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Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange/ Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion (PC)
FAQ/Walkthrough (version 1.0)
By: neeker
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DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL STUFF
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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! + + +
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CONTENTS
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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
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1. FIRST THINGS FIRST
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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
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2. THE GAME
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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?
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3. CHARACTERS
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The victim. Known as "Mr Boddy" in the US version of the game. Boddy =
Body, geddit?
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4. WEAPONS
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The possible weapons in this game are as follow:
1. ROPE
-------
Tough, and perfect for strangling.
2. LEAD PIPING
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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
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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
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Brutal item to use for murder. Unlikely the choice for a lady, but
then again...
5. CANDLESTICK
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Found everywhere in the mansion. To use a candlestick as a weapon,
could this be a murder that is not planned?
6. REVOLVER
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Another handy tool for a handbag. Appears to have a silencer attached
to it too. No wonder no one seems to hear anything.
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5. ROOMS
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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
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6. CONTROLS
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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.
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7. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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(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
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8. OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME
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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.
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9. STARTING A NEW GAME
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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.
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10. PLAYING THE GAME
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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.
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11. MAKING A SUGGESTION
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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.
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12. MAKING AN ACCUSATION
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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.
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13. GENERAL TIPS
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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".
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14. CONCLUSION
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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.
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APPENDIX 1. VERSION HISTORY
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Version 1.0: Guide completed. (1.30.06)
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APPENDIX 2. FAQS
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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.
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APPENDIX 3. CREDITS
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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.
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Copyright Lestor Wong 2006.
