All New Enigma Game Rules

All New Enigma is exciting and infuriating with a brand new style of play. Everyone has their own unique playing board. Each shows a different maze with no way out. You can only move a few squares before you hit a dead-end.

The trick is to keep swapping boards with other players (often against their will) using the different mazes to work your way out: a blocked square on your board, may be the start of a clear passage on another. To swap boards you simply crack an enigma.

Object of the Game

To be the first person to work your way through the maze and OUT the other end.

Preparing to Play

Each player selects a maze. Place your playing piece over the number seven, with the "A" row nearest you.

By common consent decide which player starts first. Play then moves clockwise around the group.

If there are only TWO players, select three mazes. Each player uses one maze. When a player wishes to swap, they choose either the other player's maze or the spare.

PLAYING ENIGMA

Each turn a player must decide whether they want to:

  • Move their piece on their current board, or
  • Swap boards and then move on the new maze.

You CANNOT move your playing piece then change boards.

  • To move on your current maze simply throw the die and move in either direction by the resulting number. If you reach a dead end stop, you do not "bounce" back by the remaining number.
  • If you want to swap mazes you must ask for a RIDDLE. The person sitting opposite takes a riddle card from the front of the pack and reads out the riddle. You now have two options:
    • Guess the riddle, perhaps after two or three readings or,
    • Ask for a clue, which the person reading the riddle makes up. The clue can be easy or hard but the reader must remember that when they need a clue you will be making theirs up.

REWARDS FOR SOLVING ENIGMAS

  • If you solve a riddle correctly you can swap boards with any of the other players. Both their piece and yours remain on the same grid reference as on the original board.You THEN throw the die and move your playing piece as previously described.
  • If you guess a riddle correctly with a clue you can swap boards as above, but you must wait for your next turn before you can throw the die and move your playing piece. In the interim someone else can swap your new board away.

WINNING

The first player to negotiate their way out through number seven at the top of the maze wins. To do this their final throw of the die must be a number larger than the number of squares left to go.

FOR 2 PLAYERS

With only two players, use three boards so that when a player wants to swap he has the choice of his opponent's board OR the spare board.

FOR 7-12 PLAYERS

For 7-12 players a simple modification is needed. TWO PLAYERS play on each board. They start at either end and race past each other. When it is one player's turn and they want to swap boards they do. It doesn't matter if the other player on the same board doesn't want to. That player must win the board back when it's their turn.

Both players on the same board cannot land on the same square. If this is unavoidable by moving in the other direction along the track, the player whose turn it is simply stays put and waits for their next turn.