Spoiler Alert!
The information on this page is intended to assist groups who get stuck while playing Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor.
Do not read these hints before playing or risk spoiling the story and puzzles!
You haven’t opened any of the envelopes yet
The very first envelope you should try to open is The Dressing Table.
Hint One
The portrait you discovered on The Dressing Table looks oddly out of place in this laboratory environment. Remove the portrait and look on the back. What do you see?
We need another hint
Hint Two
Perhaps the symbols on the key will open The Dressing Table. Be careful to note the color associated with each symbol and enter each symbol on the corresponding color of the Solution Wheel.
We need the solution
Solution
Throughout the story, the scene cards will contain very important information and clues. Re-read Scene Card 1 carefully and follow the instructions. The symbols on the back of the key are the solution to the puzzle. Enter the symbols into the solution wheel. Be sure to note the colors of each symbol.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Dressing Table
The next envelope you should try to open is The Telescope.
Hint One
Your friend, the astronomer, used the star map to orient The Telescope in the sky.
Look carefully at the star map and compare it to the area of the sky that The Telescope is viewing.
We need another hint
Hint Two
It’s curious that the eight symbols around the outside of the star map match the eight squares around the viewing area of The Telescope. Only four of those squares are colored. How would you determine which symbol goes to which colored square?
We need the solution
Solution
Rotate the star map until the constellations exactly match what The Telescope is viewing. Now each symbol on the outside of the star map will correspond to a square on The Telescope viewing area. Try these four colored symbols in the Solution Wheel for The Telescope.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Telescope
The next envelope you should try to open is The Lock Box.
Hint One
Etched on the front of The Lock Box are the same constellations you see on the star map. The angular pieces you found look suspiciously like they match the angular shapes of the constellations on the star map.
We need another hint
Hint Two
The tricky astronomer has designed those angular pieces so that all of them will fit inside each of the constellations. You will have to solve the constellations one at a time. Note that there are four colored holes amongst the set of angular pieces, there are four constellations, and you need four symbols for the answer to The Lock Box puzzle.
We need the solution
Solution
Arrange the angular pieces to fit inside each constellation on the star map. In each constellation, one of the colored circles aligns with one symbol. The fox will give you the red symbol. The eagle will give you the yellow symbol. The arrow will give you the green symbol. And the runner will give you the blue symbol. Keep track of all four solutions and try them in the Solution Wheel for The Lock Box.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Lock Box
The next envelope you should try to open is The Filing Cabinet.
Hint One
The front of The Filing Cabinet looks like its missing triangular gear pieces that open the lock. The triangular gear pieces you found seem to fit the spaces perfectly.
We need another hint
Hint Two
The patterns on the corners of the triangular gear pieces match sections of the gears shown on The Filing Cabinet. These patterned corners will all have to match.
We need the solution
Solution
Position the triangular gear pieces on The Filing Cabinet so the patterned corners match with the gear sections that they are covering. Add the additional pieces such that matching patterned corners touch and complete the gear sections. If you do this, the triangle pieces will only fit into the hexagonal shape one way.
When all of the triangles are placed, four pieces will be positioned over top of the four colored triangle positions. Use these four symbols in the Solution Wheel for The Filing Cabinet.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Filing Cabinet
The next envelope you should try to open is The Bookcase.
Hint One
You should have found three strips that are sections of the bookcase inside The Filing Cabinet. There’s something else shown on these strips as well, perhaps if you aligned the three strips properly, maybe using the riveted border edges as a guide it will reveal an answer.
We need another hint
Hint Two
Once the three bookcase strips are aligned correctly, they will show the image of a metal door within as section of the bookcase. Does the section of the bookcase shown on the strips with the door match a section of the actual Bookcase? Notice the section above the metal door, it looks a lot the very top of The Bookcase.
We need the solution
Solution
Assemble the three bookcase strips so that the door is complete. Lay this entire assembled image on top of The Bookcase, at the top towards the left. The books around the edge of the assembled image, and the top of The Bookcase, will align. A single symbol will appear in each of the colored circles on the door.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Bookcase
The next envelope you should try to open is The Steam Panel.
Hint One
Inside The Filing Cabinet you should have found 8 cards with sections of copper piping on them. Looking at The Steam Panel, it appears that two of each these cards will fit in each of the four grey squares around the panel. Each square has pipes coming into and out of it, is it possible to position all of the pipe cards to complete the path of all of the pipes?
And what about the circle surrounded by symbols in the center? Do you have a circular piece with piping that would fit there?
We need another hint
Hint Two
You must first place all eight pipe cards on the correct squares on The Steam Panel so that each pipe is complete and continuous. Then, place the circular pipe card in the center.
Notice that four of the pipes, one at each square are numbered. If you turn the circular pipe card so that each of the numbered pipes is complete and connected in turn (i.e., first 1 to 1, then 2 to 2, etc.), a particular symbol will be indicated.
We need the solution
Solution
Position all eight pipe cards so that they align with and complete all the pipes. After the pipe cards are correctly placed, the circular pipe card is used to solve each number individually. Rotate the circular pipe card in the center so that the pipe starting at number 1 is complete and goes all the way to the number 1 shown in the circle at the center of the panel. A pointer on the circular pipe card is now pointing to the first symbol, the color of which (red) is indicated by the colored border of the corresponding square. Repeat this process to obtain the remaining three symbols.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Steam Panel
The next envelope you should try to open is The Door.
Hint One
Make sure that you have found all of the parts shown on The Blueprint and assembled them as illustrated. If you rotate the gear, symbols will appear in the colored circles around the edge of the larger wheel as it rotates. How will you determine which symbols are the correct ones?
We need another hint
Hint Two
The key to getting the correct symbols to align with the correct circles on the wheel is to determine which symbol is the starting point. This starting symbol must be positioned under the uncolored circle of the larger wheel. In the last scene card, the astronomer hinted that the correct starting symbol was shown in a four-pointed star. Is there a four-pointed star shape within the lines shown on The Door?
We need the solution
Solution
On The Door, towards the bottom right corner, there is the shape of a perfect, four-pointed star. The symbol in the center of this star is a crescent moon curving around a dot. This is the starting symbol. Align this symbol so that it is visible through the uncolored circle of the larger wheel and slowly turn the gears. The symbols revealed in each colored circle are the correct answers for The Door.
LAST ENVELOPE OPENED: The Door
The next envelope you should try to open is The Control Panel.
Hint One
This is the final challenge, and the correct four symbols are hidden throughout the clues and pieces that you have used throughout the game. You will have to back-track and find the correct four symbols. The astronomer has given you a hint for one of the symbols, an arrow is pointing directly at it. Where else have you seen odd markings or symbols?
We need another hint
Hint Two
In addition to the astronomer’s clue about the arrow on the blue star map, there are other clues scattered throughout the game. Look for a date circled on the newspaper clipping, a pendant worn by the astronomer’s wife, and an image of the astronomer together with his wife.
We need the solution
Solution
The arrow constellation on the star map is pointing to the first symbol, the Lightning Bolt. The year circled in green on the newspaper clipping corresponds to the symbol on the gear of the same year. The yellow glow on the image of the astronomer and his wife is paired with the symbol below it. The final symbol is the pendant that the astronomer’s wife is wearing in the portrait. This pendant is red, the glow around the portrait is yellow, the symbol on the star map is blue, and the year is circled in green; these are the corresponding colors for each symbol.
We tried all the hints for the envelope & we're still stuck!
If you're still stuck, refer to the solution chart below:
On the outer ring of the Solution Wheel, start with the white symbol from the envelope puzzle you are trying to solve. Then rotate each of the colored rings to line up the four solution symbols from the chart with the symbol on the outer white ring. When the same symbol from the outer white ring appears through TWO windows on the Solution Wheel, you have solved the puzzle and can open the envelope!
