Break In: Chichén Itzá
Break In: Chichén Itzá Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
For 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up.
Do not open the compartments of the box until the game tells you to. Read all the rules before starting.
- 1 evolving 3D game board
- 52 cards
- 7 Solution tabs (double-sided or single-sided)
- 1 sun (LED lamp)
- 1 three-part jade artifact, hidden in the box
- 1 decoder compass
Setup
Gather the 52 cards into a face-down deck (the side showing the number or symbol is visible). Card no. 1 must be on top of the deck and card no. 52 at the very bottom. Each card is identified by a symbol: during play, each time you find one of these symbols, you can reveal the card that matches it.
Keep the 7 Solution tabs within easy reach. The tabs may be double-sided and show 2 solution icons per side (see p. 3), so that each tab has between 2 and 4 solution icons.
You start the game with the decoder compass. It will let you decipher the cards that give you hints if you get stuck on a puzzle. You also have at your disposal a sun (the lamp and card no. 5), as well as a page of manuscript about the legend of the Jaguar (card no. 6). Reveal these cards right away!
What Lies Ahead
Break In : Chichén Itzá is a cooperative game, but the adventure can also be played solo. Follow the clues you come across and solve the puzzles that await you, so as to gradually reveal the secrets of Chichén Itzá and of the Jaguar's throne. Communicate with one another and note down all the information you find.
Tip If you absolutely want to examine in more detail a card that another player is already looking at, take a photo of it! You can then consult it at the same time without getting in each other's way.
During the game you will encounter two kinds of visuals linked to the game's mechanics: card symbols and solution icons.
Card symbols are not framed. They appear on an orange background, and can be on the box, on a card, or even be the solution to a puzzle. When you see a card symbol, take from the deck the card bearing the same symbol and reveal it.
Solution icons always appear inside a frame. They are associated with an object or a place that you must use to answer a puzzle. They are used in particular to know which side of the Solution tab to use to check the answer to a puzzle.
Warning An item obtained at the start of the game may be useful to you much later in the game!
Checking Your Solutions
After solving certain puzzles, you will sometimes obtain a card symbol. You then simply take the matching card from the deck and reveal it.
For other puzzles, you will need a solution icon, a number and a colour. You must then use a Solution tab. It will show you the symbol of the card you can reveal.
For these puzzles:
- The solution icon tells you which Solution tab to use (which side, and in which direction).
- The number tells you the number of the slot into which you must slide the tab.
- The colour corresponds to one of the lines on the tab and tells you how far to slide it into the slot.
Once you have identified the right icon, the right number and the right colour, slide the tab into the indicated slot and look at the symbol that appears in the window associated with that slot. Then take from the deck the card matching that symbol.
Example (see the illustration alongside): You think you have found the solution to a puzzle. The icon that solves it is the one shown: you therefore take the Solution tab on the side showing this icon. It must be at the top of the tab. The number for this puzzle is 1. You therefore slide the tab into slot no. 1. The colour found is blue. You therefore slide the tab into the slot as far as the blue line. Then read the result in the window: the symbol that appears is that of the card you can now reveal.
If you cannot find the symbol in the deck of cards, if it sends you to a Hint card, or to a card that clearly has no logical connection with what brought you there, then you have not found the right solution. Keep searching and try again (see also the next section, Hints).
(Illustration key: Icon, Colour, Number, Window (where the solution appears), Reveal the card bearing this symbol next.)
Hints
Each puzzle in the game is accompanied by an optional card that gives hints. If you get stuck on a puzzle, you may consult the card indicated. Read the very first hint, at the top of the card, using the decoder compass. If that does not help enough, you may read the next hint, and so on. The last line of the Hint cards gives directly the solution or the symbol of the card to reveal next.
This game has no time limit, and there is no penalty if you use hints. However, you may note down the number of hints consulted during the game and assess your performance on page 7. It is up to you to choose the difficulty level you want to take on and which hints you wish to use.
Starting the Adventure
Read the following text aloud, then begin the adventure!
It is 1833. For years you have studied the Maya people and their many cults, notably those of the Jaguar god. According to your research, the Jaguar carved his secrets into the stone of his ruby throne, before hiding it somewhere in his temple.
You have uncovered legends telling that the Jaguar tricked the feathered serpent, Kukulcán, into swallowing an entire river; and that Kukulcán, realising he had been deceived, then swallowed the Jaguar to punish him. Surviving writings indicate that only a hero able to trap the shadow of Kukulcán could free the Jaguar from the belly of the serpent god.
Determined to confirm the truth of these legends, you did not hesitate to go and see for yourself. The secrets of these gods are undoubtedly a fantastic source for learning more about the Maya people, and you set off with enthusiasm for the mysterious city of Chichén Itzá. The last leg of your journey is made by hot-air balloon: the best way to reach the heart of the jungle without wasting time...
At last! You have arrived! In the distance you make out a clearing and ancient stone structures half-swallowed by the vegetation. You shiver. The adventure is only just beginning!
Reminder: do not open the compartments of the box until the game tells you to.
Remember to explore everything you have access to: look for clues and symbols on the sides and the top of the box as well. If you find a card symbol on an orange background, reveal the card bearing that symbol. Adopt this habit each time you discover a new area: look for all the symbols hidden there and set the matching cards aside, before revealing them.
You may read card no. 1 to guide you at the start of your adventure. (Cards no. 1 to 4 are optional. They allow you to check that you are doing everything in order and not forgetting anything. They do not give hints about the puzzles.)
Saving the Game
You may pause the game and resume it later. To do so, set aside all the elements already used (cards, tabs, etc.). Also isolate the revealed elements that have not yet been used. Take a photo of the box/board and keep your notes safe. When you resume the game, you must take out again all the used and unused elements as well as your notes, and set up the game box back to the stage where you stopped. Furthermore, cards no. 2, 3 and 4 will invite you to take breaks at three different moments in the game.
Score
You have won the game as soon as you have solved all the puzzles!
If you nonetheless wish to assess your performance at the end of the game, set aside the Hint cards you used and note the number of hints consulted. Do not count hints that taught you nothing.
How many hints did you consult?
- 0: Had you already played? What mastery, what perfection! Congratulations!
- 1 to 3: Wow! Such powers of observation, it is impressive!
- 3 to 5: Your flair is beyond doubt! Well done!
- 5 to 10: A little help is enough to put you back on the right track!
- 10 to 15: The adventure gave you a run for your money, but you did not give up: well done!
- 15 or more: Do not despair! It is by exploring that one becomes an (good) explorer!