Gamehelpdigyourwayout

You are inmates sentenced to life in Blackgate prison. After the first escape, security will be reinforced and nobody else will get out. Be the first to dig your way out!

Goal

The first player to reach the required number of Tunnel points wins immediately:

• 2-3 players: 12 points
• 4 players: 10 points
• 5-6 players: 8 points

The game in a nutshell

Get Tools and bring them to the Cell Block to Dig: a Spoon gives 1 Tunnel point, a Pickaxe 2, a Shovel 3.

To get Tools:

• Steal a Spoon in the Cafeteria.
• Craft a Pickaxe or a Shovel from materials found by Searching.
• Buy them with Cigarettes, earned by Selling cards.
• Extort them from other players with Weapons.

Along the way, Gangs give you permanent abilities, and your secret Background card gives you one powerful surprise per game. Watch what the others have in hand: you need to know who to extort, and who is a threat.

Your turn

You have 2 actions. You can do the same action twice, except Search and Extort (once per turn).

Anywhere:

• Move: roll the die and go to one of the 2 Places shown (1 action), or go anywhere (2 actions).
• Search: draw 1 to 3 cards, depending on the Place. Once per turn, not in Solitary.
• Craft: turn materials into a Pickaxe, a Shovel or 2 Knives. Not in the Cell Block, Showers or Solitary.
• Extort: demand a Tool from a player in your Place, with a Weapon. Once per turn, not in Solitary.
• Join a Gang: discard Accessories to get a Gang ability.
• Play an Action card: apply the card, then discard it.

In a specific Place:

• Dig (Cell Block): place a Tool from your hand and score its Tunnel points.
• Steal a Spoon (Cafeteria): take a Spoon.
• Sell (Recreational Area): discard cards to gain the Cigarettes shown on them.
• Buy (Recreational Area): spend Cigarettes on a Knife, a Pickaxe or a Shovel.
• Heal (Infirmary): remove 1 Beating.

Free: use your Gang ability, reveal your Background card.

End of turn: discard down to 10 cards in hand.

Actions in detail

Move

Simple move (1 action): roll the die and go to one of the 2 Places shown. You can't stay where you are: if one of them is your current Place, go to the other one.

• 1: Cell Block or Cafeteria
• 2: Cell Block or Recreational Area
• 3: Cell Block or Infirmary
• 4: Cafeteria or Recreational Area
• 5: Showers or Infirmary
• 6: Showers or Recreational Area

Cautious move (2 actions): go to the Place of your choice.

Craft

Discard the materials, then take the crafted card(s). Not possible with 1 or 2 Beatings.

• Pickaxe = Links + Pike
• Shovel = Links + Container
• 2 Knives = Links + Blade

Extort

You need at least 1 Weapon (Knife or Blade) in hand. Choose a player in your Place and the Tool you want, then lay 1 Weapon in front of them.

Cooperate: if they have the Tool, they may give it to you. No combat.

Combat: otherwise, starting with the defender, both players take turns playing a Weapon. The first one who can't or won't play loses and takes 1 Beating. The winning attacker takes the requested Tool if the defender has it. Otherwise, the winner takes a random card from the loser's hand.

All Weapons played are discarded.

Buy and Sell

Sell: discard any number of cards and gain 1 Cigarette per cigarette icon on them.

Buy (one purchase per action):

• 1 Knife: 2 Cigarettes
• 2 Knives: 5 Cigarettes
• 1 Pickaxe: 6 Cigarettes
• 1 Shovel: 8 Cigarettes

Join a Gang

Discard Accessories of different types, then take the top card of that Gang's pile. You belong to one Gang at a time: joining again replaces your Gang card.

• Bikers: 2 different among Boots, Ring, Bandana
• Bratva: 2 different among Golden chain, Ring, Silver watch
• Cartel: 2 different among Boots, Cap, Silver watch
• Crew: 2 different among Cap, Golden chain, Bandana
• Queers and Triad: 3 different, any type

Beatings

You can have at most 2 Beatings. Heal in the Infirmary to remove them.

• 1 Beating: you can't Craft.
• 2 Beatings: you can't Craft nor Dig.

Background card

Each player has 1 secret Background card. Reveal it once per game, for free, at the moment written on the card. If you belong to the Gang shown on it, you also get its bonus effect. Read your card well: used at the right time, it can turn the game around.

Reference

Places

• Cell Block (die 1, 2, 3): Search 1 card. Dig. No Craft.
• Cafeteria (die 1, 4): Search 2 cards. Steal a Spoon.
• Recreational Area (die 2, 4, 6): Search 2 cards. Sell, Buy.
• Infirmary (die 3, 5): Search 1 card. Heal.
• Showers (die 5, 6): Search 3 cards. No Craft.
• Solitary Confinement (only by Cautious move or a card): if you start your turn here, you only have 1 action. No Search, Extort or Craft.

Cards

Search cards (draw pile):

• Materials: Links (14), Pikes (6), Containers (5).
• Blades (10): materials that are also Weapons.
• Accessories (18): Boots, Ring, Bandana, Golden chain, Silver watch, Cap. To join Gangs.
• Rare items (6): sell them for many Cigarettes.
• Actions (18): one-shot effects.

Board piles: Spoons, Pickaxes and Shovels (11 each), Knives (20). Discarded Tools and Knives go back to their pile (Tools used to Dig stay next to your board). An empty pile can't be bought, crafted or stolen from.

Gang abilities

Each Gang has 4 different cards: you get the top one, so you don't choose your ability. Abilities are free and unlimited unless stated otherwise.

Setup

Each player starts in the Cell Block with 3 Search cards and 1 secret Background card.

Option: Michel & Michelle

Recommended for 2 players: Michel is a prisoner controlled by no one, who starts in the Showers and extorts everyone he meets.

Move: at the end of your turn, you may roll the die to move Michel (Simple move rules, you choose his destination).

Extortion: when Michel ends a move, he extorts every player in his Place, clockwise. When a player arrives in his Place, he extorts them too.

When Michel extorts you, a Michel card is revealed:

• No Knife: nothing happens.
• Knife: give him one of the Tools shown on the card, or fight.

Fight: play a Weapon, then a new card is revealed. No Knife: you win and draw 1 Search card. A Knife: play another Weapon, and so on. If you can't or won't play a Weapon, you lose: take 1 Beating and discard one of the Tools shown on the first card (or a random card if you have none).

You can only give a Tool on the first card.