Agents Secrets Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Components
• Principles and Goal of the Game
  • Turn Structure
  • Effects of ACTION Cards
  • Resolution of MISSIONS
• End of the Game
  • Hunt for the Double Agent!
  • The Masks Fall!
  • Calculating Victory Points
• Variant: "The World Is Vast" (Le monde est vaste)

Setup

1. Divide the players into two companies, the CIA and the KGB, on either side of the table. If the number of players is odd, the company with one fewer player receives a bonus of 7 victory points at the end of the game.
2. For each company, take as many AGENT cards as there are players. Make sure the DOUBLE AGENT card is present in each company's pack. Shuffle face down and deal one card to each player. Each player looks at their card secretly to learn their identity (agent or double agent).
3. Shuffle the 18 ACTION cards of each company and make a draw pile, face down.
4. Shuffle the 6 MISSION cards of each destination (Rio, Berlin, Casablanca and Hong Kong) and place them in that order in the center of the table.

Components

• 12 AGENT cards (6 for the CIA, 6 for the KGB)
• 36 ACTION cards (18 for the CIA, 18 for the KGB)
• 24 MISSION cards

The back of the AGENT cards is always visible. It is used to show each player's action location.

Principles and Goal of the Game

The goal of each company is to win as many MISSION cards as possible. They carry victory points of varying value.

A game is played over 6 turns.

Turn Structure

1. At the start of each turn, reveal the first MISSION card of each destination (Rio, Berlin, Casablanca, Hong Kong). Each carries a variable number of victory points (from 2 to 5 points).

2. Deal 3 ACTION cards to each player from their own draw pile (CIA/blue and KGB/red). Players look at them secretly and must not show them to others.

3. Each company may freely discuss its strategy for the turn. Players may move to meet somewhere out of earshot of the opposing company.

4. Each player must choose ONE of their ACTION cards to play at ONE of the 4 DESTINATIONS. To do so, they orient the arrow on the back of the chosen ACTION card toward the desired destination. The AGENT card that each player keeps permanently in front of them serves as their reference point.

   Example (as printed): in this example, this player chose to go to RIO to carry out their action (direction of the arrow).

   Each player uses one hand to hide their choice from the opposing company. When ALL players of a company have made their choice, they announce that they are ready to go on the operation. From that moment, the opposing company can no longer discuss, even if it still needs to. Late players must then choose their ACTION card and place it quickly and in silence.

5. All players simultaneously reveal the destination they chose and place their ACTION card, ALWAYS FACE DOWN, in front of the corresponding MISSION card in the center of the table, on the side of their company. So that everyone knows where each player went, each player turns their AGENT card so that the chosen destination reads upward, facing them (a quarter turn to the right).

   Example (as printed): in the previous example, this player places their ACTION card face down in front of the RIO MISSION card. They turn their AGENT card so that RIO reads upward, facing them (a quarter turn to the right).

6. Each company may again discuss the situation, and each player must play a SECOND of their ACTION cards. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5.

7. Resolution of MISSIONS (see below).

Effects of ACTION Cards

(Identical for each company)

AGENT (8 per company)

• Adds 1 action point.

AGENT special (2)

• Adds 2 action points.

Transfuge (defector) (2)

• Takes the action point(s) of an AGENT SPECIAL card (in priority) or an AGENT card of the opposing company.
• Resolves BEFORE assassins.

Tueur (assassin) (2)

• Removes an AGENT SPECIAL card (in priority) or an AGENT card of the opposing company.
• Adds 1 action point.

Corruption (2)

• Adds 1 action point.
• In case of a tie in points, the company that played the most CORRUPTION cards wins the mission.

Sabotage (2)

• Removes 3 action points from its own company.

Resolution of MISSIONS

• At each destination, shuffle and then reveal the ACTION cards played by each company, and apply their effects (see "Effects of ACTION Cards").

  The company that wins the mission is the one with the most action points at that destination.

• A MISSION card won by a company is given to a player of that company if they are ALONE at that destination. They place it under their AGENT card, so their gains are hidden from the other players.

  If several players of the winning company are present at that destination, the card is placed in that company's "common pot", in the compartment of the game box provided for this purpose.

Example (as printed in the rulebook, under the heading "Casablanca doesn't answer anymore..."): the CIA's assassin removes no card, because no AGENT or AGENT SPECIAL was played by the KGB. The KGB's defector "steals" the 2 points of the CIA's AGENT SPECIAL. Both sides then have 3 action points. But thanks to the CORRUPTION card, victory goes to the KGB, which takes the CASABLANCA MISSION card for 4 victory points.

This card is given to a KGB player if they are the only one located at Casablanca. If there are several KGB players at Casablanca, or none (they all left after playing their first card), it goes into the KGB's "common pot".

• In case of a tie (except through the "corruption" effect), the MISSION card is not awarded. Remove it from the game.

  Important: a company must have at least 1 action point to win a card (e.g. "0" does not beat "-3").

• All ACTION cards played go to the discard pile of their own company. The 3rd ACTION card not played by each player is also discarded, face down. When a draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.

End of the Game

After the 6th and last turn of the game, it is time to determine the winning company...

Hunt for the Double Agent!

Each company may designate ONE of its own members as the double agent. For this, the majority of the company must vote for the same person. Otherwise, no one is designated.

The Masks Fall!

All agents reveal their secret identity by turning over their AGENT card.

Calculating Victory Points

• All MISSION cards won by the AGENTS of a company, and those won in its own "common pot", add up their victory points (2 to 5 points per card).

• All MISSION cards won by the player designated as the DOUBLE AGENT (in case of a majority vote) count for no one. Designating the right person prevents their victory points from going to the opponent, but getting it wrong can cost you the game!

• All MISSION cards won by the double agent of a company are added to the opposing company.

• If a company has one fewer player (odd number of players), it receives a bonus of 7 victory points.

In the end, the company with the most victory points wins the game (and its double agent infiltrated in the opposing company with it). In case of a tie, the fate of the world will be decided in the next game...

Variant: "The World Is Vast" (Le monde est vaste)

Players may not play their second ACTION card at the destination opposite to their first choice.

For example, if a player chose RIO as their first destination, they may not play their second card at CASABLANCA, and vice versa (the same applies to BERLIN and HONG KONG).

This variant adds an extra layer of tactics to the choice of where to place your agents.