The Candles Game
Disclaimer: Known consequences include permanent psychological scarring if the instructions are not followed exactly. This game is not approved for social gatherings. Do not attempt if not mentally sound or have difficulty remembering details.
This game is for one player and at least one spectator. The tokens are candles. The board is the player's current residence. The spectator is a friend or family member. The opponent is an unknown entity.
Note from a Player: Do not play this game.
Materials:
One candle for every room.
One candle for the ends of all hallways.
One candle for the player's room.
A method for lighting candles (a lighter is recommended for speed).
A wristwatch with an alarm.
Setup:
The spectator must hide one candle on the floor of each room. The player may not know of their locations.
The player or the spectator must place one candle at the end of all hallways. The player may know of their locations.
The player must place one candle on the inside of their bedroom door.
Close all blinds and windows. Turn off all appliances and portable electronics that produce sound or light. Place portable electronics in a box in a closet or cabinet.
Set the wristwatch alarm to 11:10 PM.
Close the doors to all of the rooms on the board.
At sunset, go to sleep.
Everyone besides the player must leave to safety. This includes large pets (even if they are considered "calm" or "quiet," they will not be for the duration of this game).
Pregame:
Upon waking at 11:10 PM, turn off the alarm. Refer to contingencies if it did not go off at the proper time.
The player must light the token in their room within one minute.
At 11:11 PM, knock on the door to the room three times, with a three second interval between each knock. If no sound is heard, the board is ready.
Say "I am ready to play" clearly.
Open the door and place the lit token outside the door.
Play:
Light each candle in each hallway.
Knock on each door three times with three second intervals between each knock. If sound is heard behind the door, move on and come back to it later.
The player must find and light the hidden tokens in the rooms within three minutes. Refer to contingencies in the event of failure.
After finding and lighting the token in a room, close the door.
Once every token has been lit, the player must return to their room. Knock on the door in the same manner as before and enter.
Close the door.
The player must lay on their bed, but they must not fall asleep.
The game will end at 6:00 AM in most cases.
Under No Circumstances:
Look around or under the bed.
Look into any reflective surface.
Fall asleep.
Enter any rooms previously cleared.
Answer or otherwise speak to any voices heard.
Do anything but play the game for the duration of the game.
Run.
Abort Conditions - If any of these are true leave the board immediately until 6:00 AM.
A closed door to a cleared room is discovered open.
Contingencies:
If the player is unable to find and light a token within three minutes, the player must close and lock the door before laying on the floor and facing the ceiling.
If the alarm did not go off at 11:10 PM and it is dark, remain in your bed, face the ceiling, and wait until the game ends at 6:00 AM.
Winning:
Light every token on the board and stay awake until 6:00 AM.
