Point of View: Lost Places
Point of View: Lost Places Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What's Inside
- 4 folding boxes (numbered 1 to 4), each containing 40 cards
- 4 envelopes (N/E/S/W), each containing one folding map
You will also need a pen.
Before You Begin
To make sure you can see everything clearly during the game, good lighting is essential — and glasses too, if you need them :-)
The folding boxes are numbered 1 to 4, one per chapter. Start the game with Chapter 1, i.e. folding box 1: take the cards out and place them as a face-down stack — without shuffling them and without looking at the backs — in the middle of your play area. The pink card "1.01" lies on top. It shows 4 compass directions.
Sit around the stack accordingly:
- Playing with two? Sit opposite each other. The remaining two compass directions stay unoccupied.
- Playing with three? Then one compass direction stays unoccupied.
- Playing with four? Then every compass direction is occupied.
- Playing with more than four people? Simply form 4 groups that are as balanced as possible.
Done? Then take the envelope matching your compass direction and open it. In Chapter 1 you will find "only" one folding map inside. Set the folding maps up in front of you, or hold them, so that only you can see into them. Each folding map shows the same hidden-picture scene, but from a different compass direction, marked accordingly.
Showing each other your map or peeking at another map is taboo!
Playing with two or three? Then open the remaining envelope(s) and lay their contents out openly at the matching spot, visible to everyone.
Let's Get Started
You are a team! Over the course of the chapter, you play through the stack lying in the middle card by card.
Does the top card show a QR code? Then take the card and read the text on its back aloud. The picture above it almost always relates to that text. Everyone may look at it.
- Are you asked a question? Then agree together on one single answer (the number of stars shown indicates how easy or difficult the question is). Afterward, take the next card and read the correct answer on its back aloud.
- Did you answer the question correctly? Then collect the corresponding question card onto an open points pile.
- Did you answer the question incorrectly, or not at all? Then place the corresponding question card onto an open discard pile.
- All cards with a turquoise background also go onto the open discard pile once they have been read aloud.
Does the top card NOT show a QR code? Then it is a special card carrying valuable extra information. The compass direction highlighted in color indicates which person or group is allowed to take the special card behind their folding map, look at it, and keep it. Here too: showing each other your card or peeking is taboo!
General Tips and Hints
- Listen closely when texts and questions are read aloud: often every single word matters.
- To answer the questions, you need to talk to each other in depth about what you do and don't see. Communication is the key to success!
- Pay attention to detail, and don't let perspective fool you: some objects may appear closer together than they actually are.
- You may look at and read aloud cards that have already been played as often as you like. All cards that have not yet been played — including those from the other chapters — are taboo!
Have fun puzzling!
When Is It Over?
As soon as you have played through the stack lying in the middle, the chapter ends.
How many question cards does your points pile contain?
- 0–5: Ouch, that probably wasn't great. Did you actually communicate with each other?!
- 6–14: Okay to very good. But there's still room for improvement.
- 15 or more: Olé, olé! You're a fantastic team with full clarity!
Now put all the folding maps back into their envelopes. Important: pack the corresponding special cards in with them too. All remaining cards go back into their folding box. Finally, write your name and the date on the back of the envelopes, next to the chapter you just played.
Chapters 2 to 4
Want to play the next chapter — right away, or later on? Then grab the matching folding box and set up the game as described above. Ideally, you continue playing in the same group, though swapping a person here or there, or changing the number of players, is not a problem.
In general: each of you is assigned a given compass direction only once! Check the entries on the backs of the envelopes to see which compass directions you have already played and which you haven't. A small incentive: anyone who takes part in all 4 chapters gets to enjoy the complete 360-degree view!
Are there special cards in your new envelope? Then keep them to yourself as usual, but look at them closely — they could hold information that spans multiple chapters.
Don't Feel Like Reading Aloud?
Then use our free app support! With its help, you can have the cards read aloud to you comfortably. Simply scan the QR code and download the POINT OF VIEW app.
About the Designer
Lukas Bleuel (author) lives and works in Hamburg and Fulda as an artist and teacher. In his artistic work, he explores the growing problem of image consumption becoming ever faster and more superficial. POINT OF VIEW is his attempt to bring people together who want to jointly explore an image world and question its content — in the process, each person can experience just how complex it can be to describe their own perspective to others.