How to Play Escape: The Curse of the Temple – Big Box 2nd Edition

Objective of the Game

Escape: The Curse of the Temple is a real-time board game where players work cooperatively to escape a collapsing temple. You have only ten minutes to activate enough magic gems to banish the curse blocking the exit. Players must explore new chambers, activate magic gems using specific dice combinations, and find the exit chamber before time runs out. If even one player fails to escape the temple in time, all players lose the game. If all players manage to escape from the temple before it collapses, they have won the game as a team!

Preparation (Setup)

1. Gather the 6 main chamber tiles and 13 basic chamber tiles (those without purple mask and/or treasure icons). Set aside the starting chamber and the exit chamber. Mix the remaining chamber tiles face down to form a draw pile.
2. Place the starting chamber in the center of the playing area. Place 2 randomly drawn chamber tiles next to it, ensuring their stairways touch the starting chamber.
3. Take the top 4 tiles from the draw pile, shuffle them together with the exit tile, then place them on the bottom of the draw pile.
   • Exception: If playing alone or with a second player, insert the exit tile in the middle of the draw pile instead.
4. Determine the number of magic gems to place in the gem depot based on the number of players:
   • 1 & 2 players: 7 gems
   • 3 players: 11 gems
   • 4 players: 14 gems
   • 5 players: 16 gems
   Place 2 additional magic gems next to the gem depot.
5. Each player selects a color, then takes 5 dice, the corresponding adventurer figure, and adventurer token. All players place their adventurer figure on the starting chamber and keep their adventurer token in front of them.
   • Exception: If playing alone, take 7 dice instead of 5.
6. Insert the CD into your CD-player and choose one of the ten-minute soundtracks. For your first game, track 1 is recommended.
7. Place all components not needed for the basic game back in the game box.

Fluxo do Jogo

Escape is a real-time game played without rounds. Players roll their five dice as quickly and as often as they can without waiting for teammates. The game lasts exactly 10 minutes, signaled by a soundtrack with audio cues.

The game begins with the command "Escape!" Immediately start rolling your dice.

During the soundtrack, you will hear 3 countdowns:

• The first countdown starts with one gong bang and ends with a door slam.
• The second countdown starts with two gong bangs and ends with a door slam.

These two countdowns require players to rush back to the starting chamber. Any adventurer who doesn't make it to the starting chamber before the door slams shut loses one of their dice for the rest of the game. Lost dice are returned to the game box. After the door slams shut, players can continue exploring from their current location.

• The third countdown starts with three gong bangs and ends with the sound of the temple collapsing. This signals the end of the game after exactly 10 minutes.

Ações e Como Jogar

Players use various dice combinations to perform actions. After performing an action, a player must re-roll all dice used for that action. Any dice not used for an action can be set aside for later use and re-rolled at any time (except black masks).

The die icons are:

• Black mask: An accursed die. Place it aside; it can only be used again after the spell is broken by a golden mask.
• Golden mask: Breaks the spell on up to two black masks, allowing the player to use those dice again. A golden mask can also be used to help one other player in the same chamber by breaking the spell on up to two of their accursed dice.
• Key and Torch: Used to enter certain chambers and activate magic gems.
• Adventurer (x2): Needed to move between chambers or discover new chambers.

The available actions are:

1. Enter a chamber

A player may enter a chamber only if its entrance is not blocked. To enter a chamber, the player must roll the icons shown in a red frame inside the new chamber.

2. Discover a new chamber

A player inside a chamber with one or more unblocked entrances that don't already connect to other chambers may discover a new chamber. To do so, a player must roll two adventurer icons to draw one new chamber from the draw pile and place it next to their current chamber. The new chamber's entrance must join the current chamber's entrance. The stairway on each tile must touch the starting chamber.

3. Activate magic gems

A player inside a chamber containing one or more magic gem icons must roll the required number of torch or key icons to activate the number of magic gems shown. After a gem is successfully activated, take a gem from the gem depot and place it on the appropriate gem icon. If at least one of a chamber's gems has been activated, no adventurer may activate any further gems inside this chamber.

• Players may cooperate to activate 1 gem.
• Players must cooperate to activate 2 or 3 gems.

4. Escape

A player can escape only if they are inside the exit chamber. To escape, a player must roll as many keys as the number of gems in the gem depot plus one. Each player must roll the required number of key icons by themselves. After a player has escaped, they give one of their dice to any adventurer still inside the temple, who may use it immediately.

5. Provoke a turn of fate

If there are too many accursed dice in play, players may unanimously decide to transfer one of the two magic gems lying next to the gem depot to the gem depot. Then, all adventurers may re-roll all of their accursed dice (black masks). This action can be provoked only twice during the game. Note that each additional gem makes it harder to escape.

Fim de Jogo e Pontuação

The game ends after 10 minutes, at the end of the third countdown, when the temple collapses. If any adventurer is inside the temple when it collapses, then all players have lost the game. If all players manage to escape from the temple before it collapses, they have won the game as a team!

For a more challenging game, players may agree before the start of the game to increase the number of gems in the gem depot:

• Experts: 3 additional magic gems.
• Professionals: 6 additional magic gems.

When playing with these variants, the action "Provoke a turn of fate" is no longer available.

Dicas para Vencer

• Coordinate Actions: Some tasks can only be completed collectively, so be sure to coordinate your actions and look out for one another.
• Prioritize Gem Activation: The sooner you find the exit chamber and the more magic gems you activate, the easier it will be for you to escape.
• Manage Accursed Dice: Use golden masks effectively to break spells on black masks, either for yourself or to help teammates, to keep as many dice in play as possible.