Asylum Escape Rulebook
Contents
Set-Up!:
Place the ‘Location” Cards in a 5x5 Grid on the table. The order should be randomized. Yes, you may have a rooftop on the bottom, and a basement on the top. Doesn’t matter.
Decide who is going to play as the Patients, and everyone else will by default then play as the Victim.
In each game, either the Patients player wins. (By killing everyone else) Or one or more Victims win. (By surviving)
If more than one person wants to play as the Patients, the last person to watch a murder documentary is the Patients player.
Choose a Playstyle!:
Next up, you will choose a playstyle. There is a short version, and a long version of the game. Fortunately, they’re both set up the same.
For the short version, Victims only have to last Nine turns. Anyone still left alive, wins.
For the long version, you’ll continue playing until there is only one Victim at the table still alive. At which point there will be three more final turns they have to survive on order to win.
Starting the Game!:
Each Victim player randomly chooses a Victim from the “Victims” Deck. Each player is allowed one mulligan, but if they choose to do so, that is now their character.
Each Victim card has a positive and negative effect that affects their playstyle, which should be discussed with the table openly at this point. (Make sure you’re holding each other accountable for your effects during gameplay!)
The Patients player then chooses a random Patient from the “Patients” deck in the same manner. Though there are no mulligans there.
The will look at the Patient’s starting location, and put their Patient on a stand and place them in that room as their starting room.
Victim Players: take note where the Patient is. As you will now choose your own starting location. (You want to be far away from the Patients)
This location is kept hidden (Written down, or put into your phone). As the Victims move around, they remain hidden from sight of everyone else.
Each Victim draws a Camo/Sabo Card to start off their hand. And the game is now ready to begin.
Objectives!:
Patient Player: Find all hidden Victims, and kill them all before they can escape.
Victim Players: Remain hidden from the Patients, while sabotaging other Victims long enough until you are able to escape.
Patient Turns!:
The Patients player goes first. They flip the coin. If they get “Head” this means they may move one room. “Tails” means they may move 2 rooms.
This movement is Orthogonal (Up, Down, Left, or Right - No diagonals).
If the patient moves through or ends up in a room a Victim is secretly in, when they finish moving the Victim must acknowledge this, and which room they were found in. (Be sure you wait until all Patients are finished moving before announcing this).
This is called being “Caught”.
As a Victim is caught, the Patients player rolls the die. If they hit a number inside their “Catching Stat” on the top right of the Patient card: The Victim is dead and removed from the game.
…Unless they’ve got a Camo card to save them of course.
If the Victim is killed, the room if Victim was in is destroyed and all the rooms above that room fall down to fill the now empty spot in the column. (If this was the top card of the column, the Patient falls to the room below)
If this room is the last in a column, then the columns collapse inward, and the Patients Player may now choose if they want to be in the left or the right bottommost room.
If a Victim survives, they draw a free “Movement” card, to “Flee: and may move away up to however many are on the card.
If no Victims are KILLED by the end of a Patient’s turn, it’s time to draw a bloodlust card. (Just catching a Victim doesn’t count, but if someone is killed; this card isn’t drawn.)
Bloodlust cards are used to help the Patients player. They’ll oftentimes add a chaotic effect that can speed up the game, or lead to an unexpected “Catch”.
Patients Players will grow to love these.
Victim Turns!:
On Victim turns, you may choose to draw a single card. Either a “Camo/Sabo” Card, or a “Movement” Card.
“Camo/Sabo” cards should be drawn if you’re feeling somewhat safe where you are. They act as your hand. Camouflage cards (Camo’s) can help you out of a pinch. Sabotage Cards (Sabo’s) can be used to screw over other Victims into getting caught or killed before you.
“Movement” cards should be drawn if you are close the a Patient or otherwise just want to get the heck out of where you are.
When drawn, you may move UP TO that many rooms away (Including not moving at all if you want). And just like Patients, you may only move Up, Down, Left, or Right. No Diagonals. Then jot down the new location you are in. The movement card is discarded face up, so everyone know up to how many you could have moved.
If for any reason, you are cornered and forced to move into or through a Patient’s room. You are “caught” by that Patient.
Symbols:
— This is a Camo Card. Used to save your butt.
— This is a Sabo Card. Used to harm others.
— Can be played on your turn.
— Can be played on another Victim’s turn.
— Used to respond to a Patient’s action.
— A hold card. You may only have 1.
“Camo/Sabo” Cards can only be played when directed via the Symbols cards included in the game.
Some are obvious, others are tricky to remember. So make sure you’re sticking to the Symbols!
The game continues around the board clockwise until it gets back to the Patients player. They then start turn 2.
On the Patient’s 3rd turn, another Patient is released. Whatever room they start in is blown up. (after resolving whether they “catch” someone or not.)
If for any reason a Patient’s starting room is destroyed, choose one of the same matching color. If there isn’t one. Pick any room.
On a Patient’s 5th turn… a stronger, “Special Patient” is released.
If you’re caught by them… good luck. You’re probably dead.
How to Win?!:
The “Final 3 turns” phase gets pretty chaotic. During the final three turns, any rooms that have a Patient in them at the end of the turn are destroyed. This makes the board much smaller, much quicker. Any Victims alive in one of the few leftover rooms as the Patient finishes their 9th turn wins the game.
To win the “Shot Version” of the game. You must survive through turn Nine, so this would take place On turns 7-9.
To win the “Long Version” of the game you must survive until there are no other Victim’s alive. At which point the final three turns commence.
Note: The “No other Victim’s Alive” state, triggers the final three turns in BOTH versions of the game. IE: If it’s only turn 4, and all other Victim’s are dead, you now only have to survive until turn 7.
Notes!:
Victim’s have a max hand size of 7 cards.
Multiple Camo/Sabo cards can be used on one turn. As many as you would like and are able to play is fine.
“Stumble Into Nearest Patient” cards exists in the Movement Deck. If one is drawn, the Victim’s player moves into the room of the Nearest Patient card and is caught by them.
Effects are resolved in the order cards are played. IE: If a player is forced to discard a card, they can’t “play it really quickly” before discarding.
If two or more Patients are in the same room, and a Victim is caught. Each Patient get’s an attempt to kill the Victim before they can finally flee.
All cards in the game are discarded “Face-up”.
Any Camo/Sabo card labeled with the “Hold” symbol. (Yellow) is visible on the table and does not count as a card in that player’s hand. Each player may only have one held card at a time.
Victims are not FORCED to draw on their turn if they do not want to. They may skip.