Five Variations on the Board Game Clue

Many of you have written echoing a long-held complaint of mine: the Parker Brothers’ board game Clue is a bit too formulaic, with its rigid “one murderer, one weapon, one room” structure. Out of deference to the Brothers Parker, I’ve previously kept quiet on this matter. However, after hearing this criticism so widely repeated, I offer my suggestions for novel variations on an old classic.

Real Estate Clue

Each character is willed a portion of Mr. Boddy’s estate (real estate holdings randomly drawn from a Monopoly game). For each turn, a turn of Monopoly is also taken. The murderer can be determined either through logical deduction or by whoever’s inheritance is worth the most by the end of the game, as that character has the greatest motive for killing Mr. Boddy.

Inoffensive Fun Times Clue

At the start of game, no cards are placed in the envelope, Mr. Boddy is not murdered, and he and his party guests explore the mansion, where the only limit to their rollicking misadventures is their own imaginations.

Deconstruction Clue

Game is played as normal, except that upon entering a room, a player may either make a suggestion about the details of the murder, or make an observation pointing out some contradiction in the logic of the game. For example, one could question why guests are only allowed to move a certain number of squares for any turn, or indeed why the hallways have been arbitrarily marked off into squares in the first place. Another player may point out that it is curious that only six items in the entire mansion could possibly be used as murder weapons, when many other items could surely be effective weapons. Game ends when murderer is correctly accused, or players have concluded that Clue presents a fundamentally flawed, irrational version of reality.

Russian Roulette Clue

Game is played like normal, with the exception that anybody who rolls a six dies. The last player remaining is the murderer.

Allegory Clue

Game is played normally, except Mr. Boddy is America, and his murder is the decline of our society. Each character, weapon, and room represents an aspect of American culture. For example, Colonel Mustard is the military industrial complex, Professor Plum is elite academia, Mr. Green is unfettered capitalism, the lead pipe is an outdated infrastructure, the Conservatory is the use of America’s natural resources, the kitchen is the American diet, and so on. Solve the mystery to determine which influences are to blame for American decline.