1.1 Welcome to the Parlor

"Parlor games" are indoor games played socially by friends and family to pass the time. Charades, trivia games, board games like Monopoly and Scrabble, and card games like bridge are all examples of popular parlor games. Mystery novels, especially the classic mystery stories, are often classified as similar entertainments -- indoor, social, rule-bound games played between author and reader. The game of Clue by Hasbro is a classic parlor game that uses elements of classic mystery fiction, including a mathematically limited number of suspects, weapons, and locations. This room in our Mystery House is called the parlor to evoke that sense of games played among friends and family, a limited and cozy group of suspects.