Pick a Pen: Crypts

About this board game

Pick a Pen: Crypts is a 2–4-player pencil-drafting puzzle game with a play time of about 30 minutes. Players fill their individual sheets with colored symbols, aiming to complete as many rows and columns as possible in an ancient crypt.

Each turn, the active player rolls the five colored pencils and chooses one. The symbols shown on the selected pencil determine what that player does on their sheet. Every other player then drafts a pencil in turn and uses it, keeping everyone involved throughout the round.

Filling the crypt requires careful progress. In each row, spaces must be completed from left to right, so every choice can affect the opportunities that follow. Once a row is filled, you may color in a symbol of your choice, creating a chance to trigger additional effects.

• Color a bold-framed symbol with its correct color to color another symbol as a bonus.
• Fill three spaces in a row or column with the same color to earn 3 bonus points.
• Place every color in a row or column to earn 5 bonus points.

The game ends when one player has filled all of their symbols. Everyone then compares their points, and the player with the highest score wins. Success comes from balancing immediate progress with the bonuses created by color patterns and completed lines.

Pick a Pen: Crypts includes three difficulty levels of player sheets. Each level offers different bonuses and effects, giving players varied challenges while preserving the central puzzle of drafting pencils and completing the crypt.