Tajemnicze Domostwo Rulebook

Table of Contents

Objective
Components
Game Setup
Gameplay
Reconstructing the Events
Revealing the True Culprit
- Shared Dream
- Shared Investigation
End of the Game
Two-Player Game Variant
Credits

Objective

Tajemnicze Domostwo (Mysterious Manor) is a social cooperative game for 2-7 players, united by a common goal. Their task is to discover the identity of the perpetrator of a crime committed years ago. One player takes on the role of the Ghost, while the remaining players become the Investigators. Using cards, the Ghost tries to lead the Investigators onto the right trail — from the murder weapon, through the places connected with it and the people involved, all the way to the perpetrator themselves. The entire investigation must be concluded within seven days.

If, within seven turns of play, the players correctly determine the identity of the perpetrator, the game ends in a shared victory for all players. If, however, the last turn of the game comes to an end and the players have not discovered the perpetrator's identity, everyone loses together.

Components

84 Dream cards
1 calendar board
6 Investigator boards
1 time marker
A set of cards for the Investigators (brown back):
- 19 Character cards
- 19 Location cards
- 20 Item cards
A set of cards for the Ghost (blue back):
- 19 Character cards
- 19 Location cards
- 20 Item cards
6 Investigation Progress tokens
12 Investigator pawns

Game Setup

Decide which of you will take on the role of the Ghost. The remaining players take on the roles of Investigators.

Shuffle each type of Investigator card separately — the Character, Location, and Item cards. Then, depending on the number of players and the chosen difficulty level, draw the appropriate number of cards of each type (as specified in the table below) and lay them out on the table face up. Return the rest of the Investigator cards to the box — they will not be needed in this game.

Number of Item/Location/Character cards:

Number of players (including the Ghost)	Easy	Normal	Hard	Very Hard
2*	4	5	6	7
3	5	6	7	8
4	6	7	8	9
5	7	8	9	10
6	8	9	-	11
7	9	9	-	12

* The two-player game variant is explained at the end of the rulebook.

For your first game, we recommend playing on the easy difficulty level.

Example: In a 4-player game, on the easy difficulty level, you will need six Item cards, six Location cards, and six Character cards. If there are six of you and you want to play on the hard difficulty level, you will use 10 Item cards, 10 Location cards, and 10 Character cards.

Place the calendar board next to the Investigator cards. Place the time marker on the first space of the calendar board. Each space on the calendar board represents a successive day of the week, i.e., a turn of the game.

Each Investigator receives the following components in a color of their choice:

an Investigator board, which they place in front of themselves. This will help the Ghost tell the players apart;
an Investigation Progress token, which they place on the top space of their board (next to the word "what?");
one Investigator pawn.

The Ghost receives the deck of Dream cards and one Investigator pawn in the color of each player taking part in the game.

Example: Four players take part in the game. One of them takes on the role of the Ghost, the others become Investigators — they choose the colors white, red, and blue, then take the corresponding game components in those colors. The Ghost therefore also receives one Investigator pawn each in the colors white, red, and blue.

Set aside the remaining, unused components in the box — they will not be needed in this game.

From their own decks of Character, Location, and Item cards, the Ghost draws the exact same cards as those laid out on the table from the Investigators' cards. They put the rest of the cards back in the box — they will not be needed in this game.

Example: The following Item cards are on the table: Fork, Fire Extinguisher, Spider, Letter, Shuriken, Iron, Syringe. The Ghost draws from their own cards the exact same set of Items.

Next, from among the cards they hold, the Ghost chooses one Character, one Location, and one Item card for each Investigator. They do this in such a way as not to show the cards to the Investigators, nor to reveal any details about their content. They place the chosen cards face down in front of themselves and divide them into separate sets corresponding to each player. Using the Investigator pawns, the Ghost marks which set of cards they have assigned to which Investigator. Unused cards should be put back in the box — they will not be needed in this game.

In this way, the Ghost creates combinations — which of the residents (Characters) was in the manor, where they were (Locations), and what they were doing (Item) at the time the crime was committed. It is exactly these combinations that the Investigators must uncover in order to reveal the true perpetrator and win.

Note: At any point during the game, the Ghost may look at the prepared sets of cards, but may not swap individual cards between them.

At the end of the setup stage, the Ghost draws 6 cards from the top of the Dream deck into their hand.

Now you are ready to begin the investigation.

Gameplay

The entire game lasts a maximum of seven turns and is divided into two stages:

RECONSTRUCTING THE EVENTS
REVEALING THE TRUE CULPRIT

Reconstructing the Events

During the Reconstructing the Events stage, the Investigators try to determine which of the residents (Characters) was in the manor, where they were (Locations), and what they were doing (Item) at the time the crime was committed.

For as long as the players are in the Reconstructing the Events stage, each turn of the game consists of the following phases:

DREAM
INVESTIGATION
MYSTERIOUS SIGNS

Dream

At first, each Investigator's task will be to discover the Item chosen by the Ghost. Once the Investigator has determined the Item, they will need to discover the Location, and then the Character indicated by the Ghost.

In the Dream phase, the Ghost examines the cards that they chose for each Investigator during setup. Then, in turn, they select Investigators and lay down in front of each one one or several Dream cards from their hand that they associate with the Item/Location/Character chosen for that Investigator.

The Ghost may not give an Investigator clues concerning the Location or the Character until the Investigator has guessed the Item. Likewise, they may not point to a Character until the Investigator has guessed the Location.

The Ghost lays the cards down in front of the Investigators face up (revealed), so that they are visible to all players. The Investigators may freely comment on the Dream cards they and the others have received.

After laying down the Dream card(s) for a given Investigator, the Ghost replenishes their hand with Dream cards so as to have 6 again. In this way, the Ghost will always be choosing from among 6 cards for each Investigator.

Note: If at any stage of the game the Ghost needs to replenish their hand to 6 cards but the Dream deck does not contain enough cards, shuffle the discard pile of Dream cards to form a new Dream deck.

As soon as the Ghost has given the first Investigator their Dream card(s), all Investigators may already begin the Investigation phase, without waiting for further cards. The Ghost may need a moment to think about the next cards, and in the meantime, instead of waiting idly, the Investigators can already start analyzing the clues they have received.

The Ghost then selects the next Investigator and lays down in front of them one or several Dream cards that they associate with the Item/Location/Character assigned to that Investigator.

The Ghost does not have to lay down Dream cards in front of the Investigators in any particular order (clockwise or otherwise). However, the Ghost may not give further Dream cards to an Investigator who has already received cards this turn.

Note: If the Ghost feels that the Dream cards they currently hold are of little use and would not make good clues for the Investigators, they may discard all 6 Dream cards to the Dream discard pile and draw 6 new cards into their hand.

Depending on the difficulty level the players have chosen, they may do this a set number of times:

on EASY level - once per turn,
on NORMAL level - 3 times during the game,
on HARD level - once during the game,
on VERY HARD level, the Ghost may not exchange the Dream cards in their hand.

Investigation

Once any of the Investigators has received a Dream card, the Investigators may begin the Investigation phase.

The players analyze the Dream cards they have received and try to guess what the Ghost is trying to indicate to them. The Investigators discuss, advise each other, and share their guesses. Each of them then makes a decision about their Item/Location/Character.

After the discussion, each Investigator places their Investigator pawn on the Item (Location/Character — depending on what they currently need to guess) card laid out on the table that they believe the Ghost is trying to indicate to them by means of the Dream cards given to them.

During the game, the Ghost is not allowed to help the Investigators verbally or with gestures. The only means of communication with the other players available to them are the Dream cards.

Once all the Investigators have placed their pawns on cards, the Mysterious Signs phase begins.

Mysterious Signs

In this phase, the Ghost announces to the other players whether their decisions were correct or not. If an Investigator correctly interpreted the clue given in the form of a Dream card, the Ghost reveals their Item/Location/Character card that was correctly guessed.

Identified Item and Location cards can be put back in the box — they will not be needed in the game any longer. Guessed Character cards, however, are left by the Ghost in front of themselves, as they will be needed in the Revealing the True Culprit stage.

If the required Item is correctly identified, the Investigator moves their Investigation Progress token on their board one space down. They then discard all the Dream cards they received that pertained to the guessed Item.

The Investigators proceed in the same way when they guess a Location or Character card.

An Investigator who has guessed all three cards in the combination (Item/Location/Character) the Ghost chose for them has completed their task in the Reconstructing the Events stage. In subsequent turns, they help the other players interpret their Dream cards, until the moment when all Investigators have guessed all the cards assigned to them (Item/Location/Character).

If an Investigator misinterpreted their Dream card (pointed to the wrong Item/Location/Character), they do not discard the Dream cards in front of them. On the next turn, the player will receive new cards pointing to the same Item/Location/Character. They will then have more Dream cards to analyze and find similarities between, which will help them make the right choice.

Once all the players know whether their decision was correct or not, the turn comes to an end. Move the time marker to the next space on the calendar board. The Investigators retrieve their pawns.

A new turn begins.

When all the players have guessed all the cards from the combinations prepared for them (Item/Location/Character), the game moves to the final stage. Put all the Investigator cards back in the box, except for the Character cards that have been identified by the players — these will be needed for the rest of the game. Subsequent turns will follow the rules of Revealing the True Culprit.

Sample Turn Sequence

The Ghost and three Investigators (Danuta, Paweł, and Leszek) are taking part in the game. They are playing on the easy level. It is the second turn of the game.

Danuta already guessed the Item assigned to her by the Ghost in the first turn, so only 5 Item cards remain laid out on the table, and the Investigation Progress token on Danuta's board is at the "where?" position. Accordingly, this turn the Ghost gives her a Dream card that they associate with the Location assigned to her. They then replenish their hand to have 6 Dream cards again. Neither Paweł nor Leszek guessed in the first turn what the Ghost was trying to tell them with the Dream cards given to them, so those cards still lie in front of them (and the Investigation Progress tokens on their boards are at the "what?" position). The Ghost first gives Paweł two Dream cards, which should point Paweł toward the right trail.

They then draw two cards so as to be choosing from six again, after which they give a card to Leszek and replenish their hand.

After analyzing their cards and consulting with one another, the players guess which cards they believe the Ghost is trying to indicate to them — Danuta chooses a Location, while Paweł and Leszek choose Items. Once everyone has chosen, the Ghost announces whether they succeeded.

Danuta did not indicate the correct Location, so she keeps the Dream card she received. Leszek, this time, managed to indicate the correct Item, so he discards its card from among those laid out. He also discards the Dream cards he held and moves the Investigation Progress token on his board to the "where?" space — next turn he will have to identify the correct Location, just like Danuta. Paweł again failed — he keeps the Dream cards he received and will make another attempt to discover the correct Item next turn.

At the end of the turn, the Ghost moves the time marker to position 3. The next turn begins.

Revealing the True Culprit

Having reconstructed a complete picture of the events on the day of the crime, the Investigators must determine the true criminal.

The Ghost takes all the revealed Character cards they had laid out in front of them and shuffles them. From the thoroughly shuffled deck, the Ghost draws 1 random card, looks at it, and places it face down in front of themselves. This card represents the criminal, whom the Investigators must correctly identify in order to win the game. The only thing the Ghost now needs to do is correctly indicate this Character to the other players. To do this, they will once again use Dream cards. The remaining Character cards will no longer be needed in this game — they can be put back in the box.

During the Revealing the True Culprit stage, turns are divided into the following phases:

SHARED DREAM
SHARED INVESTIGATION

Shared Dream

Just as in the Dream phase during the Reconstructing the Events stage, the Ghost holds 6 Dream cards in hand. They examine them and choose one or more cards that they believe will be the best clue for the Investigators. They then place them in front of the other players. Using these cards, they try to indicate who really committed the crime.

The Ghost should keep in mind that while they are looking at the Character cards laid out in front of the Investigators, the Investigators may observe them — e.g. their facial expressions or where they are looking. In order not to accidentally give away the culprit Character through their behavior, they should do this carefully, paying attention to the signals they might be sending.

The Ghost then lays out the remaining Dream cards from their hand, separately from those mentioned above. In this way, the players can also analyze the cards that, in the Ghost's opinion, are not suitable for discovering the culprit.

Shared Investigation

During this phase, the players jointly determine the identity of the culprit. After analyzing the Ghost's clues and agreeing on their decision, the players point to one Character who, in their opinion, committed the crime.

The Ghost then announces whether their decision was correct. If the players have discovered the identity of the culprit, the Ghost reveals the face-down Character card laid out in front of them, and the game ends in victory for all the players.

If the players made the wrong decision, the turn comes to an end — the players do not discard the Dream cards they received as a clue. On the next turn, they will receive more cards to analyze and make the correct decision. Move the time marker to the next space on the calendar board. The next turn is played according to the rules of the Revealing the True Culprit stage.

End of the Game

If the players correctly determine the identity of the culprit within the 7 turns allotted to them, the game ends in victory for all the players.

The Investigators receive a reward from the owner of the manor, and the Ghost, whose innocence has been proven, may finally rest in peace forever.

If, at the end of a turn, the time marker is on space 7 of the calendar board (Sunday) and the players have not discovered the identity of the culprit, the players lose the game.

Two-Player Game Variant

In a 2-player game, one player takes on the role of the Ghost, and the other the role of the Investigator.

The Investigator, however, receives 2 sets of Investigator components in colors of their choice: 2 boards, 2 Investigation Progress tokens, 2 pawns.

The Ghost prepares two Character/Location/Item combinations, so during the Reconstructing the Events stage, the Investigator must identify two Characters, two Locations, and two Items.

Credits

Game designers: Oleksandr Nevskiy and Oleg Sidorenko
Board, token, box, and rulebook layout design: Rafał Szyma
Insert design: Maciej Mutwil
Illustrations: Igor "DartGarry" Burlakov, Mariusz Gandzel, Karolina Węcka, Mateusz Bielski
Cover: Igor "DartGarry" Burlakov
Rulebook text: Łukasz Piechaczek, Maciej Molenda
Thanks to: Nikolai Ambrozyak, Larysa Melnyk, all playtesters, Merry