Cluedo or Clue as it is more commonly known in North America is a three to six player murder mystery board game. Originally inspired by secret murderer party games and English detective literature; the game features the players travelling around a mansion, attempting to deduce who committed the murder, in what room, and with what weapon. The game was designed during air raids on Birmingham during World War Two, material shortages after the war would prevent the game from going into production until 1949. The game is remarkably similar to a traditional card game called The King of Hearts has Five Sons. Anthony E. Pratt, Cluedo’s creator, claims not to have drawn on the card game at all when designing his board game.
Flickr user: Didi
The game’s English name, Cluedo, is a combination of ‘clue’ and ‘ludo’, a Pachisi-esque game popular in the United Kingdom. The name was changed for North American audiences as it was thought they wouldn’t understand the reference being made to Ludo.
Original versions contained many more weapons, rooms, and suspects. Mr. Brown, Mr. Gold, Miss Grey, and Mrs. Silver were all cut. The Gun Room and Cellar were also removed, as were the Bomb, Syringe, and Shillelagh, a type of walking stick that can be used as a weapon, fireplace poker, axe, and poison. Cards were also placed in rooms as opposed to being dealt into hands, with various tokens being expended for certain actions being taken.
The main cast of Cluedo has remained constant for much of its existence, although depictions sometimes change, the characters, weapons, and locations all retain the same names. The suspects are all based on typical character archetypes. The weapons vary between versions, with items like the Dagger being known as the Knife in American releases. Interestingly, in the original version, neither of the Revolvers is a revolver, but two different pistols of American and European make respectively.
Pachisi being played in Tamil Nadu with Tamarind seeds and stones. Wiki Commons.