Overview
Exit: The Game – The Polar Station is a cooperative puzzle/escape-room game. You are part of research Group IMB-Q-12 studying climate change at the North Pole. When the evacuation alarm sounds, you find all doors locked automatically. Your colleagues flee by helicopter, leaving you behind. Climbing through a ventilation shaft into a destroyed neighboring laboratory, you find a notebook and an odd disk. Solve all the codes to escape before it is too late. This is a one-time-play game.
Difficulty level: Advanced
Components
- 1 Decoder disk
- 84 Cards:
- 24 Riddle Cards
- 30 Answer Cards
- 30 Help Cards
- 2 Strange items
- 1 Book
- 1 Rulebook
Additional required materials (not included): Pens/pencils/eraser, paper, stopwatch/watch, scissors (optional but helpful).
Setup
- Place the book and decoder disk on the table.
- Leave the two strange items in the box.
- Sort cards into three face-down piles: Riddle Cards, Answer Cards, Help Cards.
- Arrange Riddle Cards and Answer Cards in ascending order.
- Sort Help Cards by symbol; stack with “1st CLUE” on top, then “2nd CLUE,” then “SOLUTION.”
- Do NOT look at the front of any card until instructed.
Turn Structure
No individual turns. All players collaborate simultaneously in real time:
- Explore — Examine the book and revealed Riddle Cards.
- Discover — Pull referenced Riddle Cards when found.
- Solve — Enter three-digit codes on the decoder disk.
- Verify — Check Answer Card indicated in viewing window.
- Progress or Retry — Follow instructions or keep working.
Actions
Solving a Riddle
- Find locked objects marked with symbols in the book or on Riddle Cards.
- Deduce the three-digit code logically.
- Enter the code on the decoder disk under the matching symbol.
- Pull the Answer Card number shown in the viewing window.
Using Help Cards
Three Help Cards per riddle symbol:
- 1st Clue — Lists required Riddle Cards and gives initial hint.
- 2nd Clue — More concrete guidance.
- Solution — Reveals the answer.
Manipulating Materials
Writing on, folding, tearing, or cutting materials is allowed and sometimes required.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
The game ends when the final riddle is solved and you escape the polar station.
| Time |
0 Help Cards |
1-2 |
3-5 |
6-10 |
>10 |
| < 60 min |
10 stars |
8 stars |
— |
— |
— |
| < 90 min |
9 stars |
6 stars |
3 stars |
— |
— |
| < 120 min |
8 stars |
6 stars |
3 stars |
2 stars |
— |
| > 120 min |
— |
2 stars |
— |
1 star |
— |
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- One-time play: Materials are permanently altered.
- Logical solutions only: Do not brute-force the decoder disk.
- Always return Answer Cards to the pile after checking.
- Progressive discovery: Some riddles need cards not yet revealed.
- You must find an object before opening it.
- Bonus riddles available via the free Kosmos Helper App.
Player Reference
| Item |
Details |
| Players |
1-4 |
| Age |
12+ |
| Difficulty |
Advanced |
| Code format |
Three-digit code |
| Help Cards per riddle |
3 |
| Required extras |
Pen, paper, stopwatch, scissors (optional) |