FOGSITE Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • For the Guardian
  • For the Investigators
• Setup
  • Setup for all players
  • Set up for the Guardian
  • Set up for the Investigators
• How to Play
• The Guardian Turn
  • Move
  • Attack
  • Planning
• The Investigators Turn
  • Explore
  • Move
  • Use / Give
• Game End
• 2 Player Variant
• Easy Rule (for a 15 minutes' game)
• Balancing Difficulty
• Q&A
  • The Guardian
  • The Investigators
• Relic Cards

Components

1 rulebook

For the Guardian

• 3 Intruder tokens (Red, Green, Blue)
• 1 Guardian token
• 23 Ruin tiles (Front: Room space, Back: Inner Wall space)
• 3 Color tiles (Front-JP/Back-EN: Starting Space)
• 2 partitions

For the Investigators

• 3 Investigator tokens (Red, Green, Blue)
• 4 Time Limit tiles (Front: 2/3 players, Back: 4 players)
• 53 Map tiles (Front: Room space, Back: Inner Wall space)
• 4 Digging tiles
• 13 Relic cards
• 3 Starting tiles (Front-JP/Back-EN: Starting Space)
• 3 Mapping Sheets (Front: Normal Rule, Back: Easy Rule)

[① and ❶], [③ and ❸], [④ and ❹] are mirrored

Setup

Setup for all players

• Choose 1 player to be the Guardian.
• The other players become Investigators, and each of them chooses one color (Red, Green or Blue).
• The Guardian has to be facing the Investigators. The Investigators all have to face the same direction.
• Each Red, Green and Blue Investigator token and the Red, Green and Blue Intruder token have to be placed in the same spaces by the players and the Guardian, using the Starting tiles and the Color tiles. (The tokens and Starting/Color tiles that are not used are returned to the box.)

Set up for the Guardian

1. Place the partitions on both sides of the game box. The partitions and the game box lid serve as a screen between the Guardian and the Investigators. Before the game, put two magnets on the outer side of the bottom box and the inner bottom of the lid.

2. Place the Color tiles as well as the Ruin tiles in order to create a 5 by 5 grid. You have to follow these rules while creating the Maze:

   • Ⅰ: The Color tiles can't be orthogonally adjacent to one another.
   • Ⅱ: Use at least 6 Inner Wall spaces.
   • Ⅲ: All the Street-areas have to be connected by at least one side to allow movement orthogonally.

   The Color tile has to show North facing the Investigators.

   Space types:

   • Street-area (movement allowed): Starting space, Room space, Color tile (Starting space).
   • Wall-area (movement is not possible): Inner wall (Ruin tile back), Outer wall (outside of the box).

   Examples from the manual:

   • [Wrong example] Ⅰ → Blue and Red are orthogonally adjacent. Ⅱ → There are only 5 Inner Wall spaces. Ⅲ → There is one Room space with no exit.
   • [Correct example] Ⅰ → The Color tiles are not adjacent. Ⅱ → There are 7 Inner Wall spaces. Ⅲ → All Street-areas are connected.

3. The Guardian places the Intruder tokens on the corresponding Color tiles. The tokens are placed "Standing up." [The Intruder tokens are considered Targets when they are standing up.]

4. The Guardian chooses one Intruder token and lays it down in "Sleeping position." [The Intruder token in that position is considered non-targeted for the time being.]

◆ From that point on, the Maze cannot be changed in any way.

Set up for the Investigators

1. Place your Mapping Sheet with North facing toward the Guardian player. Place your Starting tile and your Investigator token on top of it.

   • The Mapping Sheet represents Outer Wall spaces. Investigators can place a Wall side on these spaces (guessing it is an Outer Wall) but never a Room side.
   • The position of the tiles the Investigators will place during the game is not fixed. Investigators can freely move the tiles (all together and following the same movement) inside their Mapping Sheet.

2. Place the 4 Time Limit tiles next to the game box. Pile up as many Map tiles as shown on the Time Limit tiles.

   • Depending on the number of Investigators, the number of Map tiles used is different:
     • 2 Investigators: 10, 10 and 20.
     • 3 Investigators: 15, 15 and 20.
   • Note (transcriber): the printed manual gives Map tile counts only for 2 and 3 Investigators. The 4-player side of the Time Limit tiles is shown on the tiles but its counts are not stated in the manual text.

3. Shuffle all the Relic cards and hand one to each Investigator. This card will be their starting hand. Investigators place this card face up in front of them. (Once you are used to the game, you can keep it hidden from the other Investigators.)

4. Place the rest of the Relic cards face down in the middle of the play area and put the 4 Digging tokens on top of it.

How to Play

Until the end of the game, the Guardian will play a turn and the team of Investigators will play their turn, in that order. The Guardian plays the first turn of the game.

◆ Follow the instructions in the sections below, in order.

The rules for the 2 Player variant and Easy Rule are on page 4 (see the sections "2 Player Variant" and "Easy Rule" below).

The Guardian Turn

This giant is born in this very ancient maze. It felt the presence of Intruders and woke up from a century-long sleep. It will not go back to sleep until it succeeds in getting rid of these Intruders. Using its knowledge of the maze, its power seems unstoppable.

During its turn, the Guardian token will move and attack Intruder tokens. Its goal is to consume the small amount of time the Intruders have to successfully understand the maze. In order to do so, the Guardian will attempt to attack the Intruders one after another, so that the amount of time they need to discover the complete maze is bigger. If the Time Limit reaches 0, the Guardian wins the game.

During its turn, the Guardian player will give information about the Ruin tiles, move its token and answer the questions the Intruders ask using Relic cards.

◆ Follow the instructions below, in order.

Move

From a Color or Room tile. (optional)

[Move a certain number of times, according to the number allowed by the Time Limit decks.]

The Guardian has to move straight in one direction (don't let Investigators know how you move).

• The Guardian cannot move and come back to its starting space. The Guardian can move multiple times if its movements follow the rules.
• [The number of visible arrows will vary during the game.] Every time a deck of Map tiles is depleted, one more arrow will be visible, allowing the Guardian to move more.

Check the Guardian movements

• The Guardian token moves from its starting space to another space in the maze.
• ■ If the Guardian doesn't attack an Intruder, its turn is over. The Investigators now play their turn.
• □ If the Guardian successfully attacked an Intruder during its movement phase, do the following (see Attack below).

Attack

Remove some Map tiles from the deck (only if an attack succeeded). (optional)

[Multiply the number of Intruder tokens successfully attacked during this turn by 3] and remove that many Map tiles from the right of the Time Limit deck.

[The Guardian must announce how many Intruders have been attacked.]

• Count all Intruder tokens passed by the Guardian (Target and non-targeted ones).

Check if Map tiles are still available.

• ■ If there is no Map tile on Time Limit decks, the game ends. Check the section "Game End" for the game endings.
• □ If Map tiles are still available, do the following (see Planning below).

Planning

Change your next Target. (mandatory)

Check what Intruder becomes a Target and which ones become non-targeted. All the Intruder tokens that have been attacked during this turn become non-targeted (laid down). The ones that have not been attacked during this turn all become Targets (standing up).

• If all the Intruder tokens have been attacked during this turn, nothing happens. Don't change Target.

◆ The Guardian's turn is now over and the Investigators can start their turn.

The Investigators Turn

They heard about a legendary maze hidden in a dark and mysterious place. Believing all legends have truth to them, they organize an expedition. After arriving near a very strange place in the middle of the jungle, they discover an entrance to what looks like an ancient monument from a lost civilization. A few minutes later, they get separated and lost in a foggy maze… On top of that, a monstrous Guardian tries to attack them. How will they escape these dark alleys?

You and your teammates are trying to figure out where you are in this maze. Not knowing your surroundings, you will have to explore and try to find the exit. Doing this task all by yourself is impossible, so use your teammates' information to recreate a map of the maze. That is your only chance to survive.

◆ The Investigators always decide together in what order they play their turns.

During his or her turn, an Investigator can do any number of actions among 3 available (depending on the situation, an Investigator doesn't always have access to all 3 actions). Some actions can be optionally repeated until a condition is met: failing an explore, not being able to move further, not having a card to use or give.

◆ If you cannot do any action during your turn, or if you don't want to do any action, lay your Investigator token down. Your turn is now over. Tell the others that you ended your turn.

Example 1: Move – Explore ○ – Explore ○ – Move – You can still perform actions, but you notice how many Map tiles on Time Limit decks are left and decide to end your turn. Lay down your Investigator token.

Example 2: Explore × – Use – You cannot perform another action. It's the end of your turn.

Check your teammates' Investigator tokens.

• □ All of them are laid down. Go to the next step.
• ■ Some of them are still active. These Investigators play their turn.

Check if Map tiles are still available.

• ■ If there is no Map tile on Time Limit decks, the game ends. Check the section "Game End" for the game endings.
• □ If Map tiles are still available, go to the next step.

The Investigators can now discuss their position in the maze.

If they think all the Intruder tokens in the Box are on the same exact tile, they can decide to attempt escaping the maze.

During the whole game, Intruder tokens and Investigator tokens move in the exact same way.

• □ If the Investigators think all the Investigator tokens are on the exact same tile, they announce "We want to escape the maze". Check the section "Game End" for the game endings.
• ■ If they think they are not on the exact same tile, they announce they don't attempt escaping the maze. Then, all the Investigators raise their token. It's now the Guardian's turn.

Explore

Recreate the Map by placing Map tiles in your Mapping Sheet.

※ If your Investigator token is laid down, this action is not available.

1. Investigator: Choose a space adjacent to your position, and announce one direction: East, West, South or North.
2. Guardian: Check the spaces around the Investigator's position.
   • ○ If it's a Street-area, answer [You can move].
   • ✕ If it's a Wall-area (Inner wall or Outer wall), answer [You can't move].
3. Investigator: Pick a Map tile from the left of the Time Limit deck. Proceed following what the Guardian player told you:
   • ○ [You can move]: Place a Map tile on its Room space side.
   • ✕ [You can't move]: Place a Map tile on its Inner Wall side and lay your token down. You then remove 1 Digging token from the top of the Relic cards deck. If it was the last Digging token, you take one card from the Relic cards deck and add it to your hand. Place the 4 Digging tokens back on top of the deck.

Move

Move along the Street-area.

※ If your Investigator token is laid down, this action is not available.

1. Investigator: Move inside the Mapping Sheet following the Street-area available around your actual position.
2. Guardian: Move the Intruder token of that player's color following the same route.

Use / Give

Use a Relic card or give one to another Investigator.

※ Either the Use or the Give action can only be taken once per turn.

1. Use a Relic card: Choose a Relic card from your hand and apply its effect.
   • Guardian: Discard the Relic card used by the Investigator. (※ The Guardian cannot lie when answering a question asked by an Investigator.)
2. Give a Relic card: Choose a Relic card from your hand and give it to an Investigator of your choice.
   • Chosen Investigator: Add the Relic card you received to your hand.

Game End

If one of these conditions applies, the game ends and the winning side is decided.

Successful escape — If all the Investigator tokens are on the same exact tile when they announced "We want to escape the maze":

• All the Investigator tokens are on the same exact tile → Investigators win.
• All the Investigator tokens are not on the same exact tile → The Guardian wins.

The Investigators disappear — The Guardian wins in each of these cases:

• After an attack by the Guardian.
• After all the Investigator tokens are laid down.
• If the Time Limit decks are fully depleted.

2 Player Variant

Set up: Add a 2nd Investigator with a Mapping Sheet, an Investigator token of an unused color, as well as a Starting tile of that color and a Relic card. Hold two cards in one hand.

During the game: One Investigator will perform actions for the 2nd Investigator. Follow the same rules as in a 3-4 player game, but the action Give is not available.

Easy Rule (for a 15 minutes' game)

Set up:

• Don't use 4 Digging tiles, Relic cards No. 01 to 03.
• Use only 1 Time Limit tile (with the ➡ icon).
• The Guardian's set up: Instead of a 5 by 5 grid, create a 4 by 4 grid. The number of Inner Wall tiles has to be at least 4. Put Inner Wall tiles around the 4 by 4 grid and consider these tiles as Outer Wall tiles.
• The Investigators' set up:
  • During ❶, use the back side of the Mapping Sheet (Easy Rule).
  • During ❷, add all the Map tiles to the Time Limit deck.
  • During ❸, give every Investigator 2 Relic cards as a starting hand.
  • Skip ❹. Don't use the Relic cards deck and Digging tiles.

The Guardian's turn: The Guardian doesn't perform [Move, Attack and Planning] actions. At the end of the Investigators' turn, the Guardian removes 3 Map tiles from the Time Limit deck.

The Investigators' turn: Follow the Normal Rules. In this Easy Rule, you only play with the 2 Relic cards you received at the beginning of the game.

Balancing Difficulty

Depending on the players and how familiar you are with the game, it can be a good idea to make the Guardian or the Investigators stronger. You do not have to use all the modifications. Use the ones you feel could enhance your game experience.

Make the Guardian stronger:

1. Add 1 to the number of moves the Guardian can perform.
2. The Guardian may go through 1 Inner Wall space when moving.
3. The Guardian may now move through a non-targeted Investigator's tile.
4. When removing Map tiles from the Time Limit deck, multiply the number of attacked Investigators by 4 instead of 3.
5. After an attack, if 15 tiles have been consumed from the Time Limit deck, the game ends and the Guardian wins.
6. When an Investigator token passes through the tile where the Guardian is placed, the Guardian may announce it and then lay down this Investigator token.
7. When an Investigator asks a question thanks to a Relic card, the Guardian may lie. This power can be used only once during the game.
8. When the Investigators announced "escape the maze", if the Guardian token is on the same tile as they are, the Guardian still wins the game.
9. The Investigators' turns have to be played in a limited amount of time: 2 minutes per Investigator. This amount can be shared freely, but once the allocated time is over, their turn ends immediately.

Make the Investigators stronger:

1. Only use 3 Digging tiles instead of 4.
2. The Guardian has to announce what Investigator(s) it attacks during its turn.
3. Before the game starts, the Guardian has to tell you what kind of tiles (Street-area or Wall-area) are orthogonally adjacent to your Starting tile.
4. When you Use a Relic card, instead of applying its effect, you may retrieve 2 tiles and add them to the Time Limit deck.
5. The Use/Give action may be repeated any number of times during a single turn.

Q&A

The Guardian

Q: How can I make a good maze? A: Don't create routes (using Room spaces) that are too long. Putting Inner Wall tiles diagonally makes a maze more difficult. Alternate between large open spaces and small open spaces. Try to create a maze in which the Investigators will feel confused.

Q: If an Investigator token ends up on the tile where the Guardian stands, does it trigger an attack? A: No, it doesn't. The Guardian can only perform an Attack action during its turn.

Q: If the Guardian made a mistake in placing an Investigator token after the Move action, what should we do? A: Stop the game for a minute, and let the Guardian check if everything is correctly placed. Once everything seems in order, keep playing.

The Investigators

Q: Is it OK to write down memos or discuss with my teammates during the game? A: Of course! It is advised to discuss as much as you can with your teammates to be successful.

Q: Any advice for winning the game as an Investigator? A: Be sure to remember that the maze is also made of Outer Walls. The 5 by 5 grid is the actual maze, but if you keep going in the same direction without keeping in mind these values, you might end up losing a lot of turns hitting the Outer Walls. The Relic cards are a great help in understanding how the maze works.

Q: We have lost the game but we want to keep playing until we can escape. A: It could be a good idea to do that if you lose your first games. To see how far from succeeding you were, keep counting Map tiles after each Guardian turn (as if it was a negative score).

Relic Cards

Complete translation of Relic cards.

01 [Check the distance between you and the Guardian] Ask the minimum steps needed to reach the Guardian. If you are both on the same tile, the answer will be 0.

02 [Check the Direction of the Guardian] Ask the direction of the Guardian from your position. If it is in the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, or Southwest, the Guardian will answer accordingly. If the Guardian is on the same tile as you, it may answer any direction.

03 [Feel the Guardian's presence] Ask the Guardian what is the distance between both of you. If on the same tile as you, the answer will be 0.

04 [Check the distance between you and another Investigator] Ask the smaller number of tiles between you and another Investigator. The Guardian may choose any Investigator. If you and another Investigator are both on the same tile, the answer may be 0.

05 [Check the direction of another Investigator] Ask the direction of another Investigator from your position. If there is one in any Northeast, Southeast, Northwest or Southwest direction, the Guardian may choose any Investigator and answer accordingly. If there is one on the same tile as you, the Guardian may answer any direction.

06 [Feel an Investigator's presence] Ask how close another Investigator is from your position. When answering, the Guardian may choose any Investigator. If one is on the same tile as you, the Guardian may answer 0.

07 [Search for a Room tile nearby] Ask if there are unplaced Room tiles orthogonally adjacent to you. If there are any, the Guardian chooses which one it indicates using a direction (North, South, East, West). If there are none, it will answer accordingly.

08 [Search the Room tiles in orthogonal directions] Ask the number of Room tiles in each column and row from your position. Your position is also counted.

09 [Check the number of nearby walls] Ask the number of Wall tiles around you. Outer Walls are also counted.

10 [Check the wall closely] Designate one Wall tile on your Mapping Sheet. Ask whether it is an Inner Wall or an Outer Wall.

11 [Resume exploration] Raise your Investigator token up. You may perform Explore again.

12 [Give an extra turn to an Investigator] Designate one Investigator who finished his/her turn. Raise his/her token. This Investigator may play an extra turn.

13 [Recover a lost relic] Designate one Relic card collected by the Guardian. Add it to your hand.