Overview

Gather the best inventory whilst trying to escape before someone else does or the tiles run out

Turn

First play a card for its rooms to the playing area, then play 2 cards for their effects, before drawing back up to 5 cards of which ONE can be from the visible Governor's Inventory

Placement

If you hold a card with a Gold Scroll on it, this must be chosen as your room play before any others

One half of the tile placed must match an adjacent edge it is placed against

A door and a window cannot be placed together

Archways can be placed next to doors or windows or other archways

The 6th border from the start tile is for forest only, no rooms may be placed here

If you cannot adhere to the placement rules, add at tile of your choice to the Governor's Inventory

If you played a tile with a Warder or Chaplain symbol, add the relevant meeple to that tile

If you played a tile with a Moon symbol, flip the current open window closed and flip the next closed window further from the Governor to its open side

Play Effects

Once a tile placement has concluded, you then play two more for their effects, these can be the same or different effects

You can play a tool to move between tiles in different ways depending on the tool

If the tool has a gold background, the effect is doubled

The Shamrock is a lucky charm that is Wild and allows you to use it as any other tool

If you play the whistle, you get to mover a Warder or Chaplain instead of your piece

If you move a Warder, you can then shackle an opponent as long as the room is not protected by the symbols above the current Whistle token position

The first Shackle causes the player to place a random card facedown to show they are shackled, but if they already have one then the next Shackle will discard this card to Governer's Inventory and move them straight to their Room. If Solitary Confinement is out, instead of going to the Room, the meeple is sent there first instead which causes them to miss their next turn during which all they can do is move to their Room (Note: you can enter Solitary Confinement voluntarily, just make sure to place on an edge of the room to show the effect does not apply to you, you are just visiting)

If you move a Chaplain, they can remove Shackles from a piece, so you usually want to move them to yourself after being targeted by a Warder

If you are adjacent to a Forest space, and hold the required tools, you may move out into the Forest and Escape (If the Window shows a Moon, you only need 1 of the depicted tools instead of all)

You can discard a card to the Governor's Inventory as an action, this is usually to try to draw better tiles later

You can add cards to your Inventory, these will gain VP, be useable as Tools for escape, and can be traded, your inventory can hold 3 tiles normally, but can hold more if Shamrocks are depicted in some of them

You can pick up Contraband in rooms which depict them if you hold the same item in your hand then can add this to your Inventory

If you re in the Warder's Quarters or with the Chaplain, you can pay 1 or 2 Contraband in your Inventory for Tools in your hand to put in Inventory (purple cost 1, Gold and Shamrock cost 2)

Game End

The game ends when either a player cannot draw to 5 at end of turn or if a player escapes

Only on escape do the rest of the players get a final turn

Anyone who escapes gains 5VP

Inventory cards score points as shown on the start card with dark blue worth negative VP

Hand cards neither score nor lose VP

If a player is still Shackled, has a card facedown in front of them, they lose 1VP

The player with the most points, wins! (note: Escaping is NOT a win requirement, and an escapee is not guaranteed to win)