Spotlight: Fantasy
Spotlight: Fantasy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 5 boards
- 5 dials (in 5 colors)
- 1 sand timer
- 5 Lanterns (in 5 colors, double-sided)
- 60 Search cards
- 5 player pawns
- 1 Moon die
- 7 Rush tokens
- 1 Moon pawn
- 1 poster (purely aesthetic, not essential for gameplay)
Variant components: 4 Quadrant tokens, 5 Quadrant cards, 1 Challenge token.
Goal of the Game
Spotlight is a cooperative game in which the players work together to uncover as many hidden characters as possible. Play through 5 rounds, aid each other, and ensure nobody gets back to camp too late!
Cooperation or competition?
Spotlight is primarily a cooperative game, but, with a few simple rule adjustments, it can transform into a competitive experience. The rules for the cooperative mode are given first; instructions for competitive play are under Competitive Mode below.
Game Setup
First of all, choose the right place! We suggest that you play in a not-too-bright room to increase the magic effect of the lanterns. Avoid placing yourself right under a strong light source!
- Give 1 board at random to each player.
- Give 1 lantern, 1 dial, and 1 pawn of the same color to each player. Keep your lantern on the "Bright" side.
- Take a number of Rush tokens equal to the number of players +2 and place them face up on the table, visible to all players.
- Place the sand timer and the Moon die on the table, in reach of all players. (Alternatively, you can use the Spotlight timer web app instead of the sand timer.)
- Shuffle the Search cards and place the deck on the table with the Picture side facing up. If you're playing with kids, we recommend playing only cards with the kids symbol.
- Place the box in the middle of the table with the track showing, within easy reach of all players.
- Place the Moon pawn on the space of the track labeled with the Moon icon and the player pawns on the space of the track marked with the start icon.
How to Play
1. Start the Search!
Look at the card on top of the deck. This will be the Hidden Picture to find this round. You all search for the same picture.
Flip the sand timer to start the round. Slip your lantern into your board, between the transparent layer and the cardboard background. Then, all players start searching simultaneously! Each board includes multiple copies of the picture depicted on the card, try to find them all!
Note: Everyone searches by themselves. You cannot talk to the other players about your findings. Don't say aloud the number of copies you find, and don't let the others know if you think there are many or just a few!
When the sand timer runs out, the search is over. It's ok to steal a few seconds if you forgot to check the sand timer, but if you want to be precise with the timing, we suggest using the Spotlight timer app.
Note: If you're playing with younger children, you can refer to the rules for the Kids mode (see Difficulty Levels) for a more relaxed gaming experience.
2. Make Your Guess!
When the search is over, remove your lantern from your board. Set your dial to the number of Hidden Pictures that you have found and place it in front of you, face down. Remember: It's against the rules to disclose the number of Hidden Pictures you've found to the other players!
When all players are ready, reveal your dials simultaneously. You will now know how everyone did!
Warning! Each copy of the Hidden Picture on the board may be in a different pose than the one depicted on the card, but it will always be clearly recognizable!
3. Advance the Players!
Turn the card over to the Solution side. The circle in the upper left corner shows the total number of Hidden Pictures it was possible to find.
The square boxes, on the other hand, indicate the precise locations of each Hidden Picture on the board with the corresponding symbol. These are only included as an aid: you don't have to be able to tell where each of the Hidden Pictures can be found, but you can use it if you are curious to see what you have missed.
You advance your pawn on the track as many spaces as the stars shown above the number you marked on your dial, +1 bonus space if you marked the exact number of Hidden Pictures shown on the card, as a bonus for your hawkeye.
If, on the other hand, you marked on your dial a number that is higher than what is shown on the card, you do not advance at all!
Stay together! You all want to get back home in time! After everyone has moved their pawns, any of the players in the lead (but just one per turn!) may help another player. By moving back 1 space, they can grant 1 advancement to another player of their choice.
Not available when there is just 1 player!
4. Advance the Moon!
It's time for the Moon to advance, too!
First of all, check the back of the card you just played again. Some cards show 1 or more Moon icons near the solution. If that is the case, the Moon immediately advances that many spaces on the track.
Then, throw the Moon die and check the result:
- Single-moon face: Advance the Moon 1 additional step.
- Double-moon face: Advance the Moon 2 additional steps.
- Flame face: All players flip their lantern to the Faint side. You will play the next round with a smaller spotlight! Just for 1 round: Remember to flip your lantern back to the Bright side when it's over!
If, at the end of the Moon movement, one or more players have been reached or passed by the Moon pawn, it means it is getting reeeally late, time to rush!
If you still have any Rush tokens face up, flip 1 of them for each player reached or passed by the Moon. By doing so, you can move that player's pawn to the space in front of the Moon token.
If, on the other hand, all of your Rush tokens are already flipped face down, the game is over (see End of the Game).
When you are done, discard the card you just played. There is a new Hidden Picture on top of the deck. Get your lanterns ready, and start a new round!
End of the Game
The game ends after 5 cards have been played, or if at any time any player's pawn is reached by the Moon pawn and you have no Rush tokens left.
If no one was left behind, it's a victory! Now, add up:
- The number of Rush tokens still facing up;
- The number of empty spaces between the last player's pawn and the Moon pawn.
The result is your Game Score. Compare it to the table below to check how good you were!
| Game Score | Result |
|---|---|
| Any player reached | Try again! You need to get everyone home! |
| 0-2 | Just in time! |
| 3-5 | Not bad at all! |
| 6-9 | A great team! |
| 10+ | Unbelievable! Time to try a more difficult mode! |
Warning! After playing a few games, there is a risk that some of you may remember the solution of a card by heart. If any of you is sure they remember the solution when you draw a card, discard it and draw again. If you have played many Spotlight games and this happens to you with many cards, we recommend that you switch to the Quadrant Variant.
Difficulty Levels
You can play Spotlight at a different difficulty level, to increase or decrease the challenge based on the players' age or your expertise.
- Kids: More time to search! Recommended for young players. After the sand timer runs out, you can flip it and play 1 additional minute. Alternatively, set the mode to Easy on the Spotlight app.
- Easy: This is the introductory difficulty level, which follows the rules described in the previous pages.
- Normal: The Moon moves faster! During the Advance the Moon phase, move the Moon 1 additional space. Put the Challenge token on the table with the corresponding side facing up as a reminder.
- Hard: The Moon moves even faster! During the Advance the Moon phase, move the Moon 2 additional spaces. Put the Challenge token on the table with the corresponding side facing up as a reminder. You won't have many chances to miss characters in this mode.
Time Challenge: Once you become accustomed to Spotlight's characters, you may try to increase the difficulty even more by reducing the time available for the search. Use the Spotlight timer app and set the time limit to FAST (45 seconds) or SUPER FAST (30 seconds). With tight time limits, you are forced to spot the characters at first glance, because you won't have a chance to see the same area twice. Is your eye fast enough?
Quadrant Variant
After a few games, you and your friends may remember the solution for some cards. If you have become that expert, this is the mode for you!
Each board is divided into 4 quadrants, each represented by one of these symbols: square, circle, diamond, and triangle. You can check the position of each quadrant on your board by looking at the small recap to the right of the yellow stripe at the top of your board. Note that the symbols are on different quadrants from board to board.
When you play with the quadrant variant, apply the following changes:
- Before starting, choose or randomly pick a Quadrant token. Each token shows one of the four symbols, slashed out.
- Each player places a Quadrant card on the corresponding quadrant of their board.
Start playing with the usual rules, with the following exception: you can't search in the quadrant covered by the Quadrant card when looking for Hidden Pictures. Also, when you look at the Solution side of the card, ignore the number shown in the upper left corner: instead, the correct solution is the number shown next to the symbol of the ignored quadrant at the bottom of the card. The same goes for the Moon advancements.
Note: The border between quadrants is marked on each board edge by small black triangles and in the center of each board by a white flag.
Competitive Mode
Apply the following changes to play competitively!
Game Setup: Remove the Moon token, the Moon die, and the Rush tokens from the game as they won't be needed.
How to Play: In the Advance the Players phase, ignore the "Stay Together" box as cooperation is not required.
The Advance the Moon phase is not present. Instead, at the end of the round, the leading player (or players) on the track flips their lantern to the Faint side: they will play with a smaller spot in the next round. All the other players keep their lanterns on the Bright side.
End of the Game: After 5 cards, the game is over. The most advanced player on the track wins! In the event of a tie, victory goes to any tied player using a Faint lantern. If the tie persists, victory is shared.
Quadrant variant: The Quadrant Variant is available in competitive mode by applying the same changes as in the cooperative mode.