Sort all the tiles face up and put any unused tiles back into the box.

(i.e. extra Starting tiles, tiles removed for the specific player count, and the Advanced Game tiles)

For 1-4 players, set aside 4 ‘T’ tiles, 2 four-way tiles and 2 straight tiles.

These are the opening tiles. Stack them face down (with the Pit side facing up) and shuffle them.

Remove 2 Keys from the pool of tiles and place them in the box. Your tile count should contain 6 Keys and 12 Wax Eaters

For 5 players, Set aside 5 ‘T’ tiles, 3 four-way tiles and 2 straight tiles.

These are the opening tiles. Stack them face down (with the Pit side facing up) and shuffle them.

Remove 1 Key and 2 Wax Eaters from the pool of tiles and place them in the box. Your tile count should contain 7 Keys and 10 Wax Eaters.

Place all the remaining tiles face down in a pile (with the Pit side facing up) and mix them thoroughly.

Then, stack them at random into the Tile Holder, keeping them face down. When the all the tiles have been placed into the holder, add the stack of opening tiles you set aside on top. Then place the Tile Holder near the board, in easy reach of all players.

The tiles in the holder are called the Draw Stack. They represent the remaining candlelight and any hope of escape. Conserve their use. When all the tiles have been drawn, you can no longer illuminate new passages.