Star Wars Clue: Steal The Plans, Escape The 3D Death Star & Save The Galaxy [Cool Stuff]
Hasbro has announced Clue: Star Wars Edition, which isn't just a boring retheme of the classic deduction board game, but a thematic retheme complete with a 3D Death Star board. You play as Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, or C-3PO, aboard the Death Star trying to save the Galaxy from destruction by the Empire. If you're the first person to figure out Darth Vader's next target, find and seize the Death Star plans, and steal the right escape vehicle, you save the galaxy and win the game.
Tabletop gamers often times throw shade on mass market board games, but every once in a while a company like Hasbro produces something cool that deserves the attention of adults and kids alike. Let's not forget that Hasbro published Risk Legacy, which was mind blowing in concept/format.
Sure, companies like Hasbro often throw a well-known license on top of a box and skin an old classic boring game like Monopoly because people will buy anything. But sometimes they put some effort in and create something unique, special and fun. They did this with last year's Star Wars Risk, which while featuring the Risk brand name, was not really a Risk game at all. It was a two-person head-to-head game that implements game mechanics introduced in the out of print but awesome Star Wars prequel board game Star Wars: Queen's Gambit. They took the 2014 Kinderspiel des Jahres Winner Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister! and reimplemented it for the American masses as the Ghostbusters: Protect the Barrier Game. And even a silly retheme like Loopin' Chewie can be a fun, cheap buy.
Star Wars Clue Details
I'm not suggesting that Clue: Star Wars Edition is as much of a reworking as Star Wars Risk, but it at least looks like the fine people at Hasbro are trying to do something different than your typical franchise reskin. Here is the official description for the game:
It's the Clue game transported to the world of Star Wars. In this game, it's a period of civil war, and players have managed to sneak onto the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Death Star! Be the first player to find out which planet Darth Vader plans to destroy next, which room the Death Star plans are hidden in, and which vehicle is the correct escape vehicle. The cards revealing the correct planet, room, and vehicle are placed in the mission folder at the beginning of the game — no one sees what these are until the end. The player who correctly identifies what's in the folder wins!
The game includes six Star Wars character pawns (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2, or C-3PO), a 5-piece cardboard gameboard (bottom level, back wall, 2 supporting walls, top level), the mission notepad, a die, six vehicle tokens, six planet tokens, a mission folder, 21 Clue cards (red deck), 19 corridor cards (black deck), and game guide. Hasbro says the game is for three to six players, recommended for ages 8 and up. The game runs for around $25 at retail, but you can buy it for only $19.99 on Amazon right now.