Escape Room: Das Spiel 2
Escape Room: Das Spiel 2 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- Chrono Decoder
- 16 keys
- 8 hint cards per adventure (2 for The Basement)
- Hint decoder
- 5 adventures: The Basement (15 minutes, introductory tutorial), 1. Wild West Express, 2. The Break-In, 3. Alice in Wonderland, 4. Another Dimension
The cover also shows a difficulty bar for each adventure, rising from The Basement (lowest) to Another Dimension (highest).
1. Setup
Insert three fresh 1.5V R6 batteries into the Chrono Decoder and place the 16 keys next to it.
Choose an adventure and prepare the matching envelopes. Play the adventures in the following order: The Basement (15-minute tutorial), Wild West Express, The Break-In, Alice in Wonderland, Another Dimension.
Prepare the hint decoder and place the hint cards of the chosen adventure face down next to the Chrono Decoder. (For The Basement, you find the hint cards in the envelope.)
Switch on the Chrono Decoder using the switch on its underside. The time display only starts running once you press the START button.
If you are playing The Basement, you must first set the Chrono Decoder to a 15-minute timer. Hold down the START button for about 3 seconds.
Prepare paper and a pencil so you can make notes.
Before each adventure, look carefully at the details on the keys and on the Chrono Decoder. This can save you precious time later!
2. Object of the Game
Each adventure (except The Basement) consists of three parts, each with its own special tasks. To complete a part, you must find a code, which consists of four keys, and enter it into the Chrono Decoder. If you enter all three codes correctly within 60 minutes, you have completed the adventure successfully and won!
3. Web App and Website
To play the thematic background music for the respective adventure on your smartphone, go to the web app app.escaperoomthegame.com.
Via the web app you also reach the website www.escaperoomthegame.com, where you will find introduction texts for the adventures, solutions, downloads for the used materials, and FAQs.
4. Game Flow
As soon as you are all ready, take the envelope for Part 1 of the adventure you are playing and read the introduction text calmly.
Then you may open the envelope. Make sure that everything listed on the envelope is present.
Then press the START button on the Chrono Decoder. The time display now starts counting down. You have exactly 60 minutes to find the codes!
Look at all components carefully, and do not forget their reverse sides!
Search for information, codes, puzzles and other mysterious signs. Work together to understand the logic behind the tasks.
Remember: you are always looking for a four-digit code. So if you find, for example, four tasks, it is quite possible that each of these tasks stands for one puzzle.
Always pay attention to the instructions given to you on the envelope. They too may contain valuable hints.
As soon as you have found the first of the three codes, you must insert the four correct keys into the Chrono Decoder (see 5. Keys). If the code is correct, you will hear a fanfare and may now take the envelope for Part 2. (The components of Part 1 still belong to the game and you may still need them, so do not put them away entirely.) Now read aloud the text on the envelope and then take out all the components. In Part 2 you proceed exactly as in Part 1: you look again for a four-digit code. If you have entered this correctly, you may take the last envelope, read the text aloud, and take the components out of the envelope.
As soon as you have entered the third code correctly, you will hear victory music and the countdown will stop.
Every envelope has a short note telling you when you may open it. Never open a part if you have not yet met the conditions for it!
Some components must be labelled, folded, or used in a "creative" way. You recognise them by the printer symbol. You may download them from the homepage after the adventure and print them out.
5. Keys
The game contains 16 keys: four different keys with six different sides. Eight keys (those marked with a circle or a square) have the same front and back, while the other keys (marked with a triangle or a parallelogram) differ between front and back.
Each key shows various features such as numbers, arrows, dots and letters. The codes consist of some of these features and are entered using the keys. If two keys match in one feature, they match in all features, and it does not matter which of the two keys you insert into the Chrono Decoder. Since each key exists four times, features can also appear more than once.
Before starting an adventure, look carefully at the keys!
The rulebook illustrates the four key types, each present four times (4×). The features are labelled as follows:
- Roman numeral (Römische Ziffer)
- Dot (Punkt)
- Arrow (Pfeil)
- Number (Zahl)
- Shape (Form)
- Letter (Buchstabe)
- Zigzag edge (Zickzack-Rand)
- Key bit / ward (Schlüsselbart)
The four key types as shown:
- Key type 1 (parallelogram-shaped; front and back differ, 4×): front shows the roman numeral II, the letter D, a downward arrow and the number 2; back shows the roman numeral X, the letter C, an upward arrow and the number 5.
- Key type 2 (square-shaped; front and back identical, 4×): both sides show the letter L at the top, the letter A, a double-headed arrow and the number 1.
- Key type 3 (circle-shaped; front and back identical, 4×): both sides show the roman numeral III, the letter B, a double-headed arrow and the number 6.
- Key type 4 (triangle-shaped; front and back differ, 4×): front shows the roman numeral I, the letter F, a rightward arrow and the number 3; back shows the roman numeral V, the letter E, a leftward arrow and the number 4.
Entering a Code (Code eingeben)
If you think you know the correct code, you must insert the four correct keys into the Chrono Decoder from left to right. If the code is wrong, you hear a failure signal and lose one minute of your time. Try again with a different code!
You can only move on to the next part of the adventure once you have entered the correct code. If the code is correct, you hear a fanfare and may move on to the next part. Then remove the keys from the Chrono Decoder.
Example: if you think the correct code is B I 2 ■ (a square), you must insert the following keys (in this order!) into the Chrono Decoder:
- The key showing B (key type 3, the circle-shaped key with the double-headed arrow and the number 6).
- The key showing I on its front (key type 4, the triangle-shaped key with the rightward arrow and the number 3). The circled I is the one you need.
- The key showing 2 on its front (key type 1, the parallelogram-shaped key with the downward arrow and the letter D). The circled 2 is the one you need.
- The key showing the square (key type 2, with the letter L, the letter A, the double-headed arrow and the number 1).
6. Chrono Decoder
In the adventures you will repeatedly come across the designation ER. This means that you must use the inscriptions on the Chrono Decoder.
The Chrono Decoder has several decoding systems (see illustration). You only need the inscriptions when you see the ER symbol. Look carefully at the inscriptions before starting an adventure!
The decoding systems shown in the illustration are:
- Number wheel (Zahlenrad)
- Alphabet wheel (Alphabetrad)
- Freemason's alphabet (Freimaureralphabet)
- Polybius cipher (Polybius-Verschlüsselung), with the note M = 32
- Morse code (Morsezeichen)
- Ruler (Lineal), marked from 0 to 12
7. Hint Cards
Each adventure has hint cards. At regular intervals the Chrono Decoder signals with an acoustic signal that you may take a hint card, the first time after 5 minutes. To do so, take a hint card and place it in the hint decoder. Read the whole hint carefully! It will put you on the right track if you get stuck.
It can happen that you become completely stuck in a part. That is not so bad! On the back of two of the hint cards you will see the correct code of the previous part when you insert the card into the hint decoder. Enter this code to go straight to the next part of the adventure without losing too much time!
The hint card and hint decoder are marked with the following letters:
- A: The number indicates the order in which you may take the hint cards.
- B: Take this hint card only when the time on the time display has already dropped below the time shown on the card.
- C: Each hint card belongs to a specific part. Only look at it when you are already in that part.
- D: If you are still in the previous part, you may enter the code shown on the card to go straight to the next part.
The example hint card shows "Hinweiskarte 4" for Teil 2 (Part 2) with the time 40:00. The example hint decoder display reads: "This is only an example of a hint."
8. Winning the Game
If you enter the three correct codes within 60 minutes, you hear a fanfare and have mastered the adventure! You have won!
If not all three codes were entered within 60 minutes, you have unfortunately lost. But it is not so bad! The Chrono Decoder then counts upwards and you can keep trying to enter the correct codes. It will stop when the third correct code has been entered.
9. After the Game
On www.escaperoomthegame.com you will find the complete solutions, including all codes and hints. With them you can review your adventures.
You can also download the components marked with the printer symbol from the homepage and print them out, so that another group can play the adventure as well.
Have you played all the adventures? Then many exciting hours with the expansion adventures await you!
10. Tips for a Successful Escape
Tip 1: Talk, talk, talk! Communication is the key to success! Sometimes the dumbest ideas are the right ones...
Tip 2: Do not forget that you may label and fold components marked with the printer symbol.
Tip 3: Make notes. You may be able to see connections from them.
Tip 4: Do not forget: you are always looking for a four-digit code.
Tip 5: You may use aids such as calculators, cell phones and flashlights. Anything that could help you is allowed!
Tip 6: Before the game, look at the features on the keys and on the Chrono Decoder once more carefully.
Tip 7: Do not forget that in Part 2 or Part 3 of the adventure you may also fall back on the components from envelope 1 or envelope 2!
Tip 8: It can happen that you become frustrated, but that is part of an escape room! Find your way back onto the right path, for example by going through the hints again. Look everything over once more carefully.
Tip 9: Never give up! Believe in yourselves! Communicate a lot and look at everything carefully! You can do it!