Welcome to the World of Obscurio

Game Overview

Obscurio is a captivating board game where you find yourself trapped in a mysterious library. As a group of brave adventurers, your goal is to decipher the enigmatic symbols and escape before it’s too late. However, there is a twist – one of your own might be a traitor, secretly working for the evil forces that bind you.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept

So, you’re trapped in this haunting library. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to work together with your companions to solve the cryptic riddles scattered throughout the game. Each round presents you with a grimoire, containing a magnificently illustrated picture that hides essential clues to your escape.

But beware! One of your comrades may not be as trustworthy as they appear. They could be a traitor, aiming to sabotage your efforts and keep you trapped in this arcane prison forever. Will you be able to identify the traitor and stop their insidious plans in time?

The Game Phases

The game consists of several phases. First, you gather in the library, getting ready for a challenging and mind-bending adventure. Then, the grimoire will lead you through a series of surreal and captivating visions.

During each vision, the grimoire keeper will cryptically choose cards from their hand, each representing a path, a key, or a trap. The rest of the group will work together to interpret the clues presented in the chosen cards and vote on which path to follow. Majority rules, so discussions and debates will be crucial to your success.

Once a decision has been reached, you advance to the following vision, each one bringing you closer to freedom. However, the traitor will also have opportunities to sow doubt and confusion, trying to mislead the group and benefit their own agenda.

Prepare for an Immersive Experience

With its stunning artwork and immersive gameplay, Obscurio will transport you into an enchanting world of mystery and suspense. Cooperation, deduction, and well-honed intuition will be your allies as you navigate the labyrinthine corridors of the library.

So gather your wits, trust your instincts, and be prepared for the unexpected. Will you decipher the symbols, expose the traitor, and escape this enigmatic book prison? Your fate is in your hands.

This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds.

• 2 Butterfly Markers
• 1 foldable Card Holder
• 2 semi-transparent red round plastic Sheets
• 2 printed transparent round plastic Sheets
• 30 Cohesion Tokens
• 84 Illusion Cards
• 1 Game Board
• 1 Progress Marker
• 1 Hourglass
• 1 Bag
• 1 Desk
• 7 Loyalty Cards
• 7 Character Chips
• 7 Character Cards
• 14 Trap Tokens
• 1 Evanescent Room Tile
• Instructions

Roles

Grimoire

When it comes to Descent Into Midnight, you might be wondering what comes in the game box. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a list of everything you’ll find in the box:

– Two butterfly markers to add a touch of whimsy to your game experience.

– A foldable card holder for convenient storage and easy access during gameplay.

– Two semi-transparent red round plastic sheets that add an element of mystery to the game.

– Two printed transparent round plastic sheets to further enhance the immersive atmosphere.

– Thirty cohesion tokens to keep track of the bonds between characters and the world they inhabit.

– Eighty-four illusion cards, providing endless possibilities and surprises.

– One game board, the central hub for your underwater adventure.

– A progress marker to measure your journey through the depths.

– An hourglass to add tension and excitement to your decisions.

– A bag to store and draw important components from.

– A desk, where you can gather and organize your cards and tokens.

– Seven loyalty cards that represent the commitment of your characters to each other and the ocean.

– Seven character chips to distinguish and track the individuality of each player.

– Seven character cards that provide unique abilities and backgrounds for your underwater heroes.

– Fourteen trap tokens to represent dangers and obstacles in your path.

– An evanescent room tile, creating a shifting and unpredictable environment.

– And of course, instructions to guide you through the depths and help you get started on your journey.

Now that you know what’s included, let’s delve into the roles you can take on in Descent Into Midnight. One of these roles is the Grimoire.

At the beginning of the game, the Grimoire is the only role that is public. I play the game differently because I know the way out. I also know who the Traitor is. My responsibility is to guide my team. However, I can’t speak (I’m a book, after all), so I must use pictures and visual clues to communicate.Victory: If the loyal Wizards manage to escape the Library, I win with them. I know who the Traitor is, but I can’t give any information about it!

Wizards

Traitor

When we start the game, there’s a sneaky Traitor hiding among us Wizards. Their mission is to deceive us for as long as possible without getting caught. The Traitor goes up against the Grimoire and the rest of us Wizards, and they win if we lose.

Now, whenever we mention the word “Wizards,” we’re talking about all the players, including the Traitor, except for the Grimoire.

Oh, and here’s a special rule for games with four players or more. If there are only two or three of us, things might be a bit different.

Now let’s get to the Setup.

Let’s get started with setting up the game! Here’s what you need to do:

1. I put the board on the table. It’s important to place it in a central location so that everyone can reach it easily.
2. Now, I need to move the Progress marker. It starts on the first spot of the Progress track, which is located in the upper part of the board.
3. One of us will be the Grimoire. If it’s you, you’ll get some special items: the Desk, 2 Butterfly markers, a card holder, and an hourglass. The Grimoire is in charge of some important tasks, so make sure to pay attention!
4. The Illusion cards are an essential part of the game. We’ll shuffle them and place the deck face down next to the Grimoire. This deck will be used throughout the game.
5. Now, the Grimoire needs to draw 8 Illusion cards. These cards should be placed face up in the card holder, but make sure the other players don’t see them. After that, close the card holder.
6. It’s time for the rest of us to choose our Character cards. Each player will take a matching chip and keep their card in front of them. Don’t forget to place your chip at the center of the board so that it’s easy to see who’s who.

That’s it! We’re all set up and ready to begin our magical adventure. Let the game begin!

Here’s what you need to do. Grab the Traitor card. Now, add enough Loyal cards to match the number of Wizards playing the game. So, if there are 4 Wizards, you’ll need 1 Traitor card and 3 Loyal cards.

Mix up all the cards and deal one to each Wizard. This is where it gets interesting. Each Wizard takes a sneaky peek at their Loyalty card and hides it from the others. One of them will end up being the Traitor, but nobody knows who that is yet!

Now, it’s time to get the Trap tokens involved. Put them all in the bag marked with a number 7.

Before the game starts, you need to choose a difficulty level. If this is your first game, go with the Beginner Grimoire level. Look at the table and grab the right number of Cohesion tokens for your group size (including the Grimoire) and the difficulty level you picked.

Okay, now let’s set up the gauge. Place the required number of Cohesion tokens on the dark side of the gauge, where the monster is. Any remaining tokens go on the other side of the gauge marked with an 8.

You have everything you need to start playing Obscurio, except for a few game elements that are still in the box. The number of tokens you’ll need depends on the number of players. If you have 4 or 5 players, you’ll need 5 tokens. If you have 6 to 8 players, you’ll need 7 tokens. Keep in mind that all other game elements are already set up and ready to go. So, gather your friends, get those tokens out of the box, and let the excitement begin!

Game Play

Important Note: The Grimoire can’t talk to us Wizards. So, I can’t tell you anything or even make a noise. But don’t worry, we have a way to communicate. I can use these Butterfly markers to send you hints.

Okay, let’s talk about how the game works. It’s divided into turns, and each turn has 5 steps. In each turn, we, the Wizards, have to solve a riddle. The riddle will help us find the door that leads to the next Room. We have to cross 6 Rooms to get out of the Library.

Step 1: Turn Setup

Each Room has different obstacles to stop us from escaping. So, at the start of each turn, you need to take a Trap token out of the bag. We’ll put it in front of the Grimoire.

When it’s time to draw Trap tokens, you’ll always get at least one, even on the first turn. But depending on how long the Wizards took to finish the previous turn, you might have to deal with more. And remember, you have to resolve any Trap token you draw during the current turn.

Here’s an example to help you understand: Let’s say during the last turn, the Wizards finished their actions after the timer reached the ‘+2’ space. That means they have to draw three Trap tokens on that turn. That’s one token plus an extra two.



Step 2: The Riddle Unveiled

So here’s how it goes: I, the Grimoire, start by picking the first Illusion card from the deck – nobody else gets a peek, mind you. This card is special – it’s the Exit card. And your challenge is to spot it amongst the crowd, so to speak, to advance to the next Room.

Now, don’t you worry, I keep this card face down for now. But I have the privilege of taking a sneak peek whenever I please, while Step 2 is still underway.

Next, I draw not one, but two more Illusion cards and I put them on the Desk, face up. These cards are the Pages of my Grimoire. And here’s the fun part – using these Butterfly markers, I’ll point to one or maybe two things on these Pages. It’s up to you to figure out what it all means.

Hey there! Let’s talk about the important clues in the Exit card. The Wizards (that’s us!) can use two Butterfly markers to help us figure out which card it is. We can put one marker on a Page or we can put both markers on the same Page. Pretty cool, right?

But wait, there’s more! We can also put a Butterfly marker at the bottom of a Page. That means the whole Page is a clue. How awesome is that? The clue could be related to the Exit card because of the subject, theme, colors, and other stuff like that. It’s like a little mystery waiting to be solved.



For instance: I think it would be a good idea to have the Grimoire point at the sea on the right Page. It’s related to the water on the Exit card. And let’s place the second Butterfly marker on the round window. There’s one on the Exit card, so it seems fitting.

Remember: Once a Butterfly marker is placed, it can’t be moved by anyone, not even the Grimoire.

And don’t forget, the Grimoire can’t use both Butterfly markers to point to the same thing.

After placing their Butterfly marker(s), the Grimoire sets the Exit card face down next to them and passes the Desk to the Wizards. Now, the Wizards can discuss and interpret the placement of the Butterfly markers.

Step 3: Traitor Cards

Hey there! I’ve got an important task for you. Listen up!

So, you know how we’ve been doing this thing called the Grimoire? Well, it’s time for the next step. But, before we move forward, you need to understand a few things.

First off, keep in mind that the Grimoire is in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly. However, they can’t give away any information about the Traitor. Anonymity is key!

Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of this step. There are three phases involved:

1. Alright, on the Grimoire’s command, we all need to close our eyes. And when I say all, I mean everyone – no exceptions! This step is crucial because if we don’t close our eyes, it’ll make it way too easy for the Traitor to be exposed. And we definitely don’t want that!

In the game Obscurio, there is a role known as the Traitor. As the Traitor, my objective is to confuse the Wizards by selecting cards that resemble potential Exit cards. The Grimoire, which is like a magic book, helps me with this task. It asks me to open my eyes and reveals the card holder, which contains 8 cards numbered #1 to #8.

When choosing my first card, I simply use my fingers to indicate the number of the card. The Grimoire then takes that card and places it face down on top of the Exit card. Afterward, the Grimoire draws a new card from the deck to replace the one I chose.

Next, I can choose a second card. The process is the same as before – I indicate the number of the card with my fingers, and the Grimoire puts it on top of the Exit card. Again, the Grimoire draws a new card to replace the one I selected.

Finally, once I have chosen both cards, the Grimoire closes the card holder, ending my role as the Traitor.

Hey there!

Have you ever played a game with cards? You know, those small, rectangular pieces of paper or plastic with different designs and pictures on them? They can be quite fun and entertaining, but did you know that there is something called a Traitor in some games, who may not need to choose any cards at all?

Yes, that’s right! In certain games, there is a role called the Traitor, and they have the power to decide whether or not to pick any cards. If they choose not to, all they have to do is silently indicate to the Grimoire by giving a little nod. And just like that, the card holder can be closed immediately.

Isn’t that fascinating? It’s interesting how games can have these special roles and rules that make them even more exciting and unpredictable. So next time you play a game with cards, keep in mind that someone might be the Traitor, and they might decide not to choose any cards at all.



• Once I close the Grimoire card holder, I want you to close your eyes. When I give the command, you will all open your eyes.

Just so you know: This is a really important part, and we need to keep it a secret. That means I can’t tell you who the Traitor is, and I can’t even look at them when I talk.

The Traitor needs to be really careful not to make any noise. We don’t want the other players to realize who it is.

Step 4: Picking the Door

Here’s what happens next: I’m going to take the Exit card and any cards the Traitor picked earlier. Then, I’ll add enough cards from the deck until we have a total of 6 Illusion cards (the Trap tokens can change this number). After that, I’ll shuffle the cards and give them to you, the Wizards.

When we play the game, the Wizards place the Illusion cards face up on the board. There are numbered spots on the board called “Doors” and each card goes on one of these spots, numbered from 1 to 6.

During this part of the game, we, the Wizards, need to find the Exit card. It is hidden among the other Illusion cards. To do this, we discuss the clues that the Grimoire gives us. The clues are represented by Butterfly markers. We need to figure out how the elements indicated by the Butterflies are connected to the Exit card.

As soon as we place the first card on the board, the Grimoire starts the timer. It turns the hourglass and puts it on the first space of the Time Track. The Time Track is on the back of the card holder.

If the timer runs out before we finish this part, the Grimoire needs to turn it again and place it on the second space. And if it runs out again, it goes to the third space, and so on. The faster we agree on a card, the fewer Traps we’ll have to face on the next turn.

When I think I’ve found the right Exit card, I put my Character chip in front of the matching door. I can move my chip if I change my mind, as long as I haven’t taken a step yet.

We can work together and choose different doors to increase our chances of finding the right one. But it’s risky because we’ll lose a Cohesion token for each person who chooses the wrong door.

There are two ways this step can end:

– When all Wizards have chosen a door and don’t want to change their minds, we tell the Grimoire that the step is over. The hourglass stays on its current space.

• When the hourglass runs out while I’m on the last space of the Time Track, the Grimoire says “Stop!” and I can’t place my chips anymore. If I didn’t place or move my chip, our group loses Cohesion points, as if I chose the wrong door.

Example: In this example, I, Blue, believe that the Grimoire’s clues are referring to the window and the dark blue on card #1.

So, I put my Character chip in front of that door. Green decides to put their chip in front of door #4 because of the round window and the water shown on it.

Furthermore, they want to ensure that someone chooses this door. Both Red and Yellow are certain that door #6 is the correct one because of the moon and the stars.



Once I finish this step, the Grimoire will show me the correct Exit card out of all the doors. So, here’s what I should do next to complete this step:



If there’s a Character chip in front of the Exit card, we move one Room forward! The Progress Marker moves ahead one space too. When the Progress Marker gets to the last space on the Progress track, the Watcher Trap is activated for the rest of the game. You can see on the game board where it is. If the Progress Marker was already on the last space and the Wizards still have at least 1 Cohesion token, the game is over. The Wizards and the Grimoire win!

For example: In this case, the Exit card is Door #3 and there is a Character chip in front of that door. So, the Progress Marker moves forward one space.

Next, if a player was in front of the wrong door, they take a Cohesion token from the matching area and put it on their Character card. Blue, Red, and Yellow each take one token.

I lost 3 Cohesion tokens, but at least I moved to the next Room.



Step 5: Wrapping Up the Turn

After using Illusion cards, we discard them face up next to the board. Trap tokens go back in the bag. Each of us puts our chip in the center of the board. Once we’re done, we move on to the next turn by following Step 1: Setting Up the Turn.

Making an Accusation

When we’ve taken the last Cohesion token from the first area of the gauge in Step 4, we begin searching for the Traitor among us during the Accusation Phase. The Grimoire doesn’t participate in this phase. Here’s how the Accusation Phase works:



Ready, set, go! The Wizards have 60 seconds to huddle up and uncover the Traitor in their midst.



When the sand in the hourglass finishes flowing, I count to three, and all the Wizards point their fingers at someone. If they believe that person is the Traitor, they choose them.



Here’s how we determine who’s guilty. We count up all the votes against each person. Whoever has the most votes is considered the accused. And if there’s a tie, then all the tied players are accused. Now, here’s the twist. Any accused player has to show their Loyalty card. And here’s why it matters. For every loyal player who was falsely accused, we lose 2 Cohesion tokens. Those tokens go right back in the box.

Now, here’s the thing. If the Traitor wasn’t accused and we still have some Cohesion tokens left, we start this whole phase over. We flip that hourglass and do it all again.



If the Traitor gets caught and the Cohesion tokens are still there, we move on to the next round. The Traitor has to remove their chip from the board.

From now until the game ends, the Traitor can only be involved in Phase 3, which is the Traitor cards. They can no longer participate in the discussions among the Wizards.

Remember: Even if a loyal player is falsely accused, they still get to participate in all phases of the game turn.

Ending the Game

There are two ways the game can end:



So I’m playing this game, right? And it tells me to move the Progress marker. But here’s the thing: the marker is already on the last space of the track. And get this, there are still Wizards out there with at least 1 Cohesion token. Can you believe it? The Wizards managed to escape the Library!

But guess what? The Wizards and the Grimoire actually win the game. Yeah, they beat the odds and came out victorious! And you know who loses? The Traitor. Tough luck for them!



I got to the final Cohesion token, and it’s not looking good. The gauge is in the dark territory, which means the Wizards are really struggling. In fact, we’re so lost in the Library that the group is starting to scatter.

But here’s the twist – the Traitor actually wins the game all by themselves! Talk about a surprising outcome!



Play with Two or Three Players

For Two or Three Players

When playing with only two or three players, we won’t include the Traitor. This means we can ignore any rules or steps that relate to the Traitor. Additionally:

• You don’t need to use Loyalty cards;
• Step 3 can be skipped on every turn;
• Take out any purple Trap tokens from the game;
• There’s no need for the Accusation Phase;
• Don’t put any Illusion cards in the card holder (although you still need the holder for the Time Track).

Playing with Two Players

In a game with just two players, there will be one Grimoire and one Wizard. The Wizard gets to start with two Character chips: their own chip and one additional chip for their companion.

Place both chips at the center of the board. When it’s time for Step 4 (Choosing a Door), the Wizard must use both chips. They can place both chips in front of the same door or in front of two different doors.