Clue

Review

Cons of the current mechanics

• There's a possibility of a card distribution scenario where one player easily gets several components, and often this advantage can't be mitigated.
• A player may end up being a criminal while in complete and impenetrable amnesia, and this fact doesn't change the course of the game.
• All six characters must participate in rumors, even when fewer players are at the table.

Features of the current mechanics

• Guessing the cards in other players' hands, both explicitly and implicitly.
• The ability to play tricks and obstruct the unfolding sequence of moves.

For details on how I altered the mechanics to make them more profound and suitable for a two-player Clue game, please refer to the rules draft.

New games

New games similar in mechanics and plot to the classic Clue

• Good Cop Bad Cop
• Think Str8
• Sleuth
• The resistance
• Salem
• Timbuktu
• Specter Ops
• Confusion
• Alchemists

Ideas

Movement

The field is quite empty; moving between rooms is simply a matter of spending a certain number of steps between assumptions. Should we allow canceling movements on the cube or not? On the one hand, it seems to me that characters should move at the same speed. On the other hand, dice rolls don't allow for many steps; this could be explained by real things, like the player getting a phone call or observing other players. Can special bonuses be obtained for unique movement features?

Rooms and corridors are one large contiguous grid. No need to roll dice to move through them. Each player has a specific number of actions per turn (may vary among players) and can spend them on movement. Example number of actions per turn:

• 2 - Miss Scarlett
• 3 - Colonel Mustard
• 3 - Mrs White
• 2 - Reverend Green
• 2 - Mrs Peacock
• 2 - Professor Plum

Deck of quests

The quest deck is shuffled and has room illustrations on the back, indicating the applicable room for each quest. There are two variants:

1. Matching Room Illustration. If a quest is needed for a different room, cards are drawn from the deck until the illustration matches the required room.
2. Room-specific Stacks.Each room has its stack of plot cards and regular cards, covering social interactions, deductions, and solutions. In the corridor, players can draw plot cards not tied to specific rooms.

Each quest has a continuation (key item) in a room, determined by a dice roll. The player notes the dice result on the quest, keeping the true item and its form secret. Similar items in other rooms have different accompanying forms, confusing other players; only the quest opener knows the actual item.

Locating the true item is challenging. It's randomly placed in the corresponding room's deck. Any player can draw from this deck, and cards may already be in others' hands (identifying if they are in the discard is part of the challenge).

To frame another player, the quest opener gives them the quest-related card and proceeds to complete the quest. If the targeted player fails to discard the item, the framing is successful. Items with different forms are distractions.

To discard an item, a player needs a special "solution" card for that quest.

Character unique numbers

Randomly distribute tokens with geometric symbols on the character card. These unique, non-repeating shapes play a role in quest developments, adding an unpredictable element for other players. Though not yet named more aptly, these shapes determine the unexpected turns in quests as perceived by others.

Later in the game, the player will roll a die and openly use the numbers, not the shapes. Knowledge of both the shape and the number will hint to other players the solution to the quest.

• Circle
• Square
• Triangle
• Line
• Point
• Star (Pentagon)

Quest Hooks

These hooks add layers of intrigue to each location

Difficulty Level - Room - Setup

2 - Living Room - Corpse on the Couch

• If you weren't a witness, one of the guests committed the act during dinner.
• In a two-player game, potential suicide could be a reason. In the case of missing items, attribute it to paranormal activity and parallel dimensions.

1. (Circle) - Signs of a knife fight. Knives can be searched for in the kitchen.
2. (Square) - Signs of a knife fight. Knives can be found in the dining room.
3. (Triangle) - A hand is bound with a towel. Originates in the bathroom?
4. (Line) - A hand is bound with a towel. Originates in the guesthouse?
5. (Point) - An unknown guest with a knife attacks you, and you defend yourself. Leave their body on the couch.
6. (Star) - An unknown guest sits on the couch. Sneak up from behind and slit their throat.

3 - Exhibition Hall - Secret Door

A hidden door is discovered around the corner (behind the curtain), but it is locked.

X - Observatory - Broken Window

A shattered window in the observatory raises questions about what transpired.

X - Foyer - Blood Puddle on the Rug

A puddle of blood on the rug in the foyer hints at a violent incident.

X - Guesthouse - Missing Painting

A vanished painting in the guesthouse creates a mystery around its disappearance.

X - Dining Room - [Additional information needed]

X - Kitchen - [Additional information needed]

X - Terrace - [Additional information needed]

X - Bathroom - [Additional information needed]

Guesses

Guess cards have a rating of Obviousness of Deduction ranging from 1 - Obvious to 3 - Not Obvious

• Observatory (3) A key is found, potentially for the hidden door in the observatory.
• Kitchen (3) A bloody knife is discovered in the fridge, potentially related to a crime.

Solutions

Living Room - If you have the Guess card, convincingly prove to all guests that you are not involved in the murder and gain loot from it.

• Circle - Inlaid Knife
• Square - Inlaid Knife
• Triangle - Signet Ring
• Line - Signet Ring
• Point - ?
• Star - ?

Quest Examples

Murder Mystery in the Room.

• Objective: Discover the identity of the victim and the perpetrator.
• Scenario: A lifeless body is found in the room. Players must unravel the mystery by determining both who the victim is and who committed the crime.

House Theft Investigation.

• Objective: Solve the theft involving an open safe and a missing painting.
• Scenario: The house has been robbed, evident from the open safe or an empty frame on the wall. The quest is to find the thief. The twist: Players receive individual cards with specific actions. For example, a card might describe seeing a beautiful painting, having the room to themselves, and deciding to cut it out and hide it. Others, unaware of the card's content, must guess what transpired.

Social Dynamics

The social aspect of players' progression. In the main deck, there are cards representing social interactions. The reception everyone attended is very grand. Guests are ordinary people who have ventured into the limelight, and their task is not to embarrass themselves. Analogous to the life scale in games where real battles take place, here the scale reflects the guest's status. If the guest's status drops to zero, they flee from the estate unable to endure humiliation. Throughout the game, it's essential to maintain this level for your character to stay in the building and be able to follow the quest.

If the quest part fails, you can always make up for it in the social part of the roll:

• Find a drink in the room - adds status
• Find a cigar in the room
• Do nothing
• Stare at the interior
• Look foolish and suspicious: peering under the carpet, rummaging in the closet - lowers status

A bonus if there's another character in the room - an additional action is described on the card:

• Wink
• Tell a joke
• Play a trick

Without cards in hand, the only option is to ignore and face the consequences. Cards have influence, and you need to equalize or counter-attack by revealing a card with higher influence. Rooms add an adjustment for those already in them. The adjustment can be negative if being in the room can be seen as suspicious or positive if the new person feels less comfortable.

Naturally, the most interesting quests are in rooms with a negative adjustment.

End of the game

After completing all quests (end of the game), a summary is provided: players reveal what really happened, who the killer is, who stole what. Other players compare the truth with their notes, and if there's a match, they earn additional victory points. The most covert villains can also gain extra points.