4th Grade Confidential

Danger lurks in the halls of Northfield Elementary. The school yard is no place for the meek. Only one man can protect the innocent children from bullies, cheaters, and thieves. But unfortunately Principal Jones is usually too tied up with PTA meetings, in-service days, and keeping his office chair warm. That leaves Adin Simon, private eye, gumshoe, and sleuth to clean up after the fact. Fourth grade may not be safe, but with a bit of grit and determination he'll solve your case and bring your culprit to justice... Or get wedgied trying.

4th Grade Confidential is a microgame of deduction, bluffing, and cunning. The game is based on my friend Neal Simon's comic book project called Fourth Grade Confidential, starring his kids and their friends (including my kids). The premise is that a 4th grader named Adin is a private eye at his school, working to solve the great mysteries of elementary school, like who stole his sister's stuffed pink bunny.

In 4th Grade Confidential one player is the Sleuth while 2-4 other players are the Characters. Each round the Sleuth is trying to solve a different mystery. The Sleuth has six Sleuth Cards and the other 12 cards are dealt evenly to the Characters. The Sleuth has six turns to try to figure out which Character has the Target Item for that round by calling out various attributes and seeing who has items with matching attributes. Through careful deduction and use of actions the Sleuth and Characters all try to be the player to end up with the Target Item.

The game can be played in a single quick round, or in a longer game with each player taking the role of the Sleuth.

Features: 4th Grade Confidential consists of 18 cards (plus 3 alternate cards). The rules are simple to learn yet provide a depth of strategy while players play each other as well as the game. Rounds play quickly and the game can be as long or short as the players desire. 4th Grade Confidential features the artwork of Neal Simon and his Fourth Grade Confidential comic book story.

Accolades: 4th Grade Confidential was tested and well received at the 2015 Madison Protospiel event. It was an entry in the 2015 18 Card Contest on BGG and has been well received by playtesters around the country.

The Fourth Grade Confidential comic received a review here: Fanboy Nation Review

The Sleuth: Each round a new player will take on the role of the Sleuth. The Sleuth will be questioning the Characters and following up clues. If the Sleuth catches Characters lying about the items they have he'll get to perform additional actions to help him narrow down where the Target Item is.

The Characters: All other players are Characters in the current mystery. One Character will have the Target Item that the Sleuth is looking for. As the Sleuth questions Characters, they will begin to reveal items they have to prove their innocence, or to throw the Sleuth off the track. Can you be cunning enough to keep the Target Item hidden from the Sleuth? Are you going to help the Sleuth figure out who is the Culprit? Maybe you're just out for yourself. Characters get to take actions if they reveal items the Sleuth is looking for, without giving up the Target Item. But if they are caught lying the Sleuth gets extra actions to help him find the Culprit.

The round ends when the Sleuth runs out of Actions or when he finds the Target Item. Scoring can be totaled for each round and then scores totaled after everyone has had a chance to be the Sleuth an equal number of times.

Also, be sure to check out the Fourth Grade Confidential comic book, available through Drive Through Comics, here! A clever, family-friendly "noir" story, Fourth Grade Confidential is the first comic book ever written and illustrated by a lawyer and his ten-year-old son.

Want to see the entire Fourth Grade Confidential comic voiced by the kids that it features? Check out this video: