Atmosfear: The Gatekeeper (Rules)

WHAT IS ATMOSFEAR?

ATMOSFEAR is a 49 minute interactive board game controlled by a DVD. Once you press PLAY the game, and the countdown to zero, will begin. You cannot then press STOP or PAUSE or interrupt the game in any way. Your host, THE GATEKEEPER, considers it cheating and he really doesn’t like cheats! This is his game with his rules and he must be obeyed.

ATMOSFEAR is a race against THE GATEKEEPER, your opponents and against time itself.

CREATING THE PERFECT ATMOSFEAR

ATMOSFEAR is best played at night. Dim the lights and design your own eerie environment.

Turn up the volume on your home entertainment system. The ATMOSFEAR DVD has a fully surround 5.1 sound track that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck and make you really feel the atmosphere.

SETTING UP

Setup the board in front of the TV & DVD player so that all players have a clear view of the screen.

Place the 6 sets of 6 colored keys on the board in each of their realms of corresponding color.

Place the Black Key on the black stone on the outer track.

Shuffle and place all the TIME and FATE cards in two piles, face down, besides the board.

Each player must write their greatest fear on a slip of paper and place it, folded, in the Well of Fears. Do not reveal it to any opponent. Place the Well of Fears in the center of the board.

Choose the character you will play by selecting a playing piece.

Anne de Chantraine, The Witch Orange

Baron Samedi, The Zombie Green

Countess Elizabeth Bathory, The Vampire Red

Gevaudan, The Werewolf Blue

Helin, The Poltergeist Purple

Khufu, The Mummy Yellow

Take the corresponding Character Card and keep it beside you for reference then put your playing piece on your headstone. This is your starting place.

Remove the numbers 1 through 6 from the label sheet. Place one number on the front of each of the six racks in the center (see package back).

One player hands out the key racks, without looking at the numbers. The number on the rack you receive becomes “your number” for the duration of the game.

Everyone now has a character and a number.

Ensure that all players understand the rules of play and are familiar with the location of the MENU button on the remote control. This is the only button to press if you win the game.

(If your remote has a TITLE button this can also be used.)

When everything is set up, you are ready to play the game.

Insert the ATMOSFEAR DVD and Choose “PLAY” from the main menu.

This will summon THE GATEKEEPER. When he asks who is playing, use the DVD remote control to tell him which characters are in the game, and which are not. He will also elect the “Chosen One”.

Finally he will ask the Chosen One to start the game by rolling the dice……and the countdown to zero will begin.

THE AIM OF THE GAME

The object of ATMOSFEAR is to win the game within 49 minutes.

To do this you must collect at least one colored key from each of the six Realms then race to the Well of Fears in the center where you must face your greatest fear. If your own fears is drawn from the Well then let THE GATEKEEPER know the good news by pressing the MENU or TITLE button on your remote control. The countdown stops and you are the winner.

But if you countdown reaches 00:00 THE GATEKEEPER wins – and you lose!

RULES OF PLAY

Moving Around

Starting from your own headstone, roll the dice and move clockwise around the board on the outer track.

You can choose to roll one or two dice each time, unless instructed otherwise by THE GATEKEEPER or a Fate card.

The Inside Track

The Inside Track consists of the six Radial Tracks leading to the center and the Inner Ring surrounding the Well of Fears.

On the Inner Ring only, you can travel both clockwise and counterclockwise to reach the Well of Fears. You cannot change direction of travel on the Radial Tacks.

You can use the Inside Track as a shortcut at any time, but if THE GATEKEEPER catches you there without all six keys, watch out!

The Gatekeeper

You can only move around the board when THE GATEKEEPER is not on screen.

Whenever he appears everybody must stop, listen carefully and do exactly what he says.

If he calls on you, you must answer “YES! MY GATEKEEPER!”. Failure to do so could result in punishment.

If he demands you roll a certain number before you can play again, you must wait for your turn to come around each time before attempting to roll that number. You can only make one attempt each time your turn comes around.

Keys

When you land on a stone marked with a key you may take a key from that realm. For example if you land on the stone marked with a yellow key in Khufu’s realm, you can take one of the yellow keys. If all six yellow keys have already been taken, you cannot pick up a key from anywhere else.

Whenever THE GATEKEEPER instructs you to “Take a key” you must collect it from the realm you are in, unless he specifically instructs you to take it from somewhere else.

Place the keys in your rack facing towards you. Hide the colors from your opponents to protect any valuable ones against loss, in a duel for example.

You can collect as many of each key as you like, but you need at least one key of each color to win the game.

Once all the keys of a color have been removed from the board you can only obtain them from your opponents by winning duels, through Time and Fate cards, or by instruction from THE GATEKEEPER.

The Black Key

If you land on the Black Key you must pick it up.

This key is cursed. As long as you have it you cannot win the game, even if you have one key of each color.

To get rid of the Black Key you can try to lose it in a duel. If your dueling opponent rolls the higher number, hope that it is the cursed key they choose from your rack (see Dueling below). You can also pass the Black Key to another player when your movers both occupy the same stone. Simply hand it to them and declare that they are now cursed.

If you are handed the Black Key while waiting on the stone outside the Well of Fears, on your next turn you must roll the dice and continue moving around the board.

Headstones

When you land on your own headstone you may roll the dice. If you roll your own number you can take a key from your realm.

Note that if you are sent back to your headstone by either THE GATEKEEPER or another player, this action is not permitted.

When another player lands on your headstone you may also roll the dice. If you roll their number you can take a key from that player.

The Black Hole

There are two stones on the outer track marked with black swirl icons. These are Black Holes.

If you land on a Black Hole, or are banished to one by THE GATEKEEPER, you are temporarily out of the game. You cannot duel or respond to THE GATEKEEPER.

You can be freed from the Black Hole in the following ways:

• Each time your turn comes around roll the dice. If you can roll your own number you are released and can continue playing on your next turn.

• THE GATEKEEPER releases you.

• You have a Fate or Time card that releases you.

• You have the key from your own realm. (Ex. You are Elizabeth Bathory and you have a red key.) You are automatically released from the Black Hole as long as you hold this key.

In each case, you must always move first to the nearest Black Hole and wait there for your next turn before you can be released.

Dueling

When you land on a DUEL stone (a stone marked with the crossed daggers icon) you can call a duel with another player. Roll one die each and the player who rolls the higher number takes a key from the loser without looking at the color. You must have a least one key before you can duel.

Flight

When you land on a FLIGHT stone (the wings icon) you can move immediately to any other FLIGHT stone on the board.

Fate Cards

When you land on a FATE card stone (a skull icon), or if THE GATEKEEPER tells you to “take a Fate card” you must pick up a Fate card, follow the instructions immediately then return the card to the bottom of the deck.

Time Cards

When you land on a TIME card stone (a clock icon) pick up a Time card. The time on the card relates to the time on the screen. If the time has expired the card can no longer be used. Otherwise, wait for the time to appear on the screen then activate the card immediately.

The Chosen One

The Chosen One is selected by THE GATEKEEPER to act as his eyes and ears and perform other special duties from time to time.

It is the job of the Chosen One to:

• Make sure that players adhere to the rules,

• Rule on any disputes, and

• Whenever a player reaches the Well of Fears, remove a fear and read it out loud.

If it is The Chosen One who is waiting at the Well, the player on their left must select and read out the fear.

WINNING ATMOSFEAR

As soon as you have at least one key of each color, head straight for the Well of Fears in the center.

During your journey inwards, if you lose one of your six different colored keys you must travel back to the outer track and continue playing to regain that key.

You do not need to roll an exact number to land on the stone at the entry to the Well of Fears. When you finally reach the Well you must wait there until your next turn.

On your next turn the Chosen One will open the Well, take out a fear and read it aloud. If it is not your fear it must be returned to the Well and you must return immediately to your headstone. You do not lose any keys so you can then try and make your way to the Well again.

However if it is your greatest fear, quickly grab the remote, press “MENU” or “TITLE” to stop the timer and you are the winner! Remember: do not press the STOP button.

Now, turn the volume up and the lights down and experience ATMOSFEAR!

PLEASE NOTE

You will occasionally notice the picture and sound pause while the DVD seeks the next random scene. This is an unavoidable artifact of the current technology that does not affect gameplay and will be more noticeable in some brands of DVD players then others.

A short version of these rules can also be viewed on the DVD.

Well of Fears