NESpresso:\> NSider \ BBS Games \ NSider Clue: Group Edition

Game Details
Prep. Time: about 10 minutes
Prep. Difficulty: Easy
Operation Difficulty: Hard
# of Players: 3-6 Groups

NSider Clue

NSider Clue is practically a light version of the classic board game Clue™. Players take turn making suggestions in order to figure out who really did it before somebody else beats you to the arrest... or frame another person for murder.

Preparation

To prepare a game of Clue, you'll need a writing utensil, 2 sheet of paper & some type of a random number generator (like a calculator with an integer random function, some dice or cards... anything that will help generate random events). Optionally, you can also use a piece of graphing paper to arrange all the data for quick access.

On the first sheet of paper, write down all the people, places & weapons that will be used in the game. You can make these up & in any order (as long as you put them in groups), but you'll need 6 people, 9 places & 6 weapons. If you can't think up of items, here's 2 preset lists (Clue | NS Clue) you can use:

  • People
    • Miss Scarlet | Mario
    • Colonel Mustard | Wario
    • Mrs. White | Peach
    • Mr. Green | Luigi
    • Mrs. Peacock | Daisy
    • Professor Plum | Waluigi
  • Weapons
    • Knife | Hammer
    • Candlestick | Fire Flower
    • Revolver | Poison Mushroom
    • Rope | Warp Pipe
    • Lead Pipe | Koopa Shell
    • Wrench | Bom-omb
  • Places
    • Hall | Grand Hallway
    • Lounge | Balcony
    • Dining Room | Dining Room
    • Kitchen | Kitchen
    • Ballroom | Ballroom
    • Conservatory | Peach's Bedroom
    • Billiard Room | Game Room
    • Library | Library
    • Study | Study

Once you have the game items written down, it's time to pull out your random number generator (or dice... or cards, however you do it) & build your "Case File". You have to select 1 item from each section & write them down on the other sheet of paper before crossing them off on the first sheet. After you have your solution file, you can then group all the items together & select items at random to give to each player. The reason why I prefer you use a random number generator is that humans have a tendency to "fix" things. If you leave the selection to something else, it tends to create more random games. For 6 player games, give each player 3 cards each. If you're running a smaller game, try to distribute the cards as evenly as possible... even if you have to stiff the players further down the turn list by one card.

If you like to give your players some control over the game, feel free to make multiple Case Files (at the most, 6 files) & then ask the players what file number they'd like to play. If you want, you may hold onto the unused files for future games.

Registration

Now that you're ready to run the game, it's now time to pick up your group leaders. In the registration announcement, include the People List (the Characters) & a key phrase like "I'm not afraid of prison!". If you're allowing the players to choose the Case File, have them include the file number as well. Only those that include all the registration information (Character, Key Phrase, File Number) are officially registered. With the "First Come, First Serve" basis, the first 6 players that fill the character slots are taken. You may want to take some extra players for back-up in case some of the registered players fail to show up. You will want to notify the players that they're on the back-up list & will be contacted if a player doesn't show up for the start of the game.

Unlike a regular game, the registration doesn't stop there because group games have an open-enrollment. The enrollment policy is done with the camp leaders & NOT with the Game Operator. The camp leaders reserve the right to restrict enrollment to their camp. The Game Operator will need to pick up a "Camp Code" from each camp leader. The Camp Code allows the Game OP to recognized that a player is for a specific camp (excluding the Camp Leader) so you can provide the proper information to each player.

Once you pick up the Camp Codes from each leader, you can then send the Clue files to each of the camp leaders (& the camp players that sent requests). You may also want to tell the camp leaders to select the Beta Leaders, who have all the powers of the Camp Leader with two exceptions: 1) Beta Leaders cannot change the Camp Code, 2) Beta Leader's actions are delayed 24 hours to give the Camp Leader time to counter them.

Gameplay Rules

These are the standard gameplay rules that are normally used in the game, but you may make adjustments as you see fit. Please post these rules & the card list (like the ones listed above) in the first post of the game thread. This way all the players can read & understand them. Stuff in italics is just comments on why the rule exists

  1. Each player have roughly (5 days) to complete their turn by posting their suggestion / accusation. Those who fail to complete their turn will receive an inactivity strike. -- This is to ensure the game keeps going
  2. Camps may make a suggestion & an accusation in the same turn.
  3. Camps that wish to make an accusation after a suggestion, the player must post "Accusation Pending" after their suggestion if they're unsure that their suggestion won't be disproved.
  4. Camps can only make ONE accusation in the game. Any camp that makes an incorrect accusation will be disbanded & removed the game -- Clue Standard Rule
  5. Players cannot make an accusation until the 3rd Round -- This is an idiot-protection rule
  6. Any camp that receives 3 inactivity strikes will be disbanded & removed from the game.
  7. The game ends in a draw when half (or more) of the starting group is removed the from game -- Clue Standard Rule... In a 6-player game, the game ends if 3 players are removed.

The game ends when a player has accused correctly.

General Gameplay

Each player, in turn, post their suggestion in the game thread. The game operator then checks the list of cards for each player (again, in turn) to disprove the player's suggestion. If anybody can disprove the suggestion (excluding the active player), only the first person in the rotation must to show their card to the current player. For example, if Mr. Green & Professor Plum can disprove Miss Scarlet's suggestion, Mr. Green would have to show her his card. If the disproving player has more than one card to disprove the suggestion, they may choose which card to show the active player. In addition, the disproving player can repeatedly show the same card to the active player as long as it's relevant to the suggestion.

If a suggestion cannot be disproved by the other players & an accusation isn't pending, you may offer the active player if they would like to make an accusation if it's after the 2nd round of turns. You may give a player a 24-hour extension to give that player time to respond. Please note that players do not have to respond to the accusation question as only a suggestion is needed to complete their turn.

The accusation may be different than what the player has currently suggested as their suggestion may be hiding something (like one of their own cards that the player used in their suggestion) that they do not wish to disclose with the other players.

The game ends ONLY when one of the following happens:

  1. A player makes a correct accusation & the murder is arrested
  2. Whenever half the players (or more) get removed from the game & the murder gets away.

Variations -- The "Red Card" (NESpresso Exclusive)

If you don't care for the standard gameplay, you can spice things up by secretly turning one player against everybody else with the special Red Card. The Red Card can also be called the "Murderer Card" as only the person who really comitted the crime will receive it. It will take a little extra preparation time as you will need minorly "fix" the game. During the solution creation process, the person that was originally selected for the "Case File" receives the Red Card & you selected a second person to be placed in the Case File. The second person in the case file is known as the "framed person" & it's the murderer's job to make sure that this person gets accused. The remaining cards are distributed as normal, except that the person with the Red Card gets one less card than normal (The Red Card counts as one of their cards).

The gameplay is the same as normal, but the Red Card is never shown as a way to disprove a suggestion. With the usage of the Red Card, there are 2 possible solutions but only 1 correct one. The game ends when either possible solution is posted as an accusation. If the accused player has the Red Card on them, the murderer loses. On the flipside, if the accused player doesn't have the Red Card, then the accusing player loses & the murderer wins. In addition, if the game ends in a draw (where half of the players are removed), the murderer wins by default as they manage to evade arrest.

With the usage of the Red Card, you may give the murderer an incentive to evade arrest by trying to throw the other players off the right track or properly frame another player, similar to playing "The Mole™". The Red Card is a great way to add a little conspiracy to a game of mystery.

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