Unsolved: Hunt for the Truth
Unsolved: Hunt for the Truth Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Information
Ages 16 and up. 1–6 players. About 45 minutes per chapter.
Components
48 picture cards, 2 covering cards, 3 envelopes with one solution sheet each.
The three solution envelopes are labelled (in German on the printed envelope art) "Chapter 1", "Chapter 2" and "Chapter 3", each with the note "Attention! Only open once you have answered all questions about this chapter!"
Unsolved Games
In this mystery game, you will investigate crimes and accidents solely through pictures. Collect evidence and try to find out what really happened. Solve the case at the end of each chapter together or in teams.
Each Unsolved case consists of three chapters that partially build on each other. Always start with the first chapter, then play the second, and finally the third.
During your investigation, you will all look at the 36 pictures of the current chapter one after the other. Some of these pictures you'll be able to display face up to jog your memories. The clues in the other pictures you'll have to try and memorize or write down.
At the end of each chapter, you'll have to answer five questions about what has happened. Correct answers earn you points that show you how successful your investigation was.
The Unsolved Card Deck
Each Unsolved card deck is constructed as follows:
| Part | Card numbers |
|---|---|
| Top Covering Card | (covering card, no number) |
| 30 Basic Picture Cards (needed for all chapters) | 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 43, 45, 46, 48 |
| 6 Picture Cards for Chapter 1 | 1, 13, 18, 33, 36, 44 |
| 6 Picture Cards for Chapter 2 | 2, 17, 19, 23, 38, 42 |
| 6 Picture Cards for Chapter 3 | 3, 5, 14, 26, 37, 47 |
| Bottom Covering Card | (covering card, no number) |
Each chapter consists of exactly 36 picture cards: 30 basic picture cards and 6 chapter picture cards. One of the chapter picture cards is the starting card, which has a differently colored back and the chapter's number printed on it. This card shows the current chapter's victim.
Before your first game, remove the picture cards for the second and third chapters from the deck and put them in the corresponding solution envelopes without looking at the pictures or solutions. You'll only need these cards for the second and third chapter, respectively. After each chapter, you'll need to remove 6 cards from the deck: The chapter's solution sheet will give you the numbers of the cards to remove.
Note: The numbers on the picture cards are in no way related to the case's timeline. They only serve as reference for the solutions and for matching cards to the correct chapters.
If you have accidentally shuffled all 48 cards before playing, you'll find a quick guide to help sort them back into their correct chapters at the end of this rules sheet.
Setup
Take the 30 basic picture cards and the 6 picture cards for the chapter you'll be playing. Put the chapter's starting card aside for now and shuffle the remaining 35 cards. Then put them in the middle of the playing area as a face-down draw deck and place the starting card on top of the deck.
Important: Don't peek at the cards' fronts while preparing for your investigation!
Get pens and paper ready to take notes during the investigation and to write down the solutions at the end.
Decide whether you want to play cooperatively or in competing teams.
The Investigation
Over the course of several rounds, you will look at the picture cards one after the other. Some cards you will display face up at the end of the round and continue to use for further investigation, others you will have to put aside, face down. At the end of the investigation, you'll try to reconstruct what happened in this chapter.
The player who has most recently read a crime novel will lead the investigation for the first round. As the lead investigator, it's your job to draw as many cards from the deck as there are investigators and deal one card to each player. Take a good look at your own picture card and then pass it to the person on your left. Continue observing and passing the cards to your left until every player has seen all cards for this round.
Important: You may share anything you notice with the other investigators and take notes at any time during the investigation. If you're investigating as two competing teams, you'll try to keep important clues to your own team, of course.
Over the course of the chapter, you are allowed to display up to 12 cards face up on the table. After you've all seen the pictures for the current round, decide together which picture cards (if any) of those you want to display and which ones you want to put aside, face down. When in doubt, the lead investigator has the last word. You can save any number of cards each round, but only up to a total of 12 maximum for the entire chapter.
Important: Cards that you have chosen to display face up on the table remain there until the end of the investigation.
Layout: a Draw Deck, a Discard Pile, and a Display with space for 12 cards.
Then, the person to the lead investigator's left takes the lead for the next round. They draw cards and deal them evenly to all investigators, and so on. If you play as teams, the lead passes to a player from the other team each time.
Continue investigating in this manner until the draw deck runs out and the final round ends.
Note: If you have five investigators, you'll only have one picture card to look at in the last round.
The End of the Investigation and Scoring
When you've finished your investigation, you'll try to reconstruct what happened by answering the following five questions:
- Who was the victim on the chapter's starting card?
- Who was responsible for the victim's death?
- How did the victim die or what was the weapon involved?
- Why was the victim killed? What do you know about the background and possible motives?
- Which clues and pieces of evidence can confirm your suspicions?
Discuss your approaches and write down your answers together. Some questions may have more than one right answer, but there is at least one right answer for each question. If you're investigating as competing teams, each team writes down their own answers.
Take the solution sheet from the corresponding envelope and read out the solution. Then, score the answers you've given:
- Each right answer is worth 2 points.
- For each wrong answer, deduct 1 point.
- Missing answers aren't scored.
If you're investigating by yourself or with just one team, you want to earn as many points as possible. If you have two teams investigating, compare your results: The team with the most points has succeeded in reconstructing what happened better, and wins the game.
Sorting Shuffled Cards
Did you accidentally shuffle the cards without taking out the chapter picture cards first? No problem! Simply take the following cards out of the deck and put them in the correct envelopes:
- Chapter 1: 1 / 13 / 18 / 33 / 36 / 44
- Chapter 2: 2 / 17 / 19 / 23 / 38 / 42
- Chapter 3: 3 / 5 / 14 / 26 / 37 / 47