====================================================================== Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange/ Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion (PC) FAQ/Walkthrough (version 1.0) By: neeker ====================================================================== ====================================================================== DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL STUFF ====================================================================== This walkthrough can be posted on GameFAQs.com, Neoseeker.com and its associates only, unless authorized by me. You may contact me at lestor_wong at yahoo.com for this purpose. Also, please note that, as with most gaming guides: + + + THIS GUIDE CONTAINS SPOILERS! + + + ====================================================================== ====================================================================== CONTENTS ====================================================================== 1. First Things First INTRODUCTION ------------ 2. The Game 3. Characters 4. Weapons 5. Rooms 6. Controls 7. Minimum Requirements HOW TO PLAY ----------- 8. Objective of the game 9. Starting a new game 10. Playing the game 11. Making a Suggestion 12. Making an Accusation 13. General Tips 14. Conclusion Appendix 1: Version history Appendix 2: FAQs Appendix 2: Credits ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 1. FIRST THINGS FIRST ====================================================================== Hi, I'm Lestor Wong. I post on GameFAQ.com/ GameSpot.com by the username "neeker". This is my, er, 8th (I think) FAQ/ Walkthrough. It's kinda weird writing a guide for a game that has been out for so long already, but being a fan of the board game, I'm really impressed by how seamless the PC version of it was rendered. I still play Cluedo regularly with my friends, but when I'm alone and really have to solve some crime, I turn to this game. I hope you'll find this guide useful, as I'll try my best to include tips to help you win easily against the "expert" opponents of this game. Feedback can be directed to lestor_wong at yahoo dot com. You may also check out my other works from this URL: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/52881.html ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 2. THE GAME ====================================================================== Cluedo (or Clue in the US) is a board game that was originally released in the UK by Waddington Games in 1948. The game is set in a mansion, where a dead body has been found. Six murder suspects have been identified, and it's up to the players to find out who done it, with what weapon, and in which room. It sounds like a rather simple concept, but the process of deduction and strategy is nonetheless intriguing for fans of the game. This makes Cluedo one of the most popular board games in history, perhaps falling just behind Monopoly and Risk. Through the years, many different versions from the original game have been released. We've seen the Super Cluedo Challenge, the Clue Master Detective, the Cluedo Super Sleuth and quite recently, the Passport to Murder (set in a train station). Spin-offs are also aplenty. The Simpsons, Scooby-Doo, and Dungeons and Dragons are just some of the many variants of Cluedo you can find. Nothing beats the original for its pure simplicity though, and in 1998, Hasbro Interactive published a PC version of this game in its full glory. Released in the UK (and most other places) as Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange, this game pits the player in a similar situation of having to solve a murder before everyone else (CPU- controlled) by gathering clues, crossing out possibilities and accusing. Do you have what it takes to succeed? ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 3. CHARACTERS ====================================================================== This section lists the characters that appear in this game. The 2003 version of the board game has a really detailed characters write-up, which I'll include here (with some modifications to fit the PC version of the game): 1. MISS SCARLET --------------- Seductive Josephine Scarlett is the daughter of Mrs Patricia Peacock. With jealousy and envy the foundation of their relationship, the two seldom speak. An aspiring actress, her ambitions far exceed her talents. Her career in a tailspin, Miss Scarlett focused her attention on a brand new interest - rich old widowers. As a result, the tabloids had a field day covering her exploits. To avoid more bad publicity, she relunctantly joined her mother for a long holiday at Blackwell Grange. NOTE: Miss Scarlett ALWAYS go first in the board game, and this applies for this game as well. 2. COLONEL MUSTARD ------------------ Colonel Michael Mustard, a frequent guest at Blackwell Grange, was an old acquaintance of Sir Hugh. He later befriended Sir Hugh's nephew, Dr Black. Although Mustard's military career was not undistinguished, he was more of a legend in his own mind. After retiring, Mustard convinced a publisher that his military exploits would make a good book. Having received several advance payments, he has only produced one chapter. Meanwhile, creditors hound him for due payments. 3. MRS WHITE ------------ Blanche White was Dr Black's long-time housekeeper and cook. When he first came to live at Blackwell Grange as a young child, Mrs White served as his nanny. She was one of the few employees that Dr Black retained after his uncle, Sir Hugh's death. As a cook, Mrs White enjoys experimenting, although dinner guests often view her menus with great apprehension. Now 63, Mrs White appears to have little to offer for her years of dedicated service. 4. REVEREND GREEN ----------------- Young John Green received his "calling" early in life. At 12, he began preaching at revivals and later took to calling himself "Reverend". While travelling, spreading his own version of "rob from the rich and give to the poor", Green met Sir Hugh and his nephew, Dr Black. Rumor has it that the polce have questioned Green regarding allegations of fraud, smuggling and money laundering. 5. MRS PEACOCK -------------- A social butterfly, Mrs Patricia Peacock dabbled in the theatre and dreamed of a career on stage. She was forced to leave her country after her involvement in a messy love triangle with two important political figures. She befriended Margaret Black, Dr Black's mother, during one of her trips. Widowed three times, Peacock has one daughter, Josephine Scarlett. Because of Peacock's lavished lifestyle, her late husbands' fortune is now nearly exhausted. 6. PROFESSOR PLUM ----------------- An expert in ancient mid-eastern history, Professor Peter Plum gave up teaching for high adventure in Egypt. Sir Hugh funded several archeological expeditions for Plum, and it was through Hugh that the professor met Dr Black. Not long ago, Plum was accused of plagiarism and summarily dismissed from his job at the British Museum. Much of Plum's writings has allegedly been lifted from the notes of a colleague who had been killed in a freak accident. 7. DR BLACK ----------- The victim. Known as "Mr Boddy" in the US version of the game. Boddy = Body, geddit? ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 4. WEAPONS ====================================================================== The possible weapons in this game are as follow: 1. ROPE ------- Tough, and perfect for strangling. 2. LEAD PIPING -------------- Solid object that could deliver an instant death in one hit. Not a trace of blood on it though. Has the blood been washed off? 3. DAGGER --------- Looks like any other knife, but no doubt one of the easiest weapon to carry around, especially when slipped into a lady's handbag. 4. SPANNER ---------- Brutal item to use for murder. Unlikely the choice for a lady, but then again... 5. CANDLESTICK -------------- Found everywhere in the mansion. To use a candlestick as a weapon, could this be a murder that is not planned? 6. REVOLVER ----------- Another handy tool for a handbag. Appears to have a silencer attached to it too. No wonder no one seems to hear anything. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 5. ROOMS ====================================================================== The setup for the rooms are as follow (rough ASCII sketch, sorry if it makes you puke!): |---------| |--------| |----------| | | | | | | | | | Ball | | ----| | Kitchen | | Room | | Conservatory | | | W | | G | | | ----- ----- | | | | | | | |---------| |----------| |--------------| | | Pe |---------- |----| |--------------| | | | | | Billiard | | ---| |----| | Room | | Dining | | || | |--------------| | Room | | || | | | | | || | |--------------| |------------| |----| | Library | M | |--------------| | | Pl |----------------| |--------| |--------------| | | | | | | | | | Hall | | | | Lounge | | | | Study | | | | | | | | |--|--------|--| | |----------------|S |--------------| The room names are self-explanatory. The alphabets are where the characters will begin the game from: 1. S - Miss Scarlett 2. M - Colonel Mustard 3. W - Mrs White 4. G - Reverend Green 5. Pe - Mrs Peacock 6. Pl - Professor Plum ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 6. CONTROLS ====================================================================== The game is fully mouse-controlled. Throwing the dice, moving to rooms, crossing out possibilites, making suggestions and accusations are all accesible by the simple click of the mouse button. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 7. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ====================================================================== (Mostly) taken from the back of the game's cover: OS: Windows 95/98 (works on my laptop with ME as well, but doesn't work on my PC with XP) CPU: 133MHz Pentium RAM: 16MB Video: 1MB RAM Graphic Card CD Drive: 16X Sound: 100% Windows Compatible Sound Card Disk Space: 40MB Input: Mouse Modem: 28.8 Kps for modem internet play ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 8. OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME ====================================================================== The objective of this game is simple. In the single-player mode, you must find out the identidy of the murderer, the weapon and the location before any of the CPU-controlled oponents does. In the multi- player mode, you must do the same thing before the others. Sounds simple? Well, I did tell you that this is a simple game. Guessing correctly, however, requires good analytical and deduction skills. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 9. STARTING A NEW GAME ====================================================================== The main menu has the following options: Start Game: This begins a new game. Load Game: Load a previously saved game. Preferences: Choose your graphical and audio settings. How to Play: Sort of a tutorial to teach you how to play the game. Hasbro: A waste of space, really. Basically tells you about Hasbro. Exit Game: Self-explanatory. Click start to begin a new game. You can choose between a single-player game or a networked game. For the purpose of this document, I'll just cover the single-player mode. After you click start, the game will prompt you to choose a character. You do so by choosing this character as a "human" player and inputing a name for it. I usually use Miss Scarlett, since she always start first. You can also choose how many players do you want to be involved in the game. If you want them to be all CPU-controlled, just set them to CPU. NOTE: You'll need three or more players to begin a new game. You can set the skill level for your CPU-controlled opponents. The difference between a novice, a normal player and an expert is quite the usual: expert oppoents tend to be more aggressive, and are faster in digesting clues. The game will also prompt whether you'd like to play the game with or without a dice. I usually choose the dice option. Once these are done, the computer will randomly select a murderer, a weapon and a room, and you'll receive some cards. Use the notepad on the left of your screen to note down the cards on your hand. These cards are randomly dealt, and are definitely not the "correct" answer. NOTE: The more players involved in a game, the lesser cards you'll receive. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 10. PLAYING THE GAME ====================================================================== Cluedo is a game of elimination. As such, you'll need to go from room to room to scout for clues. There aren't exactly physical clues that you can find in these rooms. Rather, once you successfully reach a room with the sufficient dice throw, you can make a suggestion on the correct answer. NOTE: To roll a dice, click the dice block that is shown at the bottom right corner of your screen. After you roll a dice, you'll have to move your character on the game board. The game board is divided by several "squares" that depict a step. So, if you roll a "six", for example, you can advance six squares. Your immediate aim is to roll enough to land inside a room. so that you can make a suggestion. NOTE: It's ok if you roll a higher number than required to enter a room. For example, if you roll a four, and only need two to enter, you can simply go in. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 11. MAKING A SUGGESTION ====================================================================== When you land inside a room, you can make a suggestion. Look for the lightbulb icon that will appear at the bottom right screen, and click it to make a suggestion. The game will prompt you to suggest a person, a weapon and a room. Choose one of each, and then click "Suggest" to proceed. The idea of suggestion is simply so that anyone who has any of the cards that you've suggested can disprove you. For example, let's say you land yourself in the Lounge, and you suggest Miss Scarlett, with the Revolver, in the Lounge. The next player (in a counter-clockwise fashion) who has any of these cards will have to show you one card of them. Let's say he/ she shows you a Revolver card. This means that the Revolver is not a correct answer, and you should quickly cross the option out on your notepad, while taking note who shows you the card. NOTE: If the next player doesn't have any cards to show you, the player after him/ her will have to if he/ she has any. NOTE: You can only only suggest the room that you're in, so if you're in the Lounge, you can't suggest the Kitchen. Once you're done in the room, you can roll the dice during your next turn to find another room for suggesting. As you progress in the game, you'll get to cross out more options, thus limiting the choices. If you've, for example, cross out five weapons, the last one that is not crossed out will definitely be the correct answer. For more tips on suggesting, read the General Tips section. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 12. MAKING AN ACCUSATION ====================================================================== Once you're very sure about your answers, you can make an accusation. To make an accusation, click on the handcuffs icon at the bottom right screen. The game will then prompt you to select a person, a weapon and a room. If you accuse correctly, the game will announce that you've guessed correctly", and show a cut-scene of how the murder was committed. The game will thus end, with you being the winner. NOTE: It's quite fun looking at the different permutations of who, how and where the murder occurs. I particularly like Reverend Green's flying dagger! If you accuse incorrectly, the game will announce that you've guessed wrongly. It'll then show you the correct answer. The game will end without a winner. Read the General Tips section for some pointers to ensure an accurate accusation. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 13. GENERAL TIPS ====================================================================== Cluedo, despite being a deduction game, can be won by someone who has good luck. Here are some tips, however, to help you beat the lucky person before luck strikes: OBSERVE ------- Observe the suggestions by your opponents, and match them with what you've on-hand. For example, Colonel Mustard may suggest Professor Plum, with the Revolver, in the Lounge. Mrs White then shows Colonel Mustard a card. Now, if you already have the Lounge card, and you've previously seen a Revolver card from, say, Mrs Peacock, you'll know that the card that is shown to Colonel Mustard is the Professor Plum card. You can then safely cross out the Professor Plum option on your notes. This is what frequent Cluedo players call "seeing a card without suggesting it". With this knowledge, you can then avoid suggesting Professor Plum again in the same session. BLUFF ----- Bluffing is one of the most popular methods to get a cross-out. To put it simply, bluffing is an act of releasing a false information that may cause confusion in your opponents. There are many ways of bluffing in Cluedo, but one of the easiest-to-pull methods is the location bluff. To do this, you'll need to enter a room that you've on hand. Let's use the Lounge as an example again. You've the Lounge card on hand, and yet you enter the Lounge, and make a suggestion. What this means is that you'll certainly pinpoint the character or weapon that you're suggesting, since no one else will have the Lounge card except you. This will also make your opponents think that you DON'T have the Lounge card, and may even cause them a wasted trip to the Lounge for a suggestion. NOTE: You can combine the location bluff with a character or weapon bluff to great effect in pinpointing the identidy of a card. FREE GUESSING ------------- When an opponent suggests that the character you're playing as has committed the crime in a certain location, your character will be "brought" to the said location. This is the chance for you to have a free guess in the same room once your turn arrives, without having to roll the dice. Always make a free guess when the opportunity arrives. SHORTCUTS --------- The four "corners" of the game board are: Kitchen, Study, Conservatory and Lounge. These rooms are traditionally known as the "Shortcut Rooms". You can take a secret passage from the Kitchen to the Study, and vice versa, and also the Conservatory to the Lounge, and vice versa, without having to roll the dice. Make use of these rooms to quickly get across to the other side of the board if you require. CHARTING A ROUTE ---------------- Charting a route may not be the best way to cover all the locations, especially when it's entirely possible for your plan to be ruined by an opponent bringing you to a room that upsets your route. Nevertheless, you should always plan where do you want to go. For example, one of my favorite routes as Miss Scarlett is to quickly do the Lounge-Hall-Dining Room routine, before jetting to the Kitchen- Study (shortcut rooms, remember)-Library-Billiard Room-Conservatory- Ballroom route. As I said, it's not the best way to cover all locations, but you can always bank on luck, hoping that no one upset your "routing". ====================================================================== 14. CONCLUSION ====================================================================== So, there, a short and simple FAQ for a short and simple game. There are so many other tips on how to play Cluedo well, and most of them rather repetitive - observing, taking notes, crossing out - under different scenarios. The above are just some pointers that I thought will be useful, based on my 20 years of "experience" in playing this game. I hope that they'll not only help you excel in this game, but in the board game version as well. Thanks for using this guide. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== APPENDIX 1. VERSION HISTORY ====================================================================== Version 1.0: Guide completed. (1.30.06) ====================================================================== APPENDIX 2. FAQS ====================================================================== Some common questions I anticipated, and some quick answers: Q: What's the difference between suggestion and accusation? A: Suggestion is merely a "test" to gather clues from your fellow players. The purpose is to see the cards that they're holding, so that you can cross out the wrong answers. Accusation, on the other hand, is the make-or-break decision that you make. Basically, you can make a wrong suggestion, but the game will still continue. But when you make a wrong accusation, you'll lose and the game will end. Q: Why does Miss Scarlett always start first? A: Seriously, I don't know. It has been in the rules since day one, so the game follows the rules. I've a sneaky feeling this has got something to do with the creator of the game and a pretty young thing during his time. Q: How many permutations of endings are there? A: You've six potential murderers, six potential weapons and nine potential locations. I'm not really good in mathematics, but I think it "should" be 6 x 6 x 9 = 324. Q: What's that unnamed portion in the middle of the game board for? A: It's actually a staircase to "go upstairs", but in the board game version, this is where the envelope that holds the three correct answers cards sits. ====================================================================== ====================================================================== APPENDIX 3. CREDITS ====================================================================== My Cluedo gang that consists of Dawn, Flo, Kiat and Mei: Thanks for playing the board game with me all these years. You rock! Kathleen: Though you're no longer with us, I'll never forget our team- up that won a Cluedo game, a few days before you passed on. Anthony Pratt: The man who gave life to Cluedo. Hasbro Interactive: For a really good board game adaptation. ====================================================================== Copyright Lestor Wong 2006.