Cryptic Explorers

About this board game

Cryptic Explorers is an asymmetrical tactics and survival horror board game for 2 to 4 players, with sessions lasting around 240 minutes. Released in 2022, it is set in a unique science-fiction horror universe where living explorers invade the forbidden Realms of Death.

A strange organization called Nauticus has discovered the Maw of Thanatos, a gateway capable of transporting living beings from Earth into Death itself. The explorers sent through this gateway are known as the Cryptonauts, and their mission is to uncover the forbidden knowledge of mortality.

One to three players form squads of Cryptonauts and must traverse the shifting multiverse, gathering Souls to unlock new abilities. They battle monsters, endure the hazards of the Realms, steal powerful artifacts, and seek enough Knowledge of Death to escape back to Earth.

• Explore the mysterious Realms of Death as a team of human Cryptonauts.
• Gather Souls and unlock new abilities.
• Battle monsters, survive dangerous hazards, and steal powerful artifacts.
• Collect enough Knowledge of Death to attempt an escape.

Opposing them, a single player assumes the role of a Goddess of Death. She summons monsters, plays Goddess cards, and uses her abilities to isolate, cripple, and ultimately kill the invading Cryptonauts.

Every game places the explorers in a desperate struggle: uncover the secrets of Death and escape, or be consumed by the domain they have entered. In Cryptic Explorers, survival depends on whether the Cryptonauts can gather enough knowledge before the Goddess of Death stops them.