Asterion

Lost in the Labyrinth

Years ago, King Aegeus of Athens hosted a grand contest in his city, the Panathenaic Games. A visiting prince of Crete, named Androgeus, participated in these games and was so skilled that he won them all. The Athenians, jealous of his victory, conspired to end his life and Aegeus sent him to conquer the Marathonian Bull. The quest claimed his life, as they knew it would.

Grief-stricken, Androgeus' father Minos declared war upon Athens, and his control of the Mediterranean served his kingdom well in this war. As the war dragged on Athens grew increasingly fearful, until at last they gave in and offered Minos whatever tribute he wanted. The Cretian King demanded a tribute of seven young men and seven young women, nobles of Athens drawn by lots, to be sent to Crete every nine years. There, they would be thrown into the Labyrinth to die--either devoured by the Minotaur trapped within or lost and starving.

It has been eighteen years since the war ended, and another set of tributes has been chosen. You have had the misfortune to be selected, and after being shipped in haste across the Mediterranean you have been thrown with equal haste into the Labyrinth. Now Asterion, the fearsome minotaur, dogs your steps... but he is not the only threat within these walls. Will you live to escape? Try your luck with up to six players, each competing to be the first to escape the maze that was to be their grave.

Asterion is a competitive exploration game pitting the players against one another, and against a deck of cards representing the varied dangers of the aging dungeon that traps the Minotaur. Players must locate the seals of the hidden exits, each opened by a relic that Daedalus designed in honor of a God or Hero. The first player to successfully unlock one of these seals by bringing the appropriate relic to it has escaped the Labyrinth, and won the game.

Asterion is designed for 2-6 players, and takes about half an hour to play.

Game Contents:

• 52 Labyrinth Tiles
• 8 Seal Tiles
• 64 Exploration Cards
• 8 Rule and Reference Cards
• 1 Six-sided Die
• 6 Player Tokens