The Key: Escape from Strongwall Prison

The Key: Escape from Strongwall Prison Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

4 dry-erase markers with erasers
9 wooden keys
1 solution board
130 large investigation cards: 94 witness statement cards, 36 lab cards (18 laundry cart cards, 18 navigation cards)
103 small gang cards: 25 cell block cards, 60 interrogation cards, 18 gang symbol cards

(Also in the box: briefcases, maps and investigation files, one per investigator.)

Game Setup

Each investigator takes one briefcase, assembles it as pictured, and places it in front of them.
Each investigator also takes one marker, one map, and one investigation file.
Shuffle all the large investigation 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.
Now repeat this with all the small gang cards. Place these on the table as a second pile next to the large cards.
Leave the solution board in the box initially, and do not look at it. It is not needed until the end of the game.
Select a key together and place it in the center of the table between the two piles. The color of the key shows which case variant you will play this game.
The rest of the game materials go back into the box.

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

Important Information for Investigation of the Case

Breakout locations

This is how the perpetrators escaped from the locked cell block:

One person broke through a panel in the heavy security door. This small hole allowed the door to be opened from the other side. (Case 1)
A second person cut a medium-sized hole in the security wire on a prison window. (Case 2)
One last person blasted a large hole in the wall to escape from the cell block. (Case 3)

Important: Both inside the cell block (from the cell to the breakout location) and in the prison yard (from the breakout location to the laundry depot) the escapees always took the shortest route possible. No unnecessary detours were made.

Perpetrators

The three gang bosses are:

Gonzo Musone, 48 years old. In prison, he is the head of the "Aggros", a group of inmates who solve their problems through violence.
Lady Corinna Windhouse, 54 years old. The lady surrounds herself with an elite group of select inmates with the gang name "Blings". After all, "Everyone has their price."
Nick Rizzo, 17 years old. Rizzo is head of the "Genius" gang. They are always thinking three steps ahead. The only way to join the gang is by solving an extremely tough riddle.

Gang members

These 6 inmates remained in prison after the gang bosses fled: Jason Beau, Greta Sable, Rob Gonzales, Amit Khan, Jennifer "Wings of Revenge" Ortega, and Olivia Goodwill Dillington.

If you want to survive in Strongwall Prison, you need allies. Each prisoner therefore belongs to one of the three gangs. Each gang always consists of exactly 1 boss and 2 inmates.

Laundry carts

3 different laundromats work for the prison:

Miller, a family-owned company, uses yellow laundry carts with a bright red retro print. The 2 stars in the logo stand for two generations of clean laundry.
The laundry EasyClean is the largest laundromat in the city. It can be recognized by its blue laundry carts with a timeless rust-colored logo featuring 6 stars.
The laundromat business named Deluxe Delight takes care of all kinds of everyday laundry. It uses discreet black laundry carts, which stand out for their green circle of stars. Each of the 8 stars represents a rating as a test winner!

Hideouts

The perpetrators went into hiding in the following places:

The Royal Star Casino is a shady hotbed of sin in the city.
The Classic Cars used car dealership specializes in restored vintage cars from the glory years; a good place to hide out.
Johnny's Tattoo Studio is in the quieter east part of the city. Local customers are just as inscrutable as the maze of backyards in the neighborhood.

The Cards

In this case, the cards are placed in 2 large separate piles: one pile contains the large cards with information about the case itself (witness statements and lab results). The other pile contains small cards with information about the gangs (interrogations, gang symbols and cell block).

Large investigation cards

Witness statements have 2, 3, or 4 investigative points (the card value). The higher the value of the card, the more helpful the clue.
Lab cards always have 4 investigative points. There are 2 types of lab cards: laundry cart cards always reveal something about perpetrators and laundry carts; navigation cards reveal something about laundry carts and hideouts.
Color code: the individual color code on each card shows which cases the card is useful for. Only cards that show a box matching the color of the key selected at the start of the game can help you! Any other cards will lead to an incorrect investigation result.
Category icons: different icons indicate which aspect of the case a card has information about (perpetrator, laundry cart, hideout, gang affiliation). The example card has a statement about the perpetrator and their hideout. Further icons show Case 1, 2, 3, or general information on the cases.

Small gang cards

Cell block cards provide information on how the gangs are divided. A cell block card always has 3 investigative points.
Gang symbol cards always clearly show the gang affiliation of the inmate. A gang symbol card always has 5 investigative points.
Interrogation cards: the first interrogation card is free but each time one is taken it costs 1 investigative point more. The second card therefore costs 1 investigative point, the third one costs 2, and so on.
Interrogated person: when each interrogation card is drawn, you ask the inmate shown a question about the breakouts. The question always refers to one of the gang bosses (Gonzo, Corinna or Nick) and one aspect of their escape (breakout location, laundry cart, or hideout). For example, the interrogation card shown contains a statement from Olivia. She answers a question about the case (= breakout location) of gang boss Nick.

Important: If a person is giving a statement about their own gang boss, they cover for them: it is a lie. If it is a statement about the boss of another gang, it is the truth.

If the gang affiliation is already known, this can lead to valuable information about the case. On the other hand, a statement about a part of the investigation that is already known can provide valuable insights into the division of the gangs.

How to Play

1. Investigate

Everyone plays at the same time. There is no set order. 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. Always make sure that the color of the selected key can be found in the color code of the card. Place each evaluated card behind your briefcase.

Important! You may only draw cards that show the color of the key selected for the current game! The other cards are useless witness statements or incorrect findings that will mislead you. If you notice that you took an incorrect card, you may continue your investigation without using it but at the end of the game it will still count as one of your used cards.

During investigations you should also pay attention to the category icons on the cards. In which category are you still missing clues? For example, are you still unsure about which boss was hiding in which laundry cart? Then look for cards with the symbols of a perpetrator and a laundry cart.

Have you taken a card, evaluated it, and kept it? You can immediately take the next card of your choice from the center of the table. The only exception to this rule is open interrogations, described below.

Once you have taken a card, you may not put it back. It is 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 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 your findings about the case. 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, have you irrefutably identified a perpetrator for the hole in the wall (Case 3)? Then you can rule this person out for the other two types of breakout and cross them out.

In this way, the various cards let you rule out more and more options until all three breakouts have been irrefutably solved. In the end there will be only one combination of perpetrator, laundry cart, and hideout for each type of breakout.

You will also need the gang affiliation of all inmates for the final solution at the latest. Make a note of the information you have collected about this on the gang overview on the top right side of your briefcase.

For example, have you identified Rob and Jennifer as the two members of Gonzo's "Aggros"? Then circle them next to Gonzo and cross them out for Corinna and Nick. As the "Aggros" are made up of 3 members in total, the gang is complete. The remaining four inmates are therefore not "Aggros" and can be crossed out here.

Evaluating Information

Witness statements: if you have taken a card with a witness statement you can try to use the statement it contains directly on your investigation board. Sometimes, however, the card only becomes useful later, and you first need other clues so that you can rule something out.

Example: "Corinna Windhouse can be crossed out for the sawn window, as she is the only one not wearing dirty clothing. This means that she must have escaped through the door or the hole in the wall."

Interrogation cards can be drawn and evaluated at any time, just like any other type of card.

Important: Sometimes, when you turn over a witness statement card you will find an interrogation symbol in the bottom right corner. Before you draw your next card, you must now conduct an open interrogation. If you don't need another card to close the case, you don't have to conduct the open interrogation.

Open interrogation:

Take an interrogation card of your choice (with the same color identity as the selected key) and place it face up in front of your briefcase so that all players can see it.
Each player can now access this information for free.
Each player has only one space for open interrogation cards. If you conduct a second open interrogation, place the new interrogation card on top of the previous one. The information on the card below is now no longer visible to anyone.
Once the open interrogation has been conducted, you can decide for yourself what happens next.
Cards from open interrogations are not added to the investigative points at the end of the game.

Lab results: if you have selected a card with a lab result, pick up the investigation file or map and try to analyze the clues accordingly.

Laundry cart cards (investigation file): The perpetrators were hiding in the washing carts of the three different laundromats. Photos show the laundry carts before and after a perpetrator climbed in. One of the three laundry carts has already been identified as untouched. From the footprints found, you can clearly deduce which of the escapees was involved. Take a close look and examine the two piles of laundry shown. The contents of only one of the laundry carts has changed slightly (file page 3).

Tip: Each type of laundry cart follows its own rule. If you know what to look for, you will find the differences much easier in the future.

Navigation cards (map): Once they rode out of the prison yard, the perpetrators overpowered the van drivers and made their way to their hideouts. On the way, they took long detours to cover their tracks. However, you can use the vans' navigation devices to find out which laundry van drove to which hideout.

Basic rules:

Follow all the instructions row by row from left to right, one after the other. When you have completed an instruction, stop at the next intersection, and follow the next instruction there. At the end, each navigation map leads to precisely one of the three destinations.
Connection disrupted: the instruction can only be "left", "straight ahead", or "right". You must try out the various solutions!
U-turn symbol: turn around immediately and drive in the opposite direction.
Straight-ahead arrow: the van drives straight ahead until it reaches a one-way street crossing the road / a roundabout and stops there.
Roundabouts are always marked. For example, "At the roundabout, take the third exit."
Destination symbol (e.g. restaurant): the van drives straight ahead until it passes it. The same applies to many other destinations.
End of navigation: the navigation ends. If the van is now on one of the 3 red crosses, the location above is the hideout you are looking for.
The instructions are followed as often as they are printed. For example, a single straight-ahead arrow means the van drives straight ahead at the current intersection. The next instruction is then followed.
Navigation always starts with the journey out of the prison yard and always with the first instruction. You therefore first must determine whether the van turns left or right onto the road. After exiting the prison, the access roads to the prison are ignored.
Road traffic regulations are always observed (e.g. one-way streets).
The van never leaves the map.

Example: The yellow van of the laundry Miller always leaves the prison yard heading east. Unfortunately, the first instruction is unclear. So you do not know if the van turns right or left. Let's see: If you were to turn right, you would drive straight ahead at the next intersection and then incorrectly turn right into the one-way street; so you can rule this out. Now you know that the van turned left. It then drove straight ahead at the next intersection and then turned right. Afterwards...

2. Close the Case

If you have circled 3 different results in each of the 3 columns and assigned all 6 inmates to the 3 gang bosses, you can work out the code!

3. Generate a Number Code

First 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: Nick, Corinna, Gonzo = 6. Enter this number in the first space of the combination lock on your briefcase. Do the same for the next two rows for the laundry cart and hideout. This will create a number code consisting of 3 digits.

Gang codes: The case has been solved, but now you must find the gangs' contacts! Only their insider knowledge will give you the final code.

Follow the string to the lock below the first case. Here you can see a gang symbol. Who is the perpetrator of Case 1 and what gang do they lead? The two members of this gang left in prison then each come forward with a name (file page 3). Put the two names together and search for them under the relevant entries (file page 3). At the end, you will get a modification of the previous code. Make this change and enter the new code under Case 1.

Example: In this example, the code determined by the case is 612. In the first case (the broken door), Nick is the perpetrator. You can see that Jason and Olivia are in Nick's gang, the Genius. Jason reveals the name "George" and Olivia the name "Meyers". So, look for "George Meyers" in the relevant names. George Meyers does exist and he will lead you on the trail of Thomas William, who indicates that you have to swap the first two numbers of the previous code! So, under Case 1, you write 162.

Now follow the same steps for Case 2 and Case 3. After the third modification, you will get the final code. Write it in the gold lock on the right side of the screen. That is your result!

Once you have determined the final number code on the gold lock, your job is done! If you are the fastest investigator and have finished first, grab the key in the center of the table. Place your marker in the center to indicate that you are done.

If you have open interrogation cards in front of your briefcase screen, you may now turn them face down as you have helped enough!

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

4. Put the Perpetrators Behind Bars

As soon as all players have placed their marker in the center, check the results of the investigation:

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, may now look 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 may 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 have 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 the most efficient investigator among them was. Each player adds up the investigative points on the back of the cards they collected throughout the game.

Reminder: Each interrogation card always has one investigative point more than the last, starting at 0 investigative points. Interrogation cards placed in front of your screens as open interrogation cards never cost you investigative points. For example, 6 interrogation cards have a total of 15 investigative points: 0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15.

Note: Did the player with the key come up with the correct number code? This player may return one of any of their cards as a reward. The card removed is not added to their total.

The player with the lowest total number of investigative points wins the game. Congratulations, a promotion awaits! 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 to, you can also check your individual performance in the assessment table for the solo variant.

Example: This player has a total of 35 investigative points. Since they were the fastest (key), they may discard any single card. They choose one of their 6 interrogation cards, which leaves them with 30 investigative points at the end.

Tips for the Next Game

After each game, wipe your briefcase and maps 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.

Important: The game isn't "used up" after playing all 9 case 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 investigation method.

The game setup and play are the same as the multi-player variant. First solve the case and then check your solution code as usual, using 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.

Points	Result
> 51	Unfortunately you failed the investigator's test. Why don't you try again?
45 - 50	Whew, that was a close call! Next time you should consider which cards you investigate more carefully.
41 - 44	Not bad, but you can probably do better.
37 - 40	You're a good investigator.
33 - 36	Very good, you're a clever sleuth!
29 - 32	Wow, you're a real master investigator!
25 - 28	Fantastic! Your boss is impressed, and all the villains fear your investigative skills.
21 - 24	You're one of the best investigators around. Nobody can fool you.
<= 20	Wow, you're one of the top investigators in the world! Even Sherlock Holmes could have learned something from you!

Quick Reference Guide

Aim of the Game

By cleverly combining witness statements, forensic clues, and gang information, you try to solve the case of the escape from Strongwall Prison. You must find out who left the cell block in which way, who hid in which laundry cart, and who used which hideout, as well as correctly assigning the inmates left behind to the 3 gangs. The winner is the investigator who works the most efficiently to find the correct solution code and puts the perpetrators behind bars.

Game Setup

Each player takes one briefcase, one marker, one map, and one investigation file.
Separate all the cards by size, shuffle them, and spread them out with the color code side facing up in 2 separate piles 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 components that are not needed back to the box.

How to Play

Investigate: All players draw a card from the center at the same time. Note: the color code must show a box in the color of the selected key! Place the drawn cards behind the briefcase. Evaluate and combine clues and statements on the cards, with the help of the investigation file or map if needed. Mark your findings on your briefcase.
Close the case: When you have a unique combination of perpetrator, type of escape, laundry cart, and hideout and have assigned all the inmates to the gangs: generate a number code.
Generate a number code: Read the number on the left of the briefcase that corresponds with the determined order of perpetrators, laundry carts, and hideouts. Starting with Case 1: ask members of the perpetrator's gang for a name (in the file) and apply any resulting modifications to the number code. Enter the new number code. Enter the final code in the combination lock on the right of the briefcase: you can grab the key. The other players continue their investigations until they solve the case as well.
Put the perpetrators 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 colors of the lock and the key match? The perpetrators 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.
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 any card they like. The winner is the player with the lowest total investigative points.