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Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo's Treasure
A cooperative deduction game for children set in the world of Mysterium, in which the Ghost gives clues with a tambourine alone while everyone else listens with their eyes closed, working out together which of five Noise cards it was. Its full title is Captain Echo's Treasure; it came out in 2022 and won the Kinderspiel des Jahres in 2023.
Rules
The Ghost gives clues using nothing but a tambourine, and everyone else listens with their eyes closed. Guess together which of the five Noise cards it was and you uncover a piece of treasure. No reading and no counting, so young children and adults play on equal terms.
How it differs from “Mysterium”
Same name, effectively a different game
The original communicates with abstract picture cards and has you deduce a suspect, a place and an object. Kids communicates with tambourine noises, and guessing one Noise card is all there is to it. You do not need to know the original at all.
| Item | Mysterium (original) | Kids |
|---|---|---|
| How you communicate | Vision cards (pictures) | Tambourine noises |
| What you guess | Character + place + object | One Noise card (two in some rounds) |
| The Ghost | One player for the whole game | Rotates every round |
| Age | 10 and up | 6 and up |
| Time | About 45 minutes | About 21 minutes |
Components and setup
| Component | Count | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Manor board | 1 | Place it in the middle of the table |
| Round Marker board · Moon token | 1 each | Directly above the Manor board. Calm side up, with the Moon token on the leftmost space |
| Noise cards | 78 | Shuffle and place one face up in each of the 5 rooms of the Manor board. The rest form a face-down deck |
| Treasure tiles | 10 | Mix only the 7 without a star symbol into a face-down stack. The 3 with a star symbol go back in the box |
| Ghost tokens | 5 | The oldest player takes them along with the tambourine |
| Tambourine | 1 | - |
For a harder game
Turn the Round Marker board to its Stormy side and mix the 3 Treasure tiles with a star symbol in with the other 7.
A round of play
- 1The Ghost mixes the 5 Ghost tokens, takes one at random and looks at it alone. Its number is the room to be guessed. The token stays face down.
- 2The Ghost picks up the tambourine and asks everyone else to close their eyes.
- 3The Ghost says “Boooo” to announce the start of the clues.
- 4The Ghost makes noises with the tambourine — shaking, banging, scratching, rubbing, adding rhythm, anything goes.
- 5When done, the Ghost says “Boooo” again. Everyone opens their eyes.
- 6The other players talk it over together and agree on one Noise card.
- 7The Ghost reveals the token to see whether the numbers match.
The Ghost may not speak or gesture during this time
Once the noises are over and the others are discussing, the Ghost cannot give any further clue. This is the same restriction as in the original.
- If the group cannot agree, the player to the Ghost's left makes the final choice.
- If they guessed right, flip the top Treasure tile and place it next to the Manor board. Some tiles are halves — combine them when you find the matching half.
- If they guessed wrong, there is no treasure this round.
- At the end of the round, move the Moon token one space to the right and return the 5 Noise cards on the Manor board to the box.
- Pass the tambourine and the 5 Ghost tokens to the player on the left, who becomes the next Ghost. The new Ghost reveals 5 new Noise cards.
The rulebook notes that younger children who find it hard to keep their eyes closed can simply turn around instead.
Some rounds ask for two cards
The number of cards shown next to the Moon token tells you how many Noise cards to guess that round. Some rounds are one card, some are two.
- 1In a two-card round the Ghost draws two Ghost tokens.
- 2Eyes closed, then “Boooo” → first set of clues → “Boooo” (meaning the second one starts; eyes stay closed) → second set of clues → “Boooo” (open your eyes).
- 3The players choose the first card, and the Ghost reveals the first token.
- 4Right or wrong, they then choose the second card, and the Ghost reveals the second token.
- 5Flip one Treasure tile for each correct guess.
End of the game and scoring
When the Moon token reaches the last space, the sun starts to rise. That round is the last one.
Score 1 point for each complete star symbol on your face-up Treasure tiles. A half tile only completes a star once you have its other half.
| Stormy Night | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0-5 points | Not bad |
| 6-9 points | Great work for such young sailors |
| 10-12 points | Very impressive |
| 13 points | Perfect — champion treasure hunters |
Rules people get wrong
Q. Do I need to know the original “Mysterium”?
Not at all. It is a separate game with a different way of communicating and a different goal.
Q. Can the Ghost make noises with their voice?
Noises come from the tambourine only. The Ghost speaks solely to say “Boooo” at the start and the end.
Q. What kind of noise should the Ghost make?
There is no fixed answer. Think of what is drawn on the card and invent something. The rulebook's example: if the card shows a cat scratching a wall, scratch the tambourine.
Q. Who plays the Ghost?
It passes to the left every round, so everyone gets a turn as the Ghost.
Q. What if we cannot agree on an answer?
The player to the Ghost's left decides.
Q. Is there a winner?
It is a cooperative game rated by score. A perfect score is 9 on a Calm Night and 13 on a Stormy Night.
History and editions
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designers | Antonin Boccara · Yves Hirschfeld |
| Illustrator | Olivier Danchin |
| Publisher | Libellud / Space Cow, 2022 |
| Award | Kinderspiel des Jahres 2023 — winner (German children's game of the year) |
As a Kinderspiel des Jahres winner it is very highly rated for children. With no reading and no counting, a six-year-old plays on equal terms with an adult — and children often read the noises better.
Sources
Official Libellud rulebook (Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo's Treasure, English)Official product page — LibelludRule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments below →
Last updated 2026-09-08
💡 Master tip
The Ghost should make the strength and length of each shake clearly different. Listeners do better to keep their eyes closed until the sound ends and only then start talking, so their impressions stay their own. When you play with children, do not rush them after a wrong guess — go back over the pictures slowly and keep it a conversation.
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