card deck in the middle of the board. Keep this card private and mark it on your detective’s notebook. If you are an accomplice, you will use this clue to bluff during a Suggestion. You cannot move any further spaces this turn and must remain on the space where you picked up the gem.

4. Entering and Leaving a Room. You may enter or leave a room either by rolling the die and moving through a door or by moving through a Secret Passage.

a. When you pass through a door, do not count the door as a space.

b. You may not pass through a door that’s blocked by an opponent’s token.

c. As soon as you enter a room, you must stop moving even when rolling a number higher than needed to enter the room.

d. You may not re-enter a room on a single turn.

B. MAKING A SUGGESTION. 1. As soon as you enter a room, make a Suggestion. By making Suggestions throughout the game you try to determine – by process of elimination – which three cards are in the envelope. 2. To make a Suggestion, move a Suspect and a Weapon into the room that you just entered. Then suggest that the crime was committed in that Room, by that Suspect, with that Weapon. 3. If you are the Accomplice, you should make your suggestion by using cards in your hand to bluff. If any player uses any of your suggested clues in future Suggestions, place a hash mark next to that clue in your detective’s notebook and use initials to indicate the player who fell for the Bluff. 4. Once you have 3 successful Bluffs as the Accomplice used by any following player’s Suggestion, you will automatically win the game. C. PROVING A SUGGESTION TRUE OR FALSE. 1. As soon as you make a Suggestion, your opponents try to prove it false. 2. The first try is the player to your immediate left. This player looks at his or her cards to see if one of the three cards you just named is there. If the player does have one of the cards named, they must show it to you and no one else. If the player has more than one of the cards named, they may show you whichever one they prefer. If that opponent has none of the cards that you named, then the chance to prove your Suggestion false passes, in turn to the left. 3. As soon as one opponent shows you one of the cards that you named; it is proof that this card cannot be in the envelope. End your turn by marking this card off in your notebook.

If no one is able to prove your Suggestion false, you may either end your turn or make an Accusation. D. MAKING AN ACCUSATION. 1. When you think you’ve figured out which three cards are in the envelope, you may, on your turn, make as Accusation. First say: “I accuse (Suspect) of committing the crime in the (Room) with the (Weapon).” Then – so no one else can see – look at the cards in the envelope.

2. In a Suggestion, the room you name must be the room where your token is located. In an Accusation, you may name any room. Remember: You may make only one Accusation during a game. Be cautious. If your Accusation is incorrect, secretly return all three cards to the envelope. After making a false Accusation, you may make no further moves in the game and therefore cannot win. You may, however, continue to prove your opponents’ Suggestions false. If your token is blocking a door after making a false Accusation, move it into that room so that other players may enter. E. CALLING A BLUFF. 1. Each player is allotted calling one Bluff per game. In order to call a Bluff, you must use your (1) Bluff card. 2. In order to call a Bluff, you must name a player (player by name and not the token) as the Accomplice as well as the card you believe they have used to Bluff. To do so, say “I call Bluff on (Player’s Name) for falsely using (Card Name)”. 3. If you are correct, and have found the Accomplice, the Accomplice must reveal their cards to all players and has lost the game, then the game continues with the remaining players. If you are incorrect, you must return your token to its starting position and reveal one of your Clue cards to the player that you wrongly called Bluff.

WINNING If you are a Guest, you win the game if your Accusation is completely correct – that is, if you find in the envelope all three of the cards that you named. When this happens, take out all three cards and lay them out for everyone to see.

If you are the Accomplice, you win the game if you have 3 successful Bluff plays! When this happens, reveal the markings in your notebook showing the three clues that have been used by other players after you’ve used them in Suggestions.

Clue_Or_Cruel_Rules.pdf

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