BoardGamesBot

It’s so hard to feel seen as a Cryptid these days. In this easy-to-learn strategy game,
you’ll navigate your love-hate relationship with humans and outwit your fellow Cryptids
to earn your status as a true legend. As hikers, hunters, and researchers scatter across
the wilderness hoping to catch a glimpse of you, you’ll stage elaborate hoaxes, plant
perfect decoys, and lurk discreetly in the shadows to build up your myth. You might even
expose your true self once in a while, but be warned: vulnerability can come at a price.
INTRODUCTION

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1 Mobile Lab
meeple
1 Unicorn
meeple
1 UFO
meeple
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
The Kickstarter Exclusive Edition includes the Ness is More Expansion and three Mini-Expansions,
in addition to the Twisted Cryptids base game.
12 tarot-sized Cryptid cards
(6 standard, 6 lenticular)
82 Action
cards
The Wilderness board
18 Event
cards
54 Sighting
cards
20 Hidden
Trait cards
18 Hiding Spot
tokens
6 Cryptid meeples
36 Human
tokens
1 First Player
token
1 Sinkhole
token
1 Camper Van
meeple
1 Hunting Rig
meeple
18 double-sided
Myth tokens
6 Unicorn Chaos
Magic cards
1 tarot-sized UFO
Control Panel card
7 Alien
Activity cards
9 card
dividers
1

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Start by removing the board from the game box, unfolding it, and placing it in the center of
the play area within reach of all players. The board consists of the Myth Track and The
Wilderness which is composed of 6 Sites. Next, place the Myth tokens next to the Myth
Track. Myth represents your score in the game, and you’ll use the Myth Track and Myth tokens to
track your score.
Place the Human tokens in 3 Rest Areas (one corresponding to each Flavor of Human) next to
The Wilderness, then place Hiker tokens, Hunter tokens, and Researcher tokens on
each Site with a corresponding , , or symbol .
Shuffle the Action deck (including all base game and any expansion cards) and place it face
down within reach of all players, leaving space near it for a discard pile . Then shuffle the
Event deck (including all base game and any expansion cards) and place it face down within
reach of all players, leaving space near it for a Current Event pile .
1
2 3
5
6
8
7
4
9
1
2
4
86 7 9
SETUP
3
5
discard
pile
Current
Event pile
2

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Have each player choose a Cryptid and take the corresponding components: 1 Cryptid card ,
1 Cryptid meeple , 9 Sighting cards , and 3 Hiding Spot tokens .
10
11 12 13
10 11 12
13
14
15
After choosing your Cryptid, place your Cryptid card face up in front of you, then place your Cryptid
meeple on the Myth Track at 5 Myth (which represents your starting score). Return any remaining
Cryptids (with their corresponding components) to the game box.
Next, shuffle the Hidden Trait cards (including all base game and any expansion cards) and deal
two to each player. Have each player choose one of them and place it face down above their Cryptid
card , then return any remaining Hidden Trait cards to the game box.
Now you are ready to form your 3 Stacks. To create a Stack, secretly choose three of your Sighting
cards and place them face down in a pile in the order you choose, then repeat this process with your
remaining Sighting cards until you have formed all three of your Stacks (each with 3 Sighting cards).
Note: The top face-down Sighting card on each Stack will be the first one revealed from that Stack.
After you have formed your Stacks, place each Stack in a row to the right of your Cryptid card .
Each Stack will correspond to one of your numbered Hiding Spot tokens: the left Stack being Hiding
Spot token number 1, the middle Stack Hiding Spot token number 2, and the right Stack Hiding
Spot token number 3.
Give the First Player token to the player who last visited a park. They start the game as the
First Player.
14
15
16
16
3

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In player order (starting with the First Player and proceeding clockwise), place one of your
Hiding Spot tokens on a Site in The Wilderness. Once all players have placed a Hiding Spot
token, the First Player will pass the First Player token to the player on their left. Then, in player
order (starting with the new First Player), place a second Hiding Spot token. After each player
has placed their second Hiding Spot token, the First Player will pass the First Player token to the
player on their left. One final time, in player order, place your last Hiding Spot token. After each
player has placed all of their Hiding Spot tokens, the First Player will pass the First Player token
to the player on their left.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when placing your Hiding Spot tokens:
• You may not place a Hiding Spot token on a Site that already has one of your Hiding Spot tokens.
• When playing with 4 players, no more than 3 players may have a Hiding Spot token at any one
Site. When playing with 5 or 6 players, no more than 4 players may have a Hiding Spot token at
any one Site.
Finally, deal 5 cards from the Action deck to each player. These cards will form your hand. Now
you are ready to play! Gameplay starts with the First Player and proceeds in player order.
4

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Once you have completed setup, the play area should look something like this:
Player 2 Player 1 (First Player)
Player 3 Player 4
discard
pile
Current
Event pile
5

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GAMEPLAY
You will play Twisted Cryptids over 5 rounds, and each round is divided into 4 phases: Dawn, Day,
Dusk, and Night.
DAWN PHASE
At Dawn, Humans will leave from, arrive to, and move about The Wilderness of their own accord.
At the start of the round, the First Player will flip the top card of the Event deck, add it face up
to the Current Event pile, and resolve the listed effects from top to bottom (see page 13 for more
details about Events).
Note: If you are ever unable to perform the full effect on a card - for example, if there are no
Researchers in The Wilderness to Extract, only one Hunter in the Rest Area to Attract, or only two
Hikers on a Site when the effect says to move three - partially resolve that effect to the extent you
are able. This also applies to cards you play during the Day and Sightings you reveal at Dusk.
The round will then continue to the Day.
DAY PHASE
During the Day, you will use your Cryptid charm to move Humans around The Wilderness in an
attempt to increase your Myth.
In player order, on your turn you will take one of the following Actions:
• Play an Action card from your hand (see page 12 for more details about Action cards).
• Discard an Action card to use your Cryptid Power. You only may do this once per round
(see page 10 for more details about Cryptid Powers).
• Pass the turn to the next player.
You will continue playing cards in this manner for three turns. Once each player has had three
turns, the round will continue to Dusk.
DUSK PHASE
At Dusk, an Encounter will occur at a Site in The Wilderness, revealing what each Cryptid is (or
isn’t) doing at that Site. To determine where the Encounter occurs, find the Site with the most
Humans that has at least one Hiding Spot. If multiple Sites tie for the most Humans, the First
Player chooses at which of those Sites the Encounter occurs.
In player order, if you have a Hiding Spot at the Site of the Encounter you will reveal the top
Sighting of your corresponding Stack.
1
2
3
6

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When you reveal a Sighting, start by gaining (or losing) Myth depending on the distribution of
Humans at the Site of the Encounter as specified on the Sighting card. Next, resolve the effect
of that Sighting, then set it aside face up next to you. Finally, take your Hiding Spot from the Site
of the Encounter and place it on its corresponding Stack, then the next player who has a Hiding
Spot at the Site of the Encounter will reveal their Sighting.
If, during Dusk, you reveal the final Sighting in one of your Stacks and now that Stack is empty,
return the corresponding Hiding Spot token to the game box. You will not use this Hiding Spot for
the remainder of the game.
After all players with Hiding Spots at the Site of the Encounter have revealed their Sightings, the
round will continue to the Night.
NIGHT PHASE
During the Night, you will begin scheming in preparation for the next day.
In player order, take the following steps:
• If you do not have a Hiding Spot token on one of your Stacks, you may move one of your
Hiding Spots in The Wilderness, placing it on a new Site.
• If you have a Hiding Spot token on one of your Stacks from Dusk, place that Hiding Spot on a
different Site than the Site at which the Encounter occurred.
• You may choose to discard any number of cards, then draw from the Action deck until
you have 5 cards in your hand. (If you are in the fifth round, skip this step and discard any
remaining cards in your hand.)
Note: If there are not enough cards in the deck to draw until you have 5 cards in your hand, draw
any remaining cards in the Action deck, then shuffle the discard pile and place it face down to form
a new Action deck. Continue to draw until you have 5 cards in your hand.
Once each player has drawn up to 5 cards, the First Player passes the First Player token to the
player on their left, who now becomes the First Player for the next round.
4
-2 Myth for Hikers 0 Myth for Hunters + 6 Myth for Researchers
Gain 4 Myth
Example of gaining 4 Myth
9
+
7

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Once you have completed 5 rounds, flip over the remaining Sightings in your Stacks and your
Hidden Trait before determining the winner of the game.
• Gain 7 Myth for each Real Deal that was not revealed during the game.
• Gain bonus Myth based on your level of completion of the objective on your Hidden Trait.
The player with the greatest total Myth wins the game and is deemed the True Legend, while the
others scurry home before the Humans catch them.
In the event of a tie, tally the number of Humans on the Sites where you have Hiding Spots. The
tied player with the most Humans is the winner. If that does not resolve the tie, then high five
because you are both legends this time around (but you should probably play again to determine
who the True Legend is).
End Game
Sightings Not Revealed
REAL DEAL REAL DEAL
+7 Myth from each Real
Deal not revealed
Revealed Sightings
HOAX
+30 Myth from Myth tokens
+2 Myth on Myth Track
+14 Myth from
Hidden Trait objective
TOTAL: 32 + 7 + 7 + 14 = 60 MYTH
8

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COMPONENTS
CRYPTID CARDS
As a Cryptid you have a unique Cryptid Power that will help you during the Day. Once per round,
you may discard a card to use that power on your turn.
Note: If your Cryptid Power includes two effects separated by an and, resolve both of these effects
individually. That means you may resolve them from the same or from different Hiding Spots.
HIDDEN TRAIT CARDS
Hidden Traits give you an objective that you’ll try to achieve by the end of the game in order to
score bonus Myth. Each one has three levels of completion; the higher your level of completion,
the more Myth you will gain! You’ll keep your Hidden Trait secret from other players until the end
of the game, but you may look at it at any time. The Kickstarter Exclusive Edition also comes with
6 blank Hidden Trait cards allowing you to customize your cryptic identity and objective!
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SIGHTING CARDS
Sightings are kept in Stacks, hidden from other players, until they are revealed; however you
may look at them at any time. At Dusk, you’ll reveal Sightings from your Stacks. Sightings
will cause you to either gain or lose Myth when revealed during an Encounter based on the
distribution of Humans at the Site of the Encounter. Each Sighting card also lists an effect you’ll
resolve after it’s revealed.
Sightings come in four types:
• Decoys: Decoys are objects arranged to look just like you! Use them to trick Hunters and earn
Myth. (Hah! That’s just a pile of sticks, dummies.)
• Hoaxes: Enlist the help of woodland creatures to devise Hoaxes and throw Humans off your
trail. Reveal Hoaxes to Hikers to increase your Myth. (Do they really think you look like three
raccoons in a trench coat?)
• Silhouettes: A little goes a long way! Let Humans catch a glimpse of what they’re missing with
Silhouettes. These shadowy outlines get Researchers excited, earning you Myth with each
Encounter. (Science journals are going to want to hear about you!)
• Real Deals: Being a Cryptid is hard. Sometimes you want to lift the veil and show the world
who you really are… even if there are consequences. Real Deal sightings are really you! Expose
yourself attacking, sleeping, or engaged in your favorite activity to the right Humans and get
rewarded with Myth for your bravery. But beware! Sometimes being vulnerable comes at a
cost. (You’re not mean, just misunderstood… and maybe a little mean.)
Hint: The Real Deal Sightings are high risk, high reward; though you can gain a lot of Myth by
revealing them, you could lose a lot of Myth if the wrong Humans are at the Site of the Encounter;
however, each one you do not reveal will allow you to gain 7 Myth at the end of the game! Choose
wisely when you arrange your Stacks during setup to keep your Real Deals close to the top or to
bury them to remain hidden throughout the game.
DECOY HOAX SILHOUETTE REAL DEAL
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Types of Functions
• Lure: Move a Human to the Site of one of your Hiding Spots from an adjacent Site.
(Must’ve been the melodic sound of your voice…)
• Scare: Move a Human from the Site of one of your Hiding Spots to an adjacent Site.
(RAWRRRRRR!)
• Attract: Take a Human from the corresponding Rest Area and place it on the Site of one of
your Hiding Spots. (You’re so popular… you’re drawing a crowd!)
• Extract: Take a Human from the Site of one of your Hiding Spots or an adjacent Site and
place it back in its corresponding Rest Area. (Hey, sometimes a Cryptid gets hungry for a
snack… no judgment.)
• Strong Lure: Move a Human to the Site of one of your Hiding Spots from a Site up to two Sites
away. (That human call really works!)
• Big Scare: Move a Human from the Site of one of your Hiding Spots to a Site up to two
Sites away. (RAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!)
ACTION CARDS
These cards make up your hand, and you’ll play them during the Day. Each one specifies a
number of Humans, a Flavor of Humans, and a specific Function which will allow you to change
the distribution of Humans in The Wilderness. When you play an Action card, resolve the effect,
then place it in the discard pile. Some cards have two effects separated by an OR; when you play
an OR card, choose one of the effects to resolve.
The Ness is More Expansion also includes AND cards. When you play an AND card, resolve each
of the effects individually (in the order of your choice); this means you can resolve them from the
same or from different Hiding Spots.
Note: You may only partially resolve an Action card’s effect if it is not possible to fully resolve it. As
an example, if you play a card that would have you Lure 2 Researchers, and there are 2 Researchers
on an adjacent Site, you must Lure both of them; however, if there is only 1 Researcher on the
adjacent Site, you may still play the card and only Lure the 1 Researcher.
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EVENT CARDS
Each round at Dawn, a new Event will occur. These Events will result in Humans moving around
The Wilderness.
Some effects may require you to move Humans “to” or “toward” a Site.
• TO: When moving a Human “to” a Site, you will move them directly onto that Site.
• TOWARD: When moving a Human “toward” a Site, you will move them in the direction of that
Site to an adjacent Site. This can result in the Human either moving onto the Site or moving
one location closer to the Site. If two adjacent Sites are equally close when moving “toward” a
Site, choose which of those Sites to move the Human to.
Note: When you resolve the effect on an Event, if multiple Sites fit the effect’s requirements, choose
one of those Sites and resolve the effect from that Site. If an effect would require you to select a Site
with the fewest Humans, this may result in selecting a Site with zero Humans.
Some effects may require you to “distribute Humans” to adjacent Sites. To do so, take all the
specified Humans off their current Site, and place them on the adjacent Sites in as equal a
distribution as possible. If you cannot distribute them equally, choose which of those Sites will
get an extra Human.
HIDING SPOT TOKENS
You will place your Hiding Spots on Sites during setup, and you’ll have the chance to move one of
them each round during the Night. Each Hiding Spot corresponds to one of your Stacks.
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THE WILDERNESS
The Wilderness, which includes 6 different Sites, is the board on which you’ll hide throughout the
game. The board also features the Myth track, which you’ll use to keep track of your Myth.
HUMAN TOKENS
Humans are the meat and potatoes in Twisted Cryptids. (Delicious!)
Each round, you will lure them to certain Sites to increase your Myth or drive them away to
prevent them from spotting you. Humans come in three different Flavors:
Hikers are your standard fare Humans; they aren’t looking for you, but they might get
curious if they happen upon you. At Dawn, you’ll find them wandering through The
Wilderness and seeing the sights. They are easily fooled by Hoaxes and will usually leave
you alone if they come across you sleeping.
Hunters are crafty Humans who are on your trail. At Dawn, they tend to move in packs
as they look for you, and they can move quite quickly. However, you can foil their plans
with cleverly crafted Decoys, and they tend to be afraid when they see you ready to
pounce and attack.
Researchers are the most learned of Humans who want to prove you exist and study
you. At Dawn, they might slowly move between Sites, looking for you in less crowded
areas. They are often excited by just a glimpse of your Silhouette, but they are elated
when they catch you in the act of something silly or mundane.
Note: Some effects do not specify a Flavor of Human. These effects utilize a symbol instead of one
of the three Human Flavors above. When resolving one of these effects, you may choose any Human.
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MYTH TOKENS
To keep track of your current Myth you will use both the Myth Track and Myth tokens.
At any time, if you would move your Cryptid meeple past 9 on the Myth Track while
gaining Myth, take a Myth token and continue on the Myth Track from 0. Similarly,
if you would move past 0 while losing Myth, return a Myth token (if you have any)
and continue backwards on the Myth Track from 9. Your Myth cannot drop below 0.
Each Myth token is double-sided, with one side representing 10 Myth and the other representing
30 Myth. When you have three Myth tokens on the side, return two of them and flip one to the
side.
FIRST PLAYER TOKEN
This token denotes who the First Player is. At the end of each Night, the First Player
token will be passed clockwise, changing who the First Player is in the next round.
Player order always starts with the First Player and proceeds clockwise.
SINKHOLE TOKEN (FOR 2-PLAYER ONLY)
When playing with 2 players, place the Sinkhole token on the Scenic Swamp at the
beginning of setup. No Humans or Hiding Spots may be placed on or moved to this Site.
CRYPTID MEEPLES
Your Cryptid meeple is used to note your score on the Myth Track. When you gain or lose Myth,
you will move your Cryptid meeple along the Myth Track an appropriate number of spaces.
Example of gaining 7 Myth Example of losing 7 Myth
9 9
You did it! You read the rules, and now you know everything you need to play Twisted Cryptids.
Continue reading to get to know the Cryptids on a more personal level. You’ll also find the rules
for the Unicorn Frenzy, Field Trip, and Alien Invasion Mini-Expansions at the end of this rule
book, in addition to a quick reference section summarizing phases and key terms.
- +
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You can easily identify this bipedal amphibian by its
leathery skin, bulging eyes, and extremely bad posture.
Though the Loveland Frog loves to sing, it is quite shy, so
no one has ever heard it.
Loveland Frog
Tadpoles
dry skin
Fresh flies
long walks in the bog
Height: 4 ft Shape: round
Loveland Frog
, 1955
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a bunny and
a weird deer fell in love, look no further! The Jackalope is
an extraordinarily agile creature – somehow those giant
antlers don’t slow it down one bit.
Jackalope
High beams
hats
Carrots
wide-open fields
competitive double dutch
Height (w/o antlers): 2 ft 5 in
Height (with antlers): 5 ft 9 in
Jackalope
, 1932
Recognizable by his tall brooding stature, furrowed
brow, dreamy eyes, and excessive body hair – you’ll
often find Bigfoot strolling through the tree line without
a care in the world.
BigFoot
Loud noises
low-hanging branches
urban development
Hiking
hair-care routines
Bigfoot time
Height: 7 ft Weight: heavy
Bigfoot
, 1958
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The Loch Ness Monster, commonly referred to as
“Nessie,” is a long-necked creature frequently seen
peeking out above a still waterline. Is Nessie a sea
serpent? An awkward turtle-giraffe hybrid? An
overgrown eel? The answer is yes.
Nessie
Littering
salt water
social media influencers
Moonlit swims
sushi
epic bagpipe solos
Length: 20 ft...allegedly Buoyancy: a lot
Nessie
, 1934
With the body size of a small bear, Chupacabra spends
most of the night on the prowl in search of food. If you’re
close enough to tell it’s not just a coyote with mange and
cool colored contacts, you’re probably too late…
Chupacabra
Lawn ornaments
electric fences
Farm animals
blood banks
Height: 4 ft Quills: many
Chupacabra
, 1995
Searching for Mothman? Try looking up! This buglike
humanoid can be spotted lurking around bridges and
exceptionally bright street lamps.
MOThMAN
BUG ZAPPERS
5G TOWERS
BRIDGES
Lamp
Wingspan: 10 ft Eye Color: red
Mothman
, 1966
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discard
pile
Current
Event pile
Unicorn Frenzy Mini-Expansion
Adding the Unicorn Frenzy Mini-Expansion to Twisted Cryptids introduces a new and chaotic
mechanic to the game. After completing standard setup, shuffle the Unicorn Chaos Magic deck
and place it face up within reach of all players, then place the Unicorn meeple on the Site with
the most Hiding Spot tokens. If multiple Sites tie for the most Hiding Spot tokens, the First Player
chooses on which of those Sites to place the Unicorn meeple. Once you have completed setup, the
play area should look something like this:
Each round, the Unicorn will move around The Wilderness. If enough Humans find the Unicorn,
you're at the mercy of the Unicorn's whims. When playing with this expansion, make the following
modifications to gameplay:
• At Dusk (after determining the Site at which the Encounter occurs), if the Unicorn’s current Site
has at least 5 Humans, the First Player will resolve the top card of the Unicorn Chaos Magic deck.
• During the Night, before the First Player has moved or placed their Hiding Spot, do the following:
◦Move the top card of the Unicorn Chaos Magic deck to the bottom of the deck, exposing the
next card in the deck.
◦Count the number of Humans on the Unicorn’s current Site, then move the Unicorn that
number of Sites clockwise.
◦If the Unicorn ends its movement on a Site with no Hiding Spots, continue moving the
Unicorn clockwise until it is on a Site with at least one Hiding Spot.
1
1
2
2
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UNICORN MEEPLE
The Unicorn meeple denotes the Unicorn’s current Site for the round. You can try to
move Humans to or from this Site depending on whether you want to help or prevent the
Unicorn from unleashing its chaos.
UNICORN CHAOS MAGIC CARDS
Unicorn Chaos Magic tells you how the Unicorn will affect the game during the current round if
enough Humans are around. Some Unicorn Chaos Magic will help you, and some will set you back.
(Anonymous sources have described this Unicorn as a little bit Unstable.)
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discard
pile
Current
Event pile
Field Trip Mini-Expansion
Adding the Field Trip Mini-Expansion to Twisted Cryptids introduces an additional way for Humans
to arrive at and move around The Wilderness. After completing standard setup, place the Hunting
Rig meeple on the Crystal River Site, the Camper Van meeple on the Pinehill Park Site, and
the Mobile Lab meeple on the Maple Lake Site. Once you have completed setup, the play area
should look something like this:
Each Vehicle corresponds to a specific Flavor of Human. Throughout the game, the Vehicles will
move around The Wilderness, carrying with them that specific Flavor. When playing with this
expansion, make the following modification to gameplay:
• Before Dawn, move each Vehicle one Site clockwise. When you move a Vehicle, also move 3 of
the corresponding Flavor from the same Site one Site clockwise.
◦If there are fewer than 3 Humans of that Flavor to move, first Attract Humans of that Flavor
to the Site with the Vehicle until there are 3, then move all 3.
◦If there are fewer than 3 Humans of that Flavor to move and no Humans of that Flavor
remain in the Rest Area to Attract, move all the Humans of that Flavor with the Vehicle one
Site clockwise.
Note: Though Vehicles correspond to a specific Flavor of Human, they do not count as Humans.
1 2
3
21 3
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CAMPER VAN MEEPLE
This Vehicle starts at Pinehill Park, and it Attracts and moves Hikers.
HUNTING RIG MEEPLE
This Vehicle starts at Crystal River, and it Attracts and moves Hunters.
MOBILE LAB MEEPLE
This Vehicle starts at Maple Lake, and it Attracts and moves Researchers.
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discard
pile
Current
Event pile
Alien Invasion Mini-Expansion
Adding the Alien Invasion Mini-Expansion to Twisted Cryptids introduces a new adversary for the
Cryptids to compete against, allowing you to play a semi-cooperative/solo variation of Twisted
Cryptids. After completing standard setup, place the UFO Control Panel card face up within
reach of all players. Shuffle the Alien Activity deck and place it face down next to the UFO
Control Panel card, leaving space near it for a discard pile . Finally, place the UFO meeple
on the Site with the fewest Hiding Spot tokens. If multiple Sites tie for the fewest Hiding Spot
tokens, the First Player chooses on which of those Sites to place the UFO meeple. Once you have
completed setup, the play area should look something like this:
Each round, the UFO will move around The Wilderness and Abduct Humans before they have
a chance to encounter any Cryptids. When playing with this expansion, make the following
modifications to gameplay:
• At the end of the Day, and before Dusk, the UFO will activate and the First Player will resolve the
following steps:
1. For each Event in the Current Event pile, flip and resolve the top card of the Alien Activity deck.

2. Return the resolved Alien Activities to the Alien Activity deck, then shuffle it.
• If at any time the UFO would Abduct a Human, but there is not an open space in a Pod on the
UFO Control Panel that can hold a Human of that Flavor, the game immediately ends and the
Aliens win (and all players lose).
Alien
Activity
discard
pile
1
2
3 4
2 3
1
4
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UFO MEEPLE
The UFO meeple denotes the UFO’s current Site, which is the Site from which the UFO
may Abduct Humans.
UFO CONTROL PANEL CARD
ALIEN ACTIVITY CARDS
The UFO Control Panel holds all Humans abducted throughout the
game. The UFO Control Panel is divided into 4 Pods, and each Pod can
hold up to 5 Humans. Three of the Pods correspond to a specific Flavor
of Human (and can only hold Humans of that Flavor), and the fourth
Pod can hold any Flavor of Human.
Note: When playing solo or with 2 players, Humans cannot be placed in
the fourth Pod; it must remain empty.
Throughout the game, each Pod will slowly be filled with Humans,
energizing the UFO. A Pod is filled when it holds 5 Humans of the
corresponding Flavor, and each filled Pod increases the UFO’s Energy
by one.
Alien Activities operate the UFO to move it around The Wilderness and
Abduct Humans. If an Alien Activity Abducts a Human, move that Human
from the UFO’s current Site to a corresponding Pod on the UFO Control
Panel. Some Alien Activities refer to the Energy of the UFO ( ); this
equals the number of players plus the number of filled Pods.
Note: You may only place Humans in the fourth Pod if the corresponding
Flavor Pod has already been filled.
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Quick Reference
Player order begins with the First Player and proceeds clockwise.
DAWN
First Player flips a new Event and resolves it from top to bottom.
When finding the Site with the fewest Humans or Flavor, this will include Sites with zero.
DAY
In player order, you will have 3 turns.
During your turn, you may take one of the following Actions:
• Play a card from your hand.
• Discard a card to use your Cryptid Power (once per round).
• Pass the turn to the next player.
DUSK
The Encounter occurs at the Site that has the most Humans and at least one Hiding Spot.
In player order, if you have a Hiding Spot at the Encounter:
• Reveal the top Sighting of that Stack.
• Resolve it from top to bottom.
• Place your Hiding Spot on top of that Stack.
NIGHT
In player order, take the following steps:
• If you don’t have a Hiding Spot on a Stack, you may move a Hiding Spot.
• If you have a Hiding Spot on a Stack, place it on a Site (cannot be the Encounter).
• You may discard any cards in your hand, then draw back up to 5 cards (skip on Round 5).
Pass the First Player token clockwise, then start the next round.
The game will end after 5 rounds (see page 8 for scoring).
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RESOLVING EFFECTS:
If you are ever unable to perform the full effect on a card, partially resolve that effect to the extent
you are able. If multiple Sites fit the effect’s requirements, choose one of those Sites and resolve
the effect from that Site.
WHEN MOVING HUMANS:
“To” means you will move them directly onto a Site.
“Toward” means you will move them one Site closer.
FUNCTIONS:
• Lure: From an adjacent Site to the Site of your Hiding Spot.
• Scare: From the Site of your Hiding Spot to an adjacent Site.
• Attract: From the corresponding Rest Area to the Site of your Hiding Spot.
• Extract: From the Site of your Hiding Spot or an adjacent Site to the corresponding Rest Area.
• Strong Lure: From a Site up to 2 Sites away to the Site of your Hiding Spot.
• Big Scare: From the Site of your Hiding Spot to a Site up to 2 Sites away.
MOVING YOUR HIDING SPOTS:
• You may not place a Hiding Spot token on a Site that already has one of your Hiding Spot tokens.
• For 4 players: No more than 3 players may have a Hiding Spot token at any one Site.
• For 5-6 players: No more than 4 players may have a Hiding Spot token at any one Site.
REFRESHING THE ACTION DECK:
If at any time the Action deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile and place it face down to
form a new Action deck.
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