-!- SPOILER ALLERT -!-

Unlock the Hidden Contract

Where the world of Kryptothera thins, the Order leaves its marks. A stray letter, a wrong capital. Most hunters pass them by...

Across the card text, artwork, and even the box itself, a message lies scattered in fragments. It was not meant for all. Those who look too closely may feel it drawing them in, quiet and patient.

No keys are needed; only wits, only eyes, only a willingness to follow what should be ignored. And when the final round ends, you must bring what you have learned to where the Order gathers.

Those who stand alone upon that name accept this message as a hidden contract.

The prize is 30 end-game points.

But what is offered comes at a cost the Eye does not forget.

HINTS

Hint 1:
The Order cares about where you finish the game. The Order cards contain clues that help identify the correct city.

Hint 2:
This secret cannot be completed before the final round.

Hint 3:
The requirement involves both your location and the contents of your cages.

Hint 4:
Count your captured cryptids carefully. The exact combination matters.

Hint 5:
You must stand alone.

Hint 6:
The city is famous for its ghost tours.

SOLUTION

STEP 1 – DISCOVER THE CONTRACT

Open the Cryptothera base game box and remove all components, including the plastic inlay.

Beneath it lies the Symbol of the Order surrounded by a pattern of circuits and symbols.

Careful examination reveals fragments of a hidden message:

"Brin the"
"bea ts"
"to th Ord r,"
"upon the name"
"you gathered."
"One low,"
"One medium,"
"One legendary"
"in your cages."
"Stand alone!"
"If another stands"
"with you"
"the door closes"
"thirty is counted"

This is the secret message, but several letters are missing.

STEP 2 – COMPLETE THE CONTRACT

Take the Cryptid Deck and locate the thirteen cards illustrated by Anthony Williams that feature:

* The Symbol of the Order in the bottom-left corner.
* A misspelt yellow capital letter.

These cards are:

* British Columbia's Giant Raven
* Oklahoma Octopus
* Sharlie (Slimy Slim)
* Gee Gee Bird
* Knobby
* Taku-he
* Stony Plain Sasquatch
* Flathead Lake Monster
* Kelly–Hopkinsville Goblins
* Kingstie
* Champ
* Momo the Missouri Monster
* White River Monster

Set aside:

* British Columbia's Giant Raven
* Oklahoma Octopus
* Sharlie (Slimy Slim)

These three cards restore the missing letters:

"Brin the" + G = "Bring the"

"bea ts" + S = "beasts"

"to th Ord r," + E = "to the Order,"

The completed contract reads:

"Bring the beasts to the Order, upon the name you gathered.

One low, one medium, one legendary in your cages.

Stand alone.

If another stands with you, the door closes.

Thirty is counted."

This reveals the requirements of the contract:

* Reach a specific location.
* Arrive during the final round.
* Possess exactly one Low-Threat Cryptid.
* Possess exactly one Medium-Threat Cryptid.
* Possess exactly one Legendary Cryptid.
* Be completely alone.

If another hunter joins you, neither player fulfils the contract.

STEP 3 – DISCOVER THE LOCATION

The remaining ten cards contain the final secret. You are one step closer to fulfilling the contract.

Arrange them in the following order:

* Gee Gee Bird = N
* Knobby = E
* Taku-he = W
* Stony Plain Sasquatch = O
* Flathead Lake Monster = R
* Kelly–Hopkinsville Goblins = L
* Kingstie = E
* Champ = A
* Momo the Missouri Monster = N
* White River Monster = S

The hidden location revealed is:

NEW ORLEANS

FINAL REQUIREMENTS

At the end of Round 10:

* Be located in New Orleans.
* No other hunter may occupy that location.
* Have exactly 1 Legendary Cryptid in your cages.
* Have exactly 1 Medium-Threat Cryptid in your cages.
* Have exactly 1 Low-Threat Cryptid in your cages.

If all conditions are met, you have accepted the Hidden Contract of the Order, you discard the Cryptid in your cages and gain 30 additional end-game points.

You have betrayed the Kryptothera Initiative and advanced the Order's secret agenda.

Welcome to the dark side.

-!- SPOILER ALLERT -!-

Unlock The Cryptic Path

Ten fragments lie across beast and fate; in dim silence, six beasts guard the outer circle, while four trials reveal the Order’s true goal.

Stillness gathers at the circle’s centre where lies the Eye.

Step lightly; seek the hubs and the Order’s gaze begins.

T.S.E. (The Treacherous Land, 1921)

Some say the Order grows desperate to seize the Eye of Kryptothera. They already know the positions of several power hubs, yet the true location remains elusive, hidden somewhere beyond their reach.

Look closely: a few cards bear unusual capital letters woven into their text. Together, these fragments spell out a secret, pointing to the place where the Eye truly lies...

HINTS

Hint 1:
The answer is not hidden in the gameplay mechanics.

Hint 2:
The ten fragments reveal a location far to the north.

Hint 3:
The phrase created by the fragments points to a real place on the Kryptothera map.

Hint 4:
The hidden letters are scattered across a mixture of Cryptid and Event cards.

Hint 5:
The location is famous for its inland Inuit community.

SOLUTION - SPOILER ALLERT

Take the Event Deck, the Legendary Cryptid cards, and the Cryptid Deck out of the box.

Find the ten cards that contain misspelt capital letters highlighted in yellow, but do NOT contain the Symbol of the Order in the bottom-left corner.

The cards are:

* Akhlut — Legendary Cryptid = B
* Bigfoot — Legendary Cryptid = L

* Alchemist's Elixir — Event Card = A
* Cutting-Edge Gear — Event Card = E
* Black Market Bargain — Event Card = A
* Ceremonial Honour — Event Card = K

* Wampus Cat — Cryptid Card = K
* Dover Demon — Cryptid Card = R
* Giant Manta — Cryptid Card = E
* Toronto Tunnel Monster — Cryptid Card = !

Once you have collected these cards, you will have an anagram to decode. If arranged in the correct order, the hidden location of the Eye of Kryptothera is revealed:

* Akhlut — Legendary Cryptid = B
* Alchemist's Elixir — Event Card = A
* Wampus Cat — Cryptid Card = K
* Cutting-Edge Gear — Event Card = E
* Dover Demon — Cryptid Card = R

* Bigfoot — Legendary Cryptid = L
* Black Market Bargain — Event Card = A
* Ceremonial Honour — Event Card = K
* Giant Manta — Cryptid Card = E
* Toronto Tunnel Monster — Cryptid Card = !

BAKER LAKE!

---

REWARD OF THE EYE

Now, proud Hunter, you can travel to Baker Lake knowing the true location of the Eye and stand against the forces of the Order.

The Eye watches over those who uncover its resting place.

Once per game, if you are in Baker Lake and have one of the following cryptids in your hand, you may capture it without suffering any damage from the encounter.

Base Game

Ijirait — High-Threat Cryptid
Location: Baker Lake
Points: 6
Health: -1
Skill Required: Intelligence 3+ / Agility 4+

From the Mountains to the Sea Expansion

Erqigdlet — High-Threat Cryptid
Location: Baker Lake
Points: 6
Health: -1
Skill Required: Might 3+ / Wisdom 4+

To claim this blessing, you must possess the cryptid card in your hand during the encounter. The Eye's protection prevents all damage that would normally be suffered from that capture attempt.

Congratulations. You have solved the mystery and completed "The Cryptic Path" side quest.

No. If an Item or Event card allows you to re-roll or repeat a failed capture attempt, you do not need to leave and re-enter the location first.

Treat the re-roll as a continuation of the same capture attempt rather than a completely new attempt. Because of this, the Cryptid is not discarded before the re-roll is resolved. However, you also do not gain a Clue token from the initial failed roll, as the capture attempt has not yet ended.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Tracker Spray and repeat capture attempts

No. If you fail to capture a Legendary Cryptid, its token remains on the game board and its card stays next to the board.

The Legendary Cryptid remains active and can be attempted again later by any player. The rule requiring a Cryptid card to be discarded after a failed capture applies only to standard Cryptids. Legendary Cryptids remain on the map until they are successfully captured or removed by another rule effect.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Failed Legendary Cryptid capture and card handling

Yes. Kryptothera: The Cryptid Pursuit was designed to be flexible, so you can fine-tune the experience for your group without disrupting the game.

In a 2-player game, the Event deck may progress more slowly than it does at higher player counts, which means Legendary Cryptids can sometimes appear later than expected. If you would like to increase the chance of Legendary Cryptids entering the map earlier, you can try one of the following variants:

• Shuffle the Legendary Cryptids into the Event deck so that they can begin appearing from Round 1.
• Alternatively, split the Event deck into 5 piles instead of 4 during setup. This increases the chance of Legendary Cryptids appearing before Round 10.

Both options are safe to experiment with and should not break the game. Use whichever version creates the most exciting pace for your table.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Event deck setup and Legendary Cryptid timing

The EXPO Exclusive Legendary Cryptid (Flatwoods Monster) is a collectable promo card and does not come with its own hexagonal token. To place it on the map, we suggest using one of the plastic standee bases to hold the card itself upright.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Expo exclusive card

You must choose to use the Crew card ability, and pay its Aether coin cost, before making the Skill Check. You cannot wait to see the result of the roll before deciding to use the ability.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Crew abilities

If an Event card causes you to return to HQ while you are not the active player, follow the normal Return to HQ steps, including depositing your caged Cryptids, but do not shop and do not collect end-of-turn income.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Returning to HQ through an Event card

Yes. You generate income at the end of every turn, regardless of your location. However, income is transferred to your wallet only when you perform the Return to HQ action.

If you are already at HQ when ending your turn, it therefore makes sense to perform the Return to HQ action so that you can heal and transfer your generated income to your wallet.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Generating income while at HQ

On the custom 1D6 die in Kryptothera: The Cryptid Pursuit, the Bigfoot symbol represents a 6, while the single claw symbol represents a 1.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: What does a Bigfoot result on the die mean?

The colour of an Aether Coin indicates its value. Blue Aether Coins are worth 1 Aether, red Aether Coins are worth 3 Aether, and gold Aether Coins are worth 5 Aether.

Blue = 1 Aether Coin
Red = 3 Aether Coins
Gold = 5 Aether Coins

The standard hand limit is 4 Cryptid cards. With the Seer Crew card, you can pay 1 Aether Coin per round to draw 2 additional Cryptid cards, and your maximum hand limit increases to 8 Cryptid cards. However, you must not draw end-of-turn Cryptid cards if you are already holding 4 or more Cryptid cards.

Related BoardGameGeek discussion: Seer Crew card and hand limit