Before you ask: Yes - this is a reupload. Nothing weird happened; I took it down to fix a couple minor errors I had overlooked before it got a substantial amount of hits.
One mispronounced word and I forgot the music on the annotation screen. So yep, pretty minor. The mispronounced word was Birmingham which is RIGHT in the beginning so I felt that was worth fixing. We have a Birmingham in the US and it's pronounced differently.
I was always amused by the fact the "Revolver" is very rarely a revolver. When the game first debuted, it was a Dreyse M1907, which is a semiautomatic. This is weird, as the original patent papers for the game which show all of the proposed pieces do depict the Revolver token as an actual revolver, specifically a snubnose of some sort. But when Waddingtons actually made the game, they used the semiautomatic Dreyse for both the token and card art. Later editions changed it to a (usually gold) Walther PP, also a semiautomatic (and interestingly, the card art still depicted the Dreyse). When the game moved from the UK to the US, the "Revolver" was re-imagined as a Colt M1911, yet again a semiautomatic. Both the UK and US versions eventually changed it to an Allan & Thurber "pepperbox" pistol, which isn't a revolver in the conventional sense with a rotating cylinder. This is the version you have. A few anniversary and expanded editions have depicted it as an actual revolver (a cartoonish-looking one of indeterminate make in Clue: Master Detective and a Webley of some sort in the 50th Anniversary Edition), and it's also been depicted as a suppressed Beretta in Clue: Discover the Secrets. Most modern versions of the game fix the issue by simply calling it "the Pistol" regardless of what it is, as that covers both revolvers as well as semiautomatics. The movie, FWIW, did use an actual revolver, specifically a Harrington & Richardson army revolver.
If I had a nickle for every time a game about death used pepperbox pistols, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
the dead person only knows what the person knew in life, so if the person didn't realize who did it, then it wouldn't be any help to use Speak With Dead.
Yes, it does work like that. The weapons were a necklace of fireballs, a scroll of magic missile and other D&D style magic items. I don't remember how the rooms were different. I'll have to see if I can find it sometime.
I'm old enough to have seen Clue in the theater.... and one of the reasons it didn't do so great at the box office is that each theater got a different, random, ending. They didn't combine all the endings and show them one after another until the VHS. They advertised the hell out of the fact that if you wanted to see one of the other endings, you had to go see the movie again at a different theater. There was a bit of a backlash because of it.. calling it a cheap money grab.
If they didn't make the DVD version have a random ending each time you watched it, they should have. Edit: Never mind, I just watched her video on the movie that mentions how it works best with the endings in a row.
mrkite if you want to do different endings in musical theatre, follow The Trail to Oregon’s footsteps. Sure the ending sucks but it isn’t because of the ending as the only thing that changes is who sings the second to last song
As a board game junkie, this game is a rare gameplay gem from the old days. There is real, solid, strategy required to win, and paying attention to your opponents actions is key to solving it faster than anyone else. Trust me, so many old games are just roll and move, so this was such a step forward; in fact I would say that if you removed the roll and move, it would actually be a fairly solid design to the modern gaming crowd, something they kind of did when they did Clue: The Card Game.
Yea, the roll and move elements definitely puts a damper on it. There are plenty of modern deduction games that have more acceptable mechanics, but Clue just has that nostalgia factor. Any version without the roll and move is a must have
I adore the game, and the movie. I remember playing the game all the time with my brother all the time as a kid. One time he didn't separate the cards correctly, so all of the weapons ended up being accounted for. It turned out that, according to the cards in the envelope, Miss Scarlet did it in the conservatory, with Mrs. White. Interpret that how you shall.
When I was a kid growing up I had this board game called Harry Potter and the Mystery at Hogwarts. It was basically a clone of Clue that was themed mostly around the first Harry Potter book. This came out before the first film did I think. There was no mention of Clue anywhere but it was a whodunit deduction game set at Hogwarts.
Somehow that line gives me a very strong Manny Calavera-vibe. :D Very good video, Roses. One might think board games made rather dull videos, as they do rely rather heavily on the ambience of the game and the interaction of the players, but you managed to make this a very entertaining video.
I don't think I've ever successfully played a game of Clue following the rules properly as a kid. I still love that movie though. Awesome video, Roses!
I've played Cluedo with my family almost every Christmas since I can remember. The set we have always amuses me because the "revolver" piece and on the card is actually an automatic pistol, so we call it the "not-revolver". Also, one year I was banned from playing it because I won a game on my second turn! It was funny, though.
I have strong memories of me, my cousins, and my sisters playing Clue in my aunt’s very appropriately atmosphered basement. I was always Miss Scarlet and my sisters were always Mrs Peacock, Professor Plum, and Colonel Mustard.
The Clue books were awesome. I loved how Mr. Boddy's recap of the previous book got more and more sarcastic with him fully realizing that all of his "friends" were horrible people.
I'm so glad there is someone else who shares my love for everything Clue! Growing up, it seemed like I was the only one who enjoyed playing this great game
This is my favorite board game and I have several of the spinoffs -- such as the Legend of Zelda Clue, my favorite video game series-- on top of the original and anniversary (includes poison) editions. I have the movie, 2 of the books, the several jigsaw puzzles, the VHS game, the fx game, clue mysteries, and video/computer games. My friend had the museum caper version -- one of the spinoffs with the Clue in the title but very different rules. I enjoyed hearing the background on this game and the other weapons that could have been. Hearing about dude-bro mustard is a little off putting to me like Hasbro is trying to be "hip and with the times" but I understand trying to update it to keep it fresh and appealing. This was a great little retrospective into a game I really love. Thanks Roses
so glad i'm not the only one who owned the books and grew up to have a clue-induced candlestick obsession. great video, clue is one of the few boardgames i genuinely enjoy and one of my favorite games in general so it was really cool hearing some history about it.
Is this video 4 years old? Yes. Did I still enjoy the heck out of it? Also yes. I love learning the history of things I didn't really know had a history. It was great, I have loved clue for a very long time, my dad, grandma and I used to play it a lot, with her vintage game set. Fun fact, the lead pipe was actually made out of lead at one point, and yes that actual lead pipe is still in that set, in my closet somewhere and I'm now having the urge to invite some friends over and play it again
Whenever my sisters and I went to our aunts house, we’d hold up in her basement (a very apt setting) and play this game. I was always (and still always) Miss Scarlet, my sisters were always Colonel Mustard, Ms Peacock, and Mrs White. Sherlock Clue is also a fun game. You simultaneously play clue and jenga and put Professor plum on top of the jenga tower. Every time an accusation is made you have to take out a jenga block. The goal is to solve the murder before Sherlock (the plum piece) falls.
Oh my gosh, I had all the Clue books too as a kid! They were really fun at the time. Each book had several short stories with a different culprit every time. It almost had a "Encyclopedia Brown"-esque feeling, where you'd have to pay attention throughout the story to try to determine who was to blame. They were really goofy, but at least as a youth, I thought it was goofy in a good way.
I remember watching on cable during a bad thunderstorm and when they mention the lights going off- my power went out at the same moment after it was said.
Along with the original, I had Clue: The Great Museum Caper growing up. It's completely different but it's a ton of fun. One player is the thief stealing all the artwork and the other players try to work together to unveil and capture him/her before the thief can steal a certain amount of art and escape. It's a blast, check it out if you haven't!
I stil lhave the CLUE books collection in my closet just sitting there with my GooseBumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books If the internet wasnt a thing Id be reading them right now
8:39 I grew up with the version that on the far right, and I had a huge crush on that version of Miss Scarlet. In fact, one of the screen names I use nowadays is ScarletWithTheRope lmao
I'm excited to be playing the inventor of Cluedo, Anthony Pratt, for the History Channel. Great to see such enthusiasm in your video for this amazing game I've loved since I was a child 😀👏
I remember finding a bunch of the books at a used book shop. Begged my mother to buy them for me. Wish I still had them and was able to complete the series. I loved how they gave this history to the characters, though I know that was never the real intention of the game.
"I, am, your singing telagram!" *Bang!* Growing up, my family watched that movie over and over- haven't thought about it much in years! Played one of the older version board games, Clue Jr., and the Sega Genesis version too. Til watching your video, I had no idea how huge it was, or all the variations. I'm grateful to see them move towards racial diversity, but cringed at "orchid", and feel ambivalent about the rest of the changes. Anyway. Thanks PUR for this well-done & interesting video!
Just discovered this lovely little video essay. I've been a life-long lover of Cluedo and I was very proud to design the character pieces for the most recent iteration. Great work!
It actually is. It was named And Then There Were None for the American release because the terms used previously were considered offensive in the US. The UK title stuck around for a little while because the original term was viewed differently there. It then changed again to 10 Little Indians, again, in the UK, and it stuck around until the 80s, and now it's called And Then There Were None *mostly* everywhere. Here in America, it was always called And Then There Were None since publication.
Quite a lot of Agatha Christie's stories have completely different names in America; stuff like the 4:50 from Paddington becomes What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!, for instance.
Cluedo is probably my favourite board-game, I always had a lot of fun playing it with my siblings as a kid and I still play it with friends from time to time. I wasn't aware that Hasbro had changed it, and I find their doing such a thing saddening - thankfully my copy of the game is one from the 1980s so I needn't endure what sounds like a horrible reinvention of such a classic game. I really want to play Cluedo now...
We actually performed the Clue musical here once. My mother got to play Mrs. White and I got to help select a card at the beginning. Seeing our stage floor painted to look like the board was a real treat.
I never knew how must history this game had. It has been a staple for me and my family for as long as I can remember. Thank you for sharing this, I will be showing this to my whole family during Christmas!
I know my parents used to play the VHS Clue games back in the 80s so they might of been the only ones to have played it. I never realized how bad it was until I was much older and saw clips of it. I'm glad you covered some of the spinoffs I remember playing Clue Jr., Master Clue and the Great Museum Caper games back in the 90s and they were all good fun. Great Video Roses! :D
Now here's my question, why isn't there a version where the murder can lie about the evidence? I'd like to see a version with similar concepts to The Thing or Secret Hitler where there's sabotage and murder that could prevent a win even if you knew who the killer might be?
Reminds me of a video game that was loosely like that, called "Guilty Party" in that if you didn't want the others to know what your clue said you held a button while going over the "true or false" buttons and it gave the wrong noise, it was surprisingly fun kinda wish it was better known.
Absolutely loved it! I think between my older sister and I, we wore out that VHS tape of the Clue movie! We also had the classic 70's version of the board game that we used to play quite often (I think she still has it). Thank you for the history of our favorite childhood game. I even shared it with her on Facebook. Love your channel! :^)
No shortage of quality with Roses video's, A+++. At the moment im nearing the end of atleast my 15th time watching the Laura Bow series featuring LGR. My two favorite youtubers that's for sure!
I loved the clue chapter books. I remember one story where Ms. white was tired of making pancakes for the guests, so she put a bullet inside the mixture so one of them would choke XD
Ahhhh I love that boing noise you use that sounds like "bee!" It's in so many of your videos and it's so hilarious to me. I hear it sometimes on other channels so I know it must be a standard sound but it just cracks me up. Also, I've watched this a couple times before and somehow never realized that the Ludo board shown is basically a Sorry! board. I had no idea THAT game idea was so old! I loved it so much as a kid.
I spent over 30 years writing and hosting mystery shows (as well as three mystery novels). This includes my own version of this game called "Clew!" which was performed a few Halloweens ago at the Phelps Mansion here in Binghamton NY. Loved your video.
Great video! I had forgotten about Clue Jr. It's funny how seeing that plastic, red tinted magnifying glass from the game could bring back a 25 year old memory so suddenly and completely. It gives literal meaning to the term "nostalgic lense"...
0:04 I am from Birmingham, England, and I just wanted to say thank you for pronouncing it correctly. Also, thabk you for a fascinating and well-researched video. Cluedo is my favorite board game, and I really enjoyed learning more about it.
Your personal version of the game is the same one my sister and I inherited from our grandmother around 1983. I haven't seen it in ages - thanks for bringing me back! 🗡
Clue is my absolute favorite board game. I had the Clue Jr. game when I was a kid, and my grandparents had the older version that you showed, which I think helped fuel my love for it. I now have 5 different variants of the game (it used to be six, but I'm not sure where the Sega Genesis version is.) And of course, the 1985 movie is one of my favorite movies.
I remember that one of my absolute favourite CD-Rom games growing up was an edition of Clue that I got out of a cereal box. It was pretty well animated for the late 90s-early 00s with these pretty ghoulish animations of each character wielding each weapon to kill Mr. Boddy and I loved them. I'd play that game for hours on end and I still kind of wish I could find it and play it again. I remember it was so much fun and made me fall in love with Clue as a franchise!
Your video brought back a lot of fond memories, didn't realise there were so many versions and spinoffs, and even though it had bad reviews, I always liked the film, great presentation PUR, as always :)
I love Clue/do so much too so I've been anticipating this video so much, and I love it! Personally my favorite iteration is the incredibly-difficult-to-find Franklin Mint version which I obsessed over as a kid but was an exorbitant amount of money (and is now even more so on top of everything else) but is at least shoddily reproduced in the "luxury editions" that float around Amazon and some physical stores still. Anyway this version is set in the Victorian era and the mansion and characters are stylized in such a fashion. In the original version it even came with a bound instruction booklet with a really cool history of the mansion. Also, this is the version I always try to reproduce in my Sims games. I've never seen that FMV game you show at the end, that looks really interesting! I only had the Murder at Boddy Mansion game, which I also obsessed over a lot as a kid too. Ugh, now you've got me set trying to find yet ANOTHER Clue game to find, lol. Also, I had a huge fascination with candlesticks too (when I was a kid, but I still have a matching set sitting around) and would generally try to collect clue-like weapons so I could have a "real" set so I had several candlesticks, a fake revolver, etc. I even had my dad tie me a little noose with some thin rope and had to promise never to stick my head in it (as if I'd ever want to end up like Yvette, lol!).
i would definitely watch if you ever decide to play one of the computer versions of Clue, man LOVE this game...i too collected all 18 of the books...then i lost them all and still can't find them...sigh
Another wonderful video from one of my favorite RU-vidrs about my absolute favorite game. I have the Fatal Illusion PC game, the VHS game, and recently got the Master Detective edition for a steal at a local thrift shop. Oh, and I could probably quote the entire movie from start to finish, I've seen it too many times. One thing I was sort of hoping you'd mention when talking about the movie is that when it originally released, if you saw it in theaters you were given one of the three different endings at random. They weren't all compiled until the movie received its VHS release. Similarly, the ending of the stage musical is also randomized to make it more like the actual game. (One of the high schools around here actually did Clue for their annual musical. It wasn't half bad.)
Every now and then, I return to this video. I really like when you talk about something that you really care, and explain it, it gives me an appreciation for the game and the movie
The off broadway musical is my favorite. If you ever get the chance to see it you should. You can even get a different ending every time you watch because the ending is decided in the same way that it is in the board game. The cast finds out who did it along with the audience which is amazing.
Tremendous Video. my favorite that you have ever done. I was obsessed with Clue when I was younger. I had Clue and Clue Jr, all the books (I was addicted to them), the movie is one of my top 3 favorites of all time even to this day. Ive seen the stage play and have several video game editions as well as several of the board game editions.I also just finished reading the comic book series that just came out. And now you made it my life's mission to hunt down those VCR games. once again , great, great ,great video!!! "Yup,two corpses, everything's fine."
I'll be honest, this video was so engaging, that not only did I pick up Clue on Blu-Ray, but I also picked up a copy of the book And Then There Were None and I'm planning on picking up Rick and Morty Clue after Christmas. So, yeah...this was a really good, really interesting video.
A very well done video. I'm a board game collector (I also play them 😁), and I was pleasantly surprised when I scrolled through your archive looking at your videos. Good job. ^^
I loved Clue, both the game and the movie. I'm a new subscriber looking around for a hook, but this series on Clue has hooked me. I always wanted to know more, and you're an excellent host. I never even knew the etymology of Cluedo. You can have the candlestick, I always wanted the revolver. I also thought the board was classy and elegant, not like the 70s at all, but it is the faux elegance of plastic trying to look like marble statues or columns, so I think we're both right.
After finding out from your video that there were supposed to be more clue cards overall, I am relieved. I always wondered why the original game was unbalanced for 4 and 5 player games (with an uneven amount of cards per player), but now it makes sense, you were originally able to add or subtract cards from play to balance it, or just make the game longer/shorter as you saw fit.
Great retrospective, as always! I have a couple of the books, and we also had a version of the TV show here in Australia in the early 90s. In that version, they had Mrs Peacock owning the mansion (now Brindabella Mansion), and there were all sorts of weapons. I used to love it as a kid.
Hey Roses, just wanted to say I absolutely LOVED this video. I've been following your process with it via Twitter and I know how hard you've been working on it. It turned out great, and was a fantastic in-depth look at one of my favorite games. Your passion for murder mysteries always makes me smile as a fellow fan of the genre.
Oh wow, I grew up with the 70s version of the board game. My grandma had it and we played it constantly. I still have the early 2000s PC games. Fun stuff
I have around a dozen of the Clue spinoffs and variations in my board game collection. They are divisive with purests, but most of them provide a new and interesting twist to the formula. Played casually or with less experienced players, they can still be good fun.
Thanks to Clue I learned what a conservatory was! Grew up with that 70s version so that's the one that always looks right to me. Great job this video as usual!
With the implication that he's not the real mr. Green at all in other words the real mr. Green went to the police and got an FBI guy to impersonate him
Did you ever play the computer game Clue: Fatal Illusion? It's interesting because Miss Scarlett plays the protagonist solving a point and click mystery on a cruise ship. I remember playing it as a kid and liking the atmosphere, but found it difficult because I was too young for it. And given your interest in point and click and female protagonists it might be interesting to review.
I love how your videos are interesting and informative (who knew Cluedo had such a rich history), but they also give me that cozy nostalgic feeling. Whenever I watch something new you just uploaded, I have to watch at least one or two older videos. (Going for the "Obscure DOS games with LGR" next)
In 1992 there was a Cluedo tv show on Australian tv. It had 2 parts, the story was filmed then the actors as their characters where interrogated by the studio audience. the mystery and the culprit changed every week
I loved the books as a kid. I read the ones you showed, the clue Jr ones, even the updated clue books. There was even a clue junior puzzle, where you made a map and then had to use it figure out who did the crime after reading the accompanying story.
I remember this one Clue video game I once got with my cornflakes (yes, even cornflakes gave away Clue games) and I enjoyed it as it showed 3D recreations of your suggested option, like for example if you suggested: Professor Plum with the gun in the library, it'll show how that would've looked (or at least the person and the weapon, the room doesn't change) and I always liked that. As well as the playable characters walking on the board. And a cutscene at the end showing the culprit in prison.
That was awesome! Thanks! I had the 70's one as a kid. Used to play it with my mom and grandparents. I love the movie too. Even have the novelization of it. The book has the film endings plus another one.
One of the most interesting clue video game adaptations is the big box european release of Cluedo for the philips cdi. Its clue in video game form with video and animated game board and all that but it also includes six score cards with felt tip markers for players to use during the game.
