CLUE Party

The entry way decorations - don't we look rich? :-)

I am a huge fan of board games and card games, but surprisingly enough, I never actually played CLUE until I was in college.  But once I did, I was hooked.

In the great style of CLUE, I threw a party.  We had a limited number of guests that were able to make it, but the few of us had a fun evening.

M and I decided to be Professor Plum and Miss Peacock, so we gave the other guests the choice of being the other 4 characters, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, or Miss Scarlett.  As it turns out, our guests decided to change it up a bit, and did their own take on the characters, as you can see. 


Of course, you can use any kind of invitation you'd like, but I put together this one and e-mailed it to some friends.

We sectioned off our living/dining room into the areas on the CLUE game board, like the library, the conservatory, the dining room, etc.  We used ourselves as the game pawns and played the board game according to the game rules.

Want to plan a CLUE party for your friends?  Here's some suggestions:

1. Print out your own suspect, weapon, and room cards on 8.5x11 cardstock (available at office stores).  For weapons, choose items you have around the house (we used things like, 'extension cord', 'fireplace poker', and 'butter knife' in addition to the 'candlestick' and 'wrench' called for in the game.  I just used MS Word to design the cards and printed them on our printer.  For suspect cards, you can either use real pictures of your guests, or make something up.  I used pictures of things the same color as the suspect's name (like, a bottle of mustard for Mustard and a leaf for Green).
2. Give each guest a clip board (if you have one) or at least something portable that they can write on, and don't forget to attach a pen or pencil.
3. Use large dice (like the fuzzy dice below!) if you can find them.  It's just fun!
4. Clearly label each "room" to eliminate confusion.  Make sure you label your "rooms" in the same order they appear on the game board.
5. Decorate!  I covered some furniture in our entry way with sheets (it made things look a little creepy) and set out a lamp, flowers, a tray with a calling card and a silver bell (wedding presents that I have never used... until now!) to give the "mansion" feel.
6. Put together a playlist of 40's and 50's music to play in the background.  The CLUE movie takes place in the early 50's in New England, so let that be your inspiration.  Create a Swing or Big Band station on Pandora (free 'radio') or compile a free playlist on Grooveshark.  No need to buy music for something like this.  We found this really set the mood for the party.

What would a party be without food!  The menu for the evening...

• Rosemary Citrus Chicken Skewers
• Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread
• Deviled Eggs
• Fruit Skewers
• Crudites with Garlic Dill Ranch Dip
•  Jalapeno Poppers

For dessert, we had Peanut Butter Cake with Banana Chocolate Icing and Frozen Vanilla Custard.  All the recipes were either originals or my "tweaked" healthier upgrade version.  I'll be posting links to these items later this fall as I have time to get them into Recipage and link up to them.

To finish off the evening, we watched the CLUE movie.  Tim Curry is the best!  My favorite line is, "What is it that butlers do, exactly?"  "We buttle, sir."  Classy....

And because I know you're wondering... it was Colonel Mustard... in the Hall... with the Wrench.