History Detective: The World History Board Game

Make Learning History Fun

History Detective is a trivia board game built around the high school World History course. Five eras, from 1200 to the modern global order. Two hundred and fifty questions. One board. It was designed by a student who had to find her own way through it.

1–5 players · 30–60 minutes · Ages 14+ · 250 cards

Clara's story

History Detective was designed by Clara Barnes. She came up with the idea in her sophomore history class, when her teacher told everyone to make their own flash cards and making them inspired her to take the creative learning to the next level. She built a board around the five eras of her course, created and tested the game on her friends, as well as getting feedback from her history teachers. Clara is excited to share the History Detective as a way of making learning fun.

“I used to struggle with history. It felt like a bunch of random facts I couldn't keep straight, and I figured it just wasn't my thing. At some point, I started thinking about it more like solving something instead of memorizing it. That idea turned into History Detective — a game I built around the AP curriculum and tested with friends. Somewhere along the way, history started to click. It became a lot more interesting, and even fun. I made this for anyone who feels stuck with history.”

— Clara Barnes, from the back of the box

Why it works

• No quizmaster. The player to your left reads your card — the question and all four options, aloud. Nobody sits out, and no parent gets stuck running the quiz.
• Built on the curriculum. Fifty questions per era, written and checked against the historical record, following the arc of the high school World History course. It isn't a workbook and doesn't feel like homework.
• Playtested by the people it's for. Tested the only way that counts: with high school students trying to take a test.

How to play

Every player is a detective. Roll, move, and answer. Every correct answer puts one of your pawns on that era. Fill all five eras and you've declared history solved.

• Roll and move. Each player rolls the die; highest roll goes first, and play passes clockwise. On your turn, roll and advance your detective, then draw a card from the era deck matching the space you land on.
• Answer a history question. The player to your left is your card reader: they read the question and all four options aloud. Choose A, B, C, or D, and they reveal whether you're correct.
• Collect evidence. A correct answer lets you place one of your pawns on that era's large square on the board. A wrong answer earns nothing. Your turn ends, and your card reader rolls next.

Special squares

• Go Back / Go Forward scrambles which era you're thrown into next.
• Dark Ages — you lose two turns where you stand.
• Pick Your Own Category — take the era your rolls have been keeping you away from.

Winning

The first detective to place five pawns in each of the five eras, twenty-five in all, wins immediately. If no one has completed all five eras by the time a detective reaches FINISH, that detective takes one final bonus turn, and the player with the most pawns on the board wins.

Short on time? Every deck stands on its own. One era is a twenty-minute game — the version that gets played on a Tuesday night before an exam.

The five eras

Fifty questions each, one historical face to a deck. Every question is multiple choice with four options — you can reason your way in.

• Foundations & Early Civilizations (1200–1450) — Marco Polo
• Global Interactions & Early Modern Era (1450–1750) — Elizabeth I
• Revolutions & Industrialization (1750–1900) — Toussaint Louverture
• Global Conflicts & World Wars (1900–1945) — Mahatma Gandhi
• Cold War & Globalization (1945–Present) — John F. Kennedy

What's in the box

• 250 question cards — 50 per era, four options each
• 1 game board
• 5 detective pieces
• 125 pawns — 25 in each of five colors
• 1 die
• Rules printed on the back of the box

Standard poker-size cards (63 × 88 mm) in a 240 × 240 mm box, manufactured by LongPack Games. Built to survive a teenager.

A finished game, not a concept

Every one of the 250 questions has been written and checked against the historical record. The artwork is complete and we have a finished prototype from LongPack Games, a factory that manufactures for established board game publishers. This campaign will fund the first production run.

Rewards

• Founders Edition ($50) — one copy of the game, shipped before it reaches the public. Free US shipping. Estimated delivery January 2027.
• Classroom Set ($169) — four copies shipped together, for teachers and study groups. Free US shipping. Estimated delivery January 2027.
• Gold, Platinum and Founding Sponsor ($100–$300) — support the launch from anywhere in the world, with a listing on the supporters page at historydetectivegame.com. Platinum and Founding Sponsor add a personal note or video thank-you from Clara.

Games ship within the US only for this first run. International backers can join through the Supporter tiers.

Which reward is right for you?

Want the game? Choose the Founders Edition ($50), or the Classroom Set ($169) for four copies. Both ship free within the US in January 2027.

Want to support Clara but don’t need a game? Choose a Sponsor tier (Gold, Platinum or Founding Sponsor). These tiers do not include a game. They exist so friends and family outside the US, where we can’t ship this first run, can back the launch. Your name goes on the supporters page, and Platinum and Founding Sponsors also get a personal thank-you from Clara.

In the US and want both? Pick any Sponsor tier, then on the next screen (Add-ons) add the game to your pledge. It ships to you with everyone else’s

Frequently asked

Is this a study aid or a game?
A game! And not just for students - anyone who loves history will have fun playing.

My kid isn't taking AP World History. Is it still worth it?
Yes. If you want a fun game to play with your kids that is education - we have you covered.

Does one person have to run the game?
No. The player to your left reads your card. Everyone plays.

How long does it take?
30–60 minutes for a full game. One era on its own runs about twenty minutes.

Is it too hard? My kid gets frustrated.
Difficulty varies by era, and Pick Your Own Category lets a player steer toward what they know. Four options and a board that moves you along regardless means nobody stalls out. It isn't super easy and it isn't super hard.

Can adults play without teenagers present?
Yes!