Can you play Clue the board game with only two people?

Question

We have the DVD version

Answer 1

Not really.  The problem is that all the cards (except the ones you are trying to figure out) are divided between the players of the game.  Thus, in a 2 player game, you each have half the cards.  If you ask about a card and your opponent doesn't have it - you know its one of the cards you are looking for.  There's just too much information available with only 2 players!

People have come up with 2 player variants.  You can find one here:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/2907...

But I don't know if that will work with the DVD version or not.

For some 2 player suggestions:

If you enjoy the deduction element (figuring things out based on limited information), there's always good old Mastermind - one player creates a code with colored pegs, the other player tries to break it. Available just about anywhere, pretty inexpensive. Not really a 'mystery' game though.

More details: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2392

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For more of a mystery game, you could try Crack the Case. Plays 2-6 players; one player reads a 'mystery' card, which the other player asks questions about to try to answer. Designed as a party game, but it will play with two. I'd love to give more feedback on it, but I haven't played in a long time. Looks like you can pick this up on e-bay for $20 or so.

More details: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1254

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For a suggestion you've probably never heard of, you might like Mr. Jack. You'd need to get it from a specialty game store like TimeWellSpent.org, and it is only a 2 player game. One player is the investigator, trying to catch Jack the Ripper. There are eight suspects, and each player takes turns moving them around into areas of shadow and light; at the end of a turn, the investigator learns whether Jack is in shadow or light, narrowing down the suspects. Each suspect also has a special effect; when you move the police inspect, for example, you can also move a barricade that blocks exits from the board. The investigator wins by catching Jack, Jack wins by either escaping the board or evading capture for 8 turns.

Mr Jack has a bit of deduction, a bit of detective/mystery and a lot of challenging strategy. Its fairly fast to play and the mix of special effects of the suspects keep you on your toes and keep replay from getting stale

You don't have to buy this to try it - you can play online against another player at http://mrjack.biludi.de. Online play is a bit slower than playing the actual game, but it should give you a feel of what the game is like. You two could play against each other on there, or you could get someone else to teach one of you.

More information: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/21763

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For a very different style, you might consider Fury of Dracula. One player controls Dracula, while the other players controls the hunters from the classic novel chasing him across Europe. Dracula's movement is hidden from the other player, who needs to use various clues to track him down while fighting off his minions.

I'm a little reluctant on recommending this, because I have not played it and I know its quite a bit more complicated than anything else on the list, but it might fit your criteria. Again, Timewellspent.org carries it.

More info: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/20963

Happy gaming!

Answer 2

You can play with two people...it's not always as much fun as with a group...

If you're playing with two, the strategy would be to focus on one item at a time (either room, weapon, or person)... to throw your opponent off, you should suggest two items that YOU hold in your hand, along with the one you're trying to solve

That way, your opponent will notice that they don't have either of the two "decoy" guesses, so they start wondering about whether those two things are in the solution.

e..g  You hold Prof Plum and the Knife cards in your hand...

If you land in the Library (which you don't have in your hand), you might ask whether Prof Plum did it in the Library with the Knife... that way, if your opponent doesn't have the Library card, you know that's where the murder happened.   But naming two cards that you have can throw your opponent off the track.

Your opponent might then focus on Prof Plum and the Knife, thinking that those might be correct solutions... they'd have to spend a couple of turns verifying them to see if they're in your hand..

Answer 3

Yeah

Answer 4

no