Twisted Cryptids

It's so hard to feel seen as a Cryptid these days. In this immersive strategy game, you'll navigate your love-hate relationship with humans and outwit your fellow Cryptids to earn your status as a true legend. As hunters, hikers, and researchers scatter across the wilderness hoping to catch a glimpse of you, you'll stage elaborate hoaxes, plant perfect decoys, and lurk discreetly in the shadows to build up your myth. You might even expose your true self once in a while, but be warned: vulnerability can come at a price.

In Twisted Cryptid, players choose a Cryptid with unique powers and hiding spots and use Action cards to determine the affects if their are spotted. Players also Hidden Trait cards to get objective that you’ll try to achieve by the end of the game in order to score bonus Myth.

Once you have completed 5 rounds, flip over the remaining Sightings in your Stacks and your Hidden Trait before determining the winner of the game.
The player with the greatest total Myth wins the game and is deemed the True Legend, while the others scurry home before the Humans catch them.

Choose Your Cryptid

Pick your favorite Cryptid and get ready to play! Each Cryptid card features your unique Cryptid Power that you can leverage to your advantage during the Day Phase. Once per round, you may discard a card to use that Power on your turn!

Discover Your Hidden Trait

There's more to each Cryptid than meets-the-eye. You'll shuffle the Hidden Trait cards and deal two of them to each player. Choose the one that speaks to you and place it face down next to your Cryptid card. This card is part of your Cryptid identity now, and it comes with a secret bonus objective to help boost your score at the end of the game.

Prepare the Wilderness

Unfold the Wilderness board and place it in reach of all players – this is where all the action happens during the game! Next to the name of each location you'll see 2 of 3 symbols. Place the corresponding Human tokens on each location to populate The Wilderness!

Go Into Hiding

Why are you standing there? You need to hide! Set up your 9 Sighting cards in 3 Stacks, then place your corresponding Hiding Spot tokens in the Wilderness.
If there's an Encounter at the Site of one of your Hiding Spots, you'll have to reveal the top card of that Stack.

It's Game Time

Deal 5 Action cards to each player and voila – you're ready to play Twisted Cryptids! Gameplay takes place over the course of 5 rounds, each divided into 4 phases: Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Night.

Dawn Phase

It's the start of a new day and the Humans are out to play! During the Dawn Phase, the First Player will flip over the top Event card and resolve it from top to bottom.

Day Phase

During the Day, you will use your Cryptid charm to move Humans around The Wilderness in an attempt to increase your Myth. You'll get 3 turns each Round, and on your turn you can take 1 of the following Actions:

• Play an Action card from your hand
• Discard an Action card from your hand to activate your Cryptid Power
• Pass the turn to the next player

Dusk Phase

Cryptids have been spotted in The Wilderness! At Dusk, an Encounter will occur, revealing what each Cryptid is (or isn’t) doing at that Site.

The Sighting will happen at the Site with the most Humans and at least 1 Hiding Spot! If there's a tie, the First Player for the round decides which Site the Encounter happens at.

Resolving Encounters

In player order, Cryptids at the Site of the Encounter will reveal the top card of the respective Hiding Spot deck! Gain (or lose) Myth based on the distribution of Humans at the site. Resolve the effect of the Sighting card, and remove your Hiding Spot from the Site.

Night Phase

Under the cover of night, the Cryptids scheme! In player order, take the following steps:

1. If you did not have an Encounter during the Dawn Phase, you may move 1 of your Hiding Spots to a new Site in The Wilderness
2. If you had an Encounter during the Dawn Phase, place your Hiding Spot at a new Site in The Wilderness
3. Discard any number of Action cards and draw until you have 5 cards in your hand

Once all players have taken the above steps, pass the First Player marker to the right and begin the next Round!

Scoring

All good things must come to an end! At the end of Round 5,  flip over the remaining Sightings in your Stacks and your Hidden Trait before determining the winner of the game. 

• Gain 7 Myth for each Real Deal that was not revealed during the game. 
• Gain bonus Myth based on your level of completion of the objective on your Hidden Trait. 

Become a Legend

The player with the greatest total Myth wins the game and is deemed the True Legend!

(the others scurry home before the Humans catch them)