Outside These City Walls

Outside These City Walls is a short story in puzzle form. In this print-and-play card game, the player takes on the role of two jewel thieves, Amy-Bax and Zeke, and attempts to flee from one end of the city to the other to the safety beyond. The city is laid at as three columns of eight cards. Each thief only moves onto cards of their own colour, which display the internal monologues from the character. As the thief leaves their card, the card is flipped, showing the opposite thief's colour and monologue. Some locations become locked and cannot flip, while other locations can be collected for their valuables. The game ends if both thieves can make it to the other end of the city, and an ending is determined by the number of cards collected throughout the thieves' escape. Outside These City Walls is an experimentation in card game narrative, and the story told throughout play is of long-forgotten places and unrequited love. Even if the player resolves the puzzle and escapes with both thieves, their actions throughout the escape will determine the destiny of the two ill-fated nightrunners.