Section 3: Setup
- Prepare the board: Place the game board where every player can reach it. Put each suspect piece on its matching starting space. Unchosen suspects remain in play because a suggestion may move any suspect.
- Place the weapons: Put the weapon pieces in different rooms. If the edition gives designated starting rooms, use them; otherwise distribute the weapons among rooms by any agreed random method.
- Separate the cards: Divide the deck into suspect, weapon, and room piles. Shuffle each pile separately without revealing its faces.
- Create the solution: Randomly take one card from each category and place those three cards face down in the solution envelope. No player may look at them.
- Deal the evidence: Combine all remaining cards, shuffle them together, and deal them face down clockwise, one at a time, until none remain. Some players may receive one more card than others.
- Record starting information: Each player secretly examines their hand and marks those cards on a score sheet. A card in your own hand cannot be in the solution.
- Choose the first player: Use the starting-player method supplied with the edition. For a neutral recreational method, every player rolls and the highest total begins; reroll ties.
Players normally use the suspect piece associated with their chosen character. When fewer than the maximum number participate, leave the unused suspect pieces on their starting spaces so they remain available for suggestions.
Information Boundaries
Players may count how many cards each opponent holds, but may not view their faces. Keep the solution envelope in a central location where it cannot be disturbed or confused with dealt cards.