Four Suspects

About this board game

Four Suspects is a deduction game for 2–5 players with a listed play time of 45 minutes. One murder has occurred, four suspects have alibis, and one missing alibi must be identified.

The game includes 16 cards, each representing a suspect’s alibi at a particular location and time. After the cards are shuffled, one is set aside as the missing alibi, while the remaining cards are divided among the players. By questioning one another and combining the answers, players work to determine which card is absent.

On a turn, a player chooses one of three available interrogation cards. This card determines what information they may request from another player, such as how many cards show either the park or the shopping mall, or how many cards show the young woman. Every answer adds another piece to the deduction.

• Interrogation cards: Choose questions that reveal information about opponents’ cards.
• Coins: Gain one whenever another player asks you a question, helping balance the disadvantage of being questioned frequently.
• Assistants: Spend coins on special abilities, including lying, avoiding showing cards, or taking another turn.

In a 2-player game, each player has two hotel rooms containing three or four guests, and questions concern the occupants of only one room. These added details and the assistants require players to combine different kinds of information rather than rely on a single clue.

With its focused questions, shifting advantages, and challenging deduction, Four Suspects offers a compact mystery for deduction game enthusiasts. The game’s components are language independent.