Setup
An overview of the game, and how to get ready to play.
Gameplay
Learn the rules of the game.
These videos were recorded in 2022. Where they differ from the written rules below, the written rules are the current, official version.
Written Rules
Setup
- Stack Turn Cards in order, with the “1” card revealed.
- Keep the 4 Move Cards in your hand.
- Make the Cave: Randomly set the Caverns in a 5x5 grid, with the Daylight Cavern (with the X) in the center and Buried sides (with tan arrows) face-up in random orientations.
- Place the Spelunkers on the Daylight Cavern. Set the Star Stones near the Cave.
Turn Phases
1. Explore
Use Move Cards to travel through the Cave’s Caverns, following the arrows.
Use a Move Card to move a Spelunker exactly that number of Caverns. If a Spelunker is on a Cavern with an arrow, it can only move into the Cavern to which the arrow points. Otherwise, it may move into any adjacent Cavern, or stop moving.
MOVEMENT CLARIFICATION: You can use each Move Card only once per turn. You do not have to use all Move Cards each turn. “Adjacent” means touching directly above, below, or to the side. The Cave “wraps around,” so Caverns in the top and bottom rows are considered adjacent (if in the same column) and Caverns in the left and right columns are considered adjacent (if in the same row).
2. Survey
Rotate occupied Buried Caverns.
Move Cards can no longer be used this turn. If a Spelunker is on a Buried Cavern, you may rotate that Cavern so the arrow points in any direction: up, down, left, or right.
If a Spelunker starts this phase on an Excavated Unstable Cavern, the Cave collapses at the end of this Turn and you will LOSE! Play the rest of the Turn out as normal — the team can still Excavate and Escape before the ceiling falls.
3. Excavate
Flip over occupied Buried Caverns.
Caverns can no longer be rotated this turn. Flip over Buried Caverns that are under all Spelunkers, and return each Spelunker to its Cavern. Those Caverns are now “Excavated.”
If an Unstable Cavern becomes Excavated, orient the Cavern so its arrow points in the same direction as before it became Excavated.
4. Escape
Spelunkers in the Daylight Cavern may leave the Cave permanently.
Collect one Star Stone for each Treasure Cavern Excavated this Turn. Any Spelunkers on the center Daylight Cavern may leave the Cave permanently to Escape. Return all of the Move Cards to your hand, and reveal the next Turn Card.
Then, if a Spelunker began this Turn’s SURVEY phase on an Excavated Unstable Cavern, the Cave collapses now and the game ends.
Game End
You WIN if you collect all 4 Star Stones and all 4 Spelunkers Escape before Turn 7 ends. Otherwise, you LOSE.
You also LOSE at the end of any Turn in which a Spelunker began the SURVEY phase on an Excavated Unstable Cavern. Because the collapse waits until the end of that Turn, any Spelunkers who reach the Daylight Cavern may still Escape, and any Star Stones collected that Turn still count.