EXIT: The Game – The House of Riddles
EXIT: The Game – The House of Riddles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
87 Cards
- 30 Help Cards
- 30 Answer Cards
- 19 Riddle Cards
- 8 "Odd Cards"
1 Book
1 Decoder disk
3 Strange items (magnifying glass, ball, calling card with slits)
Additionally Required Game Materials
In addition, you will need writing implements (ideally, a black felt-tip pen and a pencil), at least one pair of scissors and possibly paper for taking notes. You will also need a watch, ideally a stopwatch.
Game Setup
Get the book and the decoder disk ready on the table.
Carefully remove the magnifying glass and the calling card and set them aside at the edge of the table along with the ball and the "odd cards." You will not need these materials until later in the game.
Sort the remaining cards into three piles according to what is written on their back:
- Riddle Cards (red)
- Answer Cards (blue)
- Help Cards (green)
Please note: Be sure not to look at the front sides of the cards just yet!
Check to be sure that the Riddle Cards and Answer Cards are arranged in ascending order of their letters or numbers. Separate the Help Cards according to their 10 symbols. Place each group of three cards sharing the same symbol on top of one another with the "SOLUTION" card on the bottom, the "2nd CLUE" card on top of that, and the "1st CLUE" card on the very top. Then set the 10 Help Card sets 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 rooms 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 — either to be found in illustrations, or referred to in the text. Whenever this happens, you can take the corresponding card from the Riddle Card deck and look at it.
Example: You see Riddle Card A illustrated in the book. Then, you may immediately take that card from the deck and look at it.
You may only look at an Answer Card after you have entered a code into the decoder disk and have been directed to the corresponding Answer Card.
You may likewise only use the strange items when explicitly told that you have found them. Until then, leave them at the edge of the table!
Course of Play
Your goal is to work together to escape from the House of Riddles in as little time as possible. This would definitely be easier if there were not so many riddles all over the place that have to be solved in order for you to make any progress.
IMPORTANT: To solve the riddles, you can write on, fold, or cut the materials ... All of this is allowed, and sometimes even required. (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. You will keep coming across locked doors and objects. Each of these will display a symbol, and can only be opened with a three-digit code. If you see a riddle, take a close look at the corresponding page of the book and the Riddle Card. Work together to think of how to solve the riddle in order to find the proper three-digit code. Then, enter the code in the decoder disk.
On the outer edge of the disk, there are 10 different symbols pictured. Each symbol stands for a code to be cracked. Pay attention to which symbol is shown on the cards and on the objects in the book! Enter the code under that symbol on the decoder disk — starting on the outside and proceeding toward the center. A number will then appear in the viewing window in the smallest wheel on the disk. This will indicate the number of the Answer Card that you are then allowed to look at.
Example: For the riddle with the [symbol], you have come up with 8 6 1 as the code. You enter this combination under the [symbol] on the decoder disk. In the little window, you will see the number of the Answer Card that you are then allowed to pull out of the deck and look at — in this case, 29.
Is the Code Incorrect?
If so, the Answer Card will tell you with an X. Check the symbol and the code. If that fails to help, take another look at the riddle and try to come up with a different code.
Is the Code Possibly Correct?
If so, you will get an Answer Card showing an overview of objects and cards.
Where Can You See the Code Symbol?
On the Answer Cards showing an overview, the doors and objects to be opened are shown in order. Each locked door or object is marked with a symbol.
In our example, you want to open the door with the [symbol]. So look for the door with the [symbol] on the Answer Card. It will then direct you to another Answer Card.
In this example, you are directed to Card 8. Find this card in the deck. 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 which you will be allowed to take from the deck and look at right away.
Is the Code Actually Incorrect?
Well, in that case you will land on an Answer Card with an X. Check the order of numbers in the code and compare the symbol on the decoder disk with the symbol on the Riddle Card. If the code is still wrong, take another close look at the riddle and try to come up with a different code.
IMPORTANT: You have to solve the riddles in the proper order! In other words: You can continue to the next riddle or turn to the next page in the book only if you have solved the previous riddle and the instructions in the game tell you to do so!
Don't Forget!
- The locked doors and objects are shown in order on the Answer Card showing the overview — first in the left column from top to bottom, then in the right.
- Whether right or wrong, return all the Answer Cards back to the Answer Card deck when told to do so.
- All codes can be solved logically. You shouldn't just try all possible combinations on the 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 symbol on their back sides.
Each "1st CLUE" Help Card gives you an initial useful clue and tells you what you will need in order to be able to solve the riddle.
The "2nd CLUE" Help Cards will give you somewhat more concrete assistance in finding a solution to the 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. Once you have used them, place them face up on a discard pile.
When Does the Game End?
The game ends when you have solved the last riddle and escaped from the House of Riddles. A card will tell you that.
Assessment
Just solving all the riddles is a major victory! If you also want to see how well you did though, you can 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 |
| < 75 Min. | 9 Stars | 8 Stars | 7 Stars | 5 Stars | 4 Stars |
| < 90 Min. | 8 Stars | 7 Stars | 6 Stars | 4 Stars | 3 Stars |
| > 90 Min. | 7 Stars | 6 Stars | 5 Stars | 3 Stars | 2 Stars |
The Game Begins
What are you waiting for? Start the stopwatch or timer!
Now you are allowed to open the book and start the game on page 2.
We hope you have a lot of fun with EXIT — The House of Riddles!
Inka & Markus Brand and Kosmos thank all the test players and rule reviewers.
Certificate
Share your Exit experiences using #exitstrategies
The following players — 1, 2, 3, 4 — on ______ in ______ successfully escaped from the House of Riddles.
What an outstanding achievement — the three detectives offer their congratulations!
- To do it, it took the players ______ Minutes and ______ Seconds.
- They used a total of ______ Help Cards.
- This earned them ______ stars in the assessment!
- The coolest riddle was ______
- The trickiest riddle was ______
Credits
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. Of course, they are also enthusiastic puzzle and escape room fans.
- EXIT concept: KOSMOS (Ralph Querfurth, Sandra Dochtermann)
- Illustration: Katja Annette Witt
- Cover-Illustration: Silvia Christoph
- Title graphics and graphics: Fine Tuning
- Story: Ben Nevis
- Editing: Sandra Dochtermann
- English edition editing: Ed Gartin
This game is recyclable. Separate the plastic from the paper/cardboard.
© 2019 Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG. Pfizerstr. 5-7, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany. Phone: +49 711 2191-0; Web: kosmos.de. © 2020 Thames & Kosmos, LLC, Providence, RI, USA. Thames & Kosmos® is a registered trademark of Thames & Kosmos, LLC. All rights reserved. Distributed in North America by Thames & Kosmos, LLC. Providence, RI 02903. Phone: 800-587-2872. Web: thamesandkosmos.com. Distributed in United Kingdom by Thames & Kosmos UK LP. Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3HE. Phone: 01580 713000. Web: www.thamesandkosmos.co.uk.
Printed in Germany.