Welcome to Untold: Adventures Await, the collaborative storytelling game where you play the heroes in your own unfolding adventure TV series full of twists and turns. Like an episode of your favorite TV show, a game of Untold plays out over five Scenes.

The game begins with players creating a setting for their episode. Then the first Scene opens with the world facing A Dangerous Dilemma. You'll create characters in response to this threat.

Then The Plot Thickens, making things trickier for your heroes. Next comes An Heroic Undertaking where there is a direct confrontation. With The Truth Revealed, the stakes become even higher for your heroes as they are catapulted towards The Final Showdown!

This is not a game about winning or losing. It's your opportunity to be a hero. Will you be able to defeat the terrible threats facing your world and save the day? Are you ready? Adventures Await!

Components

• Story Board
• Story Cubes Tray
• Set of Rory's Story Cubes
• Episode Guide Pad
• Character Profile Pad
• 10 Question Tokens
• 14 Action Tokens
• 15 Outcome Cards
• 10x Reaction Cards
• 4 Dashboards
• 4 Play/Pause Cards
• 4 Sets of Edit Tokens
• Rulebook

Setup

Place the Story Board in the middle of the table 1. Separate the Scene Cards by their different types: A Dangerous Dilemma, The Plot Thickens, An Heroic Undertaking, The Truth Revealed, and The Final Showdown.

Shuffle each set and place one of each Scene Card face down in the indicated spaces on the Story Board 2. Return the unused Scene Cards to the box; they will not be used for the rest of this Episode. Place the designated number of Question and Action Tokens in the marked spaces on the board 3.

Separately shuffle the individual decks of Outcome Cards and Reaction Cards. Place each deck in its own face-down stack near the board 4. Give each player a Dashboard 5 and set of Edit Tokens: 2x Idea,1x Flashback and 1x Modify 6.

Also give each player a Play/Pause card 7 and a Character Profile sheet 8. Give one player the Episode Guide sheet 9. Place the nine Story Cubes in the Story Cubes Tray [10]. A pen or pencil is also needed to play.

Game Play

Choosing your Episode Setting

Begin by discussing the general idea of your setting. The goal is to establish a compelling jumping off point for your Episode. The four Episode Guide questions will ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of where their adventure will take place. One player should write the answers in the marked spaces.

When does this episode take place?

First agree on a time period; either Past, Present, Future or NonTime (a time beyond our understanding), choosing a certain era or century, or specifying a time and date. You can also set the Episode during a significant event, such as The Last Days of the Alien Uprising.

Where does this episode take place?

This is the overall backdrop for the Episode, one broad enough to allow the creation of multiple new locations within it. Don't worry about coming up with them all now; that will happen during play.

For example, with New York City as a backdrop, possible locations could include a dark alley, a run-down police station, the Statue of Liberty and more.

What do we know about this setting?

This is where you set the ground rules for what is possible during your Episode. Do superpowers exist? Is magic possible? What kind of technology or machinery is available?

Is it high-tech, typical or primitive for your chosen time period? Is there anything unusual players might need to know before the Episode begins?

What is the tone of this episode?

This is probably the most important thing to decide together. Tone determines the feel of the Episode you're going to play. Will it be dark and gritty or a light and fun story? Will you play for laughs or aim for tense thrills?

Setting Synopsis

Use this space to summarise your Episode in one or two sentences, as if you were describing it to someone interested in watching the show.

Finally, you can also write the name of your Series at the top of the Episode Guide.

Now your adventure can truly begin!

Scene 1: A Dangerous Dilemma

The first Scene opens with the world facing a perilous situation. Flip over the first Scene Card and roll all nine Story Cubes into the Story Cubes Tray. Players need to allocate Story Cubes to each recessed space on the Scene Card, then complete the following sentence:

"The Episode begins at [this Location], where [this Threat] [is pursuing / is attacking / is accusing / has captured] someone or something".

Once the Story Cubes are placed, one player should combine the icons on the chosen Story Cubes with the Scene Card's symbols to describe what is happening in the Scene. Remember to use the above sentence as guidance and refer to the Dashboard for help with the meaning of the various symbols.

Scene Cards and Story Cubes

Each of the five different types of Scene Cards provides a sentence structure for players to fill in the blanks. Using the icons, and reading from top to bottom, players should use the suggested sentence formats (shown in yellow boxes in these rules) to express what is happening in each Scene.

Consult your Dashboard for help with translating the icons you'll find on the Scene Cards. Once everyone understands what is happening in the Scene, you then add Story Cubes into the recessed spaces, filling in the blanks with your own narrative ideas.

The face-up icons on the Story Cubes can represent any number of locations, people or things in your story. They will also be influenced by the Setting and Tone of the game as well as the collective experience of the players.

A fire could represent a hot desert, safety on a cold night, or an angry enemy with a fiery temper... its up to you! We guarantee you a more rewarding game of Untold when you treat the icons as metaphors open to interpretation as well as literal things.

To establish the danger this world faces, our players (Jun, Amy and Max) flip the first Scene Card. Jun rolls all nine Story Cubes. After some discussion, he places the Lightning Bolt icon (to represent the school's logo) on the recessed Location space.

Amy suggests using the Bug icon to represent the Threat. Max summarises the Scene as follows: "The Episode begins at the Intergalactic Protectors Academy, where K'Chk, an insect alien who is the Academy principal, and someone or something else are accusing each other".

Introducing your Characters

Now that the Episode opening has been established, it's time to decide what role you will play in this emerging adventure. You will do this by completing your own Character Profile.

It's important to have characters that suit the Setting you have described on the Episode Guide, and align thematically with the specific Location and Threat you decided on for the first Scene Card.

When completing a Character Profile you roll the remaining Story Cubes for each section and use up to three to inspire imaginative answers. If you already have a character in mind, feel free to create it without using the Story Cubes.

Name

You don't have to fill this in first! You might come up with a great name after deciding on everything else about your character, but if you think of something amazing, write it down!

Job/role

This establishes your character's job or role in the Series. This should be the thing that they do every day, expressed as a simple title or short description. They could be a detective, an adventurer, a queen or a plumber; anyone has the potential to become a hero.

What compels you to go on adventures?

This should be the one thing that drives your character to take risks and face danger. It could be a desire to see a criminal brought to justice or a passion for scientific discovery.

You could be driven by an unrequited love or a need to protect an alien tribe. By establishing a motivation, it makes it easier for you to understand the kind of choices your character would make and why they make them. Once you have worked out their motivation, write it on your sheet as a short sentence.

Specials

You then move on to your character's Specials. You can have an amazing ability or power, a helpful item or companion, or an area of expertise or knowledge. At the beginning of your character's story, you can only choose two of these, and you must choose two different types; for example, a power and an item.

Ability / Power

These are amazing physical or mental skills that your character has either been born with or has acquired. These could have been acquired through training or as a remarkable gift. These could be anything from learned skills such as marksmanship or cooking to superhuman talents like flight and telekinesis.

Helpful Item / Companion

These are things that support you on your heroic journey but could potentially become damaged, lost or stolen. An item could be a mythical sword that transforms you in some way, a motorbike to get you around town, or a family heirloom that proves you are a member of a powerful dynasty.

A companion could be a long-suffering butler, a pet that thinks it's more intelligent than you, or a beast you can summon at will to fight on your behalf.

Area of Expertise / Knowledge

This is a subject that you have worked hard to learn. Whether you studied magic at school or learned survival skills in a frozen wasteland, you want to pick a relevant area of expertise that will assist you when the action starts.

Each Special has a Status. Leave this blank for now. During an Episode you may decide that a character's Special has been affected in some way, either negatively (lost, broken, impaired, stolen, etc). or positively (enhanced, strengthened, enchanted, etc).. Use a descriptive word or phrase that best fits your idea. You can use this space to record its current state.

The Character Profile also has a space to draw your character, if you choose.

Now that you know who your characters are, take some the time to establish the connections that unite them. Agree how you each came to be in this location at this time. Finally, make sure that everyone is aware of each character's Specials.

Amy rolls the Story Cubes and uses three to inspire her character. Natascha is a final year student (book), with a desire for universal justice (planet). She is very diplomatic (speech bubble). Amy also gives Natascha a flying bike.

The Dashboard

The Dashboard acts as a reference for all the icons used throughout the game. It also holds a player's Edits. These are tokens and a card that allow a player to alter or affect the flow of the Episode.

Idea Token: If you have a great idea to add when another player is either answering a Question or taking an Action, you can spend an Idea Token.

After the other player has shared their idea, discard your Idea Token, then add your contribution to the story. Make sure that the other player agrees to your addition!

Flashback Token: To add more depth to the backstory, players may spend a Flashback Token to pause the game and describe an incident that happened before this Episode, giving more information about characters or places they have encountered.

Modify Token: After Story Cubes have been rolled to set a Scene or answer a Question, a player may spend a Modify Token to turn any one of these Story Cubes to the icon of their choice.

A Modify Token can only affect Story Cubes that have just been rolled and cannot alter a Story Cube already in place on the Story Board.

Play/pause Card: If a player is feeling uncomfortable about the direction the story is going, or feels that they are not engaged in the game, they should flip their Play/Pause card to the Pause side.

The game should immediately stop so the player can voice their concerns. The group should then discuss how to fix the issue. Resume playing once a satisfactory conclusion has been reached.

Getting Involved

With the first Scene set and your characters created, it's time to start influencing the Episode. Asking Questions and Taking Actions are the two main ways your characters can have an impact on the Episode.

Questions and Actions can be mixed and done in any order, but once the final Action has been taken in a Scene, that Scene immediately ends.

Asking Questions

By asking Questions, you gather information and add detail to the Scene. You may ask a number of Questions up to the maximum amount of Question Tokens for that Scene.

When you ask a Question, take one of the remaining Question Tokens from below the current Scene Card and place it beside your Dashboard so it is visible to all players. Questions must begin with What, Where, When, Why, Who or How. This allows for multiple possible answers and to ensure descriptive responses.

After a player asks a Question, that player rolls any Story Cubes that are not on Scene Cards. They can then use one, two or three of the face-up icons on the rolled Story Cubes to inspire an answer.

Give memorable names and detailed descriptions to the people, places and things in your answers wherever you can. This will help bring the story to life for all players.

Remember, you do not need to ask all of the allotted Questions for the Scene!

Max wants to ask a Question. He takes a Question Token from the Story Board and asks "How do we know which side to take in this argument?"

He rolls the unallocated Story Cubes and uses the Abacus icon as inspiration for his answer: "We instinctively side with K'Chk as they were the first teacher we ever had at the Academy".

Taking Actions

Players use Actions to resolve the conflict in the current Scene. You may now take a number of Actions up to the maximum amount of Action Tokens for that Scene. Actions must be declared using either:

And...

"I TRY to __________by__________".

or

"I WANT to __________ by __________".

You can perform Actions in any player order, but you may want to come up with a loose gameplan before taking any Actions.

When you perform an Action, take one of the remaining Action Tokens from below the current Scene Card and place it beside your Dashboard so it is visible to all players.

Players should be as detailed as possible when describing what they are attempting, especially the intended outcome from the Action. It then becomes much easier to interpret the result of the Outcome Card.

You can't take an Action that affects another players character without their permission. If you want to perform an Action with another player or as a team, check with them beforehand!

Deciding the Outcome

After declaring an Action, the player then flips the top card of the Outcome Deck to determine their level of success. There are six possible results for an Action, ranging from Incredibly Successful to Disastrously Unsuccessful.

Amy takes an Action Token from the Story Board and declares her character's Action: "I want to defuse the argument between K'Chk and the Academy's High Council by pointing out K'Chk's positive contributions to the Academy".

To find out what happens next, she flips the top card of the Outcome deck only to find the attempted Action is Disastrously Unsuccessful. She must flip a Reaction card.

After revealing the Outcome Card, the player uses the result to describe the outcome of their Action.

The card is discarded.

Amy describes the Outcome: "Natascha offers the High Council numerous examples of how kind and generous K'Chk is as principal of the Academy. The High Council turn directly to face her.

They do not look happy at all about the interruption".

Some Outcome Cards will trigger a reaction from a character in the Scene. Reactions introduce an added touch of drama to the outcome. To find out which outcomes trigger a reaction, consult the Outcome/Reaction Chart.

Outcome/reaction Chart

Incredibly Successful

Not only has your Action gone to plan, it's turned out even better than you'd hoped. This might be something that enhances the impact of your Action, or helps the heroes in some other beneficial way. [Flip a Reaction Card]

Successful

Your declared Action goes exactly as planned.

No more, no less. [No Reaction Card].

Successful, But At A Price

The Action itself was successful, but something else has happened to undermine that success in some small way . You get what you wanted, but it's going to hurt! [Flip a Reaction Card]

Unsuccessful, But With An Upside

The Action does not turn out as planned. You don't get what you wanted but something positive happens that helps you in some small way.[Flip a Reaction Card]

Unsuccessful

Your attempted Action simply fails to achieve the intended outcome. [No Reaction Card]

Disastrously Unsuccessful

Your attempted Action has not only failed to go as planned, it also leads to something far worse happening to the heroes. The actual outcome should benefit your foes in some way, or introduce a new twist to the Scene that the heroes must face. [Flip a Reaction Card]

Gauging The Reaction

Reaction Cards depict how a player's character, or someone else in the Scene, responds to the outcome of the Action just taken. If a Reaction is required, the player taking the Action draws a Reaction Card.

They decide who it represents and describe how the chosen character reacts to their Action. The card is then discarded and play continues.

Amy flips the top card of the Reaction deck to reveal a particularly angry expression.

She interprets this as the High Council's response to her character's efforts: "And... The High Council are so enraged by my intrusion they immediately suspend me from the Academy".

Play continues with players Asking Questions and Taking Actions. As soon as the last Action in a Scene is resolved, play immediately moves on to the next Scene Card. This is regardless of whether or not you have successfully resolved the Scene, or if you have any Questions remaining.

Remember, you do not need to perform all allotted Actions for the Scene!

Scene 2: The Plot Thickens

The Plot Thickens adds an unexpected twist to the Episode. To discover what it is, flip over the Scene Card. This will reveal an icon representing either an Evil Ally, a Terrible Secret, a Dark Agenda, or an Evil Master.

Look for the line connecting this plot twist and the previous Scene Card (A Dangerous Dilemma) to discover the source of the twist. It could be linked to the Threat encountered during the previous Scene or it could be the Target (the someone/something). In this case there is more to them than first meets the eye.

Once you have identified what you are facing, roll the seven remaining Story Cubes. Using the face-up icons that you rolled, place a new Story Cube on the recessed space that represents this new element of the story. Describe the plot twist in one simple sentence combining the icon on your chosen Story Cube with the symbol on the card.

Once the plot twist has been revealed, it's time to get involved again. This time, players can only ask up to three Questions to discover more about the twist and its impact on the Episode. You'll notice there's no time for Actions in this Scene - your heroes are heading straight for a confrontation.

To discover how the Plot Thickens, the players flip the second Scene Card. It reveals that the Target has a Terrible Secret. Jun rolls the remaining Story Cubes.

The Footprint icon inspires his suggestion: "The High Council know that a devastating attack is about to hit the Academy, squashing it underfoot". Amy and Max like the creative use of the icon and agree to this twist.

Having established the plot twist, it's time for their characters to get involved once again. This time they can only ask up to three Questions.

Scene 3: An Heroic Undertaking

In this Scene, you travel to a new Location to deal with the plot twist discovered in the previous Scene. Here, you are either confronted by a new enemy, are challenged by a character, group or thing from the first Scene, or the newly discovered plot twist becomes a direct Threat.

Whatever form the Threat takes, it directly opposes your characters' plans. The tension increases as the action focuses on the heroes themselves!

Flip over the third Scene Card and roll the six remaining Story Cubes. You always use one of the rolled Story Cubes to define a new Location. You have two options when determining the nature of the Threat for this Scene; you can either use one of the rolled Story Cubes or reintroduce a Story Cube from a previous Scene.

Reintroducing Story Cubes

From this point onwards in the Episode, you have an opportunity to reintroduce previous plot elements (represented by Story Cubes) for dramatic effect.

Whichever option you choose to create the Threat, you must be able to use one of two sentence formats to describe what is happening on the Scene Card:

If A TERRIBLE SECRET or DARK AGENDA is being reintroduced as the Threat in this scene, use:

"The Episode continues at [this new Location], where the [Terrible Secret / Dark Agenda] now becomes a Threat that [is pursuing / is attacking / is accusing / has captured] us".

In all other cases, use:

"The Episode continues at [this new Location], where now [this Threat] [is pursuing / is attacking / is accusing / has captured] us".

Once this Scene's Location and Threat have been established, it's time to get involved once more. This time, players can only ask up to two Questions, but you may still perform up to four Actions.

Whether or not you successfully deal with the foe encountered in this Scene, play always continues on to the next Scene Card --- The Truth Revealed --- when all the Actions have been taken.

The players flip the third Scene Card to discover that the story moves to a new Location, where the Threat has captured them.

To identify the new Location and nature of the Threat, Max rolls the six remaining Story Cubes. Inspired by both the Clock and Star icons, he suggests this dramatic setup: "The Episode continues at the Outtatime Diner (represented by the Clock) where we are drowning our sorrows in milkshakes.

Suddenly a unit of Intergalactic Protectors (represented by the Star) arrives to arrest us!" Once again the players get involved using their Questions and Actions in an attempt to deal with the situation.

Scene 4: The Truth Revealed

In this Scene, you discover the shocking truth behind the motives of the Threat from the previous Scene. This is the part of the Episode that raises the stakes, as you uncover an even greater challenge to face.

To reveal your foe's hidden agenda, flip over The Truth Revealed Scene Card and roll all remaining Story Cubes. This Scene Card shows an icon representing either An Evil Master, A Dark Agenda, Targeting Some Thing or Targeting A Location.

You have two options when determining the nature of the secret revealed in this Scene: use one of the newly rolled Story Cubes or reintroduce a Story Cube from a previous Scene.

Whichever option you choose to discover this secret, you must be able to use one of the following two sentence formats to describe what is happening in this Scene:

If the Threat in this scene is AN EVIL MASTER or A DARK AGENDA. then use:

"[The Threat from An Heroic Undertaking] has/have been following [this Scene's Threat] all along".

If the Threat is TARGETING THIS LOCATION or TARGETING SOME THING, then use:

"[The Threat from An Heroic Undertaking] has/ have been targeting [this Scene's Threat] all along".

Once the truth has been unveiled, players can ask a single Question to discover more about the shocking revelation and how it impacts the Episode. You will notice there's no time for Actions in this Scene because your heroes are catapulted straight into The Final Showdown.

Amy sees the Threat from the previous Scene has been following a dark agenda. Instead of rolling the Story Cubes, she moves the Footprint icon from The Plot Thickens to the recessed space on The Truth Revealed Scene Card.

Excitedly, she declares "The Intergalactic Protectors have been planning the devastating attack on the Academy all along!"

Scene 5: The Final Showdown

In this Scene, you travel together one last time to put an end to the sinister schemes uncovered throughout the Episode. As this is the climax of the Episode, you face danger on two fronts! We encourage you to involve at least one previous Threat in this Scene for a truly grand finale.

Flip over the final Scene Card and roll all remaining Story Cubes. This time, you have two options when determining the Location for this Scene: either use one of the rolled Story Cubes or reintroduce the Location Story Cube from A Dangerous Dilemma. In some Episodes you may have the option to reintroduce the Story Cube from The Truth Revealed Scene Card if TARGETING THIS LOCATION was the Threat.

With this being the epic finale, the heroes face a greater challenge than ever before, with two separate Threats to confront. You have two options when determining the nature of these Threats. For each separate Threat, you can either use one of the rolled Story Cubes or reintroduce a Story Cube from a previous Scene.

Players perform up to six Actions as they attempt to confront both Threats and resolve the entire Episode. Whether or not you successfully deal with the Threats you've encountered in this Scene, the Episode always come to a close when you take your last Action.

If you are using the Scene Card where both Threats have captured the heroes, use this format:

"The Final Showdown takes place at [this Location] where [Threat A] and [Threat B] have joined forces and captured us because [devise a reason inspired by the Episode]".

In all other cases, use:

"The Final Showdown takes place at [this Location]. [Threat A] [is pursuing / is attacking / is accusing / has captured] us because [devise a reason inspired by the Episode]. At the same time, [Threat B] [is pursuing / is attacking / is accusing / has captured] us because [devise a reason inspired by the Episode]".

The players flip The Final Showdown Scene Card to reveal a Location where two Threats await them. One is attacking, while the other is accusing their characters of something. Jun rolls the remaining Story Cubes.

Using the Pyramid icon, he proposes the epic finale takes place at the Headquarters of the Intergalactic Protectors. Max suggests moving the Star icon from An Heroic Undertaking, reintroducing the Intergalactic Protectors as the attackers in this Scene.

Amy places the Book icon on the remaining recessed space, then summarises the Scene: "The Final Showdown takes place at the Headquarters of the Intergalactic Protectors, where they are preparing to stop us from revealing their plan.

At the same time, the High Council is accusing us of lying about the Intergalactic Protectors' scheme, claiming we are simply seeking revenge for Natascha being kicked out of the Academy!"

The players must now confront these Threats using their final Actions. Will our heroes clear their name with the High Council and save the day? Or will they be stopped by corrupt Intergalactic Protectors?

Ending The Episode

Whether or not the Episode plays out as expected, your characters have forever had an impact on this world. When you have finished The Final Showdown, fill out the sections of the Episode Guide marked After Episode.

If you have not done so already, write down the significant people, places and things you encountered in this Episode, then answer the two questions on the Episode Guide.

"What impact does this Episode have on the overall Series?"

Your decisions, and the actions of those you encountered, won't have failed to shape the world. Record how the Setting has changed as a result of your efforts.

"What are the loose ends and plot hooks for future Episodes?"

Not every adventure can be neatly tied up in one Episode. Make a note of any story threads left unresolved as these might provide inspiration for future Episodes.

Finally, as a way of recording your characters persona journey and growth, players should now also fill in the Character Highlights for this Episode on the back of their Character Profile.

We hope you enjoy playing Untold: Adventures Await and can't wait to hear about your incredible encounters. Everything you need to imagine amazing tales and epic adventures full of twists and turns is now in your hands - and it all begins with a roll of your Story Cubes!

If you choose to play more than one Episode of Untold in the same Setting, each Episode now becomes part of a Series. This section guides you through the minor changes you will need to consider from Episode 2 onwards. Visit thecreativityhub.com/untold for more details on playing a Series and to download a helpful Series Guide.

Setup

You will need your Character Profiles and Episode Guides from the previous Episode(s). While you reuse your Character Profiles, the previous Episode Guide(s) act only as reference material for your new Episode.

The Status of any Specials remains the same between Episodes: for example, lost items remain lost.

Choosing Your Setting:

You may want to create a new Setting or return to one from a previous Episode. If you decide to revisit a previous Setting, refer to your Episode Guide(s) for details on how the Setting may have changed.

Scene 1: A Dangerous Dilemma

You now have two options when determining the Location and the Threat for this Scene. You can either use one of the rolled Story Cubes or reintroduce a Location or Threat from a previous Episode.

If you wish to do this, spend a Modify Token to turn any Story Cube to the desired icon. You can only do this after you roll the Story Cubes to set up the first Scene.

Scene 2 To Scene 5:

Play as normal.

Ending The Episode:

Players fill out the relevant Character Highlights section on the back of their Character Profiles for this latest Episode. If this is the end of a characters second or fourth Episode, you also get to add two new Specials to your Profile.

If this is a character's seventh appearance in a Series, they are elevated to Iconic Status in this show. The character takes on an Iconic Role, which is decided by the player who created them, becoming a leader or other legendary figure in the Setting. If you return to this Series again, your former character can make guest appearances and become a plot element during future Episodes.

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