EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Mystery of the Ice Cave
EXIT: The Game – Advent Calendar: The Mystery of the Ice Cave Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 1 Story book: tells a little bit more of the story day-by-day
- 1 Help book with rule sheet: get help here if you ever can't move forwards
- 1 Decoding table
- 3 Decoding strips in the help book
- and additional secret material for the riddles, hidden behind the 24 doors of the advent calendar
Game Preparation
Before you can start, you need to prepare the decoder. Take some scissors and carefully cut out the three decoding strips shown here. Then thread them through the holes in the decoding table.
Thread the three strips through the corresponding holes horizontally as shown – the red at the top, the blue in the middle and the yellow at the bottom. It's important to thread the three strips in this exact order. Take care not to mix them up, otherwise the decoder won't work correctly.
The numbers are now visible through the central holes on the front of the decoding table.
You will then find an arrow and an EXIT symbol on the back of each strip. You only ever need to pay attention to the arrows and the EXIT symbols which are beneath one another in the centre.
The decoding table is ready to use. Place it on the table, together with the story book.
Additional Game Components Required
You will also need pens (a ballpoint pen, a black waterproof pen and a pencil are best), at least one pair of scissors and some paper for notes, should you need it.
You will find everything else you need behind the doors of the advent calendar.
Where Is the Gameboard?
In this game, the advent calendar itself is your gameboard. You also have the story book. Here you will find out how you came to be in this predicament and every day has an introductory chapter that continues to tell the story. Other than this, you don't have anything else available to you at the start of the game.
Solve Riddles Step-by-Step
Perform the following steps each day:
-
Carefully tear out the current calendar sheet from the story book along the perforated line. The date for the current day can be found at the top of the sheet in the pad.
-
Read the introductory chapter.
-
Open the next door as soon as you are told to do so in the text. Behind this door you will find various things that will help you to solve the riddle of the day. These could be riddle cards and various strange items or objects.
-
Solve the riddle. In general, you may, and must, use everything you find in the current room or in the story book. This is the only way to solve the current riddle.
ATTENTION:
- To solve the riddle you can label, fold or cut up the material — anything is allowed, and much of it is even necessary.
- Keep hold of all of the game components until you have reached the last day of the advent calendar. Do not throw anything away! You may need it again.
- Only ever read the current calendar sheet. Only read the next sheet when you want to start the next riddle.
What Door Do I Continue At?
Don't be surprised that the doors of your calendar do not have any numbers. Only the first door is labelled.
In order to escape from the ice cave, you have to solve riddles from door to door — one day at a time. The solution to the current riddle will show you where to start from the next day. This is how it works:
The solution to each riddle is always a three-digit numerical code. Set the retrieved numerical code on the decoding table using the three decoding strips. Always make sure the numbers are in the correct order.
Have you set the code? Then turn the decoding table over without moving the strips. Now look at the back of the decoding table so that you can read the text and so the polar bear is not upside down. You will now see three arrows in the white region from top to bottom.
These three arrows show you the way to the next door. You always start at your current door. From here, follow the arrows from one door to the next. If you have followed all three of the directions correctly, you will land at a destination door.
Example: The solution to your current riddle is 533. You set this code on the decoding table and turn it over. On the back you will find the arrows: left, top-left, down. If your code is correct, you will find the door for the next day at the specified location. You can check this in the next step.
Note: The arrows will never direct you beyond the edge of the advent calendar during the game. If a direction should lead you beyond the advent calendar, your code was probably incorrect.
Have You Found the Correct Destination Door?
In order to check this, compare the three symbols on the destination door with the three symbols on your decoding table.
Do the symbols NOT match up? Carefully check your route again. Have you followed the directions from the starting door to the destination door accurately? If yes, then your code is probably incorrect. Take a look at the riddle again. Have you missed anything?
If you get stuck and can't continue, don't despair. Take a look at the help pad. Here you will find clues for each riddle which will give you a helping hand. You will find an explanation of how to use the help system below.
Do the symbols match up? You have solved the riddle correctly and will arrive at the next door. Write the date of the next day on the snowball on the new door. The next riddle will then start here tomorrow — of course only after you have read the next chapter in the story pad.
Example: You have solved the riddle for the first day. You set the code and follow the arrows on the decoding table. At the destination you compare the symbols on the new door with the decoding table. They match up, so you write a "2" in the snowball on the destination door.
IMPORTANT:
- You must solve the riddles in order! This means: you can, and may, only ever move forward with the next riddle and open the next door if you have figured out the code beforehand and the text in the game allows you to!
- All the codes can be cracked logically. It's not just about trying out every possible combination on the decoding table.
- Do not forget to label the next door! This is the only way you will immediately know where to continue the next day.
Do You Need Any Help?
If ever you cannot continue, the game help pad will prove useful.
Look for the page with the puzzle date on in the help pad. If you now fold the bottom edge upwards to the corresponding mark, the relevant text will be visible.
Each "1st clue" indicates a first useful clue and shows you what you need in order to be able to solve the corresponding riddle.
The "2nd clue" will give you more specific help in order to find a solution to the corresponding riddle.
The "solution" shows you how to solve it and the correct code for the riddle.
Don't be afraid to use the clues if you cannot continue.
Note: All components of this game have been carefully designed and packaged. If the cards and strange items in a room get muddled up, you can find a Refill Guide for the advent calendar at www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk/product/exit-advent-calendar/. This shows you where the individual components belong. Let someone that is not participating in the game sort the calendar. You can then easily continue with the game.
Please note: This advent calendar contains lots of different creative ideas. In order to make all of them work, it is necessary that every single copy is assembled by hand. Of course this is done with great care. However, mistakes happen. In the unlikely case that a piece of the game material is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our service desk at: [email protected]. Our colleagues will do their best to support you and to provide spare parts, if necessary.
How Does the Game End?
The game ends when you have solved the last riddle and have escaped from the secret ice cave. A clue will inform you of this. After this, read the final chapter of the story book.
The Game Begins
What are you waiting for? Get going! Take the story book, open the first page and start reading the introduction. The first riddle begins on the calendar sheet "1st December".
We hope you enjoy EXIT - ADVENT CALENDAR. The Mystery of the Ice Cave.
Inka & Markus Brand and KOSMOS would like to thank all test players and rule readers.
The authors: Inka & Markus Brand live in Gummersbach with their children, Lukas and Emely. Together, they have published a number of both children's games and family games and won several prizes. Of course, they are enthusiastic riddle and live escape fans.
Credits
EXIT concept: KOSMOS, Ralph Querfurth, Sandra Dochtermann Illustrations: Florian Biege Cover illustration: Martin Hoffmann Graphics: Andreas Resch, Fine Tuning Story: Lena Ollefs Editing: Christian Sachseneder English language editing: Nicky Thomas-Davies, Pamela Evans Technical development: Monika Schall
© 2021 Thames & Kosmos UK LP, 20 Stone Street, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3HE, UK © 2021 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. 5-7, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany © 2021 Thames & Kosmos LLC, 89 Ship Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA
All rights reserved. Made in Germany.