EXIT: The Game – The Cursed Labyrinth
EXIT: The Game – The Cursed Labyrinth Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Caution
CAUTION: Do not look at the game materials (cards, book, etc.) before starting the game!
First, read this rulebook together out loud and carefully follow all the instructions.
IMPORTANT! Do not look closely at any of the game materials before starting the game! Wait until the game instructions tell you that you are allowed to do so.
Game Materials
85 Cards
- 30 Help cards
- 30 Answer cards
- 25 Riddle cards
1 Book
1 Decoder disk
13 Strange items (gargoyle, furniture, push pin, snakes)
Additional Required Game Materials
In addition, you will need something to write with (ideally a ball-point pen or a pencil and an eraser), at least one pair of scissors, a ruler, and possibly some paper for taking notes. You will also need a watch (ideally, a stopwatch). As an alternative, you can use the digital timer with the atmospheric soundtrack. Just select the game in the Kosmos Helper App and click on the hourglass.
Game Setup
Get the book and the decoder disk ready on the table.
Carefully remove the eight pieces of furniture, the three snakes, and the gargoyle from the cardboard sheet. Then use something pointed to poke out the ten holes on the gargoyle, and set it aside at the edge of the table along with the eleven other strange items and the pushpin. You will not need these materials until later in the game.
Sort the cards into three stacks according to their back sides:
- Riddle cards (red)
- Answer cards (blue)
- Help cards (green)
Don't forget: Be sure not to look at the front sides of any of the cards.
Check to make sure that the riddle cards and answer cards are arranged in ascending order in terms of their letters or numbers. Sort the help cards according to their ten symbols. Arrange each group of three cards sharing the same symbol one on top of another, with the "SOLUTION" card on the bottom, the "2nd CLUE" card on top of that, and the "1st CLUE" on the very top. Then place the ten sets of help cards at the edge of the table.
Where Is the Game Board?
This game has no game board! You will have to figure out for yourselves what you need to find in the game and what the spaces look like. At the beginning of the game, you will only have the book and the decoder disk available to you.
As the game continues, you will add the riddle cards — which will either be seen in illustrations or referred to in written instructions. Whenever this happens, you can take the corresponding cards from the riddle card stack and look at them. In this game, you will find the riddle cards arranged in ascending alphabetical order from A to Y.
Example: You see an illustration of Riddle Card A in the book. You may then immediately take that card from the stack and look at it.
You may only look at a riddle card when you have entered a code on the decoder disk and have been directed to that card.
You may likewise only use the strange items once you have been explicitly told that you have found them. Until then, leave them alone at the edge of the table!
Course of Play
Your goal is to work together to find your way out of the Cursed Labyrinth in as short a time as possible. That would definitely be easier if there weren't so many riddles waiting for you, all of which have to be solved for you to make any progress!
IMPORTANT: To solve the riddles, you can write on, fold, or cut the materials — some are even required. All of this is allowed, and sometimes you can only play the game once — after which you will know all the riddles, and won't need the game materials any longer!
Solve the riddles in their proper order as you work through the book. Each riddle is assigned a symbol, and you can't make any progress until you find the right three-digit code. If you see a riddle, take a close look at the corresponding pages in the book and the riddle cards. Put your heads together to try to find the correct three-digit code. You will then enter this code into the decoder disk.
On the outer ring of the disk, there are ten different symbols pictured. Each symbol stands for a riddle and one of the codes you are looking for. Pay close attention to which symbol is shown on the cards and in the riddles in the book! Enter the three-digit code under this symbol on the disk — starting from the outside edge and proceeding toward the center. Then, in the viewing window of the smallest wheel on the disk, you will see a number. This number indicates the number of the answer card that you are then allowed to look at.
Example: You have calculated the code 4 0 2 as the solution to the riddle with the corresponding symbol. Enter this combination of numbers under that symbol on the decoder disk. In the little window, you will see the number of the answer card that you are then allowed to retrieve from the stack and look at — in this case, 12.
Is the Code Incorrect?
If so, the answer card will tell you with an icon. Check the symbol and the code. If that doesn't help, take another look at the riddle to see if you can come up with a different code.
Is the Code Possibly Correct?
If so, you will get an answer card with an overview of objects and cards.
Where Can You See the Code Symbol?
On the answer cards with the overview, you will find an example image arranged in order for each riddle. Each riddle is marked with the corresponding symbol.
In our example, you want to open the wooden crate with a given symbol. Look for the crate with that symbol on the answer card. It will point you to another answer card.
In this example, the card points you to answer card 7. Retrieve this card from the stack. Only this second answer card will tell you if the code is really correct.
Is the Code Really Correct?
If so, the second answer card will tell you how to continue. You will find one or more new riddle cards that you are allowed to take from the stack and look at right away.
Is the Code Actually Incorrect?
Well, in that case you will land on an answer card with an icon. Check the number code sequence and compare the symbol on the decoder disk against the symbol on the riddle cards. If the code is still wrong, take another look at the riddle to see if you can come up with a different code.
IMPORTANT: You must solve the riddles in order! In other words: you can only continue to the next riddle or turn to the next page of the book if you have cracked the previous code and the game tells you that you are allowed to proceed!
Don't Forget!
The riddles are depicted in order on the solution cards with the overview — starting in the left column from top to bottom, and then in the right.
Whether right or wrong, return all answer cards to the answer card stack when requested to do so.
All the codes can be solved logically. Don't just randomly try out all possible combinations on the decoder disk.
Need Help?
The game can provide you with assistance if you get stuck. For each code, there are three help cards that can be recognized by the symbols on their back sides.
In addition to giving you an initial useful clue, each "1st CLUE" help card also tells you what you will need in order to be able to solve the corresponding riddle.
The "2nd CLUE" help cards will give you more concrete assistance in finding a solution to the corresponding riddle.
The "SOLUTION" help cards will tell you the approach to take in solving the riddle and what the correct code is.
Don't be shy about using help cards if you get stuck. Place all used help cards in a face-up discard pile.
When Does the Game End?
The game ends when you have solved the last riddle, escaped from the Cursed Labyrinth, and broken the curse. A card will tell you this.
Assessment
Solving all the riddles is a great achievement! If you want to go beyond that and see how well your achievement stacks up, you can take a look at the table below. When calculating the number of help cards used, only count the ones that gave you NEW hints or solutions.
| Time | No Help Cards | 1–2 Help Cards | 3–5 Help Cards | 6–10 Help Cards | > 10 Help Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 60 Min. | 10 Stars | 9 Stars | 8 Stars | 6 Stars | 5 Stars |
| < 90 Min. | 9 Stars | 8 Stars | 7 Stars | 5 Stars | 4 Stars |
| ≤ 120 Min. | 8 Stars | 7 Stars | 6 Stars | 4 Stars | 3 Stars |
| > 120 Min. | 7 Stars | 6 Stars | 5 Stars | 3 Stars | 2 Stars |
The Game Begins
What are you waiting for? Start the stopwatch or the timer! You are now allowed to open the book and start the game on page 2. We hope you have a lot of fun with EXIT: The Cursed Labyrinth!
The authors and Kosmos thank all the test players and rule reviewers.
The Authors: Inka & Markus Brand live with their children Lukas and Emely in Gummersbach, Germany. They have published many children's and family games together and won numerous prizes. And of course they are enthusiastic puzzle and live escape fans.
Illustration: Michael Menzel. Cover illustration: Martin Hoffmann. Title graphics: Fine Tuning. Editing: Katja Ermitsch. Technical development: Monika Schall. Production: Ralf Paucke. EXIT concept: Kosmos, Ralph Querfurth, Sandra Dochtermann.
© 2021 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. 5–7, 70184 Stuttgart. © 2021 Thames & Kosmos, LLC, Providence, RI, USA.