Contents
Welcome to the Magic Maze Game!
Today, I’m going to explain the rules of this captivating and thrilling game. Are you ready? Great! Let’s get started.
Objective of the Game
First, let me tell you the main goal of Magic Maze. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to work together with your teammates to explore the magical maze, find the stolen magical item, and escape! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
Teamwork is Key
Now, it’s important to understand that this game requires excellent teamwork. Each player has a specific role and a unique ability that will contribute to the success of the team. You’ll need to communicate effectively and make decisions quickly to navigate through the maze.
The Time Limit
Oh, and there’s a twist! In Magic Maze, you must complete your mission before the sand timer runs out. The pressure is on, my friend! So, keep an eye on that timer and remember, time is of the essence.
Silent Communication
Here’s where things get really interesting. In this game, you are not allowed to talk to each other. I know, it sounds a little crazy, but trust me, it adds a whole new level of excitement. Instead, you’ll have to rely on non-verbal communication, like using tokens and certain gestures.
Moving Your Heroes
Now, let’s talk about how you’ll move your heroes through the maze. Each player controls all of the heroes, not just one. Yes, that’s right. You’ll need to work together to move your heroes to the correct location. Oh, and one more thing – each hero can only move in a specific direction, so you’ll need to plan your moves carefully.
Escaping the Maze
As you explore the maze, you’ll come across various obstacles and challenges. Don’t worry, though! You can overcome them by activating special tiles, like escalators and teleporters. Once you find the stolen magical item, make your way to the mall entrance, and you’ve successfully completed your mission!
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Magic Maze game is an exciting and unique experience that requires teamwork and non-verbal communication. By working together, making quick decisions, and using your unique abilities, you can successfully explore the maze, find the magical item, and escape in time. So, gather your team, put your communication skills to the test, and let the adventure begin!
When I lost everything I owned, I found myself in quite a pickle. I was a mage, accompanied by a barbarian, an elf, and a dwarf, all lacking the necessary gear for our upcoming adventure. We had no choice but to resort to unthinkable measures – robbing the local Magic Maze shopping mall.
Our plan was daring but efficient. We would execute our heists simultaneously, hoping to catch the guards off guard. Once we had what we needed, we would make a mad dash for the exits, escaping the watchful eyes of the suspicious security.
The beauty of this game is that it accommodates individuals with color perception differences. Instead of relying solely on colors, each color is associated with a symbol. So, whenever a color is mentioned, it can easily be identified by its corresponding symbol.
Magic Maze is a game where we all work together in real-time. We can each control any of the 4 Hero pawns whenever we want to make them do something specific, like moving north or exploring a new area. The tricky part is that we can’t talk to each other for most of the game. We have to rely on our teamwork and quick thinking to complete our mission before time runs out.
The goal of the game is for all of us to help the Hero pawns escape the shopping mall in a limited amount of time. Each pawn needs to steal an item before leaving the mall. If we all work together and use our skills wisely, we can win the game!
When you start the game, you have a total of 3 minutes. Along the way, you’ll encounter Sand Timer spaces that will give you more time. However, if the sand timer ever completely runs out before the Hero pawns escape, we all lose the game. It means our loitering in the mall has aroused suspicion, and the mall security guards will nab us!
The Things You’ll Need
- 24 Mall tiles
- 4 Hero pawns in different colors
- 12 Out of Order tokens
- 9 Action tiles for 2- to 8-player games, and 7 Action tiles for 1-player games
- 1 3-minute sand timer
- 1 “Do Something!” pawn
- 1 Score-sheet The Great Book of Challenges (also available on our website, in case you need a new sheet)
- 1 Theft tile
- 1 sheet of stickers to stick on the Hero pawns (if you wish) which allows people with altered color perception to recognize them.
If you’re wondering when to use the two stickers, you should know that they are only needed in Scenario 3. So, if you find yourself in that situation, keep these stickers handy. It’s that simple!
Setting Up
To get started, all you need to do is follow the instructions for the scenario you want to play. These instructions will guide you through setting up the Mall tile deck 1. Start with Scenarios 1 – 7 for the initiation campaign, and then move on to Scenarios 8 – 17. Once you’ve finished all the pre-made scenarios, you can even create your own!
Place the starting tile, Tile 1, in the center of the table. If you’re new to the game, make sure to place it with the A-side facing up. If you’re a seasoned player, feel free to choose whichever side you prefer. Next, randomly place the 4 Hero pawns on the 4 central spaces. Don’t forget to set aside the Theft tile (A-side up) and the Out of Order tokens.
Now, each player should receive an Action tile. The number of Action tiles you need depends on the number of players. Just make sure each player has their own tile.
When we’re playing this game, we need to put our Action card in front of us so that everyone can see it. Make sure to position it with the North arrow pointing in the same direction as the arrow on the starting tile. It’s important to keep the Action tiles facing the same way as the starting tile for the whole game.
When the setup is complete and the sand timer begins, the heist begins and silence becomes crucial. No communication is allowed during the game.
Tip: If there isn’t enough space for everyone around the table or if reaching the pawns is difficult, don’t worry! Just stand up and play. When it’s time to pass the Action tile to the left, everyone can simply step to the left instead.
Let the Game Begin
This is how a game of Magic Maze unfolds:
- Let’s start by exploring the shopping mall. We can choose to explore either a part or the entire mall.
- Next, we need to move each Hero pawn to the Item space that matches their color. Remember, each Hero pawn has its own color.
Once all four Hero pawns are on their respective Item spaces, it’s time to steal the items! The alarm will be triggered, and now we need to rush to the exit without getting caught. Make sure the sand timer doesn’t run out at this point. We also need to flip the Theft tile to the B-side-up.
When I’m playing the game, I can do the action(s) shown on my Action tile whenever I want, and as many times as I want. But I can’t do any actions that aren’t on my tile.
In this game, we don’t take turns. I act whenever I think one of my actions would be helpful. I can’t stop another player’s movement. They have to decide when it’s the right time to stop.
Let me tell you about each action in detail.
Move
The Move action lets me move a Hero pawn in the direction shown by the arrow. I can move the pawn as many spaces as I want. But I have to stop before hitting a wall, another hero, or anything else. Two Hero pawns can’t be on the same space.
So, here’s an example for you. Let’s say I want to move this orange Hero pawn to the orange Exploration space. To do that, I need to take three actions! Here’s how it goes:
- First, there’s Brian. He’s got the NORTH arrow, so he moves the hero 2 spaces north.
- Next up is Alice. She’s got the WEST arrow, so she moves the hero 2 spaces west.
- And finally, we have Marc. He’s got the SOUTH arrow, so he moves the hero 1 space south, right onto that orange Exploration space.
Oh, and by the way: if you’ve got 5 players or more, there might be a bunch of you trying to do the same Move action.
All about the Vortex
Now, there’s this special player. They’ve got the Use a Vortex action, and only they can do it. What does it do? Well, they can move any Hero pawn from wherever it is, straight to any Vortex space of its own colour. It’s like teleporting, really fast and handy for covering long distances. Awesome, right?
Important: Once the theft happens, the Vortex system will shut down automatically. This means you won’t be able to use the Use a Vortex action while making your escape!
Use the Escalator instead!
Hey there! Let me explain a cool rule to you. As a player, you have the power to take the Escalator action. This means that you can move a Hero pawn from one side of an escalator to the other, regardless of which way the escalator is going. Only you can do this, so it’s a pretty neat ability!
Here’s another rule for you. A Hero pawn should never stop on an escalator. It’s just not allowed, so be sure to keep your pawns moving!
Let’s talk about exploring now!
When you have the Explore action, it’s your job to add new tiles to the game board. But there’s a catch – you can only do this when there’s a Hero pawn on an Exploration space of the same color that leads to an unexplored area. It’s pretty exciting to uncover new areas and expand the game board!
I’m going to tell you about the four different types of Exploration spaces, and how they work in the game. When you play as a Hero and land on an Exploration space with the same color as your pawn, something special happens. It’s time to explore!
When it’s your turn to explore, you’ll take the top tile from the deck and place it on the board. You want to make sure that the white arrow on the tile lines up with the arrow on the Exploration space you’re using. This will create a path for your adventure to continue.
So, here’s the deal: once I’ve checked out a passage, I can move through it no matter what, even if it’s a different color than me. Pretty cool, right? It goes both ways, too!
But there are some special cases I should mention…
Check it out: say we just put down a new tile at spot A and we connect one of its Exploration spaces to a tile that was already there at spot B. Well, that new passage we just made is totally legit. We can all use it, no matter what color we are, and we can go in both directions.
But here’s the thing: sometimes, when we put down a new tile, it ends up with one of its Exploration spaces connecting to a wall on an existing tile at spot C. Not much we can do about that one – it’s a dead end.
Important: I want to make it clear that the layout of the Exploration spaces and white arrows ensures that two Mall tiles cannot overlap.
Don’t Consider Stealing as an Action
When all four Hero pawns stand on the Object spaces that match their color at the same time, the theft automatically happens. For example, the yellow Hero pawn stands on the yellow Object space, and so on. This signals that the theft has occurred, and the Theft tile will be flipped to the B-side to visually represent this. Now, I have to escape to the exit without using the Vortex system. The Vortex system has been deactivated, so the Action tile with the Use a Vortex action on it needs to be flipped!
Time Restriction
If the sand timer runs out, you lose the game! But every time you move a Hero pawn onto an open Sand Timer space, you have to flip the sand timer right away, whether it gives you more or less time. Remember, using a regular timer won’t have the same effect!
Hey there! Let’s talk about the Hero pawn and the Sand Timer space in the game. They play an important role in your strategy.
Hero Pawn and Sand Timer Space:
The Hero pawn is a special game piece that you can move onto the Sand Timer space. When you do this, something exciting happens – the sand timer flips!
Take note that each Sand Timer space can only be used once. Once you’ve used it, you need to place an Out of Order token underneath the Hero pawn standing on that space. Cool, right? In the shopping mall, you’ll find a total of four Sand Timer spaces.
Communication Restriction:
Now here’s something interesting. For most of the game, there’s a communication restriction. This means you can’t talk, point, make signs, or even make sounds! It may sound challenging, but don’t worry, there are still a few ways you can communicate. Here are the permitted forms of communication:
- I can’t help but fix my eyes on another player, trying to read their thoughts and intentions.
- When I grab the “Do Something!” pawn and place it in front of someone, it’s my way of telling them that it’s time to take action. But they might not agree, so they can pass it to someone else right away.
Each time the sand timer is flipped over, we all have the freedom to talk and share our ideas for as long as we want. We can discuss strategies and plans while the sand is still flowing. It’s a precious moment to collaborate and brainstorm.
However, as soon as anyone in the group makes a move, all communication stops again! It’s a reminder that action speaks louder than words in this game.
Just a reminder: If you make a mistake but didn’t actually break any rules (for example, you accidentally moved your Hero pawn too far north), only you can correct it (if you have the South arrow).
If you see another player break the rules, you can speak up and point it out. Go back to the game state before the mistake was made, but remember that the timer keeps running. You don’t get any extra time for the mistake or for explaining and fixing it, so act quickly!
Playing Alone
Alright, here’s the deal. The multiplayer and single-player versions of this game have the same setup. So grab those 7 Action tiles that have a number in the lower-right corner. Make sure the arrow on the starting tile is pointing the same way as the North arrow on the Action tiles. Shuffle them up and put them in a face-down deck.
Once you flip that sand timer, the game is on. You gotta use just one hand to reveal the Action tiles. Keep flipping them onto a discard pile until the action you want is on top. Easy, right? Here’s the catch: you can only use one action at a time, but you can use it with as many of those Hero pawns as you want, and as many times as you want. Just remember, you can’t hold the deck in your hand!
In order to do something else, you need to keep uncovering and getting rid of the other tiles with actions on them from the pile until you find the one you want. If you go through the entire pile and don’t find the action you’re looking for, you have to turn the discarded pile face down (without mixing it up) and start revealing the tiles again, one by one, until you find the desired action.
Every time you turn over the sand timer, you have to mix together the pile of cards that have already been used and the discard pile to create a new pile.