Clue Diced! AKA Clue Express Board Game: Rules and Instructions for How to Play

This post is written based on the rules from the 2021 version of Clue Diced!. Clue Diced! is basically a reprint of the 2008 dice game Clue Express. The rules below should also apply to Clue Express as well. The only difference appears to be that Mrs. White from Clue Express has been replaced with Dr. Orchid in Clue Diced!.

Objective of Clue Diced!

The objective of Clue Diced! is to figure who was responsible for the crime before the other players.

Setup for Clue Diced!

Before your first game make sure each black dice has one picture of each of the six suspects. The blue die should have the six unique symbols on it.
Choose whether you want to play the Detective or Master Detective game. The two games are played similarly, but the Master Detective game does have some additional rules. If you choose to play the Master Detective game, make sure to check out the Master Detective section below.
If you are playing the Detective game, return the six Driver cards to the box.
Sort the remaining cards based on their types: Brains and Brawn. Shuffle each deck separately.
Take the top card from each of the two decks and slide them into the Case File Envelope face down without looking at them.

The two cards corresponding to the crime’s culprits have been added to the Case File Envelope. The players have to figure out the two cards placed in the envelope.

Shuffle the rest of the cards together. Deal the cards out to the players face down. Some players may get more cards than others.
Each player takes a sheet from the Detective Pad.
You should look at the cards that you were dealt. Cross off the corresponding spots on your Detective sheet. Since you have the cards, they can’t be inside the Case File Envelope.

Starting Cards — For their starting hand this player was dealt the Professor Plum Brawn, Colonel Mustard Brains, and Dr. Orchid Brawn cards. They will cross the corresponding spots off their Detective sheet.

Place the Suggestion Board Detective side up in the center of the table.
The youngest player will start the game.

Playing Clue Diced!

To begin your turn you will roll the four dice. The black dice are Suspect dice and the blue die is the Bonus die.

Dice Roll in Clue Diced! — The current player rolled the following sides on the dice. They can choose which of the three suspects they are going to use for their suggestion. They will then take the action on the Bonus Die.

Making A Suggestion

After rolling the dice, you should look at what you rolled. You will have rolled three suspects. With these three suspects you will make a suggestion. You will choose one of the three Suspect dice to use for the Brains and one for the Brawn. You must use the sides that you rolled. Place your chosen dice on the corresponding spots on the Suggestion Board.

After making a suggestion, the other players will strive to prove your suggestion wrong. Starting with the player to your left, they will look at the cards that they were dealt. If they have a card that matches the Brains or Brawn that you suggested, they will show you the card. If they have a card for both of your suggestions, they will choose which one they want to show you. They should show you the card so the other players can’t see it.

Receiving A Card From A Suggestion — Based on their suggestion one of the other players had the Mr. Green Brains card. They will show it to the current player without letting the other players see.

You will cross the corresponding space off your Detective sheet.

Cross Off Suggestion Card in Clue Diced! — This player was shown the Mr. Green Brains card. They crossed the corresponding space off their Detective sheet.

If the player to your left does not have a matching card, the player to their left looks at their cards. This will continue until one player shows you a card, or none of the players have a card to show you.

Using the Bonus Die

After making a suggestion and seeing one of the other players’ cards, you will get to use the ability that you rolled on the Bonus die. Depending on what symbol you roll, you will take the corresponding action.

When you roll the magnifying glass, you will get to look at one card from another player’s hand. Choose another player and randomly select a card from their hand. You will look at the card and cross the corresponding space off your Detective sheet. You will then return the card to them.

Look At Another Player's Card — This player rolled the ability to look at one card from another player’s hand. They will get to randomly select one of the cards from their chosen player’s hand to look at.

The question mark symbol allows you to ask about the third Suspect dice that you didn’t use for your suggestion. Choose another player and ask them about the suspect rolled on the third die. If that player has a card that features that person, they will show it to you. Should they have more than one matching card, they will only show you one of them. If they don’t have any cards with that suspect on them, you will receive nothing from the bonus action.

Ask About Third Die — For their suggestion this player used the two dice on the board. Due to the symbol they rolled, they will ask the other players about Professor Plum. Starting with the player to the left of the current player, if the player has a Professor Plum card they must show it to the current player.

If you roll the eye symbol, you will take the Case File Envelope. There is a tiny notch in the back of the envelope below the flap. You will pull up the flap and look at the color that appears in the notch. This color will indicate the identity of one of the two suspects. You will not know if they were the brains or the brawn, but you know the suspect matching that color is responsible for one of the two. Place a mark in the corresponding section on your Detective sheet to make note.

Peeking At the Case File — This player received the bonus action of getting to peek at the Case File. As they see the color red, they know that Miss Scarlett is responsible for at least one of the parts of the crime.

The pointed finger symbol allows you to make a free accusation. With this action you can choose whichever suspects you want. You will take the Suspect dice and choose a side for the Brains and Brawn squares. Starting with the player on your left, the player will look at the cards in their hand to see if they have one that matches your accusation. If they do they will show you the card. This will be handled in the same way as when you make a suggestion.

Make Free Accusation in Clue Diced! — This player rolled the symbol on the Bonus Die that allows them to make a free accusation. They decided to choose Colonel Mustard for both the Brains and Brawn of the crime. If one of the players (starting with the player to the left of the current player) have a Colonel Mustard card, they will have to show it to the current player.

After using your Bonus die action, your turn will end unless you want to make a Final Accusation. Pass the dice to the player on your left who will take the next turn.

Final Accusation

When you think you know who is the Brains and Brawn behind the crime, you can announce that you want to make your final accusation. You will do this after you have made your suggestion and taken your Bonus die action.

Final Detective Pad Sheet in Clue Diced! — Based on information they have received the player has figured out the Professor Plum is the Brains behind the crime and Miss Scarlet is the Brawn. As they know both pieces of information they should consider making their Final Accusation.

To make your final accusation you will place Suspect dice on the Suggestion board corresponding to the accusation you are going to make. You will then pick up the Case File Envelope and look at the cards inside. You should look at the cards without letting the other players see.

If you correctly accused both suspects in the envelope for the right part of the crime (Brains and Brawn), your final accusation is correct. You have won the game. Reveal the cards so the other players can verify that you are correct.

Winning Clue Diced! — As this player was correct with their final accusation, they have won the game.

If you picked the wrong suspect for either/both of the Brains and Brawn, you are eliminated from the game. Return the cards to the envelope. You will still need to supply cards when other players ask about them.

Losing Clue Diced! — This player thought Dr. Orchid was the Brains and Miss Scarlett was the Brawn. As Professor Plum was actually the Brains, this player was wrong in their accusation. They have lost the game.

Master Detective Game

The Master Detective game is played similar to the main game.

The main difference is that you will also need to figure out who the Driver was for the crime. During setup you will add in the Driver cards. You will add three cards to the Case File Envelope (one Brains, Brawn, and Driver card). You will also turn the Suggestion Board to the Master Detective side.

When making a suggestion you will still only use two of the Suspect dice. You can place the two dice on the Brains, Brawn or Driver spaces. The other players will show you cards in the same way as the main game.

Clue Diced! Master Detective Game — This player rolled a Mrs. Peacock, Dr. Orchid, and Mr. Green side on the dice. They have decided to place Mrs. Peacock on the Brains space and Dr. Orchid on the Brawn space.

When making an accusation you will place a die on all three spots on the Suggestion Board.

To win the game you must make an accusation where you are correct about the Brains, Brawn, and Driver of the crime.

Winning Master Detective — This player made the accusation of Mrs. Peacock as the Brains, Mr. Green as the Brawn, and Colonel Mustard as the Driver. As these three cards were in the Case File Envelope, they have won the game.

Year: 2008 | Publisher: Hasbro, Parker Brothers | Designer: Garrett J. Donner, Wendy L. Harris, Brian S. Spence, Michael S. Steer | Artist: NA

Genres: Deduction, Dice, Family

Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 3-4 | Length of Game: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate

Components: 18 Suspect cards, 4 dice, Case File Envelope, Suggestion Board, Detective Pad, Instructions

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