EP 7 Game Rules: Eye Spy!

WHAT IS THIS?

This post explains the rules of the game featured in Episode 7 of Gamebreaker.

These posts will be split into two sections:

Section 1 is the rules of the game as presented in the episode. This is for viewers who find reading rules helpful for game comprehension, or wanted to check a specific rule.

Section 2 is for people who want to try and play the game themselves with friends. It will include extra information on top of the rules explained in section 1, and suggestions to adapt the game outside of the competition format. Section 2 may contain spoilers for the episode.

SECTION 1: RULES FOR EPISODE

The Mission

The hideout of four enemy subjects was under surveillance… until they fled.

If their true identities aren’t uncovered now, they will be lost forever.

The players mission is to search the enemy apartment for clues that will reveal their codenames and real first names.

Each player will receive a briefing sheet from HQ based on the surveillance of the four subjects to help identify clues.

Players submit answers in the submission area, where they write the subject number and their real first name on a whiteboard.

Unfortunately, the subjects left a bomb behind in the apartment, meaning players only have an hour to complete the mission!

Once players have submitted an answer for all four subjects, they must retreat to a nearby safe bunker.

Gamebreaker Advantage

Request a hint for the subject of your choice.

Competition Results

• First to correctly identify a subject’s name: half a Gamebreaker Token (one for each subject)

• First to guess all four identities: a full Gamebreaker Token

• Second to guess all four identities: half a Gamebreaker Token.

• Guess an identity wrong: Strike

• Don’t guess all four identities within the hour: Strike

Ability Stickers

The enemy subjects were developing advanced biological weapons at the apartment, colloquially referred to as “ability stickers”.

These are NOT CLUES, but players can utilise any they find (they are hidden at random around the apartment.) To use an ability, stick it on your target.

There are four types of stickers, with four prototypes of each:

Freeze: paralyses the victim so they cannot move until they’ve counted to 50 out loud.

Relinquish: sends a jolt of adrenaline through the nervous system, so the victim drops anything they are holding, and cannot pick anything up again until they’ve counted to 15 out loud.

Truth serum: the victim is forced to answer the next yes or no question they are asked honestly.

Free Guess: If you apply a free guess sticker to the whiteboard, you will be forgiven one incorrect guess (i.e. won’t get a strike)

Rule specifications

• Players can use phones ONLY to take and look at photos of clues. They cannot use the internet, check the time, or use any other function.

• Clues for one subject will not relate to another subject.

• Clues will lead you to other clues, they are not hidden if you have enough information.

• You don’t require all the clues to uncover an identity; sometimes clues need to be combined.

• Players must either keep a clue on their person, or return it where they found it. They cannot hide or destroy a clue (though they can return it to its original state).

• The first to knock on the submission room door gets next priority to submit a guess.

•  Players cannot physically restrain each other.

• Dots around the apartment mark areas out of play.

Subject Surveillance Briefing

Every player received an identical briefing sheet with these notes on the four enemy subjects:

Subject 1:

Interests: Tea

Observations: Subject 1 would always make themselves a hot steamy cup of their favourite tea, and look out upon the back-garden as they drank it, blowing if it was too hot.

Sometimes they reached out to touch the glass, like they were imagining they were elsewhere.

Or perhaps they were communicating in secret with the enemy?

Subject 2:

Interests: Cats and reading

Observations: Subject 2 wore black clothes and played with the apartment cat often.

They might need glasses, as they often squint when reading and regularly use eye droppers.

Subject 3:

Interests: Astronomy

Observations: Subject 3 is obsessed to the point of distraction with anything to do with space.

They would stand outside on the balcony gazing at the constellations in the night sky instead of watering their five plants.

And they were constantly losing these little rubber balls around the house.

Subject 4:

Interests: Travel

Observations: Subject 4 was rarely at the apartment due to their international assignments,

visiting 41 countries in their time as a spy and 7 countries this year.

SECTION 2: FOR PLAYING YOURSELF

This is another one where I don't really have any advice, as setting up this game was complicated and it was very location and competition specific.

If you want to have a similar experience with a game, I recommend visiting your nearest escape room with your friends!

If anyone does try and recreate this, or come up with their own escape room that is also competitive rather than collaborative, I'd love to hear about how it pans out!