Die drei ??? und der Feuerdiamant

Die drei ??? und der Feuerdiamant Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Idea

Family game for 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up.

In this game you investigate together to solve four criminal cases. Whenever four exculpatory clues have been found for a suspect, that suspect can be ruled out as the culprit. By collecting exculpatory clues, you gradually get on the trail of the real culprit. The culprit has only three exculpatory clues: the fourth is an incriminating clue, which is set aside at the start of the game. You win together if you unmask the culprit before a hazard indicator on one of the four hazard tracks reaches the last space.

The hazard tracks demand skill and good teamwork. Events lurk on them that must be kept under control. If a hazard indicator reaches the last space of a hazard track, the game ends immediately and you lose together.

The game contains four criminal cases that are all interwoven. Before the game begins, read aloud the unsolved case descriptions on the 4 case cards. Do not yet read the face-up ("AUFGEDECKT") side. Then place the case cards within reach.

The Four Cases

The four case cards are: Kriminalfall Entführung (Kidnapping case), Kriminalfall Erpressung (Blackmail case), Kriminalfall Feuerphantom (Fire Phantom case) and Kriminalfall Diamantenraub (Diamond Theft case). Each case has its own hazard track on the edge of the board, and each case is linked to one colour (Brown, Blue, Red, White) for its hazard indicator and clues.

Game Setup

The game board shows 10 locations in Rocky Beach. The locations are connected by paths. Each path is divided into individual spaces (fingerprints). Along the edges of the board are four hazard tracks, one for each of the four criminal cases.

Setting Up the Game (with 4 players)

Hazard indicators: The 4 hazard indicators (Brown, Blue, Red, White) show how far each criminal case has progressed. Decide which difficulty level you want to play at, and place the hazard indicators on the matching starting position of their same-coloured hazard track. The difficulty levels are: 1 = easy, 2 = medium, 3 = hard, 4 = very hard, 5 = almost impossible. (The hazard indicator starts on difficulty "2" in the illustration.)
Overview: Place the "Overview: Sequence of a Turn" card next to the board. You can look at it at any time to see what options you have in your turn.
Dice: Set out the hazard die (with symbols) and the movement die (with numbers).
Playing figures and name plates: Each player chooses a playing figure and a name plate in one colour: Justus (White), Peter (Blue), Bob (Red) and Inspector Cotta (Grey). Place your figure on the Central Office (Zentrale) at the bottom left of the board. Place your name plate in front of you. (If there are fewer than 4 players, return the unused figures and name plates to the box.)
Events: Shuffle the 28 event tokens (Ereigniskärtchen) face down, then place them face up on the exclamation-mark spaces of the four hazard tracks.
Obstacles: Shuffle the 6 obstacle tokens (Hindernisplättchen) face down and place them next to the board. (They come into play later, through some clue cards.)
Persons: The 9 person cards show 6 suspects and 3 helpers. Shuffle them. Place one person card face down on each location of the board, except the Central Office. This means there is one person at each of these locations.

Components Not Used Without the App

For the board game without the Play it smart app, you do not need the following components. Sort them out before the game and return them to the box. They are only needed for the game with the app:

24 clue cards with a silhouette in the lower left corner
12 suspect chips

Game Sequence

One player begins, and then play continues clockwise. When it is your turn, first roll both dice. Then carry out the following four steps in the given order:

Hazard
Movement
Action
Detective cards

1. Hazard

First the hazard die is evaluated. Depending on the coloured symbol rolled, move the hazard indicator on the corresponding hazard track forward by one position. If the star symbol is rolled, you may freely choose which of the four hazard indicators to move forward by one position.

If a hazard indicator reaches or passes a position with an event token, that token is activated immediately. Roadblocks are placed on the game board. All other tokens are put into the box after their instruction has been carried out. If several event tokens are reached in one turn, they are all carried out in the order in which they appear (see the description on page 6).

2. Movement

You may move your playing figure along the paths in any direction, by at most as many spaces as the movement die shows. Your playing figure may also stay on its location without moving. Each fingerprint and each location counts as one space.

Example: Bob rolled a 4 but moves only three spaces, so that he stops at the location "Jachthafen" (Marina).

3. Action

If your playing figure's movement ends at a location (even if you stayed on that location), you may carry out one of the following actions (a–d) there. The following actions are possible depending on the situation at the location:

a. ACTION: Reveal a clue card

If a face-down clue card is at your playing figure's location, you may reveal it and leave it face up. Each time you reveal a clue showing a red obstacle symbol, you take a face-down obstacle token and place it face up on that location. (Obstacle tokens are added for as long as they are available. After 6 obstacle tokens, no further ones come into play.)

Example: Bob has revealed the glove. In the left corner of the clue he sees that the glove is linked to Elliot Krieger. Nothing else happens.

Example: Bob has revealed the hammer. In the left corner he sees that the hammer is linked to Skinny Norris. In the right corner of the card there is an obstacle token symbol, so Bob takes one of the face-down obstacle tokens lying next to the board and places it face up on this location. The meaning of the obstacle tokens is described under "Action c".

Example: Peter has revealed Victor Hugenay. He wants to interrogate him. To do so, he reveals the clue card on the Jachthafen, because he believes he remembers a matching clue for Hugenay here. The clue shows in its left corner that it is linked to Elliot Krieger. It stays face up on the Jachthafen. Hugenay has nothing to do with the glove clue and goes into hiding. He is therefore placed face up next to the board. (The suspect stays out of the game until you return him to the board with the detective card "Rückruf" (Recall) or with the helper "Morton".)

Fits: If the clue card and the suspect card match, you have successfully interrogated the suspect, and this yields new findings. Place the clue card face up under the picture of the respective person on the suspect track. Then draw a new clue card from the stack and place it, unseen and face down, on the vacant space on the game board (only as long as there are clue cards left in the stack). In this way you have the chance to link more and more clues to the suspects, until, in the best case, you can assign all 23 clues and conclude who the culprit is.

For each successful interrogation, draw a detective card from the stack.

Example: Peter has revealed Victor Hugenay. He wants to interrogate him. To do so, he points to the timer switch (Zeitschaltuhr), in whose left corner it can be seen that it is linked to Victor Hugenay. The interrogation is therefore successful, and the investigation moves forward. The timer switch is placed face up under Hugenay's picture on the suspect track. Peter then draws a new card from the clue stack and places it, unseen and face down, on the location where the timer switch had been lying.

b. ACTION: Reveal a person card and interrogate or use it

If a face-down person card is at your playing figure's location, you may reveal it and interrogate it (suspect) or use it (helper).

If it is a suspect card, you may interrogate the suspect (see "Interrogating a suspect").
If it is a helper card, you may use the helper's function (see "Using a helper").

If the person card at your playing figure's location is already face up, you do not need to reveal it. However, you may still interrogate the suspect (suspect) or use the helper (helper).

Interrogating a suspect: After (following the movement phase) you have revealed a suspect card, or are standing next to a face-up suspect card, you may interrogate the suspect immediately. For a successful interrogation you must find a clue card that is linked to the suspect. The player may point to a face-up clue card at any location, or reveal a clue card at any location.

Does not fit: If the clue card and the suspect card do not match, the wrong clue card stays face up on its location. Without a matching clue you cannot make progress with the suspect! However, the suspect is annoyed at being investigated and goes into hiding immediately. That is, the suspect card is placed face up next to the game board. (Note: when interrogating, you should not reveal clues at random, but in most cases point to clues that are already face up, so that the suspects do not all go into hiding.)

Using a helper: If your playing figure has moved to a location with a helper, and you reveal the helper card or use the face-up helper card, the following happens:

Morton: If you have just revealed the Morton card, or the card was already face up, you may return one person card of your choice that is lying next to the game board (a suspect or a helper) to the board. Place the person card face up on a location of your choice where no person card is lying, except the Central Office. If no person card is lying next to the game board, this action is not possible.

Uncle Titus: If you have just revealed the Uncle Titus card, or it was already face up, you may remove any roadblock or obstacle from the game board and put it in the box. That token is then out of the game. (However, no roadblock may be removed from a hazard track.) If none of the tokens is on the game board, this action is not possible.

Each time you remove a roadblock or obstacle, draw a detective card from the stack; see action c.
Aunt Mathilda: If you have just revealed the Aunt Mathilda card, or it was already face up, you may draw two detective cards from the stack, as long as the stack still contains cards. If the detective cards are used up, this action is not possible.

With Aunt Mathilda you draw two detective cards from the stack.

c. ACTION: Remove an obstacle or roadblock

This action is only possible when two playing figures are on the same location: if, on the location to which you have moved your figure, there is another playing figure as well as an obstacle or an adjacent roadblock, you may remove an obstacle or a roadblock from this location and put it in the box.

Each time you remove a roadblock or obstacle, draw a detective card from the stack.

Obstacles: As long as an obstacle lies on a location, no action other than removing that obstacle can be carried out there. If a clue revealed during an interrogation shows an obstacle, the interrogation ends immediately. The obstacle blocks this location completely. Person cards and clue cards there are inaccessible: they may not be revealed, used or interrogated. As long as an obstacle lies on the board, it also has a negative influence on the game.

d. ACTION: Draw a detective card in the Central Office

If your figure is in the Central Office, you may draw a detective card from the stack. Detective cards can only be drawn as long as the face-down stack still contains cards. Once the detective cards are used up, this action is no longer available.

In the Central Office you draw a detective card from the stack.

4. Detective Cards

At the end of your turn, you may play one or more of your detective cards to carry out special actions.

The majority of detective cards can only be played at the end of your own turn, after you have carried out your action. Many of these cards require your figure to be on a location with a specific person, or in the Central Office. Some of these cards allow you to carry out one additional action (of your choice).

Exception: Detective cards showing the fellow-players symbol (a group of figures) may be played at any time, including to help a fellow player on their turn. No matter who plays the detective card, it is always carried out by the player whose turn it is.

There is no limit to the number of detective cards that may be played. All played detective cards are returned to the box.

Uncovering the Criminal Cases

For each of the four criminal cases there are six clue cards. If all six clues of one colour are visible, either under the suspect track or on the game board, that case is uncovered. Turn over the corresponding case card and read it aloud.

End of the Game

To win the game, you must identify the culprit. At the start of the game you slid one clue card face down under the suspect track. Remember? The culprit is pictured on that clue card. You must gain insight into more and more clue cards through successful interrogations. After each successful interrogation, another clue card is placed face up under the suspect track, and a new clue card comes into play from the stack (at first face down).

Late in the game, when the stack of clue cards has run out, it is enough to look at the remaining clue cards on the game board. As soon as all four clue cards of a suspect are visible, that suspect is cleared and innocent. If only one suspect with just three clue cards remains, that must be the culprit.

Won! At the end of any turn, you may accuse one of the six suspects of being the culprit. To do so, you name the suspect and then reveal the clue card set aside at the start of the game. If the correct culprit was accused, you win together. (This also applies if you only guessed correctly! Guessing is recommended if you fear that a hazard indicator will reach the end of a hazard track.)

Lost! If you accuse the wrong suspect, you lose together. You also lose if, in the course of the game, a hazard indicator on one of the hazard tracks reaches the last position, because then the respective crime could not be prevented:

Commissioner Reynolds is found unconscious. He survives, but his sharp instinct for criminal cases is gone for good.
The poison reaches the water supply, and the drinking water of Rocky Beach remains contaminated for months.
The Fire Phantom causes a great conflagration, and the historic town hall of Rocky Beach is reduced to rubble and ashes.
The famous Fire Diamond is stolen from the art gallery and remains lost forever.

Cards and Tokens

The Detective Cards

You may play detective cards, if you wish, in the same turn in which you received them, or later.

Playable at any time

"Ignore an Event Token" (Ignoriere ein Ereigniskärtchen): This card can be played at any time when an event token is on a hazard track. The event token is then put into the box without any effect.
"Ignore the Result of the Hazard Die" (Ignoriere das Ergebnis des Gefahrenwürfels): This card can be played at any time after the hazard die has been rolled. The die result is not carried out.
"Investigation Success" (Ermittlungserfolg): This card can be played at any time. It allows you, at any point in time (also after rolling the dice and before carrying out the die result), to move the position of any one hazard indicator back by one position.
"Add +3 to the Result of the Movement Die" (Addiere +3 zum Ergebnis des Bewegungswürfels): This card can be played at any time after the movement die has been rolled. It allows the player whose turn it is to move their playing figure up to three additional spaces. (If two players play this card at the same time, the active player may move their playing figure up to six additional spaces.)

Playable only at the end of your own turn

"Central Office" (Zentrale): If your playing figure is in the Central Office, this card allows you, at the end of your turn, either to draw two detective cards from the stack, or to move one hazard indicator back by two positions, or to put the first event token ahead of the hazard indicator of any one hazard track into the box. (Note: In the Central Office you may normally draw a detective card. If you also play this card, you receive three detective cards in total.)
"Wolf's Face" (Wolfsgesicht): If your playing figure is on the location with the face-up Wolf's Face card, this card allows you, at the end of your turn, to put the first event token ahead of the hazard indicator of any one hazard track into the box, because the encounter with him advances the investigation. (If another suspect is pictured on such a card, proceed in the same way.)
"Morton": If your playing figure is on the location with the face-up Morton card, this card allows you, at the end of your turn, to move any one hazard indicator back by two positions. (If another helper is pictured on such a card, proceed in the same way.)
"Remove an Obstacle Token ..." (Entferne ein Hindernisplättchen ...): This card allows you to remove an obstacle token at the location where your playing figure stands, even if no second figure is on that location.

If you remove an obstacle, you draw a detective card from the stack.
"Remove a Roadblock ..." (Entferne eine Straßensperre ...): This card allows you to remove an adjacent roadblock at the location where your playing figure stands, even if no second figure is on that location.

If you remove a roadblock, you draw a detective card from the stack.

The Obstacle Tokens

An obstacle blocks the location on which it lies completely. No action other than removing the obstacle can be carried out at this location. In addition, the effect described on each obstacle token applies to every turn of every player, regardless of where their playing figure is, for as long as the obstacle token lies on the game board.

"No Suspects" (Keine Verdächtigen nutzen): This prevents all interaction with suspects. No player may interrogate while this obstacle lies on the game board. No player may play or use a detective card with suspects.
"No Helpers" (Keine Helfer nutzen): This prevents all interaction with helpers. For example, with Aunt Mathilda no player receives the usual two detective cards, Uncle Titus removes no roadblocks or obstacles, and Morton cannot return suspects to the game board. No player may play or use a detective card with helpers.
"No Drawing or Using Detective Cards" (Keine Detektivkarten ziehen/nutzen): This prevents all interaction with detective cards. As long as this token lies on the game board, you may neither draw detective cards (also not when you remove an obstacle, for example), nor play detective cards.
"Hazard Die x2" (Gefahrenwürfel x2): This doubles all hazard symbols on the hazard die. After every roll, the hazard indicator must then be moved forward on the hazard track by 2 positions per die result. (Note: If an event token is to be carried out that requires the hazard die result to be doubled while this obstacle lies on the game board, the hazard indicator on the hazard track is moved forward by 4 positions.)
"Hazard Symbols on Event Tokens x2" (Gefahrensymbole auf Ereigniskärtchen x2): This doubles all hazard symbols on the event tokens whenever these are to be carried out.
"Movement Die -2" (Bewegungswürfel -2): This shortens every movement of a playing figure by 2 spaces, for as long as this obstacle lies open.

The Event Tokens

When a hazard indicator on a hazard track reaches or passes a position with an event token, that token is activated. Event tokens with text are mostly self-explanatory. Further notes follow.

If an event token shows two symbols, the corresponding hazard indicator on the hazard track is moved forward by two positions. (In the illustration, the blue hazard indicator is moved forward by two positions.)
A roadblock is placed on the fingerprint space between the two named locations (in the illustration, the fingerprint space between the Kunstgalerie (art gallery) and the Zeitungsverlag (newspaper publisher)). This fingerprint space is blocked for the players: they may neither enter it nor pass through it.
If you are to shuffle two face-up suspects and return them face down, these may be taken from any locations. If only one suspect is face up, that suspect is placed face down at its location.
If face-up suspects lie at "Palisades Park" and at "Hospital", they are placed face up next to the game board. If only one of the two locations has a face-up suspect, only that suspect is placed face up next to the game board.