SCHREINER UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

CLUE: A STUDY IN DEDUCTION AND DECEPTION

THOMAS CALEB UPTERGROVE

SPRING 2018

A thesis
submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements
for a baccalaureate degree
in Mathematics.

Reviewed and approved* by the following:

Dr. Stefan Mecay

Professor of Mathematics
Thesis Supervisor

Kevin Hannay
Professor of Mathematics
Honors Adviser
 i

ABSTRACT

Clue is a game of competitive logic and masterful bluffing. When information is sparse

amongst individual players, a close eye to detail is essential to achieving victory. When

information is more bountiful amongst players, bluffing is the best way to ensure your opponents

do not get ahead of you. Despite all that changes through its many iterations and variations, the

one variable that remains a consistent challenge is rooms. However, when rooms are reduced to

the same level of importance as the other two variables, the game is significantly shortened. The

variations that involve random effects are both helpful and hindering, as free information, while

exceedingly helpful to you, is also exceedingly helpful to your opponents. The latest variations,

involving cards that may remove a player from the game, tip the scale and make it

disadvantageous to attempt to get cards at all, as the risk starts to outweigh the rewards.

Altogether, it comes together to create an experience that matches up well with the intended

design.
 ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEGEMENT______________________________________________________iii

Introduction: Standard Rules and Goals______________________________________4

Sub-Section: Tracking Hands and the Deduction Sheet_______________________________6

Sub-Section: Possible Moves___________________________________________________10

Sub-Section: An Addressing of Probability________________________________________12

The Problem of Rooms____________________________________________________14

Sub-Section: The Removal of Dice_______________________________________________15

Variants of Games_______________________________________________________17

Sub-Section: Small Games_____________________________________________________17

Sub-Section: Large Games_____________________________________________________18

Chapter 2 The Effects of Free Information____________________________________20

The Effects of Risky Draws & Character Abilities_______________________________22

CONCLUSION___________________________________________________________24

BIBLIOGRAPHY__________________________________________________________25
 iii

ACKNOWLEGEMENT

I would like to thank my professors, Dr. Huddleston, Dr. Mecay, Dr. Coles, and Dr.

Hannay. Dr. Huddleston, for introducing me to the field of mathematics and inspiring me to

pursue it. Dr. Coles, for challenging me to learn different facets and change the way I think about

my field, viewing problems in contexts outside of the field and through different lenses. To Dr.

Mecay and Dr. Hannay, for supporting me in the writing of this thesis and assisting in the

research in what ways they could.

I would like to thank my friends and colleagues for putting up with me suggesting that we

play the same game week after week, winning that game, and still playing the game with me

anyway. I would also like to thank them for the times they beat me and taught me different

tactics that changed how I viewed the game.

I would like to thank Hasbro Games for continuing to make and sell the Clue board

game, along with several other games that I still enjoy.

And finally, I would like to thank my family, who inspired my love of games when I was

a young child and were also helpful in the research done on this game.
 4

Introduction:

Standard Rules and Goals

To start, there can be a maximum of six players of clue at any given time in the roles of

six given characters. These characters vary depend upon what variation is being played, but they

are typically Ms. Scarlett, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, and Dr.

Orchid. Included with the game are six miniature figurines representing six possible murder

weapons: a candlestick, a revolver, a rope, a wrench, a lead pipe, and a knife. The game board is

designed to appear as the mansion in which the game takes place, the mansion of the late Mr.

Body, who was murdered before the game began (Figure 1.A).

Figure 1.A (The game board.)

 5
Inside the game box is a deck of cards containing three different types of cards: suspects,

weapons, and rooms. There are twenty-one cards total, one for each suspect, one for each

weapon, and one for each of the nine rooms within the mansion. At the start of the game, one of

each type of card is randomly selected without being seen and placed into the envelope included

with the game. The rest of the cards are then shuffled and distributed amongst players without

any of the players seeing any of the cards that they are not given. Players are then given a sheet

of deduction paper to keep track of what cards they have seen. Once everybody has their cards

and their deduction paper, the game begins. Ms. Scarlett goes first, rolling the dice to see how

many squares she can traverse from the center of the board in either a horizontal or vertical

direction (players may not move diagonally).

Once a player enters a room, that player may make one suggestion as to who committed

the murder, what weapon was used, and where the murder was committed. The player who

enters a room must name a suspect and a weapon, which are then placed into the room that

player is currently in. The suggestion will consist of the named suspect, the named weapon, and

the room the turn player is currently in. After a suggestion has been made, the player to the

immediate left of the turn player must reveal either the named suspect, the named weapon, or the

room the turn player is in, if they can, and they must do so without showing any of the other

players. However, if that player has any combination of required cards, they need only reveal one

card. If the player to the left of the turn player cannot reveal any of the suggested cards, the

suggestion then moves to the player to their left, and so on until either a card is shown or the

suggestion returns to the player who made it. This is so that players may learn what cards are not

in the envelope and deduce what cards are inside of it.

 6
Once a player is confident that they know what cards are in the envelope, they may make

an accusation on their turn. The accusation may be made before or after the suggestion, but once

it is made, the player who made the accusation checks the cards in the envelope without showing

the other players. If their accusation is correct, that player reveals the cards. If their accusation

was incorrect, the cards are returned to the envelope and the player that made the accusation may

no longer move, make suggestions, or make accusations.

For instance, the player acting as Ms. Scarlett may roll a twelve and move to the

Ballroom on the first turn. That player may then say, “I suggest that it was Mr. Green in the

Ballroom with the Wrench.” The player to their left then shows them a card with the Wrench on

it, thus ending the suggestion. If Ms. Scarlett decided not to make an accusation, the turn then

passes to the player on her left.

In Sub-Chapters 1, 2, and 3, I will discuss strategies and points that are relevant to all

versions of Clue, regardless of which variation or edition is being played.

Sub-Section: Tracking Hands and the Deduction Sheet

Suspect 1 2 3 4 5
Ms. Scarlett
Mr. Green
Colonel Mustard
Ms. Peacock
Dr. Orchid
Professor Plum
Weapon
Rope
Lead Pipe
Revolver
Wrench
Knife
 7
Candlestick
Room
Ballroom
Hall
Library
Billiards Room
Study
Conservatory
Kitchen
Dining Room
Lounge
Table 1.A

Before we can discuss the different options of how to suggest, we first need to know how a player

keeps track of what cards are where at any given point in time. Table 1.A shows what a deduction sheet

for a player would look like at the start of a game, before the card are passed out. No rooms, suspects, or

weapons have been eliminated and no suggestions have yet been observed. Table 2.A shows a deduction

sheet of a player, who we will refer to as ‘0’, has just been dealt the cards for Ms. Scarlett, the Knife, and

the Kitchen.

Suspect 1 2 3 4 5

Ms. Scarlett

Mr. Green

Colonel Mustard

Ms. Peacock

Dr. Orchid

Professor Plum

Weapon

Rope

Lead Pipe

Revolver

Wrench
 8
Knife

Candlestick

Room

Ballroom

Hall

Library

Billiards Room

Study

Conservatory

Kitchen

Dining Room

Lounge

Table 2.A (0’s deduction sheet after being dealt Ms. Scarlett, Knife, and Kitchen.)

The strikes through Ms. Scarlett, the Knife, and the Ballroom are all indicative that these choices

are not in the envelope, something the player knows as they have those cards within their hand. The

player also knows that the first column represents the cards within the hand of the first player to their left.

The second column represents the cards in the hand of the second player to their left and so on. As the

game starts, our hypothetical player will move into the Lounge to suggest it was Mr. Green with the

Wrench in said Lounge. Once they make this suggestion, they will look to the player notated here as ‘1’.

1 will not show 0 any cards and the suggestion will move to the player notated as ‘2’. 2 will then show 0

the Mr. Green card and the suggestion will end. 0 will then mark their deduction sheet to reflect that

shown by Table 3.A.

Suspect 1 2 3 4 5

Ms. Scarlett

Mr. Green X V
 9
Colonel Mustard

Ms. Peacock

Dr. Orchid

Professor Plum

Weapon

Rope

Lead Pipe

Revolver

Wrench X

Knife

Candlestick

Room

Ballroom

Hall

Library

Billiards Room

Study

Conservatory

Kitchen

Dining Room

Lounge X

Table 3.A (0’s deduction sheet after 1 did not disprove the suggestion and 2 showed 0 the Mr. Green card.)

Once the suggestion has ended, 0 marks down the fact that 1 did not have any of the cards

mentioned in their suggestion by writing an ‘X’ in 1’s column under the rows containing the suggestion,

meaning that if 1 disproves a later suggestion that involved two of these three variables, 0 will know what
 10
card 1 used to disprove it and therein, eliminate another possible variable. This information however, can

be marked down by all players, as the fact that 1 did not prove 0 wrong indicates that he does not possess

any of the cards required to do so. The fact that 2 had Mr. Green, however, is known only to 0 and 2,

marked with a ‘V’. Therefore, if 2 tries to use Mr. Green on a later turn, 0 will know that 2 is bluffing,

possibly allowing 0 to obtain the same information that 2 did. It should also be noted that if a row is ever

completely filled with X’s and that card is not in your hand, that variable must be in the envelope, as it

has been eliminated as a possibility in anyone else’s hands.

Sub-Section: Possible Moves

We’ll now look at the possible suggestions a player could make. In a large game, a player

is given six cards to work with, and in a small game, a player’s hand consists of three cards.

There is no rule stating that players cannot make a suggestion using suspects, weapons, or rules

that are in their own hand, which leaves open the option for a player to bluff.

If a player chooses not to bluff, that is, they make a suggestion that does not involve any

of the cards in their hand, then they have at worst a 0.4-0.9% chance of randomly guessing a

winner (depending on if they play a large or small game, respectively). However, as they obtain

more information, their odds of failure reduce exponentially. Blindly guessing does come with

the hazard that you may leave your opponents open to deduce information. For instance, let’s say

that a three-player game is being conducted with Ms. Scarlett, Mr. Green, and Professor Plum.

Ms. Scarlett suggest it was Mr. Green in the Ballroom with the Wrench. Mr. Green (the player to

her left) then quietly shows her the Ballroom card. Unbeknownst to either of them, Professor

Plum scratches off the Ballroom, as he has the Mr. Green card and the card for the Wrench,

allowing him to snag free information without doing anything. However, in later parts of the
 11
game, not bluffing can keep opponents confused, especially if you’ve been bluffing a lot. If they

routinely question whether you’ve tried to pull the wool over their eyes, they’re less likely to

think you’ve found the answer when you actually do.

A single bluff, that is to say a suggestion using a single card in your hand, is a good

maneuver in that it prevents other players from making deductions while allowing you to press in

areas that you may be weak in. For example, if you have only room cards, staying in rooms you

know aren’t the answer allow you to see which suspects and weapons your opponents do or do

not have. If you’re lucky, your opponents won’t have them and you’ll know which cards are in

the envelope. This is the safest bluff, as it doesn’t draw too much attention and has the possibility

of fetching two correct answers on any given guess.

A double bluff, a suggestion involving two cards in your hand, is a bit like a single bluff,

but it is more useful in narrowing down the options in a singular variable. If you know which

room and weapon are used, you could use a double bluff with both cards to see where the

remaining suspect cards are. Though, if this is overused, other players are likely to call it out and

may be able to backtrack your suggestions to figure out what you learned from your little

gamble. This bluff is more risky, but more likely to succeed in giving you a correct answer. It’s

not a good idea to use this trick too often, as it can lead to other players figuring out what cards

are in your hand without having to use a suggestion to check your hand.

A triple bluff, a suggestion using three cards from your hand, is a move that should be

reserved for the very end of the game. It’s only real use is to confuse people, as if you throw out

three variables that nobody can prove without making an accusation, they’ll catch on the moment

the turn is passed that you weren’t entirely guessing. Luckily, catching a triple bluff takes three
 12
suggestions, so it’s a good way to buy a little bit of time for yourself if you need one more turn’s

worth of information.

Sub-Section: An Addressing of Probability

In studying the different combinations of the game and the risks one takes when one makes an

accusation without all information, it became apparent that some players might be tempted to take a

gamble and accuse earlier than is necessary. It is for that purpose that Table 4.A was added below, to

allow players the choice of deciding if the risk of loss was great enough to keep them from making a

guess with less than absolute certainty. Though, this risk is not forced upon players, if they feel their

opponents have gained enough information for whatever reason, they may place their bets on a blind

guess. To calculate odds of success, multiply the percentages based on how many cards you know aren’t

in the envelope for each variable.

# of Suspects Known # of Weapons Known # of Rooms Known

0-(.166) 0-(.166) 0-(.11)

1-(.2) 1-(.2) 1-(.125)

2-(.25) 2-(.25) 2-(.143)

3-(.333) 3-(.333) 3-(.166)

4-(.5) 4-(.5) 4-(.2)

5-(1) 5-(1) 5-(.25)

6-(.333)

7-(.5)

8-(1)

Table 4.A (Odds of correctly guessing a given variable with the number of known variables in that category.)
 13
Looking at the table, if you knew 4 of the suspects, 4 of the weapons, and 7 of the rooms that

were not in the envelope, you’d have a 12.5% chance of success. If you knew all 5 of the weapons, 4 of

the suspects, and 7 of the rooms that were not in the envelope, you’d have a 25% chance of success. And

under the best possible circumstances, if you knew all 5 suspects, all 5 weapons, and 7 of the nine rooms

not in the envelope, you would still only have a 50% chance at success. Now, if you’re playing against a

strong opponent and you think they’ve already got the solution, you could take these odds, but, as there is

always the choice on the part of the player to obtain 100% certainty that they will succeed (assuming

they’ve been marking their card correctly), it is usually a very unwise choice to take the gamble.

The Problem of Rooms

As the first turn passes, a bit of information is shared with the entire table. Which players

do not have which cards starts to become apparent, however, there is one variable that is a lot

slower to show itself. The rooms.

The rooms have two unique properties that set them apart from the other variables in the

game. Rooms are stationary parts of the board and players can be moved into rooms by other

players. The fact that rooms are stationary, while obvious, presents a problem to any prospective

player. What if I simply can’t reach a room? Since the game hinges on your suggestions, being

able to suggest the right room at the right time can make all the difference, especially when

you’re trying to bluff using a particular room. On the first turn, a player has a 97% chance of

making it into a room, but only an 8% chance of being able to reach any room that they want.

Additionally, there are some rooms that are simply too far apart to reach within a single

turn unless a player rolls a twelve. The Hall and the Ballroom, for instance, are exactly twelve

spaces apart if you use the secret passages (which connect the rooms on opposite corners of the
 14
board). Assuming that any room that isn’t the Ballroom simply won’t do, you’ll more than likely

spend a turn solely on moving (which, in essence, is wasting a turn, as you gather no new

information). Assuming that another player does not pull you further away from the Ballroom by

suggesting that you committed the crime in a different room, a bad role can leave you with a

second wasted turn, which is frustrating as players have no control over the cast die. While this

can create some very tense moments of gameplay and provides an opening wherein newer

players may defeat more veteran players, it has the same potential to leave newer players in the

dust and leave the board silent for long periods of time. This, however, merely looks at the

effects of the first of the room’s qualities; their place as board fixtures.

The secondary issue with rooms is that they’re simply difficult to obtain information

about. Given that movement plays a role in whether or not a given room is accessible, there will

be times when players stick to certain rooms simply because they’re closer and they can be

reached in a single turn. This can be unfortunate if they continually accuse a player who has

those rooms in their hand, as that player will continually be dragged out of the new rooms they

think could be the correct answer for reasons beyond their control. This can make the game a lot

longer, which, if you want to take your time playing it, can be a good thing. Conversely, if you

want to play multiple games in a row, this can become a problem.

Sub-Section: The Removal of Dice

As a possible solution to the problems presented by rooms being fixtures that must be

moved to is to make it so that players may simply move to whatever room they want to move to.
 15
This small change in movement creates a quite different game, as it changes the paradigm from

that of a board game to that of a card game.

Clue, as it stands, is a very thoughtful board game. Once a player rolls, they need to

decide what room they have to move towards, and whether or not they’ll sacrifice a turn to get

closer to a given room. However, this brings with it a lot of down time for players to talk and

discuss whatever they feel like talking about. This makes the game a bit more of a social game,

in the sense that it provides opportunities for player interactions that aren’t required for the game

to proceed. Which can be great, if players want to talk or catch up over a game of Clue. That, or

it can leave players sitting in silence for long periods of time if they aren’t feeling very talkative.

Conversely, if the movement issue is removed, the atmosphere of the room changes to

that more akin to an intense poker match. Now that the board is reduced to a set piece as opposed

to a strategic obstacle, the suggestions are now the only focus of the game. With reduced time

between them, players are able to focus on chains of logic that might reveal a new piece of

information to them (bluffing trends, facial expressions, speech patterns, etc.), giving them an

advantage they wouldn’t otherwise have. Games become much shorter, but also more intense,

allowing for an unmitigated contest of logical reasoning and bluffing.

To summarize, playing with dice is a good way to play with new people, catch up with

people you haven’t seen in a while, or just have a few laughs while you play the game. Playing

without the dice prevents some of the frustration that comes about with dice, balances the

influence that players can have on each other at any given time, and turns the game into a very

intense session focused more around deception and logic.

 Variants of Games

With the different options to play Clue, there come different strategies to win. In this

Chapter, we will address the different options that come with different variations and what

strategies are most effective in these settings at the start of the game, the latter portions of the

game, and as the game draws to a close.

Sub-Section: Small Games

In a small game, all three players will have a six-card hand. In this regard, it is very

unlikely that any given player will not have at least one of each card type and even less likely

that a player will have at least one of two card types. In this regard, it is guaranteed that at least

one player is going to be able to bluff, everybody should be expecting everybody else to bluff at

least once during the game.

With a total of six cards to choose from, players could bluff for six turns straight using a

single bluff without repeating any of the cards in their hand. Six guesses is the equivalent of, at

minimum six cards worth of information, with the possibility that two variables could be

discovered. A safe approach, but a predictable one, and if players keep track of what cards you

do not have, they might start to catch onto what cards you do have.

Players will likely have the chance to double bluff, as well. This is much riskier than a

single bluff as if it works out, the other players are likely going to call your bluff, allowing them

to see what variable you discovered, eliminating the advantage it gives you unless that is the last

variable you need, in which case it will win you the game.
 Triple bluffs have their place here, but only as a last resort. If your opponent has yet to

deduce the answer and you’re lacking a single card, but you’re worried that what you say may

give away the answer, you could bluff and hope that your opponent tries their hand at a

suggestion that give you the information you need.

In the early game, obtaining information about rooms is key. From the very start, you

want to get into a room and find out which room you’re looking for. Since nobody else will have

seen your cards yet, finding the room will be easier as you’ll be able to bluff more than you

would otherwise. Try to stay out of rooms that your opponents are in, as they are likely bluffing

or you can use the logic on the suggestions they make to obtain information you wouldn’t

otherwise. After you have the room, use a room that you have to start figuring out the suspects

and weapons (I would recommend a single bluff here, as some of your cards have likely been

seen at this point). Once you get down to a few options, this is where you want to start double

bluffing or considering triple bluffing. If you’ve shown three types of cards around the board,

you might be able to stall the other players into trying to figure out which cards you were using

to bluff with, letting them wonder while you take note of the cards they use to check your bluff.

Sub-Section: Large Games

In a large game, with six players, each player is given three cards.

With this change, the odds that any given player will be able to triple bluff is fairly low. The odds

that they can double bluff are reasonable, and they’re always going to be able to single bluff. In a game

with this many players, it is actually advantageous to just outright guess, as you’re likely to pass over

another player and find out what cards they don’t have. The best way to adjust suggestions here is to

make sure you don’t get the same card as you sweep across the board. You also want to watch carefully

on turns when the suggestion passes around several people. If a variable goes far around the board
without being shown, you may want to use a bluff to see if that’s the answer or another player’s bluff. But

be careful, because fewer cards means fewer bluffs before everybody else catches on and figures out what

you learned from the bluff.

When the cards are spread so thinly between individuals, there’s a bit of luck to winning, as

finding a card early on that manages to stay hidden for the rest of the game can win you the game and

missing a room in the early game can be disastrous in the late game. Which again, shows the importance

of the deduction sheet, as a good record of who does not have what card is a vital method you can use to

see who does have what card. Late game bluffing is rare, if it happens, but it becomes quite worrisome

when it does happen and you aren’t sure what information is true. If you lack two cards and your

opponent uses both of them in what is certainly a bluff, which card do you check? They’ll only have to

show you one, so which one do you need? Even with a record of what cards they’re proven not to have,

this choice can be agonizing. Still, the strategy of starting on rooms and moving onto the other two

variables is a good way to start.

With less information at the start, you’ll have to cover a lot more ground, but since the room is

the most pivotal part of the answer, it is well worth the effort. Remaining away from the other players

would usually be better, but in a game with as little information as you’re given, figuring out the cards in

other hands allows you to read bluffs better (or perfectly, if you learn all three cards in a person’s hand),

which is extra information for less effort. In the late game, bluffing is a bad idea unless practically

nobody has seen your hand. If nobody has seen your hand, then luck is on your side and you should bluff

away starting on turn four or five. The reason for letting so many turns pass is because you should be

picking up plenty of information beforehand, eliminating a lot of options during other players’ turns as

opposed to your own.

 The Effects of Free Information

In more modern variations of Clue, there is an additional deck of cards referred to as Bonus cards.

The way these cards work is that on a modern board, there are question marks on certain squares. If a

player stops on one of these squares, then that player may draw Bonus card and its effects are enacted.

Some of the cards allow for movement, but the majority of them involve a player showing a card or cards

to the player who drew the Bonus card, along with everyone else at the table.

Using these cards is a bit of a gamble.

Since most of them give information to everyone at the table, you do help yourself move a step

closer to the answer, but you usually wind up doing the same for everybody else. Imagine you’re playing

a large game and you draw a card called ‘Dun-Dun-Duuun!’ This card makes it so that all players lay one

of the cards in their hand out in front of them for all to see. You, as an individual, just gained access to

five cards you otherwise wouldn’t at the cost of one card. The problem is that, as a collective, so did

every other player on the board. Distributing that much information at a single time in the early game

could cut the game’s length in half and severely handicaps everybody’s ability to bluff.

Large games tend to be affected by these cards more drastically because of this. Because a three

card hand can easily be picked apart by a few players grabbing a few Bonus cards, veteran players can

find themselves on the end of the beating stick, especially if they have a record of winning. While this

may turn some veteran players off, feeling that they are mistreated for being good at a game, other

veterans may view this as a challenge, a way to balance the game so that players with refined tactics are

placed on a more level playing field with more novice players.

In any case, small games are not affected by the Bonus cards as much. When every player has six

cards in their hand, the bonus cards only really eliminate one variable at a time, making them valuable,
but not nearly as valuable as they would be in larger games. In fact, some players may decide that a good

suggestion is worth more than a Bonus card and ignore them entirely. The reason they hold their position

firmly is because they have no real drawbacks. And it is this feature that brings us to our next topic, when

bonus cards become a risk.

 The Effects of Risky Draws & Character Abilities

In the collector’s edition variations of Clue, including Harry Potter, Legend of Zelda, and Game

of Thrones editions, there is a slight change to the Bonus cards that makes them a bit less desirable. In

addition to the ‘good’ cards that are in the Bonus cards to help players, there are eight ‘bad’ cards. The

first seven bad Bonus cards that are drawn do nothing and are discarded. Once a player draws the eighth

bad card, that player may no longer make accusations or suggestions, functionally preventing them from

winning. After that, the eighth bad card is shuffled back into the Bonus deck and the game continues.

Additionally, one of the 1’s on the dice is changed to a question mark, and if a player rolls a

question mark, that player draws a bonus card. This makes the Bonus deck a liability in the latter part of

the game, especially as players are more likely to try to use it in the early game. In fact, a lot of players

will go at the Bonus deck as much as possible to try to reap the rewards it has right up until seven bad

cards have been drawn. After that, they’ll avoid the Bonus deck at all costs, worried that they could be

wiped out by one bad draw. This can be a very fun way to spice up a game between veterans, as they’ll

likely avoid the Bonus cards from the start in favor of guaranteed suggestions over risking the chance

they’ll draw a bad card and get nothing. Emptying the Bonus deck early on, however, is a bad decision, as

it will most certainly lead to an untimely elimination from the game.

Granted, there are twenty-four cards in the Bonus deck, if every player in a large game thinks

they have nothing to fear until the seventh bad card is drawn, it could be as little as two turns before the

bonus deck becomes a risk to great to take willingly and seven bad cards are drawn. This could lead to

either a well-paced game with a few twists and turns or a very short game that nobody wins, depending

on who you’re playing with. It’s certainly not for everyone, but for careful players looking towards long-

term strategies, these bad cards actually make the game a bit more interesting.
 The other addition that specialty editions of Clue bring are the character abilities. In these games,

each playable character has an ability that they can use once per game. The abilities are mostly balanced,

with the exception of the red player, who has a slightly weaker ability. This design choice was likely

because the red player is always the one to go first and therefore, already starts with a slight advantage.

The abilities range from movement options, to seeing a single card, to being able to make two

suggestions in a single turn. However, as they are a single-use ability and there’s no surefire way to

ensure you get the most from any given ability, the odds that any single ability will ever tilt the game in

favor of that player is negligible. That is, unless that player holds onto their ability until they gain enough

information to use it with precision and all other players expend their abilities first. If a player saves their

ability until the last or second to last turn of the game, the slight advantage it provides could be the push

that allows them to win. Again, not a good starting point for new players, but in the hands of thoughtful or

patient players, it can be a useful tool.

 CONCLUSION

The goal of any game is to create an experience that is uniquely provided by the scope of the

rules, the interaction between players and the rules, as well as the ultimate conditions required to win.

One of the taglines of Clue is ‘Discover the Secrets’. Everything from the artwork to the instructions

present the game as a mystery to be solved by you before someone else solves it first. In this regard, Clue

is a shining example of good game design. Everything, from the way you have to backtrack what cards

are where to discover what is missing, to the way you need to bluff to stay ahead of your opponents gives

every player the opportunity to play the mastermind as well as the sleuth.

What cards ask for are likely to influence your opponents’, in the same way, you have to watch

how they try to influence you. It’s a constant duel of wits from all sides that, when you emerge victorious,

leaves you feeling like an absolute genius. Though, when you don’t win, you don’t always feel as though

you were completely defeated. Nobody will ever know how close you got to winning, and you may have

been just a single card away from victory. Conversely, you could play the odds and, miraculously, you

could even get a win on the first turn.

As far as issues of balanced gameplay are concerned, Clue does not have any significant

problems. Going first may sound like an advantage, but if your cards are safe while everyone else

scrambles to get to a room and you pick up a ton of information before you take your first turn, it’s

arguable that you’re the one who really has the advantage (though, this does not always happen and

therefore, that advantage is based mostly in luck).

 Altogether, it works logical and deductive skills and consistently provides a mystery to be solved

to its players. It is a good game to sharpen your rational thinking with and a fun game to think over. How

intense you want the game to be depends on what variation you decided to play and thus, the game proves

itself adaptable to suit a variety of audiences.

BIBLIOGRAPHY