At any time, when a player comes up with a clue, they gather

End of the Game

the attention of the group, and then say their clue out loud so that
everyone can hear it.
Note: There is no turn order. If a player is ready, then they may The game can end in one of two ways:
give their clue. The timer runs out.

OR
The other players now have a single guess to try to correctly There are no Clue Cards left in the pile and the players have no

place the Clue Card in its proper location. They may communicate

more cards in hand.
with each other and exchange opinions, but only one player acts as
the spokesperson for the team and gives the team’s final guess:
Players then count the number of Clue Cards correctly placed in the
grid and use the following table for scoring:
• If they correctly guess the
Rules

coordinates of the player’s Clue Failed Average Good Awesome
Card, that player places their
card in its location in the grid, Oh dear, You have Wow! A perfect
with its coordinates facing up. clearly a basic You have score!
you don’t understanding a strong You must be
understand of how the connection! telepathically
• If they guess incorrectly, the
each other other players linked!

Clue Card is placed to the side of
at all. think!
the table, without revealing its
coordinates.

Express <4 4-5 6-7 8+

The player who gave the clue then draws a new Clue Card from the

pile. When the pile is empty, the game continues until no player has
a card left in their hand. (Or the timer runs out).
Classic

Rules for Clues <8 8-11 12-14 15+

Clues must be limited to a single word that relates to both code words.

Clues with the same root as a code word may not be used.

Clues cannot be reused in any form (including incorrectly
Expert

< 12 12-16 17-22 23+

guessed clues).
© 2020 Blue Orange Edition, France, all rights reserved for all countries.
Cross Clues and Blue Orange are trademarks of Blue Orange Edition,
France. Distributed under license by Blue Orange USA, Walnut Creek,
California, USA. www.blueorangegames.com.
Introduction Contents Gather together the Clue Cards corresponding to your game size. How to Play
Can you come up with a clue that is a 10 Axis Tiles For Example, an Express (3x3) grid will use the Clue Cards labeled: When all players are ready, the game begins. Be sure to flip the
A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, and C3.

cross between “Bear” and “Doctor"? 25 Clue Cards timer if you are using it.
Got one? Then say it out loud to 50 Code Word Cards Each player draws one Clue Card from the pile, without revealing
Shuffle the Clue Cards together and place them in a pile, with

the other players and hope they can 1 five-minute timer

it to the other players. Clue Cards have coordinates on them that

the coordinates facing down.

figure out which two code words represent a unique crossing of two of the code words laid out during
you crossed to make your clue! setup (row and column).
Optional timer: Decide if your group will play with the
5-minute game timer. If you are using the timer for an Expert You must try to come up with a single word that best combines

both of the code words listed on your Clue Card.
Object of the Game
(5x5) size grid, then you will have 10 minutes
(two back-to-back flips of the 5-minute timer).
Work together to fill in the grid

Vet!
Return all unused components to the box.
with Clue Cards! Each player must

come up with a clue that represents

the crossing of their unique
combination of code words. If the other players
Axis Tiles Axis Tiles
can correctly guess which two words you crossed,
then you get to place your Clue Card in its proper location
in the grid. If they guess wrong, the card is discarded. Your goal

D C B
is to fill in the grid with as many clues as possible by correctly
guessing the location of each card.
Choose your clues carefully and try to get the best score possible!
D C B
Setup Code Words Cards

Choose one from the three following grid sizes: Classic (4x4
Ex: “Vet” could be used as a clue to represent a link between

grid), Express (3x3 grid), or Expert (5x5 grid).

Bear and Doctor.
Begin your grid by arranging the Axis Tiles in order, with the

letters in a single row and the numbers in a single column (see 2 or 3 player game:
diagram below). When playing with two or three players, each player always has
Shuffle the Code Word Cards together and place them so that

two Clue Cards to choose from in their hands. They can choose
one word is visible in front of each Axis Tile. either one if they can come up with a good clue for it.