Curse of the Dark
Curse of the Dark Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to Play
In Curse of the Dark, your goal is to work together to open up new areas in Mordengraf, uncover the mystery, and escape the horrors lurking within the castle.
Inside the box is a deck of cards, a stack of tiles, and various other items. For now, just take out the deck of cards and the stack of tiles, place them face down, and leave everything else inside the box. Do not look at the cards or the tiles until you are instructed to draw them. During the game, each time you come across the card symbol with a number inside, draw that numbered card. Whenever you see the tile symbol with a number inside, draw that numbered tile.
To play Curse of the Dark, you will either need an internet-connected mobile phone with a torch or another internet-connected device and a separate torch. For some puzzles, you will need a pen or a pencil. Ideally, you will also have scissors to hand to cut some of the components, but they can be torn carefully if necessary.
Puzzles and Answers
The puzzles within Curse of the Dark are found in the deck of cards. The answer to each puzzle is a symbol or letter shown on the ANSWERS page of the booklet. If you believe you've found the answer to a puzzle, scratch off the corresponding symbol to find out if you're correct. If you're not sure you've found the answer to a puzzle, don't try guessing random symbols — use a HINT instead. HINTS for each puzzle can be found on the following page, along with SOLUTIONS if you're completely stuck.
The puzzles are in numeral order, from I to XXII. If you lose your place and believe you've missed something, the HINTS section shows the correct numerical order for the puzzles. You shouldn't be able to skip a puzzle accidentally; if this does happen, go back to the numbered puzzle you worked on most recently and try to solve it differently.
You may have unused game components after solving a puzzle — not all items you find are used right away.
Correct answers are GREEN and incorrect answers are RED. At the end of your adventure, you'll be able to see how many mistakes you made and how many hints you used. If you already knew the information contained in a hint, don't count it as a penalty for your score.
Placing Tiles
In Curse of the Dark, you will explore Mordengraf by placing both room tiles and cards to map out the castle. This map will give you access to new puzzles.
When you draw a tile or a room card, place it down to expand the castle. There will be clues and information in the game to help you find the correct location to place the tiles and cards. Some tiles will also have a section of story on the back, to be read before the tiles are placed. Once tiles and cards have been placed correctly, you will not need to pick them up again. You will need 85 x 85 cm of free space for the full castle construction.
Time Limit and Scoring
The time limit to escape Curse of the Dark is 3 hours. You can play the game in two parts if you choose — the end of Part I is after Puzzle XIII. A card will inform you when you have finished Part I if you wish to take a break before beginning Part II.
Once you're ready to start, set a timer. Don't worry if you go over the time limit — the game can still be solved, but you're less likely to be in the running for the best score! A Certificate of Completion, with a scorecard, can be found at the back of the booklet, to be filled in once the game is over.
Replacement Components
Curse of the Dark is designed as a single-play puzzle game. However, if you wish to replay the game after completion, or wish to avoid cutting, folding, or drawing upon components during your escape, a file containing printable replacement components can be found at professorpuzzle.com/curseofthedark_printables. Be aware that this file may contain potential spoilers for the puzzles.
Are you ready to play? Then start your timer and take out the newspaper article: MORDENGRAF: MYSTERY OR MASS HYSTERIA?
Credits
Designed by Elliot Humphries and James Smith. Published by Professor Puzzle Games.