Cluedo Liars Edition

Liar, liar Scarlett’s on fire!

Now I know that’s not the correct saying but unfortunately, pants being on fire isn’t a murder weapon choice in Cluedo: Liar’s edition!

The Suspects

Now as typical old-style Cluedo, poor Dr Black is still our poor murder victim of the game (he never gets a break!). However, in this newer edition by Hasbro one of the typically known characters has been changed. We still have:

• Miss Scarlett – The Femme Fatale, beautiful, seductive…Ruthless? Manipulative?
• Col. Mustard – The Alpha Male, patriot, philanthropist…Liar? Narcissist?
• Rev. Green – The Playboy, charming, witty…Unforgiving? Decadent?
• Mrs Peacock – The Social Butterfly, flirtatious, discreet…Greedy? Devious?
• Prof. Plum – The Intellectual, intrepid, eccentric…Obsessive? Paranoid?

And instead of good old trusty Mrs White, let me introduce to you:

• Dr. Orchid – The Genius, mysterious, adventurous…Ambitious? Delinquent?

The Weapons

Yet again there is a change this time to the weapons, but we’re in luck we get two changes! We still have our trusty old candlestick, dagger, lead piping and even the revolver.

But unfortunately, since those older days, new ways of murder get invented with some new and interesting choices of weapons…instead of the rope and the wrench we now have poison (out of a drink can because what better way than a drink?) and statue (depicted as a cute little Gnome!)

The Rooms

We still have your old typical rooms: ballroom, kitchen, study, lounge, hall, dining room, billiard room, conservatory and the library (let’s face it that’s now why the revolver is pictured in a book because what else would you get in a library!). The centre of the board was always known as the cellar, well the cellar is no more, it’s been changed into an interrogation room *mwahaha*.

Now here is the exciting, new and fun twist that makes this game a ‘Liar’s Edition’. As you can see in the photo above there is a new, shiny and want-to-touch big red buzzer…

The Liars And The Truth-Tellers

Now there was always going to be a twist with it being for Liar’s and I bet you’ve been wondering what it is!

Well, you play your turn as normal of moving/dice rolling, suggestions and then the card swapping and marking your sheet but now here is where the new added bit comes in. Once you have completed your normal turn you play an ‘Investigation Card’.

There are 12 cards in the game, 6 of these hold the truth and 6 of them force you to lie! If you have a truth card, just read the action aloud and place it face down in the discard pile but if you have a lie card, choose one of the 3 actions on the card to lie about. Read it aloud and place the card face down on the discard pile. You’ve got to try and be convincing otherwise you’ll be found out!

If any other players think you’re lying, they can HIT THE LIAR BUTTON (and here enters the big, red shiny button I hyped you all up about). Also, if they do, you must reveal your Investigation card by turning it face up for all to see, and do one of the following:

• If you were lying: You’ve been caught (this is why I told you to be convincing!). You must choose one of your Evidence cards and place it face up in the Interrogation Room as a penalty for lying (I mean you can’t help the card made you though, right?). The other players mark their sheets.
• If you were telling the truth: The player who hit the button must show one of their evidence cards as a penalty for being wrong (sucks to be the tell-tale in this case hey!). You get to choose which card to look at, but don’t let the other players peek! Mark your sheet, then perform the action on your Investigation card.

If no one hits the liar button, perform the action you stated (whether you were lying or telling the truth). You’ve gotten away with it! Well done!

After this has been completed the Investigation card goes into the discard pile near the interrogation room and you draw a new Investigation card and then well it’s the end of your turn!

My Thoughts

I absolutely love this new version of Cluedo, I’ve always loved playing it as my Gran owns a very old set of Cluedo, so I’ve grown up playing it with my cousins! It was nice and refreshing to have something to change the gameplay up, and of course, a big, red, shiny button makes everything more fun right?!

I feel it is nice and makes a change to have an updated character added into the game and that some of the weapons have changed, it changes the feel of it. The addition of the lie and truth cards makes the game a whole lot more interesting, it relies on not just the usual of trying to figure it out, but you have the extra challenge of the chance to expose a card to make it easier for you, but also at the risk of making it easier for everyone else which I feel is the only downside.

Overall, I will definitely be playing this again and trying it with other people, it’s a good test of how well you know them to tell if they’re lying!

But the question is…can you lie your way to the truth? Or will you regret entering Dr Black’s Mansion…