Chapter 24: Operation Cluedon't

"Dr Shen, in the barracks, with a wrench" Corporal James Wright said.

The hushed shuffling of cards filled the room. One was passed across the table, Wright considered it before handing it back.

"Dr Vahlen, in the laboratory, with the dissection table" Engineer Martin Phillips said.

More shuffling of cards, another passed across the table. Phillips checked it before handing it back.

"Central Officer Bradford" Senior Researcher Adams said. "In the armoury, with a sweater"

"How exactly do you expect him to manage that with just a sweater?" Phillips questioned.

"It is a fine sweater" Wright interjected. Cards continued to be passed between them.

"Corporal Stevens, in the lavatory, with last night's curry surprise" Flight Officer Kathy McKnight spoke. More hushed shuffling, but no one had anything with which to counter. Thus, the game went to McKnight.

"So, what do you think?" Wright asked the assembled group.

"It's good, I'll give you that" Adams said. "But I suspect that you're goanna run afoul of the legal department if you were to try and release it for sale. The words 'Copyright infringement' would be the first to come to mind"

"Still, it's better than some of the other ideas you've had" Phillips added.

"Like what?" Wright challenged.

"Novelty bobbleheads of the Commander" Phillips offered.

"Who wouldn't want to celebrate humanities greatest hero in bobblehead form?" Wright asked.

"But no one knows what they look like" McKnight objected.

"They will after the war is finished" Adams interjected. "With the amount of press we're going to have you're going to see the Commanders face on every TV screen on every continent"

"Personally, I'd stick to the Cluedo knock off" Phillips replied. "There's more potential for expansion packs and different variants"

"What about Monopoly based on the layout of the XCOM facilities?" Wright proposed.

"I'm pretty sure the layout of the base is supposed to be a classified secret" McKnight countered.

"Risk then" Wright offered. "Play as the aliens or the humans and slowly take over the world"

"But its so simple to beat, once you take Madagascar that' it" Phillips replied.

"Besides, we've just come out of a war with these aliens which very nearly destroyed all of humanity" McKnight explained. "Who is going to want to play a game where the aliens win?"

Wright replied. "You've not met many gamers before have you"

XCOM Rule 903: While XCOM command can see the potential for XCOM branded merchandise (Stationary, mugs, casual clothing) an XCOM themed board game based around identifying a traitor inside the project is considered to be sending the wrong message.

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Other ideas considered:

Lieutenant Brutus with the combat knife in the Situation Room

Colonel Arnold at the West Guard station with the British Flag

Sergeant Fawkes in the underground caverns with the plasma grenades

Technician Nedry in the Alien Containment Facility with the off button