How to play Clue Robbery at the Museum if you hate reading rulebooks

I hate rulebooks! This condensed How to Play Clue Robbery at the Museum rules help players get the essential instructions without having to trawl rulebooks.

The game overview page introduces you to the game through a summary of the gameplay and videos shared by other gamers.

Objective

• Explore the Cerulean Museum to solve puzzles and gather clues.
• Work together to solve the mystery of who betrayed you, what exhibit was stolen, and where the real item is hidden.

Gameplay

• The youngest player goes first, then turns rotate to the left.

On Your Turn:

• Explore rooms, reveal puzzles, and gather clues.
• Move your pawn to an unexplored number on the board and take the matching card.
• Read the card aloud and follow the instructions.
• If it’s a puzzle, place it on the table and attempt to solve it.
• If nothing is left to do, pass the turn to the next player.

Cards

• There are different kinds of cards: Narrative, Puzzle, Item, Clue, and Overlay.

Narrative Cards

• These cards provide story elements and guide player actions.
• Read them aloud and follow instructions.
• If the card has a discard icon (a circle with a line through it), place it in the lid of the box when done.

Puzzle Cards

• Consist of multiple cards that may involve wordplay or visual riddles.
• Each puzzle card has a graphic in the bottom right corner with a letter, indicating how many pieces are needed to solve the puzzle.
• Solving puzzles unlocks new items, locations, and clues.

Instructions:

• Keep puzzle cards face up until another card instructs otherwise.
• Puzzle solutions are always numbers. Match the number with the corresponding card in the deck.
• If solved correctly, the card will say “SOLVED” at the top. If incorrect, try again.
• Use hints at the back of the booklet if stuck, matching the puzzle piece letter/number to the hint provided.

Item Cards

• Items found in the museum are shared among players and used to solve puzzles.
• To use an item, match the numbers from the cipher with the numbers on the bottom of puzzle cards.
• Draw the card matching the number indicated by the cipher. If it’s not in the deck, the cipher is incorrect, and you must retry.

Clue Cards

• Kept for the entire game, these cards are not for solving puzzles but help solve the final mystery.
• Keep them face up on the table for all players to see.

Overlay Cards

• Change the game board by adding new numbered locations.
• When prompted by the game, place overlay cards on the board to access new areas.

Building the Museum

• The gameboard expands as you play and unlock new rooms.
• When instructed, find and place the corresponding board from the box next to the existing rooms.
• Similarly, add new decks of cards when directed by unwrapping them and placing them under your current deck.
• Do not look through or shuffle the cards.

How to Win

• At the end of the game, decide as a team who betrayed you, what exhibit they stole, and where they hid it.
• Use all the clues and evidence gathered during the game.
• Once ready, make an accusation and open the solve packet to check if you were correct.