Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express

2017

Embark on a thrilling journey aboard the Orient Express in this unique puzzle game. Solve riddles, uncover clues, and crack the case before time runs out!

120
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

12+

Medium

About the game

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is an engaging and thrilling escape room game that takes you on a mysterious journey aboard one of the most luxurious trains in the world, the Orient Express. This captivating game combines elements of mystery, puzzle-solving, and strategy, making it an immersive experience for all players.

Set in the early 20th century, you are passengers on the famous express train journeying from Paris to Constantinople. However, the peaceful journey takes a shocking turn when a fellow passenger is found dead. Now, it’s up to you and your fellow players to solve the murder before the train reaches its destination.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a thrilling board game that challenges players to solve a murder mystery on the famous train, the Orient Express. The components of the game each play a vital role in facilitating gameplay and enhancing the overall experience. Here is a list of the game’s components and their functions:

1. Instruction Book:

This booklet provides the game rules, setup instructions, and general guidance for players. It’s crucial to read this before starting to understand how to navigate the game and use its various components effectively.

2. Scenario Book:

The scenario book is filled with riddles that players must solve to progress in the game. Each riddle connects with the game’s narrative and the clues provided throughout the gameplay. Players will need to refer to this book frequently as they work to solve the murder mystery.

3. Game Cards:

These cards are categorized into three types: clue cards, answer cards, and help cards. Clue cards provide hints to solve the riddles. Answer cards confirm whether a riddle has been solved correctly. Help cards offer additional guidance if players are stuck on a riddle.

4. Decoder Disk:

This component is used to solve the riddles in the game. Players will align different symbols on the disk to reveal a code. This code corresponds to an answer card that will tell players if they’ve solved the riddle correctly.

5. Strange Items:

These are additional items not immediately recognizable as game components. They are typically used in conjunction with the riddles and may be manipulated in various ways to uncover clues or solutions.

6. Game Box:

The game box itself is also part of the game. It may hide additional clues or secrets that contribute to the riddles and overall mystery. Players should not overlook the box as a potential source of information or clues.

In Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express, each component interacts with the others to create an immersive, challenging, and rewarding gameplay experience. Players will need to use their deduction skills, work together, and pay close attention to the game components to solve the intriguing murder mystery on the Orient Express.

Game flow Round and round we go

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a puzzle game that involves solving riddles and tasks to progress. The game does not have traditional rounds or phases like many other board games, but instead flows according to the players’ progress through the puzzles. The goal of the game is to solve all the puzzles as quickly as possible, with the game ending when the final puzzle is solved.

Setting Up the Game:

First, players unpack the game materials. These include a booklet, cards, a decoder disk, and strange items that will be used to solve the puzzles.
Then, players read the introduction in the booklet aloud to set the scene.

Gameplay:

The game begins when the players start the timer on their smartphone or stopwatch. From this point on, the game is a race against time.
Players then work together to solve the riddles presented in the booklet and on the cards. The answers to these riddles will be used with the decoder disk to advance in the game.
Players can only progress to the next puzzle by solving the previous one. They will find clues scattered throughout the booklet, cards, and strange items. If players are stuck, they can use the hint cards for help.

Ending the Game:

The game ends when the players have solved the final puzzle and stopped the timer. The quicker they manage to solve all the puzzles, the better they will score.
Players then use the scoring table in the rulebook to rate their performance based on the time taken and the number of hints used.

Note: Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is designed to be played once. As players mark, fold, and tear the game materials during play, this game can’t be played more than one time.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a complex and engaging board game. Your turn in this game involves a series of steps that require strategic thinking and decision-making. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what happens during a player’s turn:

1. Draw a Card: At the start of your turn, you draw a card from the deck.

Clue Cards: These cards provide hints or partly solve some of the puzzles. Using them wisely can help you progress faster in the game.
Riddle Cards: These cards contain riddles that you must solve to advance in the game. The complexity of these riddles varies, and some may require collaboration with other players.

2. Examine Current Situation: After drawing a card, you should consider your current state in the game. This involves checking any unsolved riddles, available clues, and the status of the other players.

3. Action Phase: In this phase, you decide what action to take based on the card you drew and your current situation.

Solving a Riddle: If you decide to solve a riddle, you must use your clue cards, wit, and any available hints from the game to find the solution.
Using a Clue Card: If you decide to use a clue card, you should choose one that will help you solve an unsolved riddle. The clue card can provide hints or help you avoid potential pitfalls.
Collaborating with Other Players: You may choose to collaborate with other players to solve a particularly challenging riddle. This can also be a strategic move to prevent others from progressing too far ahead.

4. Resolution Phase: After you take your action, the game moves into the resolution phase.

If you solved a riddle, you progress in the game. You discard the riddle card and draw a new one.
If you used a clue card without solving a riddle, your turn ends. The clue card remains in play for future use.
If you collaborated with another player and solved a riddle, both you and the other player progress. The riddle card is discarded, and both players draw new cards.

Note: Remember that in Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express, the challenge is not only to solve the mystery but also to do so as quickly as possible. Time is a crucial factor, and the players must balance speed with accuracy in their quest to identify the murderer.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’ ends when players successfully solve all the riddles and exit the train, simulating their escape from the Orient Express. Unlike other board games, ‘Exit: The Game’ series, including ‘Dead Man on the Orient Express’, doesn’t have victory conditions in the traditional sense. Instead, the game is time-based, and players work cooperatively to solve the riddles as quickly as they can.

Steps to End the Game:

Complete All Riddles: The game ends when players have solved all of the riddles in the game. These riddles are found in the riddle cards, and players use the decoder disk to verify their answers.
Exit the Train: Upon solving all the riddles, players then use the answers to find the correct exit from the train, symbolizing their successful escape from the Orient Express.

Scoring:

Scoring in ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’ is based on two factors:

Time: The faster players solve the riddles and exit the train, the higher their score. The game comes with a timer, and players are encouraged to complete the game as quickly as possible.
Hint Cards Used: The game comes with hint cards to assist players if they get stuck on a riddle. However, using these hint cards will lower the final score. Each hint card used deducts from the total points scored.

Once the game ends, the players tally their score based on the time taken and the number of hint cards used. The final score is then ranked on a scale from 1 to 10 stars, with 10 being the best possible score.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’ is an escape room style board game where the objective is to solve puzzles and riddles to find the murderer. The game adopts a unique scoring system based on the time taken to solve the game, the number of hint cards used, and whether the players could solve the riddles without any aid.

The scoring system is as follows:

Time: The game starts with a score of 10 stars. For every 15 minutes spent playing the game, one star is deducted from the total score. Therefore, the faster a team can solve the game, the higher their score will be.
Hint cards: For every hint card used, one star is also deducted from the total score. Hint cards provide clues to solve the puzzles and riddles, but using them will lower the final score. Hence, it is beneficial for players to try and solve the puzzles without any aid.
Solving without aid: If players manage to solve the puzzles and riddles without using any hint cards or outside help, they are awarded an additional star, making it possible to achieve a maximum score of 11 stars.

In case of a tie, the tie-breaking rules are as follows:

If two or more teams finish the game with the same score, the team that used fewer hint cards is the winner.
If the teams used the same number of hint cards, the team that finished the game in the shortest time is the winner.
If the teams finish the game in the same amount of time and used the same number of hint cards, the game is considered a draw.

The scoring system encourages players to think critically and work efficiently, rewarding speed and minimal use of hint cards. This makes the game challenging and exciting, as players strive to solve the puzzles as quickly as possible while using the fewest hint cards.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a unique and fun board game that requires players to solve riddles and puzzles to unravel a murder mystery. As a part of the ‘Exit: The Game’ series, it maintains the core mechanics of solving puzzles to progress the game, but with its unique setting and storyline, there are some rare rules, exceptions, and clarifications to note.

Rule Clarification 1:

The game contains an ‘Answer Card’ deck. These cards should only be looked at when players believe they have solved a riddle card. The symbol on the riddle card corresponds to the answer card, but if an answer card is looked at prematurely, it could spoil the solution.

Rule Clarification 2:

Some puzzles may require players to alter or destroy game components. This is part of the game design and is necessary to solve certain riddles. The game is not designed to be replayed once completed, so players should not hesitate to make these alterations when required.

Rule Clarification 3:

When you find an object with a plus symbol, it means that this object must be combined with another object. Both objects must have the same color and number. They can’t be used separately to solve a riddle.

Exception Rule 1:

In this particular ‘Exit: The Game’ installment, there is an added layer of complexity in the form of an ‘Interview’ mechanic. Players will need to cross-reference information from the passengers on the train to rule out suspects. This is an additional puzzle layer that isn’t found in every ‘Exit: The Game’ installment.

Exception Rule 2:

Unlike other games in the series, ‘Dead Man on the Orient Express’ does not have a linear progression. The non-linear gameplay allows players to solve multiple riddles in any order. This requires more strategic thinking and collaboration among players.

Rare Rule:

Lastly, a rare rule specific to this game is the ‘Final Puzzle’. Once all other riddles have been solved, players must correctly identify the murderer. The game does not end until the murderer has been correctly identified, regardless of whether all other riddles have been solved.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies for ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’

1. Use the Clue Cards Wisely: Only use clue cards when you’re completely stuck. These are limited and using them unnecessarily can lead to a situation where you need them but don’t have them.

2. Keep Track of Solved Puzzles: Always keep track of the puzzles you’ve solved. This will prevent you from wasting time on puzzles that have already been completed.

3. Use the Time Wisely: Having a time limit, it’s essential to use the time wisely. Avoid overthinking and make decisions quickly.

Beginner Tips for ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’

1. Understand the Rules: Before starting the game, thoroughly understand the rules. This will help you know what’s expected and how to proceed.

2. Work as a Team: This game is designed for cooperative play. Communication and cooperation with your team members can greatly increase your chances of winning.

3. Don’t Rush: While speed is important, don’t rush through the game. Take your time to solve the puzzles correctly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’

1. Ignoring Clues: Every detail in the game can be a clue. Avoid ignoring any detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

2. Not Communicating: Lack of communication can lead to confusion and mistakes. Make sure to communicate with your team members at all times.

3. Using Clue Cards Too Soon: Use the clue cards sparingly. If you use them too soon, you may find yourself stuck later in the game without any help.

Optimizing Gameplay in ‘Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express’

1. Divide and Conquer: Assign different tasks to different team members. This will help in solving the puzzles faster.

2. Keep Everything Organized: Keep all the clues and solved puzzles organized. This will help in referencing them when required.

3. Practice Patience: Patience plays a key role in this game. Even if you are stuck, remain patient and keep trying different approaches.