At a glance
| The box game | On Table Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | 3–6, ages 8+ | 2–6 |
| What you need | Board, 6 pawns, 6 weapons, 21 cards, the Case File envelope, notepads, 2 dice | A phone each |
| Moving | Roll the dice and walk to a room | No board: a theory every turn |
| Winning | First correct accusation | First correct accusation |
The goal
Be the first to name the three cards sealed in the Case File envelope: the suspect, the weapon and the room.
Setup
- Each player takes the pawn of the suspect nearest them and puts it on that suspect’s start space. Unused suspects go on their start spaces too, because they can still be guilty.
- Put the six weapons in six different rooms.
- Sort the 21 cards into suspects (6), weapons (6) and rooms (9). Shuffle each pile and slide the top card of each into the Case File envelope without looking.
- Shuffle the other 18 cards together and deal them all out. Some players may get one more card than others.
- Everyone ticks off their own cards on a detective notepad: nothing in your hand can be in the envelope.
How a turn works
- Miss Scarlet always goes first, then play passes to the left.
- Roll the dice and move that many squares, or take a secret passage if you start in a corner room. You can’t move diagonally or through another pawn.
- When you enter a room, make a suggestion: move a suspect and a weapon into that room and say, for example, “Colonel Mustard, in the Lounge, with the Rope.”
- The player on your left checks their hand. If they hold any of the three cards, they show you exactly one, privately. If not, the next player checks, and so on.
- Once someone shows you a card, the suggestion is over. Mark what you saw on your notepad.
- When you think you know the answer, make an accusation on your turn and check the envelope in secret. An accusation can name any room.
Scoring and winning
- There are no points. A completely correct accusation wins on the spot.
- You get one accusation per game. If it’s wrong, put the cards back unseen: you can’t win or move any more, but you keep showing cards to disprove other players’ suggestions.
- You may make a suggestion and an accusation on the same turn.
Rules people get wrong
You can name your own cards
A suggestion may include cards in your hand. It tests the other two cards and misleads the table.
One suggestion per visit
To suggest again you must enter a different room, or leave and come back on a later turn.
Moved into a room?
If another player’s suggestion drags your pawn into a room, you may suggest there on your next turn without rolling.
Blocked doors
A pawn standing in a doorway blocks it. If every door is blocked, you wait in the room.
Playing Whodunnit on Table Party
Whodunnit is Table Party’s version: free in the browser, with everyone on their own phone. A round goes like this.
- Three cards are sealed in the case file: a suspect, a weapon and a room. Every other card is dealt out — so your own hand is the first thing you know is not in the file.
- On your turn, name a theory: who, with what, where. You may name cards in your own hand. Nobody can tell.
- The table answers in turn from your left. Anyone holding none of the three passes; the first player holding one shows you ONE card, privately — their choice which.
- Every card you are shown is a card that is not in the file. Your notebook fills itself in with what you know for certain, and you add your own crosses for hunches.
- Passes are public. Everybody sees who could not answer and who did — only the card itself stays between the two of you.
- When you are sure, accuse. The file opens for the whole table: right, and you have solved it.
- Wrong, and you are out of the running — you keep your cards and still answer theories. If everyone else falls, the last detective standing wins.
- A turn clock runs by default. Go quiet and your turn passes; the host can lengthen it or switch it off.
What’s different here
- Whodunnit is Table Party’s own game, with no board or dice. You make a theory every turn, so a game takes 10–20 minutes.
- Your notebook fills itself in with every card you’re shown, and you add your own marks for hunches.
- Everyone sees who passed and who answered, as at the table. Only the card itself stays private.
- It plays with two players as well as three to six.
The fiddly bits on Table Party
A final accusation matters
An incorrect accusation removes you from the running, so a plausible theory is not yet enough.
The official rules
For the publisher’s own wording, read the official rules from Hasbro. Table Party is independent and isn’t affiliated with Hasbro.
Questions about Whodunnit
Can you make a suggestion about a room you’re not in?
No. A suggestion always names the room your pawn is standing in. An accusation can name any room.
What happens if nobody can disprove a suggestion?
Then no other player holds those cards. Any of the three you don’t hold yourself must be in the envelope, and you can accuse on the same turn.
Why do some editions call the victim Dr Black?
The box game has different editions. Some call the victim Dr Black instead of Mr Boddy, and the weapons vary slightly.
Is Whodunnit free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Whodunnit?
Between 2 and 6. Below 2 there are not enough of you for the game to work.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Whodunnit over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
Play Whodunnit online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.