Greetings, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. When DM Dave first came to me with his idea for Bonnie’s birthday game – a session where each of the 3 Wise DMs would run a portion of their own devising in the chaos caused by the Greygem that her character Mikros had obtained in our recent Dragonlance campaign – I was very intrigued but somewhat concerned. Six hours of high-level play is tiring enough for the table, and adding the factor that we were changing characters and possibly systems during that time left me wanting to add a change of pace with my portion, which was fortuitously sandwiched between DM Dave’s opening and DM Tony’s closing.
In talking with the two of them about our ideas for the session, I heard a lot of terms like “Big Bad” and the like, so I was fairly certain the players would get enough high-level combat on either side of my humble interlude. We each chose which adventuring group that Bonnie was a part of that we would use, which led me to our excellent Marvel FASERIP game we played recently with Doctor Who and She-Hulk. With the Marvel system chosen, now I had to come up with a way to change the pace while keeping it fun and exciting.
This left a spot for me to think outside the box a little and try something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now – using a board game, or board game mechanics, inside of a TTRPG. I whittled my choices down to two of my favorites – the famous CLUE by Parker Brothers and the new classic PANDEMIC by Z-Man Games – and then set about trying to tweak their mechanics to fit with the Marvel FASERIP system. It still needed to feel like they were playing super-heroes.
A convergence of ideas around one of my all time favorite shows growing up, Scooby-Doo, along with Bonnie’s character Little One’s love for the Wand of Wonder, and the focus on the chaos of the Greygem was the tipping point towards CLUE. I’ll detail my rules later, but by simply adding a roll on the random table I created (see below) when players entered a room in CLUE, I could add a Scooby-Doo like sequence where the heroes and the villains get mixed up in hijinks while they try to solve the mystery, and keep the chaotic energy going during the session.
I worked with DM Dave, who was going to be playing the Doctor in my portion, and used his appearance to help drop the essential secrets and clues to get the heroes out of the introduction and off to the big, scary mansion where mystery and chaos awaited. Once there, the players were introduced to the six suspects of the murder and the fun began.
You’ll need the board game CLUE and the rules for the Marvel FASERIP system to use this, but the idea can be adapted to many different board games and TTRPGs, so take what you like and change what you will. The team faced the Doctor’s old foes, the Cybermen, in this session, so you’ll see them in the random skill challenges, but any enemy can be substituted. Same with the challenge itself. My sense of humor may not be yours, but just try to keep them fun.
CLUE/Marvel FASERIP Modified Rules
- Instead of the suspects investigating each other as in traditional CLUE, the players will take the role of investigator. The suspects will only be used to make Suggestions and Accusations.
- Players can team up with up to 2 other players, but teams can be no more than 3.
- Use the movement and rules of CLUE, but roll percentile dice when entering a room – before making a Suggestion or Accusation.
- Failure in the challenge means the players are pushed out of the room and cannot make a Suggestion or Accusation that round.
- Success means that players can continue with their Suggestion or Accusation in the room.
- Initiative order for the skill challenges is team, then DM. Players that are teamed up can choose who attempts the skill challenge FEATs.
- 2 FEATs are outlined in the random skill challenges, but any Ability or Power can be substituted as a success condition if the player can provide a reasonable explanation on how they’re going to accomplish the particular task
- Advantage can be gained to FEAT rolls with spirited participation in the mini-games.
CLUE Random Skill Challenge Table
| 01- 10 | 2 cybermen and 2 tables appear in the room. Each one has bits of reed, string, and other crafty bits. Compete in a basket-making contest – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Intelligence or Intuition FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 11- 20 | 2 cybermen and 2 large sheets of paper appear in the room. The papers are laid out on the floor with a collection of paint pots. Compete in a finger-painting contest – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Agility or Intuition FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 21- 30 | 2 cybermen and 2 snow forts appear in the room. The floor is covered in thick white powder and snow begins to fall from the ceiling. Each fort has a formidable stack of snowballs. Compete in a snowball fight – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Strength or Agility FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 31- 40 | 2 cybermen and a volleyball net appear in the room. The floor is covered in sand and a single white ball sits on your side. Compete in a beach volleyball game – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Strength or Agility FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 41- 50 | 2 cybermen and a bunch of easels appear in the room. Next to each easel is a palette and brush, as well as a very large glass of wine. Compete in a paint & sip party – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Intuition or Endurance FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 51- 60 | Nothing happens |
| 61- 70 | 2 cybermen and several large video game machines appear in the room. Each machine has a grid on the floor in front of it to capture your dance steps. Without warning, the games activate and the sound of electronic techno music assaults your eardrums. Compete in a Dance Dance Revolution fight – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Agility or Endurance FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 71- 80 | 2 cybermen and a small stage appear in the room. There is a tall pole set vertically in the stage, and an army of dumbasses with dollar bills floods the area. Compete in a pole-dancing contest – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Agility or Intuition FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 81- 90 | 2 cybermen and a lavishly decorated stage appear in the room. There is a sign atop the stage declaring this the “Mr. or Ms. Multiverse Contest”, along with several bottles of oil, speedos, and a crowd of belligerent elderly women who “came to see some skin”. Compete in a body-building contest – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Strength or Endurance FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
| 91- 100 | 2 cybermen and 2 lecterns appear in the room. There is a hushed silence among the crowd present as the debate topic is presented “Is cooking class important for all students?”. Debate as the dissenting opinion to win – First team to 3 YELLOW or better Intelligence or Psyche FEATs. RED counts as 2 successes |
Final Thoughts
I hope this article inspires you to try something new, like adding board game mechanics to your TTPRG games to spice them up. Birthday games, and one-shots in general, are a great place to stretch out and try something new. The best part of any challenge, like having 3 different DMs running a session, is that there are no mistakes. Only lessons and experience you can bring with you to make your other games better. If what you’re trying doesn’t make you a little uncomfortable, then you aren’t growing. So keep challenging yourself!
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