Anyone up for a game of CLUE? (Sexy Murder Mystery - Interest Check)

[Mathim]

I've tried to get one of these up and running a few times but never seem to get enough people. The premise is pretty simple, basically a little more erotic in theme than the movie and with a few more potential characters. Dinner guests, staff, and the inspector will all be needed to play the parts in finding out who killed their host right in the middle of the dinner party. Everyone has a motive but nobody knows just who did the deed-or if there may have been multiple co-conspirators. The desperate, frightened suspects may try to band together, forge alliances through sex or blackmail, accuse others to throw suspicion off of themselves, conduct their own investigations into the mansion full of secrets and hidden rooms.

So, sound fun? I sure think so! The only rule as far as character creations would be to keep in the color theme of the original game, but with a broader spectrum of colors available, like pink, brown, black, white, grey, and even things like gold and silver.

I'd like to try for at least 6 guests and up to 3 staff (butler, maid and cook).

The host is a curmudgeonly old bastard, who mistreats and underpays his staff, if not outright forcing them to work like slaves due to debts or having blackmailed them in some fashion. His dinner guests have in some way wronged him in the past (whether they realized they were doing that or not) and he's gathered them at the dinner party after having gathered enough dirt on each of them to essentially destroy their lives, and has opened the dinner ceremony by revealing this to all of them. There is literally no one present who hasn't got a strong motive to kill him once this comes to light. The Inspector arrives quickly, ordering a lockdown of the house so that no suspect can leave. With the game afoot, can the mystery be solved or will an innocent person take the fall due to treachery and betrayal?

Since there appear to be enough people interested I'll knock out a character submission sheet:

CLUE game character profile:

Code Select Expand

[float=right][img height=200 padding=5]IMAGE LINK HERE[/img][/float]
[b]Player Name[/b]
[b]Character Name: [/b] Everyone (possible exception for the inspector) should have a color-themed name. Doesn't have to correspond directly to the color a la 'Redding' or 'Greenlee' or anything like that, so feel free to be as creative or simple as you feel aesthetically pleasing
[b]Role: [/b] Dinner Guest or Staff (specify) or Inspector (I'll take the inspector role if no one else wants it)
[b]Motive: [/b] Why would you want to kill your boss, if you're one of the staff? Or if you're a dinner guest, what has the host got to blackmail you with, and what did you do to cross him that would motivate him to want to ruin your life? The juicier the better!
[b]Backstory: [/b]
[b]Personality: [/b]
[b]Ons/Offs: [/b]

Just go ahead and submit them here so it'll be easier for everyone to keep track of and know what colors are claimed (it's first come, first served). There may be some room for overlap like for standard red and the more brownish-red of bricks or something like that if there's strong preferences among multiple players.

[Blinkin]

Color me intrigued. If you don't object to a male playing a female, that is.

Would this be modern, or another time period?

[Mathim]

Anyone can play any type of character they like, no restrictions.

I'm thinking it should be set in the 1980's, before the advent of cell phones, but I'm open to doing one in a more modern setting.

[Blinkin]

If you want to avoid cellphones, just put the house in a dead zone. They still exist in out of the way places, or simply say that there is no reception.

Personally, in this sort of setup, I feel that cellphones are too easy to justify knowing something that would be more fun to learn rather than asking Siri or going on the web and searching.

"Hmmm, this soup is marvelous! I can distinctly detect the hint of sage. The spiced wine on the otherhand is- Oh, dear me, Mr. Body sipped the wine and just fell out of his chair... what? He's dead? Well, as I was saying, the scent of clove is fine, but it does spoil the wine. That does remind me, however, Didn't I smell burned clove on Mr. Indigo's smoking jacket? Interesting...."

lol

[Mathim]

Yeah, people taking for granted that they have the whole of human knowledge at their fingertips does radically change how the entire dynamic would be between the two proposed eras. I'll take a vote and we'll go with whatever the (hopefully sufficient) number of interested parties wishes.

[Shivery]

I'd want to hear more about how it'll run gameplay/posting-wise, but as a concept I'm on board!

[Mathim]

Well, the idea was that it would start out over dinner; the guests can arrive beforehand and do a little socializing or interacting with the staff (butler, maid and cook), and then all gather together in the dining hall. The host is not present yet, instead playing everyone a recording detailing how he's going to ensure that the lives his dinner guests return to will be over as they know it for daring to cross him at various points in his life (whether they remember it or not, and whether the actions he blames on them were intentional or not), creating an atmosphere of utter fear and panic for them to react with. And as he finally joins them to gloat in person, the power goes out and his body is found bloody and lifeless upon the lights' return. Literally anyone in the house had both the motive and opportunity to do the deed, and the Inspector arrives promptly, giving everyone very little time to react or have any finger-pointing.

After initial interviews, the Inspector begins the search for forensic evidence (being that weather conditions mean that no other law enforcement will be able to reach the isolated manor, nor can anyone leave even if permitted) while the guests and staff are to return to their quarters so as not to interfere. But the Inspector is only one person and can't be everywhere at once. So the removal or planting of evidence can happen right under their nose. Alliances can form to try and frame someone else, or just throw suspicion off of the collaborating parties. The inquisitive do-gooders in the group may try to solve the case themselves, finding hidden passageways and even more skeletons in the twisted millionaire's closets. Or, more likely, every single person will be looking for the blackmail material he was going to use against them and try to destroy it before their lives are effectively over, or for the staff to try and help themselves to the compensation they have been denied in service to the old bastard. But the Inspector is always liable to show up right when they're not wanted, so some discretion is advised but if anyone is caught, well, if they're a fast-talker and a charmer, they might just get away with making the Inspector think they were just looking for the bathroom.

If you have any specific questions, I'm all ears. But does that kind of sound like an appropriate setup? A few different stages for character interaction before the mystery is afoot, and then for the really crazy action to begin.

[Saint Celestine]

I would be up for this :d

[Shivery]

How would it work in terms of turn order? Or just anything goes? I'm new to E so not sure if there's a standard way forum RPs are done here. :)

Also, will one of us have actually dunnit?

[Mathim]

How would it work in terms of turn order? Or just anything goes? I'm new to E so not sure if there's a standard way forum RPs are done here. :)

Also, will one of us have actually dunnit?

I think to avoid delays, no rigidly set turn order should be needed. We can always have more murders occur as the story goes on if anyone needs to drop out, further complicating the investigation.

And yes, at least one guilty party will be among the players. That will be done in confidence via PMs if we get enough players. It can be a collaboration between guests and/or staff if there might be more than one killer.

[Shivery]

Sounds interesting! Keep me posted if you decide to go forward.

[Dreya]

I'm interested.

[Mathim]

Well, let me knock together a character profile submission sheet in that case, and we'll see what we can make of it. If need be I'll allow two different characters per player (ideally it'll be a mix of staff and guests rather than two of the same type) since we don't have overly many interested parties just yet but hopefully it'll experience some exponential growth with each new curious reader.

I'll put it in the intro post as well; let me know if any other criteria would be useful to include.

CLUE game character profile:

Code Select Expand

[float=right][img height=200 padding=5]IMAGE LINK HERE[/img][/float]
[b]Player Name[/b]
[b]Character Name: [/b] Everyone (possible exception for the inspector) should have a color-themed name. Doesn't have to correspond directly to the color a la 'Redding' or 'Greenlee' or anything like that, so feel free to be as creative or simple as you feel aesthetically pleasing
[b]Role: [/b] Dinner Guest or Staff (specify) or Inspector (I'll take the inspector role if no one else wants it)
[b]Motive: [/b] Why would you want to kill your boss, if you're one of the staff? Or if you're a dinner guest, what has the host got to blackmail you with, and what did you do to cross him that would motivate him to want to ruin your life? The juicier the better!
[b]Backstory: [/b]
[b]Personality: [/b]
[b]Ons/Offs: [/b]

[CriminalMindsFan]

If I can play a "couple", I like idea that he knew their marriage was a fraud in order to avoid deportation of one of them and was presently fucking the wife as part of existing blackmail over the couple. She could be member of staff so the husband would be a dinner guest. Who knows maybe she intended to kill her husband and mixed up the drinks? LOL

Player Name: CriminalMindsFan
Character Name: Darren Plum
Role: Dinner Guest
Motive: Darren married Elizabeth so she wouldn't be deported after exhausting all other means of obtaining citizenship. The dinner host may have documentation that could cause Darren to spend time in jail and cause Elizabeth to be deported. There may also be some evidence to prove that a rumor about Darren and Elizabeth being siblings or cousins is true.
Backstory: Darren owns Plum Insurance Agency. He and his wife have been married for almost 10 years. He met dinner host through insurance sales and representation. He is ex-military and killed people in combat situations.
Personality: Pretty low key, loves race horses and race cars. Loves women, not faithful because the marriage is a fraud. Actually doesn't mind that he has had to share his wife for few years due to blackmail, but pushing his buttons could get you killed or fucked.
Ons/Offs: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=208850.msg10255864#msg10255864

Player Name: CriminalMindsFan
Character Name: Elizabeth Plum
Role: Staff - Maid or Cook
Motive: Her marriage with Darren is a fraud. Rumors about Darren being her brother or cousin hang over her head and her boss has used her body more times than she can count. She wants him dead, but maybe not for the obvious reason.
Backstory: She made Darren an offer he couldn't refuse because sex was something she could often use to get what she wanted. It's comeback to bite her now that she's had to offer the same to her boss. She's also been embezzling from Darren so Darren may want to frame her for the death of her boss.
Personality: As a former cheerleader she is usually cheerful and happy. Much like Darren, crossing her isn't always a good idea unless what you have on her can cause her to get deported.
Ons/Offs: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=208850.msg10255864#msg10255864

[Mathim]

Might I inquire what color their surname alludes to, or does it? Also if each character is expected to have a color-themed name can the wife have retained her maiden name or at least hyphenated? Just looking for the names to allude to the theme from the original game/movie.

[CriminalMindsFan]

Surname didn't allude to anything, I can change it though. As for the color, I'll claim purple and make the change to my CS. Been awhile since I've played Clue. LOL

[Mathim]

Thanks! So will the husband be purple or the wife? Even if they're married everyone should be distinct to differentiate colors. Or just different shades of the same palette. Maybe violet and lavender?

[Blinkin]

I'll get a CS up soon. Just to be a little bit silly, Miss Periwinkle!

As for what may of been the blackmail material... it'll depend if this is modern, or some  time in the past. The movie was placed in the 40's, the original game was in the mid 30's, if I recall.

[CriminalMindsFan]

Thanks! So will the husband be purple or the wife? Even if they're married everyone should be distinct to differentiate colors. Or just different shades of the same palette. Maybe violet and lavender?

Violet sounds like appropriate color for the wife.

[Mathim]

I'll get a CS up soon. Just to be a little bit silly, Miss Periwinkle!

As for what may of been the blackmail material... it'll depend if this is modern, or some  time in the past. The movie was placed in the 40's, the original game was in the mid 30's, if I recall.

Let's assume it's at least the mid-80's. We can always modernize things up but I think the pre-cell phone era would be a good one to come up with some creative scenarios for why they crossed the host and what kind of dirt he's got on them to make them regret it.