Clue FX Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Important: Battery Use
• Goal of the Game
• Contents
• Assembly
• Game Preparation
• Course of the Game
• Your Turn
  • Move
  • Meeting a Suspect and Finding the Inspecteur
  • 2. Look for Additional Clues
  • Or Make a Hypothesis
  • True or False?
  • Movements of the Suspects and the Inspecteur
    • Announcing a Movement
  • 3. Accusations
• Solving the Mystery
  • Using Your Detective Sheet
• Detective Notepad
• Using the Buttons
  • Wait
  • Repeat
  • Shut-Off
• Storage
• Troubleshooting

Important: Battery Use

Keep the following information in mind. Batteries must be installed by an adult.

Precautions to take:

1. Follow the instructions carefully. Use only the recommended batteries. Insert the batteries correctly, observing the + and – signs.
2. Do not mix new and used batteries, or standard (saline) and alkaline batteries.
3. Remove used batteries.
4. Remove the batteries if the product is not going to be used for a long time.
5. Do not short-circuit the terminals.
6. If the product causes electrical interference or appears to be affected, move it away from other electrical appliances. Restart it if necessary (switch it off and on again, or remove the batteries and replace them).
7. DO NOT USE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES. DO NOT RECHARGE NON-RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES.

Goal of the Game

Find Inspecteur Dupont and give him your answers to the following 3 questions: Who murdered Pierre Beaumont, where, and with which weapon?

Contents

• 1 touch-sensitive game board
• 4 pawns (the Comte du Puy, Lady Lavande, Melle Pêche and the Prince Azur)
• 4 folders with clips, for the players
• 1 confidential case for the mystery
• 8 cases for the suspects
• 23 cards: 8 "suspect" cards, 9 "place" cards and 6 "weapon" cards
• 1 detective notepad
• Tudor Manor components to assemble, in cardboard
• The background backdrop, with a roof, and a plastic turret to fix to the game board

Assembly

1. Remove all the plastic parts from their bags, and detach the cardboard parts from their supporting sheets. Keep the supporting sheets for storage. Attach the clips to the players' folders as shown in diagram 1.
2. Fold the two cardboard parts of the Tudor Manor façade along the lines, and assemble them by inserting the tabs into the slots (see diagram 2).
3. Attach the façade of the Manor to the backdrop by inserting the tabs into the slots (see diagram 3).
4. Fix the plastic roof by inserting the tabs into the slots of the backdrop, and the grey plastic uprights into the holes on top of the Manor façade, as shown in diagram 4.
5. Attach the turret to the Manor by inserting the plastic tabs into the slots on the front (see diagram 4).
6. Now unfold the game board and fix the Manor by sliding it into the grooves on the sides of the plastic base, as shown in diagram 5.
7. Batteries must be installed by an adult. Unscrew the battery compartment and remove the cover. Insert 3 LR6 batteries, observing the + and – symbols printed on the plastic. Then replace the cover and screw it back on.

Game Preparation

1. Refer to diagram 6 to prepare the game.
2. Sort the cards into three piles: the suspect cards, the place cards and the weapon cards. Shuffle each pile separately and place them face down. Then, out of sight of the other players, take one card from the top of each pile and place these three cards in the confidential case. This case now contains the key to the mystery: "Who committed it?", "Where?" and "With which weapon?". Set the confidential case aside for the moment.
3. Take the three remaining piles of cards and shuffle them together to form a draw pile. Place the draw pile face down on the table.
4. Take the first card from the draw pile and, without looking at it, insert it into one of the suspect cases. Repeat this for the 7 other cases. Once each case contains a card, place the cases, with the suspect's picture visible, near the game board within reach of all players.
5. Deal the remaining cards face down, one at a time, to each player around the table.
6. Each player chooses one of the 4 pawns: the Comte du Puy, Lady Lavande, Melle Pêche or the Prince Azur. Take the pawn of your choice, together with the folder of the same colour.
7. Take a sheet from the detective notepad and fix it inside your folder.
8. Look at your cards discreetly. Since you hold them in your hand, they cannot be in the confidential case, and you can already tick them off on your detective sheet.

Course of the Game

Switch the game on by setting the "ON/OFF" button, located on the back of Tudor Manor, to the "ON" position. The narrator, Edmond, the butler of Dr. Lenoir, asks which guests are going to play. Answer by pressing the button (located in front of Tudor Manor) marked "OUI" (YES) or "NON" (NO).

After you have answered for the 4 guests, Edmond will welcome you to Tudor Manor.

Now place your pawns on their "START" square (see diagram 7). NB: You can also start the game by simply placing your pawn on its "START" square and pressing on it.

When your guest's name is called, it is your turn. Each guest is called in turn during a game, but the order is random and changes from one turn to the next. (In a 2-player game, the players take turns alternately.)

Your Turn

When it is your turn, you may:

1. Move
2. Look for additional clues or make a hypothesis
3. Make an accusation

Move

When it is your turn, you must move your pawn to a new place. (Exception: you may stay where you are if you are in the same place as the Inspecteur and you make an accusation.) You may go to any one of the 9 places on the board. Several guests may be in the same place together.

To enter a new place, place your pawn on the symbol representing that place.

NB: Refer to the detective notepad to find out which place each symbol represents.

When you enter a place, Edmond tells you whether you meet any suspects there or find the Inspecteur there. The 8 suspects and the Inspecteur are constantly moving around the estate of Tudor Manor. Sometimes you will have clues about where they are going or where they came from, but they may also sneak up behind you. Listen carefully to all the clues that tell you about their movements.

Meeting a Suspect and Finding the Inspecteur

Remember that each suspect holds a clue to the crime. Throughout the game, you will need to question as many of the 8 suspects as possible in order to learn the information they hold. This will help you gather the clues that will allow you to make an accusation.

When you enter a place, the narrator announces who is present there. If there is a suspect in that place, you may question them straight away by taking the case corresponding to that suspect and looking at the card inside. Tick off on your detective sheet the clue you have just discovered. Then put the case back in its place near the game board. On your sheet, shade in the "seen" circle beside each suspect you have already questioned, as you go.

If there are several suspects in the place, you may look inside the case of each of those suspects.

If there is no suspect in the place, the narrator will tell you that there is no suspect here. In this case you may not look inside any of the cases, but you can still search and make a hypothesis.

If the Inspecteur is in the place you have entered, the narrator will tell you so. Remember also to tick the places where you have found the Inspecteur, or the place he is heading toward during the game. This will help you when you look for him in order to make your accusation.

If a suspect moves to a place where one or more other guests are already present, those guests may immediately look inside the cases of the suspects.

2. Look for Additional Clues

Once you are in a new place and have questioned all the suspects who are there, you may search to see whether another suspect is hiding there. If you want to search the place, press the "SEARCH" button (see diagram 8).

The buttons, as laid out in diagram 8 (read left to right):

• Stop
• Search (Recherche)
• Repeat (Répéter)
• Accusation
• Yes (Oui)
• No (Non)
• Wait (Attendre)

The narrator will tell you whether a suspect is hiding in this place.

If a suspect is found, you may immediately look inside that suspect's case and note the information you have discovered on your detective sheet. NB: If another guest is also in this place when you search and find a suspect, that guest may also look inside the suspect's case.

If no suspect is found, you may not look inside any case.

Once you have searched a place, your turn ends. (Exception: If you have searched for and found the Inspecteur, and you want to make an accusation, you may do so immediately. See Accusations.)

Or Make a Hypothesis

By making hypotheses during the game, try to discover additional clues by process of elimination. You may make only one hypothesis per turn. To make a hypothesis, name one of the 8 suspects, one of the 6 weapons, and the place where you are at that moment.

For example: Lady Lavande is in the stables and wants to make a hypothesis. She says: "I suspect that the murder was committed by Révérend Olive with a tennis racket in the stables."

Tip: If you wish, you may name one or more of the cards you hold in your hand. This can help you deduce a specific piece of information, or throw your opponents off the scent.

True or False?

As soon as you make a hypothesis, your opponents, each in turn, try to prove it false. The first to try is the player on your left. If that player holds one of the three cards you have named, they must show it to you without revealing it to the other players. If the player holds none of the cards you have named, it is the turn of the next player on their left to try to counter your hypothesis.

As soon as one of the players shows you one of the cards you have named, this proves that your hypothesis is false and that this card cannot be in the confidential case. Tick the clue for this card on your sheet, and end your turn by pressing the "STOP" button.

Tip: It may be simpler to write directly the initials of the player who showed you the card.

If none of your opponents can prove that your hypothesis is false, end your turn by pressing the "STOP" button.

Movements of the Suspects and the Inspecteur

While you are trying to find the 8 suspects to question them, they try to avoid you by moving around the estate. Between each turn, one or two suspects, and possibly the Inspecteur, move to a new place. They move only one arrow at a time, in any direction (see diagram 9).

Diagram 9 shows the 9 places on the board and the arrows linking them. The places are: Maison du Gardien (Gatekeeper's Lodge), Piscine (Swimming Pool), Manoir Tudor (Tudor Manor), Écurie (Stables), Kiosque (Kiosk), Jardins (Gardens), Garage, Abri à bateaux (Boathouse) and Court de tennis (Tennis Court). The arrows link the following pairs of places:

• Maison du Gardien – Piscine
• Maison du Gardien – Écurie
• Piscine – Manoir Tudor
• Écurie – Kiosque
• Kiosque – Garage
• Manoir Tudor – Jardins
• Jardins – Abri à bateaux
• Garage – Court de tennis
• Court de tennis – Abri à bateaux

Announcing a Movement

If the movements of a suspect or of the Inspecteur are spotted by a guest (that is, they move from or toward places occupied by guests), the narrator will announce this movement.

If the departures and arrivals of suspects go unnoticed (they move from or toward places where no guest is present), a sound clue may be given. The sound clues are the same as those you hear when your "guest" pawn arrives in a place. Listen carefully to these sound clues: they may help you track down suspects you still need to question!

For example: it is the end of Melle Pêche's turn. Melle Pêche and Lady Lavande are in the stables, while the Comte du Puy and the Prince Azur are in Tudor Manor. Francis goes from the garage to the tennis court. His movement is not noticed by any of the guests. Before the next player's turn is announced, a sound clue may be given to you about the tennis court. If you hear this sound clue, you know that a suspect has just entered the tennis court.

3. Accusations

When you think you know the three cards hidden in the confidential case, you must find Inspecteur Dupont. When you make an accusation, you do not necessarily have to be in the place you name; you only have to be in the same place as the Inspecteur.

NB: If you have searched for and found Inspecteur Dupont, you may make your accusation immediately. Inspecteur Dupont will ask you to confirm it. To do so, press "OUI" and follow the instructions. If you are not ready to make an accusation, press "NON". This ends your turn.

To make an accusation, press the "ACCUSATION" button. You will then be asked to confirm that this is really what you want to do. Press the "OUI" button to confirm. Now announce who the murderer is, in which place, and with which weapon they acted.

For example, say: "I accuse Colonel Moutarde of committing the crime in the stables with the garden gnome."

After making your accusation, take the confidential case and look at the cards inside, without showing them to the other players.

If one or more of the cards in the confidential case are not the ones you named in your accusation, you are wrong and cannot win the game. Put the cards back in the confidential case, without showing them to the other players, and press the "NON" button when the Inspecteur asks you whether you were right.

The Inspecteur will say: "I am sorry. You should have been more perceptive."

You will then hear the announcement of the next player's turn. The narrator will no longer call your guest's name, and you no longer have a turn to play. You may, however, continue to refute other players' hypotheses by showing them your cards where applicable. The other players will continue to play until a correct accusation is made, or until only one player remains.

Solving the Mystery

If the three cards in the confidential case are the ones you named in your accusation, you win the game! After discovering the three cards you named, show them to the other players. When Inspecteur Dupont asks whether you were right, press the "OUI" button.

Using Your Detective Sheet

For example: this player has already questioned Colonel Moutarde (CM), Mlle Rose (MR) and Francis (F), marked with a black circle. They have written their own initials (KA) in the boxes opposite Colonel Moutarde, the gardens and the tennis court, because these are the cards they hold in hand. They have also noted their opponents' initials (CS, DW, SF) in the boxes corresponding to the cards those opponents showed them to prove that these hypotheses were false.

None of the cards this player has seen can be in the confidential case, and so none of them can be part of the crime.

This player has also followed the movements of Inspecteur Dupont (top right of the sheet), so they will know where to find him when they are ready to make an accusation.

Detective Notepad

Each player takes one sheet from the detective notepad and fixes it inside their folder. The sheet lists, as printed:

• Suspects: Colonel Moutarde, Professeur Violet, Révérend Olive, Mme Pervenche, Mlle Rose, Mme Leblanc, Francis, Mme Beaumont.
• Weapons (Armes): Fer à cheval (horseshoe), Marteau (hammer), Cisaille à haie (hedge shears), Seau d'eau (bucket of water), Raquette de Tennis (tennis racket), Nain de Jardin (garden gnome).
• Places (Lieux): Manoir Tudor, Abri à Bateaux (boathouse), Kiosque (kiosk), Piscine (swimming pool), Écurie (stables), Maison du Gardien (gatekeeper's lodge), Jardins (gardens), Court de Tennis (tennis court), Garage. Each place is shown with its own symbol; use the notepad to find out which place each symbol represents.

Each suspect has a circle marked "VU" (seen), which you blacken once you have questioned that suspect, and boxes in which to write initials. The top right of the sheet is where you note the movements of the Inspecteur; in the sample sheet, Piscine and Jardins are crossed out and Manoir Tudor is not.

Using the Buttons

See diagram 8 on page 7.

Wait

If an opponent takes too long during their turn, press the "WAIT" button to speed that player up.

Repeat

If you did not hear what has just been said, press the "REPEAT" button and you will hear the same sentence again.

Shut-Off

The game switches off automatically after 15 minutes of non-use. To start a new game, move the "ON / OFF" button to "OFF", then back to "ON".

Storage

To store your game, remove Tudor Manor from the game board. You do not need to take it apart. Keep and use the support (see Assembly) to protect the game board when you put all the parts back in the game box.

Remove the batteries if the game is not going to be used for a long time.

Troubleshooting

If there is a problem with the sounds or the game board, remove all the pawns from the board, set the "ON / OFF" button to "OFF" and then back to "ON". Keep the game away from any other electrical equipment to avoid interference.

If the problem continues, remove the batteries and replace them with new ones.