The Key: Theft at Cliffrock Villa Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Setup
• Important Information for Investigation of the Case
• Witness Statements and Lab Cards
• How to Play
  • 1. Investigate
  • Evaluating Information
  • 2. Close the Case
  • 3. Generate a Number Code
  • 4. Put the Perpetrators Behind Bars
  • 5. Who Is the Top Investigator?
• Tips for the Next Game
• Solo Variant
• Quick Reference Guide
• Credits

Game Components

• 4 briefcase screens
• 4 investigation files
• 1 solution board
• 4 dry-erase markers with erasers
• 9 wooden keys
• 140 cards:
  • 72 witness statements
  • 68 lab cards: 20 fingerprint cards, 24 surveillance camera cards, 24 found object cards

Each investigator tries to combine the witness statements and the lab results quickly and correctly to solve the case. The winner is the player who identifies the right key code using the least number of clues.

Game Setup

• Each investigator takes one briefcase screen, puts it together as pictured, and places it in front of them.
• Each investigator also takes one marker and one investigation file.
• Shuffle all of the cards and spread them around the center of the table with the back facing up (color code visible). The cards may overlap. All players need to be able to reach them easily.
• Leave the solution board in the box and do not look at it. It is not needed until the end of the game.
• Select a key and place it in the center of the table between the cards. The color of the key shows which case you will play this game.

Return any game components that are not needed back to the box.

Important Information for Investigation of the Case

When:

• The first theft happened at 1 pm.
• The commotion this caused in the exhibition halls was then used for the second theft at 2 pm.
• The last theft happened at 4 pm while the investigators were busy analyzing the previous two thefts.

Who: The three people arrested are:

• Nick Rizzo, 17 years old. Thinking himself a modern-day Robin Hood, he steals from the rich to line his own pockets. His specialties are hacker attacks on security systems and sophisticated deceptions based on changing identities.
• Rob Gonzales Ortega, 45 years old. A crook with organized crime connections. He has been caught multiple times by the police but always manages to walk free thanks to a variety of sneaky tricks.
• Greta Sable, 77 years old. Unscrupulous master thief who knows every trick in the book. She is always well-prepared, very professional, and as a result has never been proven guilty of anything.

What: The following exhibit items were stolen:

• A wooden mask from the jungles of South America
• A diamond-encrusted elephant statue from India
• A valuable crown owned by one of the most influential aristocratic families in the Country

How: The thieves each planned to flee in a different way:

• Wearing a blue pilot suit in a small red propeller plane
• Wearing a blue diving suit through the ocean
• With a red motor-less paraglider

However, due to the bad weather, all three thieves needed to start their escape on foot. That's how they were caught by the operations team.

Witness Statements and Lab Cards

Despite all this information, we're still completely in the dark! As investigators, there are a variety of different sources available to you to help you solve the events in Cliffrock Villa. Witnesses were questioned and their witness statements documented on cards that have been categorized. The forensic lab has also brought to light various helpful clues about the perpetrators and recorded them on lab cards. In addition to fingerprints, they also show found objects from the planned escape and surveillance camera images from the exhibition.

Card value: Witness statements have 2 or 3 investigative points. Lab cards always have 4 investigative points. The higher the value of the card, the more helpful the clue, especially at the start of investigations.

Color code: The individual color code on each card shows which cases the card is useful for. You may only take cards that display a box matching the color of the key selected at the start of the game! Any other cards will lead to an incorrect investigative result.

Category icons: Each card shows two icons that indicate which aspects of the case this card has information about (perpetrator, time of the crime, stolen item, escape, theft 1, 2 or 3). The card pictured in the manual, for example, has information about the perpetrator and the escape.

There are 3 types of lab cards:

• A fingerprint reveals something about the perpetrator and the stolen item.
• A surveillance camera image reveals information about the perpetrator and the time of the crime.
• A found object reveals information about the perpetrator and the escape plan.

You must compare clues from the cards with information in the investigation file or your briefcase and come to the correct conclusions. You can track what information you learn in your briefcase.

How to Play

1. Investigate

There is no turn order; all players investigate at the same time. On the command "Start your investigation!" all players pick a card from the center at the same time. You can decide for yourself which card you want to draw and look at. Then you need to take it. While cards with a higher value provide more specific clues, they count for more negative points at the end of the game.

Important! You may only draw cards that show the color of the selected key for the current game! The other cards are useless witness statements or incorrect findings that will mislead you.

During investigations you should also pay attention to the icons on the cards. In which category are you still missing clues? For example, are you still unsure about which exhibit item was stolen at what time? Then you should look for cards with the symbols of a clock and a stolen item.

After selecting a card, taking it, and evaluating the information (see "Evaluating Information"), you can immediately take the next card of your choice from the center of the table. You may not put cards you have drawn back. It's entirely possible that you will receive information that you already know. Any investigator can suffer this kind of misfortune.

All cards that you have drawn are placed behind your personal briefcase screen without showing them to the others. You can look at them as many times as you want.

Track the results of your personal investigation in your briefcase using the marker. Use the lower part of the screen for this. Results that you can rule out are marked with an "X". You can also circle any findings that you are certain are part of the solution.

For example, if you have determined without a doubt a perpetrator for the theft at 1 pm, then you can rule them out for the other two times and cross them out, while circling them for the theft at 1 pm.

In this way the witness statements and lab results let you rule out more and more options until all three thefts have been clearly solved. Then there will only be a single combination of perpetrator, stolen item, and escape plan remaining.

Evaluating Information

If you have taken a card with a witness statement, you can try to use the statement it contains directly with your investigation board. Sometimes, however, the card only becomes useful later, as you first need other clues to rule something out.

Example of a witness statement: Rob Gonzales Ortega can be ruled out for the second theft at 2 pm because he does not wear glasses, and therefore wasn't the perpetrator at this time. He must have stolen something at 1 pm or 4 pm.

If you have selected a lab result card, take it and try to analyze the clue carefully with information from your investigation card.

• Find out who was recorded by the defective surveillance camera at the specified time to have therefore committed the theft (file page 1).
• Examine who the fingerprint that was found on the stolen item belongs to (file page 2).
• Check who originally had the found object that was lost in the pictured getaway vehicle. The bags of the perpetrators were X-rayed by the security checkpoint before they entered the Villa (file page 3).

2. Close the Case

As soon as you have reviewed enough witness statements and lab results that your investigation board only has 9 free or circled spaces (3 different perpetrators, stolen items, and escape plans), you can close the case.

If you're the fastest investigator and have finished first, grab the key in the center of the table.

Now the other players can continue drawing cards and try to solve the case. After all, it's not necessarily the fastest investigator who wins the game but the most efficient one.

3. Generate a Number Code

The order (from left to right) of the identified perpetrators yields a solution number that can be seen on the left side of the briefcase.

Example: Greta Sable, Rob Gonzales Ortega, Nick Rizzo = 1. Enter this number in the first space of the combination lock on your briefcase. The same is done for the stolen items and escape route plans.

In the end, this will create a number code consisting of 3 digits.

4. Put the Perpetrators Behind Bars

Check the investigation results as soon as all players have generated a number code. Now take the solution board out of the box and place it on the table so that the side with the gray combination locks is facing up.

The fastest investigator, the one who grabbed the key, now looks for a lock on the solution board with a number that matches the number code they discovered.

Is there a lock that shows the number code you determined?

• No? Oh no! Your code isn't right. If the next player in a clockwise direction came up with a different number code, they now look for their code.
• Yes? Carefully insert the key into the corresponding lock on the board. Now flip the board over. Does the color of the key match the lock on the back?
  • No? What a pity! You've made a mistake somewhere in your investigations and are now out of the running. If the next player in a clockwise direction came up with a different number code, they may now check their solution.
  • Yes? Fantastic! You solved the case correctly and the perpetrators are finally behind bars. But were you the most efficient investigator?

Does no one have the correct code? Check that you only used cards showing the color code that matches the key you selected. You may need to draw new witness statements and lab results. Maybe you can work together to discover the solution.

5. Who Is the Top Investigator?

All the players who discovered the correct number code check to see who was the most efficient investigator among them. Each player adds up the investigative points on the back of the cards they collected throughout the game.

Note: Did the player who grabbed the key come up with the correct number code? Then as a reward they may discard one of their cards with the lowest value. This is not added to their total.

The player with the lowest total number of investigative points wins the game. Congratulations — a promotion awaits you!

The other investigators who contributed to the arrest also receive high praise, because they helped justice prevail in the end.

In case of a tie, the investigator who used the least lab cards wins. If there is still a tie, these players win together.

If you want, you can also check your individual performance in the assessment table for the solo variant.

Example: This player has a total of 19 investigative points. A 2-point witness statement that they used is not counted because they were the fastest (they grabbed the key) and can therefore discard it.

Tips for the Next Game

After each game, wipe your briefcase screens off with the erasers on your markers so that the marks do not stain over time.

Then you can play again right away! Shuffle the cards and spread them out in the center of the table with the color code side facing up. Now you can select a different key and play a new case variant.

Please note: the game isn't "used up" after playing 9 color variants. Each game is about combining the individual clues that you draw, so all case variants can be played as often as you like. The riddle and finding the solution are the real challenges — the identified number combination is only the result.

Solo Variant

In the solo variant, you play alone for the honor of being the best investigator. There is naturally no time pressure to find the solution fastest or scramble to draw the best cards. Instead you need to cleverly select cards.

The solo variant is also good for getting to know the game components and becoming familiar with the investigative method.

The game setup and play are the same as the multi-player variant.

When you have solved the case, check the solution code as usual, using the key and the solution board.

Then calculate how efficient your investigation was. The fewer investigative points shown on the cards you used the better. Unlike in the multi-player variant, you may not discard a card.

Scoring guide for the solo variant (lower is better):

Investigative Points	Result
Over 35	Unfortunately, you failed the investigator's test. Why don't you try again?
32 - 35	Whew, that was a close call! Next time you should consider which cards you investigate more carefully.
29 - 31	Not bad, but you can probably do better.
26 - 28	You're a good investigator.
23 - 25	Very good, you're a clever sleuth!
20 - 22	Wow, you're a real master investigator!
17 - 19	Fantastic! Your boss is impressed, and all the villains fear your investigative skills.
14 - 16	You're one of the best investigators around. Nobody can fool you.
Under 13	Wow, you're one of the top investigators in the world! Even Sherlock Holmes could have learned something from you!

Quick Reference Guide

Goal of the game: Try to solve the series of robberies in Cliffrock Villa by cleverly combining clues and witness statements. You need to find out which thief stole which item at what time, and then how they planned to escape. The winner is the investigator who works the most efficiently to find the right solution code and puts the thieves behind bars.

Game setup:

• Each player takes one briefcase screen, one marker, and one investigation file per player.
• Shuffle all the cards and spread them out with the color code side facing up in the center of the table.
• Leave the solution board in the box and don't look at it.
• Select a key and place it in the center of the table within reach of everyone.
• Return any extra game material to the box.

How to play:

1. Investigation
   • All players draw cards from the center at the same time.
   • Note: the color code must show boxes in the selected key color!
   • Place drawn cards behind your screen.
   • Evaluate and combine clues and statements on the cards, using the investigation file if necessary.
   • Mark your findings on your briefcase screen.
2. Close the Case
   • When only one combination of perpetrator, time of theft, stolen item, and escape plan is left, you can grab the key.
   • The other players continue their investigations until they solve the case as well.
3. Generate a Number Code
   • Read the number on the left of the briefcase that corresponds with the determined order of thieves, stolen items, and escape plans.
   • Enter the numbers in the combination lock of the briefcase.
4. Put the Thieves Behind Bars
   • The fastest investigator looks for their number code on the solution board and puts the key in the corresponding lock.
   • Turn over the solution board. Do the color of the lock and the key match? The thieves have successfully been put behind bars.
   • Is there no lock with the number code, the color on the back doesn't match, or the key doesn't fit in a lock? Wrong number code. The other players can take turns in a clockwise direction to check their solutions.
5. Determine the Top Investigator
   • All players with the correct number code add up the investigative points on their cards. The player with the key may discard one of their cards with the lowest points.
   • The player with the lowest total investigation points wins.

Credits

• Game Designer: Thomas Sing
• Illustrator: Timo Grubing
• Game Developer: Annemarie Wolke

© HABA-Spiele Bad Rodach 2020, Art.-Nr. 305543