Cluedo SFX

Cluedo SFX

(Clue FX in North America)
Box cover
Publisher(s)	Parker Brothers
Players	2 to 4
Age range	8 and up
Setup time	< 5 minutes
Playing time	45 minutes
Random chance	Medium
Skill(s) required	Deduction

Cluedo SFX (Clue FX in North America), or Super Cluedo Ineractif, is a board game which is based on Cluedo, which it serves as a prequel to. It was released in 2003 in the United States, months after the release of a new version of regular Cluedo. It is vastly different than previous editions of the game.

Overview

Like other editions of Cluedo, the object of the game is to solve a murder. Cluedo SFX centers around the murder of Mr. Miles Meadow-Brook, Dr. Black's attorney. According to the rule book, Mr. Meadow-Brook and others were at a garden party at Dr. Black's estate, Tudor Mansion. Some while later, Mr. Meadow-Brook was found murdered. His body had been moved from elsewhere on the grounds. Players take the role of four amateur detectives (not the suspects, as in other editions) to solve the crime before presenting their solution to Inspector Brown. If they are right, they win.

Cluedo SFX keeps the same three questions:

• Who done it?
• Where?
• With what?

Throughout the game, players make suggestions and are proved either right or wrong in an attempt to limit down the possibilities in the three categories (suspect, weapon, location).

Unlike in previous editions, in Cluedo SFX, eight of the clue cards are held by non-player character suspects, kept in separate envelopes. The suspects move around randomly and in secret. When a player is in the same room as one of the suspects, the electronic talking board says (for example) "You see Mrs. White at the Swimming Pool," and the player may then read the card in the "Mrs. White" envelope. Thus, to win, players must locate suspects and interrogate them in addition to making suggestions.

Suspects, detectives and victim

Suspects

The following are suspected in the murder of Mr. Miles Meadow-Brook:

• Miss Scarlett
• Colonel Mustard
• Mrs. White
• Rev. Green
• Mrs. Peacock
• Professor Plum
• Mrs. Meadow-Brook
• Rusty

Detectives

The following are working to solve the murder of Mr. Miles Meadow-Brook:

• Inspector Brown
• Miss Peach - players can choose to play as her
• Lord Gray - players can choose to play as him
• Lady Lavender - players can choose to play as her
• Prince Azure - players can choose to play as him

Surprisingly, Cluedo SFX makes no mention of Dr. Black himself. The party is hosted at Tudor Mansion on his request, but he is not suspected, nor is he used as an amateur detective. The four playable characters are not mentioned in the instruction booklet as suspects, witnesses, or detectives, but as guests.

Victim

The victim is Mr. Meadow-Brook. This is the first Cluedo game where Dr. Black is not the victim of foul play. Instead, it is his attorney.

Possible Crime Scenes

Cluedo SFX is set outside Tudor Mansion on the grounds and none of the original rooms are suspected. Tudor Mansion as a whole, however, is a possibility. Also, there are no secret passages, but movement around the Cluedo SFX board is much easier than the boards of other editions. The locations are:

• The Boat House
• The Garage
• The Garden
• The Gate House
• The Gazebo
• The Tennis Courts
• Tudor Mansion
• The Stable[s]
• The Swimming Pool

Murder weapons

Since Cluedo SFX is set outside Tudor Mansion on the grounds, the weapons are not the same. Also, unlike the past versions of Cluedo, there are no weapon tokens included in the game. The weapons are:

• The Garden Shears
• The Hammer
• The Horseshoe
• The Lawn Gnome
• The Tennis Racquet
• The Water Bucket

Gameplay

Set-up

• Sort the cards into three decks: Suspects, Weapons, and Locations. Shuffle them and then place them facedown. Then select one card from each (without looking) pile and place them in the Confidential Case File envelope. The three cards in there are the answer to the Meadow-Brook Mystery/Murder.
• Shuffle the remaining cards into one deck.
• Place one card in each of the eight suspect envelopes without looking at them. Set them off aside the board.
• Deal the remaining cards to the players.
• Each player then takes their cards and marks them off on their Cluepad.
• Each player chooses a Guest (Miss Peach, Lord Gray, Lady Lavender, or Prince Azure) to play as.

Turns

• Turn the ON/OFF switch ON. The switch is on the back of Tudor Mansion.
• Guests tell the Narrator (Mr. Ashe, butler) who is playing
• Players set their pawns on their starting spaces.

A player's turn consists of three possibilities:

Move

Unlike in other editions, a player can go to any location he or she wishes. They simply choose one of the nine locations, place their pawn on the log-in space. The electronic aspect of the game (thus the name Cluedo SFX, loosely Cluedo Effects) comes into play here. It registers where a player is moving and who is moving. This helps preventing cheating. When a suspect arrives at a location, they are met with one of two announcements:

• "There are no suspects at the ...."
• "You see .... at the ...."

When you go to a location and meet a suspect (they move randomly about the board during play) Mr. Ashe announces them. It may be one or more. They will greet you (with a greeting line such as Mrs. Meadow-Brook's, 'I've been dying to meet you'). You may then take the suspect envelopes of the suspects present and look at the card in them. You then mark off the card in that envelope. If there are no suspects, you cannot look in any envelopes. Later in the game, Inspector Brown will arrive and begin to move around the estate. If you find him, you can give him your accusation (it is required to win, actually) for the win. If you meet him any other time during the game, he will ask if you want to. You decline by selecting 'No' on the panel. A major change to the game is the fact that there are no hallways or spaces or dice to roll. Movement for each player can be random. The order in which the players are allowed to move is chosen - at random - by Mr. Ashe. Only when a player is announced can they move.

Searching and suggesting

Once you have looked at all the cards of the suspect present you may then hit the 'Search' button on the panel. You may or may not find another suspect at the location you are at. You are allowed to look at their cards, too. There is the possibility that there are no hidden suspects, in which case you cannot look in any envelopes.

It is recommended that you do not make suggestions until you look inside all eight of the suspect envelopes. When you have, you may then make a suggestion (or accusation in some cases) during you turn. You name your suspected murderer, weapon, and crime scene - just like in regular Cluedo.

The other players will then look through their cards to try to find ones that will disprove you. In which case, the first player to your left shows you a card in their hand that you suggested. For each suggestion only one person can show the suggester only one card. They then mark that card off.

Final accusation

When you think that you know who killed Mr. Meadow-Brook, where, and with what you are ready to make your final accusation. Before you can do so, you must find Inspector Brown. Once you are at the same location that he is at you. To tell him that you are going to make your accusation you hit the 'Final' button on the panel. You then announce your accusation. After you make it, take the Case File and look inside. If even one card is wrong, you tell Inspector Brown 'No.' You are not able to play anymore. Mr. Ashe will no longer call you guest to move, but you are still able to show other players cards to disprove their suggestions. If all three of the cards you suggested are in, you tell Inspector Brown 'Yes.' The game then ends and you are declared the winner.

SFX

The game is powered electronically. Mr. Ashe dictates movement. The suspects move according to the computer to an adjacent location. Though there are no corridors as in regular Cluedo, the instruction booklet shows that movement passes in this order: Tudor Mansion to the Garden to the Boat House to the Tennis Courts to the Garage to the Gazebo to the Stable to the Gate House to the Swimming Pool and back to Tudor Mansion. Inspector Brown and the suspects move to adjacent locations between turns.

When you encounter a suspect, they will greet you with a comment. When they leave, it will be announced, followed by the suspect making another comment. Each suspect has their own. Mrs. Peacock will greet the men players with a 'Hello, handsome,' and Mrs. White might say, 'Oh! Don't go sneaking up on people!' Character is certainly given to the suspects this way.

Also, whenever you go to a location a sound effect will sound. When you enter the Boat House, a boat idles. When you enter the Tennis Courts, you hear some one playing. When you enter Tudor Mansion, you hear a gong being sounded.

Points of interest

• The date for the murder of Mr. Meadow-Brook is given to be August 8, 1925 by the game Cluedo Mysteries.
• On the box cover, a newspaper is visible. The heading gives the date to be June 7, 1926 and is an article about the murder of Dr. Black, not Mr. Meadow-Brook.
• This is the first game to feature an African character, Prince Azure.
• Unlike the 2003 edition of Cluedo, suspect biographies are not given. No motives are given, but in the instruction booklet it is said that Mr. Meadow-Brook was last seen leaving Tudor Mansion after talking with Dr. Black over his will. This adds suspicion. The game Cluedo Mysteries hints at possible motives.
• The suspects are wearing the same thing they were the day Dr. Black was murdered - almost a year later. They did not even change for a garden party.
• The game is set in Hampshire, England.
• Mrs. Meadow-Brook and Rusty (through evidence on early release pictures of Cluedo SFX) were most likely not included in the original concept of the game. In fact, the original six weapons (token and all) were included and the four Guests appeared differently, as did the board. The cover image also resembled the current Clue box.
• If Mr. Meadow-Brook's murderer was arrested, it would have had to be Mrs. Meadow-Brook or Rusty. They are the only two that are not suspected in the murder of Dr. Black one year later. The four Guests are not listed as suspects. This could explain why Hasbro added these two characters in. However, Cluedo DVD Game includes Mrs. Meadow-Brook and Rusty as suspects of thefts. Prince Azure and Lady Lavender are also suspected, but Lord Gray and Miss Peach are not.