Lockpicks (2018)

Treasure chests! Can't adventure without 'em, but they're a bear to open. Perhaps you're one of the heroes who has evaded the gauntlet of traps in Dragonvault; perhaps you're a pirate marauder surveying your booty in Goblins, Guns & Grog; perhaps you're just a generic treasure hunter in a generic fantasy RPG. Either way, a dozen chests are now staring you in the face, tantalizing you with promise of hidden treasure, and mocking you with their intricate locking systems. Good thing you brought your lockpicks!

Lockpicks is a solitaire, print-and-play, roll-and-write game that takes place in the Legends of Dsyx fantasy setting. The game picks up where most others end, with the hero surveying their acquired treasure. Now, the challenge is to open as many as possible of twelve chests and find the best prizes inside. Chests consist of small grids with start points, end points, and a number of waypoints, each of which must be activated in order to unlock the treasure. Each turn, the player picks one chest and rolls five dice. Each number corresponds to one type of movement based on units in chess. Beginning at the start point, the player must utilize the dice in any order to navigate the grid, activate each waypoint, and end at the finishing point. Upon successful completion of a puzzle, the player may roll a die to select one of several treasures, each of which may give just give points or even assist in the unlocking of more loot.

Time is running out, however, and if the player doesn't unlock all the chests before the time track fills up entirely, each additional turn runs the risk of alerting the guards/dragon/merchant/anyone and causing the player to lose ALL their prized possessions.

Good job beating whatever game you were playing; now, play Lockpicks to find out what happens after the credits have rolled. Will you be rich as a king, or as poor as you started?

Released in the November 2018 Board Game of the Month Club $5+ package.