Clue Reinvention?

Between business travel, work backlog, and general laziness, I haven't had much time to contribute to F:AT lately, but I'm going to try to be much more active around here from now on. -- J.

I've noticed that distributors have started to solicit preorders for HASBRO's forthcoming revision of RISK under the title RISK REINVENTION. This is the same game whose RISK: BLACK OPS promo variant edition has caused such excitement on the net, but it will be without BLACK OPS' daring black-on-black graphic design. Still, the new RISK will look great; see the photo above.

The new RISK is scheduled for release in June, but so is another HASBRO title: CLUE REINVENTION. I have absolutely no information about this item apart from the following blurb:

• Find the killer before it's too late!
• For ages 8 and up!
• New rooms, new weapons, and the usual suspects!
  
  Find out the where, when and how in this classic game of "Whodunit," a favorite with sleuths of all ages for more than 50 years! Was it Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the revolver? Or perhaps the culprit was Miss Scarlet, or one of the other four suspicious-looking guests! See if you can find out! What's more, the weapons, rooms, and other key features have been updated for modern players. 3 to 6 players. Ages 8 and up.

It's not exactly promising. The text seems to indicate this new version makes only cosmetic changes to the game, while leaving the rules untouched. Then again, the blurb about RISK REINVENTION doesn't say anything about it being a modern update of a venerable game design, either.

I'd love to think that the game developers at HASBRO have been asked to rethink all of the classic properties in the company's stable, and that a new lineup of REINVENTION games, as cool as the new RISK, is just about to be released.

As I said, I'd love to think that. But I don't. There has been, as far as I know, no advance promotion of the new CLUE on the internet. No promo-only CLUE: BLACK OPS was distributed to select bloggers and podcasters, for example. There's no chatter about the game on BGG. This suggests that the new CLUE isn't for us -- we're not the target market.

Still, one can hope.