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My family and I were playing a "Nightmare Before Christmas" version of clue tonight. The rules were very similar to the original clue but seems to leave some parts pretty ambiguous.

We were about 3 rounds through and I had gotten into a room I wanted to make a suggestion on. I named a person and item and no one had any of the cards in their hands.

The rules said that you had to get to the center to make an accusation. However, since I happened to guess right (no one could prove me false) I wasn't sure what to do.

The players all knew that no one else had the cards so it became a race to the center to make the official accusation.

Anyone remember how the original clue works? Can you make a suggestion from any room, and if so and no one can prove you false, what happens?

Rule from the Game:

Starting a Rumor helps you try to determine which three cards are in the envelope. After moving into a Location, except the Fountain, you may Start a Rumor: name a Suspect; an Item; and the Location you are in. Move the suspect’s Suspect Mover and Item into the Location with you (if they are not already there)

PROVING A RUMOR TRUE OR FALSE

As soon as you’ve started a Rumor, the other players try to prove it false. The first to try is the player to your immediate left. If that player has one of the named Rumor cards in their hand, they show it to you and only you. If the player has more than one of the cards named, they select one (just one) to show you.

WHAT IF A PLAYER CAN’T SHOW ME A CARD? If the player to your left has none of the named Rumor cards, then the next player to the left tries to prove your Rumor false. And so on until you have been shown one card.

If no one can prove your Rumor false, your turn is over. Leave the Suspect Mover and Item token you moved where they are.

Making an Accusation:

When you think you’ve figured out which three cards are in the envelope, go to the center location of the game board to Make An Accusation. Say your accusation out loud: “I accuse Sally with the Bear Trap in Oogie’s Lair.” Then, secretly look at the cards in the envelope.

WERE YOU RIGHT? You win! Congratulations, you solved the mystery! Reveal the cards in the Mystery Envelope to everyone.

WERE YOU WRONG? Oops! You’ve made a mistake and are out of the game. Secretly return the cards to the Mystery Envelope — don’t tell the other players which one you got wrong. Keep your cards hidden and keep answering other players’ questions. Do not ask further questions or make any further accusations.

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An important strategy in Clue (and its variants) is to frequently use cards from your own hand as part of your Rumor. Doing this can give you more information, and it also means that the game doesn't degenerate in the way you describe: when no one is able to disprove your Rumor, they won't all race to the center (unless they're lucky guessers, or you don't have a good poker face) because they can't know whether the cards are in the center envelope or are in your hand.

However, original Clue (assuming these are the original rules) does also solve your problem by allowing you to make an Accusation on your turn from anywhere, including immediately after your Rumor turns up no disproof.

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  • I guess I see how that could be a strategy to it. There was a lot of fluff in this version that changed things up a bit. Like you mentioned in the original rules, it could be made at any time after disproof. I read through this variant a few times and couldn't see anything that mentioned that. I will keep this in mind when playing and use it as a way to throw people off, and in turn, force them to lose if they had made their way to the center to make the accusation that appeared to be true when no one could disprove and guess wrong because of it.
    – SBB
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 5:10
  • incomplete - any suggestion must in fact name the room that the player making it is currently in: "Once a player enters a room, they are then eligible to make a “suggestion” on who committed the Clue game murder. This is done when the player names a Suspect, a Weapon, and the Room that they are currently in".
    – Forget I was ever here
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 22:34
  • I don't see a reason to quote that rule, especially since OP already quotes it: "you may Start a Rumor: name a Suspect; an Item; and the Location you are in"
    – Benjamin Cosman
    Commented Sep 17, 2017 at 23:39

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