Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by The Official Game Rules Team

In Twisted Cryptids (from the creators of Here to Slay and Unstable Unicorns), you step into the role of a misunderstood creature lurking in the wilderness, trying to build your reputation while avoiding disaster. As hikers, hunters, and researchers spread across the map in search of proof, you must manipulate their movements, stage elaborate hoaxes, deploy perfect decoys, and sometimes reveal your true self. The balance between myth and vulnerability defines this clever strategy game.

Each player competes to earn the greatest total Myth by influencing encounters, managing hidden trait cards, and carefully arranging their stacks of sightings. Over five rounds divided into dawn phase, day phase, dusk, and night, you’ll shape the narrative of your legend. By the end of the game, only one cryptid will be crowned the true legend.

Players: 2-4 Players | Length: 60 minutes

Twisted Cryptids strategy board game box product photo

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How to Play Twisted Cryptids

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Objective of the Game

Your goal is to accumulate the greatest total Myth by:

Successfully resolving sightings during encounters
Completing objectives on hidden trait cards
Managing unrevealed Real Deal sightings
Manipulating human movement during the day phase
Positioning hiding spots strategically

After five rounds, final scoring determines the winner of the game.

Game Board and Core Areas

The game board consists of two primary sections:

The Myth Track

This track is used to record each player’s Myth score. Players use:

Their cryptid meeple to track values from 0–9
Myth tokens to represent 10s and 30s

Myth cannot go below 0.

The Wilderness

The wilderness contains six distinct Sites. These are the locations where:

Humans gather
Hiding spots are placed
Encounters occur during dusk

Each Site can hold multiple human tokens and multiple players’ hiding spots (subject to player count restrictions).

Human Tokens and Rest Areas

There are three flavors of humans:

Hikers
Hunters
Researchers

Each flavor has a corresponding Rest Area next to the wilderness.

Rest Areas serve as supply pools for Attract and Extract effects.

Humans will:

Begin on Sites during setup
Move during dawn phase due to Event cards
Move during day phase due to Action cards and cryptid powers
Affect Myth gain or loss during sightings

If a card effect does not specify a human flavor, you may choose any human.

Cryptids and Their Components

Each player selects one cryptid (for example bigfoot, mothman, jackalope, or loveland frog). Each player receives:

1 cryptid card (with unique power)
1 cryptid meeple
9 sighting cards
3 hiding spot tokens

Your cryptid card remains face up in front of you.

Your cryptid meeple begins at 5 Myth on the Myth Track.

Hidden Trait Cards

Hidden trait cards give you a secret objective.

Setup rules:

Shuffle all hidden trait cards.
Deal two to each player.
Each player chooses one and places it face down above their cryptid card.
Return unused hidden trait cards to the box.

Rules:

You may look at your hidden trait at any time.
Other players may not see it.
It is revealed only during final scoring.

Each hidden trait has three scoring tiers. The higher your completion, the more Myth you gain.

components list illustration for twisted cryptids board game

Setup

Follow these steps to prepare the game:

1. Prepare the Board

Unfold the game board and place it in the center of the table. The board consists of:

The Myth Track (used for scoring)
The Wilderness (6 Sites where encounters occur)

Place Myth tokens near the track.

2. Prepare Human Tokens

Place the three Rest Areas beside the wilderness. These correspond to the three flavors of humans:

Hikers
Hunters
Researchers

Place the corresponding human tokens on each Site according to setup instructions.

Humans are central to the game — they are both your audience and your danger.

3. Shuffle Decks

Shuffle the Action deck and place it face down, leaving space for a discard pile.
Shuffle the Event deck and place it face down, leaving space for a Current Event pile.

4. Choose Cryptids

Each player selects a cryptid and takes:

1 cryptid card
1 cryptid meeple
9 sighting cards
3 hiding spot tokens

Place your meeple at 5 Myth on the track.

Return unused cryptids to the box.

5. Hidden Trait Cards

Shuffle hidden trait cards and deal two to each player. Choose one to keep face down above your cryptid card.

These cards give secret objectives with three levels of completion. The higher you achieve, the more bonus Myth you score at the end of the game.

6. Create Your Stacks

Secretly divide your 9 sighting cards into three stacks of three cards each.

Important rules:

Order matters.
The top face-down card will be revealed first.
Each stack corresponds to a numbered hiding spot token.

Strategic stack building is crucial — especially for Real Deal sightings.

7. Place Hiding Spots

In player order:

Each player places one hiding spot on a Site.
Rotate first player.
Place second hiding spot.
Rotate again.
Place final hiding spot.

Restrictions:

You cannot place two of your own hiding spots on the same Site.
Site capacity limits apply in 4–6 player games.

In 2-player games, place the sinkhole token on Scenic Swamp. No humans or hiding spots may enter that Site.

8. Draw Action Cards

Each player draws 5 Action cards.

The game is ready to begin.

setup illustration for twisted cryptids board game

Gameplay Structure

The game lasts exactly five rounds.

Each round has four phases:

Dawn Phase
Day Phase
Dusk Phase
Night Phase

After completing the fifth night phase, proceed to end of the game scoring.

Dawn Phase (Detailed Rules)

The dawn phase begins with the first player.

Step 1: Reveal Event Card

Flip the top card of the Event deck.
Place it face up in the Current Event pile.
Resolve its effects from top to bottom in listed order.

Partial Resolution Rule

If you cannot fully resolve an effect:

Resolve as much as possible.
Never ignore an effect entirely if partial resolution is possible.

This rule applies to:

Event cards
Action cards
Sightings

Event Movement Definitions

Moving “To” a Site

When instructed to move a human “to” a Site:

Place the human directly onto that Site.

Moving “Toward” a Site

When instructed to move a human “toward” a Site:

Move the human one step closer to that Site.
If already adjacent, move onto it.
If two adjacent Sites are equally close, choose one.

Distribute Humans

When distributing humans:

Remove specified humans from their current Site.
Divide them as evenly as possible among adjacent Sites.
If uneven, choose which Site receives the extra.

Site Selection Rules

If an Event requires choosing a Site with:

Most humans → choose one if tied.
Fewest humans → may include Sites with zero humans.

After fully resolving the Event card, the dawn phase ends and day phase begins.

Day Phase (Turn-by-Turn Detail)

The day phase is the active manipulation phase.

Each player takes exactly three turns in player order.

On each turn, you must choose one of the following actions:

Play an Action card
Discard an Action card to use your cryptid power (once per round only)
Pass

After all players have taken three turns, the day phase ends.

Playing an Action Card

When you play an Action card:

Choose one of your hiding spots (if required).
Resolve the card’s function.
Follow flavor restrictions.
Place the card into the discard pile.

Types of Functions (Full Clarification)

Lure

Move a human from an adjacent Site to the Site containing one of your hiding spots.

Strong Lure

Move a human from a Site up to two Sites away to your hiding spot.

Scare

Move a human from your hiding spot’s Site to an adjacent Site.

Big Scare

Move a human from your hiding spot’s Site to a Site up to two away.

Attract

Take a human from its corresponding Rest Area and place it on your hiding spot’s Site.

Extract

Take a human from your hiding spot’s Site or adjacent Site and return it to its corresponding Rest Area.

AND vs OR Cards

If an Action card has:

OR → choose one effect only.
AND → resolve both effects separately, in either order.

Effects may target the same hiding spot or different ones unless otherwise specified.

Cryptid Power Usage

To use your cryptid power:

Discard one Action card.
Resolve the power immediately.
You may only do this once per round.

If your power includes multiple effects separated by “and,” resolve each independently.

Dusk Phase (Full Encounter Resolution)

The dusk phase determines scoring for the round.

Step 1: Determine Encounter Site

Identify the Site that:

Has the most humans
Has at least one hiding spot

If tied, the first player chooses among tied Sites.

If no Site has a hiding spot, skip encounters entirely.

Step 2: Reveal Sightings

In player order, for each player with a hiding spot at the encounter Site:

Reveal the top sighting from the corresponding stack.
Gain or lose Myth based on human distribution at that Site.
Resolve the sighting’s effect.
Place the revealed sighting face up beside you.
Remove your hiding spot from the Site and place it on top of its stack.

If revealing empties the stack:

Remove that hiding spot token permanently.
It cannot be placed again for the rest of the game.

Continue until all players at that Site resolve sightings.

Then proceed to night phase.

Types of Sightings

Decoys

Perfect decoys primarily interact with hunters.

Hoaxes

Elaborate hoaxes primarily affect hikers.

Silhouettes

Shadows and partial glimpses interact strongly with researchers.

Real Deal

The real deal sightings represent your true self.

When revealed:

They often produce large Myth swings.
They may carry vulnerability penalties.

If unrevealed by the end of the game:

Each Real Deal grants 7 Myth.

This creates long-term strategic tension in stack design.

Night Phase (Complete Step Sequence)

In player order, each player resolves the following steps:

Step 1: Recovering Lost Stacks

If you do not have a hiding spot token on one of your stacks (because it was removed permanently), you may move one of your hiding spots currently in the wilderness to a new Site.

Step 2: Relocating Revealed Hiding Spots

If you revealed a sighting during dusk:

Take that hiding spot from its stack.
Place it on a different Site than the encounter Site.

Step 3: Discard and Draw

Discard any number of Action cards.
Draw until you have 5 cards.

Exception:

During round five, skip drawing and discard remaining cards instead.

If deck empties:

Shuffle discard pile.
Form new Action deck.
Continue drawing.

Step 4: Pass First Player Token

Pass clockwise.

Night phase ends. Next round begins with dawn.

End of the Game (Full Scoring Procedure)

After completing five rounds:

Reveal all remaining sightings in stacks.
Reveal hidden trait cards.
Score Myth:

Gain 7 Myth for each unrevealed Real Deal.
Gain bonus Myth based on hidden trait completion.

The player with the greatest total Myth is the winner of the game and crowned the true legend.

example illustration of end of game scoring in twisted cryptids board game

Tie Breaker

If tied:

Count humans on Sites where tied players have hiding spots.
Player with most humans wins.
If still tied, both players share victory.

Strategy and Advanced Considerations

Stack engineering defines long-term outcomes.
Player order influences encounter Site selection.
Controlling human density determines scoring frequency.
Managing vulnerability from Real Deal sightings is critical.
Preserving hiding spots maintains flexibility.
Hidden trait cards shape macro-strategy.

Video Tutorial

MINI-EXPANSION RULES

These mini-expansions are modular. You may add one, multiple, or all of them to your game of Twisted Cryptids. Each expansion alters core timing and movement rules, so read each section carefully before play.

Unicorn Frenzy Mini-Expansion

The Unicorn Frenzy Mini-Expansion introduces a volatile neutral force that roams The Wilderness. The Unicorn does not belong to any player and cannot be controlled directly — but clever players can influence its movement by manipulating Human placement.

Setup

After completing the standard game setup:

Shuffle the Unicorn Chaos Magic deck thoroughly.
Place the deck face up within reach of all players. Only the top card should be visible.
Identify the Site with the most Hiding Spot tokens.
Place the Unicorn meeple on that Site.
- If two or more Sites are tied for the most Hiding Spots, the First Player chooses which tied Site receives the Unicorn.

The Unicorn begins the game already present in The Wilderness.

Gameplay Modifications

When playing with this expansion, apply the following additional rules:

At Dusk — Chaos Check

After determining the Site where the Encounter will occur:

If the Unicorn’s current Site contains 5 or more Humans, the Unicorn becomes active.
The First Player resolves the top card of the Unicorn Chaos Magic deck immediately.
Effects are resolved fully before continuing with the round.

If fewer than 5 Humans are present, nothing happens at Dusk.

During the Night — Unicorn Movement

Before the First Player moves or places a Hiding Spot:

Move the top Unicorn Chaos Magic card to the bottom of the deck.
- This exposes a new top card for potential activation at the next Dusk.
Count the number of Humans currently on the Unicorn’s Site.
Move the Unicorn clockwise a number of Sites equal to that number.
If the Unicorn lands on a Site with no Hiding Spots, continue moving it clockwise until it reaches a Site with at least one Hiding Spot.

The Unicorn must always end its movement on a Site containing at least one Hiding Spot.

Unicorn Meeple

The Unicorn meeple marks the Unicorn’s current location.

Players may intentionally move Humans toward or away from the Unicorn’s Site:

To trigger Chaos Magic.
To prevent Chaos Magic.
To manipulate where the Unicorn will move next round.

The Unicorn is unpredictable, but not uncontrollable.

Unicorn Chaos Magic Cards

These cards represent the Unicorn’s unstable magical impulses.

Some effects benefit players.
Others create setbacks or widespread disruption.
All effects apply immediately and last only as described on the card.

Unicorn Chaos Magic only resolves if the activation condition (5+ Humans at Dusk) is met.

Field Trip Mini-Expansion

The Field Trip Mini-Expansion introduces Vehicles that transport specific Flavors of Humans around The Wilderness. This creates constant movement pressure and makes population control more dynamic.

Setup

After completing standard setup:

Place the Hunting Rig meeple on Crystal River.
Place the Camper Van meeple on Pinehill Park.
Place the Mobile Lab meeple on Maple Lake.

Each Vehicle corresponds to a specific Human Flavor and only interacts with that Flavor.

Vehicle–Flavor Correspondence

Camper Van → Hikers
Hunting Rig → Hunters
Mobile Lab → Researchers

Vehicles are not Humans. They cannot be encountered, moved by player effects (unless specified), or counted as Humans.

Gameplay Modification

Before Dawn — Vehicle Movement Phase

Before resolving Dawn:

For each Vehicle, in any order chosen by the First Player:

Move the Vehicle one Site clockwise.
Move exactly 3 Humans of its corresponding Flavor from that Site one Site clockwise along with the Vehicle.

If There Are Fewer Than 3 Humans Present

Follow these steps in order:

Attempt to Attract Humans of that Flavor from the Rest Area to the Vehicle’s current Site until there are 3.
If successful, move all 3 with the Vehicle.
If fewer than 3 exist in the Rest Area:
- Move as many as possible (even if fewer than 3).

Vehicles always move. Humans move with them only if available.

Strategic Impact

Vehicles:

Increase Human circulation.
Prevent static board states.
Force Cryptids to react rather than settle.

They create predictable movement patterns that skilled players can exploit.

Alien Invasion Mini-Expansion

The Alien Invasion Mini-Expansion introduces a hostile third force. The UFO competes with Cryptids for Humans, creating a semi-cooperative or solo survival experience.

Players are no longer only competing against each other — they are racing against extinction.

Setup

After completing standard setup:

Place the UFO Control Panel card face up within reach of all players.
Shuffle the Alien Activity deck and place it face down near the Control Panel.
Leave room beside it for a discard pile.
Identify the Site with the fewest Hiding Spot tokens.
Place the UFO meeple there.
- If tied, the First Player chooses among tied Sites.

Core Concept

Each round, the UFO:

Moves around The Wilderness.
Abducts Humans.
Powers up as it fills containment Pods.

If the UFO becomes too powerful — or runs out of containment space — the players lose immediately.

Round Modification

UFO Activation Phase

At the end of the Day and before Dusk:

The First Player performs the following steps:

For each Event currently in the Current Event pile:
- Flip and resolve the top card of the Alien Activity deck.
After resolving all required Alien Activities:
- Return those cards to the deck.
- Shuffle the Alien Activity deck.

Alien Activity cards never form a discard pile permanently — they recycle each round.

Abduction Rules

If an Alien Activity instructs the UFO to Abduct a Human:

Remove the Human from the UFO’s current Site.
Place that Human in a valid Pod on the UFO Control Panel.

If no valid Pod space exists, the game ends immediately.
The Aliens win. All players lose.

UFO Components Explained

UFO Meeple

The UFO meeple marks the current Site from which Abductions occur.

Only Humans at the UFO’s current Site may be abducted.

UFO Control Panel

The Control Panel contains 4 Pods:

3 Flavor-specific Pods (Hikers, Hunters, Researchers)
1 Wild Pod (holds any Flavor)

Each Pod:

Holds up to 5 Humans.
Is considered “Filled” when it contains 5 valid Humans.

Important Restrictions

In solo or 2-player games, the Wild Pod must remain empty.
The Wild Pod may only receive Humans after that Flavor’s specific Pod is already filled.

Example:
If the Hunter Pod is full, additional Hunters may be placed in the Wild Pod.

UFO Energy

The UFO’s Energy equals:

Number of players
+
Number of filled Pods

Some Alien Activities scale based on UFO Energy. The more Humans abducted, the stronger the UFO becomes.

Loss Condition

If the UFO must Abduct a Human but no valid Pod space exists:

The game ends instantly.
Players collectively lose.

No tiebreakers. No final turns.

CRYPTID PROFILES

Below are expanded in-world descriptions of each Cryptid. These profiles are thematic and do not alter gameplay — but knowing your Cryptid may help you play them more cleverly.

BIGFOOT (1958)

Height: 7 ft
Weight: Heavy

Likes: Hiking, hair-care routines, Bigfoot Time
Dislikes: Loud noises, low-hanging branches, urban development

Bigfoot is an imposing but introspective forest dweller. With a towering silhouette, heavy footsteps, and deeply contemplative eyes, Bigfoot prefers solitude among dense tree lines. Despite his size, he moves quietly — unless startled. He values personal space and well-maintained fur, and he avoids areas of heavy Human construction whenever possible.

LOVELAND FROG (1955)

Height: 4 ft
Shape: Round

Likes: Fresh flies, long walks in the bog
Dislikes: Tadpoles, dry skin

This bipedal amphibian is instantly recognizable by its leathery skin, protruding eyes, and tragic posture. Though rumored to possess a beautiful singing voice, it has never performed publicly. It is most comfortable in damp, isolated environments and avoids attention at all costs.

JACKALOPE (1932)

Height (without antlers): 2 ft 5 in
Height (with antlers): 5 ft 9 in

Likes: Carrots, wide-open fields, competitive double dutch
Dislikes: High beams, hats

An agile hybrid of rabbit and deer, the Jackalope is deceptively swift. Its antlers appear cumbersome but never hinder its speed. It thrives in open terrain where it can sprint freely and show off its athletic flair.

MOTHMAN (1966)

Wingspan: 10 ft
Eye Color: Red

Likes: Lamps
Dislikes: Bug zappers, 5G towers, bridges

A towering, winged humanoid often spotted near bridges and intense artificial light sources. Mothman prefers elevated vantage points and watches from above. Its glowing red eyes are usually the only warning of its presence.

If searching for Mothman — look up.

NESSIE (1934)

Length: Allegedly 20 ft
Buoyancy: Significant

Likes: Moonlit swims, sushi, epic bagpipe solos
Dislikes: Littering, salt water, social media influencers

Nessie is a long-necked aquatic cryptid frequently seen breaking still water surfaces. Speculation ranges from serpent to eel to something far stranger. Nessie moves gracefully in freshwater environments and surfaces only when undisturbed.

CHUPACABRA

Height: 4 ft
Quills: Many

Likes: Farm animals, blood banks
Dislikes: Lawn ornaments, electric fences

Roughly the size of a small bear, this nocturnal predator stalks farmland under cover of darkness. Often mistaken for a diseased coyote — until it is too late. Its spined back and glowing eyes distinguish it from mundane wildlife.

Quick Reference Reminder

UFO Energy = Players + Filled Pods.
Unicorn activates at Dusk if 5+ Humans are present.
Vehicles move Before Dawn and transport 3 specific Humans.
UFO activates after Day and before Dusk.
If a required Abduction cannot occur, players lose immediately.

Conclusion

Twisted cryptids is a layered strategy game about myth-building, exposure, and timing. You manipulate hikers, hunters, and researchers across the wilderness, staging elaborate hoaxes and deploying perfect decoys while managing when to reveal your true self.

Through careful stack construction, encounter control, and hidden objective fulfillment, you aim to earn the greatest total Myth.

After five rounds, the winner of the game stands above fellow cryptids as the true legend — while the rest retreat into the shadows, waiting for another chance to be seen.