Overview
Clue junior game is a fun game that helps youngsters develop their detective skills. The game is fun as players attempt to solve a mystery. In the original version of Clue Jr, the game setting takes place in a mansion just like the adult version but in this case, no murder is involved. There are other versions of the game that take place in other settings. The game is suitable for children from age 5 to 8.
Objective
The game’s objective is to solve a mystery. The mystery depends on the version being played. It could be to determine who broke the rules in some way, who ate the last piece of cake, who hid a treasure, etc.
Clues Game Jr. Rules
Roll the die an act out what you rolled. If you roll numbers, move that number of spaces on the board. Players can move their pawns in any direction. If you roll a skateboard, move your pawn into any space on the board. If you roll a magnifying glass, don’t move. Instead, check the base of any other player’s pawn for a clue.
Players can only collect one clue per turn.
When a player’s turn ends on an arrow space next to a room, the player looks into the room for a clue.
If your pawn ends up in a space already occupied by another pawn, check the base of that pawn for a clue.
A player can guess the solution to the mystery at any time. The player must announce their solution to the other players and then check the mystery card to see if they are correct. If the player guessed right, they show the mystery card to the others and the game ends. If the player is wrong, the mystery card is returned without it being seen by the others and the game continues. Note that the player that guessed wrong is out of the game.
There are several variations of Clue Jr. and some have unique rules. You can check the instructions for the version that you have for specific rules.
Number of Players Needed
2 to 7 players.
Equipment
- Game board
- Character pawns
- Furniture tokens
- Bases
- Detective notepads
- Label Sheets
- Die
Setting Up
First, the card with the mystery in question is placed in the mystery revealer sleeve with the door closed. Each player then picks a character pawn and a notepad (or a sheet from a note pad if there are not enough notepads to go round). The players must each check the base of their chosen pawn for a clue and then note it in their detective note pad. After this, the pawns are placed on the start space that matches the color of each pawn.
The youngest player is usually allowed to go first, and play continues to the left. Players may decide to roll the die to determine who goes first. The player with the highest die roll gets to go first in this case, and play also continues to the left.
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How to Play Clue Jr.
Players take turns to roll the die and act out what they roll. The game is played with a special die that has both numbers and images. If a player rolls a number, they move their pawn that number of spaces on the game board. Players are allowed to move their pawn in any direction. If the space that a player’s pawn would land is occupied by another player’s pawn, the player checks the base of the other player’s pawn for a clue.
If a player rolls a skateboard, the player can move their pawn anywhere on the board. If a player rolls a magnifying glass, the player cannot move their pawn. Instead, the player is allowed to pick up any other pawn on the board and check its base for a clue. The player marks their sheet and then return the pawn they picked to its position on the board.
When a player is satisfied they gotten enough clues and can guess the solution to the mystery in question, the player announces their solution and then proceed to check the mystery card to see if they are right or wrong. If the player is right, the player shows the card to the others and the game ends with that player declared the winner. If the player is wrong, the mystery card is returned to the mystery revealer without the other players seeing what is written on it. The player that made the wrong guess is out for the rest of that game. The other players continue to play until the mystery is solved.
There are several versions of Clue Jr. each with a different mystery to be solved. Some of these are discussed below.
Carnival version- Case of Missing Prizes: The carnival version involves solving the mystery of missing prizes. Depending on the age of the players, there are two ways of playing this version of Clue Jr. The simple version is suitable for younger children. Players must find out who took the prizes and when. The other version is for slightly older kids and involves the players finding out where the prizes were before they went missing in addition to discovering who took the prizes and when they were taken. In the carnival version of Clue Jr., if a player lands on a ride, they can look at the clue located there.
Hidden Toys Version: This version requires players to solve a case of a hidden toy. The players attempt to figure out which pet has hidden which toy in the clubhouse. Unlike in the original version, the hidden toys version is not played in a mansion with rooms, but in Neighborhood Places. Some spaces on the game board have arrows next to a Neighborhood place and when a player lands there, they can look into the Neighborhood Place and see which pet is there. If a player lands on a space already occupied by another player’s pawn, the player is allowed to check the base of that pawn for a clue.
Missing Cake version: Solving a case of missing cake is sure to make kids excited. Players must unravel the mystery of who ate the cake, when it was eaten, and what drink was consumed with the cake. The game pieces for this version include yellow and white bases. The white bases represent when the cake was eaten while the yellow bases represent the drink that was consumed.
A special die is used to play this game. The die has yellow and white colours, and also numbers. If a player rolls yellow, the player gets to look under any furniture token for a clue. If they roll white, they check under any character pawn for a clue. If a die roll yields a number, the player moves any character pawn that number of spaces on the game board. If the pawn lands on a yellow footprint, the player looks under the furniture token in that room. If it lands on a white footprint, the player looks under the moved character pawn for a clue. If the moved pawn ends up on a black footprint, the player is not allowed to look at anything and their turn ends.
Missing Pet version: In this version, the objective is for players to figure out the missing pet, where it is hidden, and who took the pet. This version has features that are not found in the original version. It has seven trap doors and two spaces which are unique to it. The unique spaces are; Check Clue Here, and Check Clue Anywhere. These two spaces give players free access to gain new clues.
Sponge Bob SquarePants version: This version requires players to help Sponge Bob find his missing jelly fishing net and when it was taken. The game is played with similar instruction to the Missing Cake version.
Pirate Treasure Hunt: Finding a hidden treasure is the objective in this version of Clue Jr. Players try to find out which pirate hid the treasure and where.
Winning the Game
When a player is confident they have collected enough clues and can guess the solution to the mystery, they announce their solution to the other players. The player that guessed will check the mystery card for confirmation of their guess. If they guessed right, the player shows the mystery card to others for confirmation of their win. This player is then declared the winner and the game ends. If the player guessed wrong, the mystery card is returned without the other players seeing what’s written on it and the game continues. The player that made the wrong guess is out for the rest of the game.