AssassinCon Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Component Overview
• Game Board and Round Setup
• AssassinCon Gameplay
  • Objective
  • Turn Overview
  • 1. Planning Phase
  • Calling Guards
  • 2. Movement Phase
  • 3. Elimination Phase
  • Special Rooms
  • The Art of Deception
  • End of Turn
• End of Round
• FAQ and Errata
• Introductory Scenario
  • Setup
  • 1. Planning Phase
  • 2. Movement Phase
  • 3. Elimination Phase
• Quick Reference
  • Round Setup
  • Gameplay

Overview

In AssassinCon, you play as Assassins at a convention participating in a contest to prove your prowess. We recommend that all groups begin with the Introductory Scenario to learn the game mechanics.

AssassinCon is played over a series of rounds. Each round, after choosing characters, everyone will be assigned a Target to Pursue. Points are scored by eliminating your rivals or successfully Calling Guards on your Pursuer. The first player to get five points wins the game and claims the title of "Master Assassin."

Components

• 1 Game Board
• 6 Assassin Pawns
• 6 Assassin Pawn Stands
• 72 Movement Cards
• 6 Target Cards
• 25 Point Tokens
• 6 Status Cards
• 1 Lead Assassin Card

Component Overview

• Assassin Pawns: These tokens represent each player on the board.
• Status Cards: These cards are used to clearly define the Target of each Assassin. When an Assassin is Eliminated, that player flips the status card to the reverse "Eliminated!" side.
• Movement Cards: These cards are used to move Assassin Pawns to another location on the board. Each color has four cards each of "A," "B," and "C."
• Point Tokens: These two-sided tokens track the score. The first player to acquire five tokens wins.
• Target Cards: Each Assassin Pawn has a target card associated with it. These should be included with the similarly colored deck.
• Lead Assassin Card: This card determines which player is the "Lead Assassin." They should collect and reveal movement cards. They also resolve order of Eliminations. This card passes clockwise after each round.

Game Board and Round Setup

1. At the start of each round, randomly place the six Assassin Pawns onto the game board in each room with a star next to the name. Place all of the Point Tokens in a pile near the top of the board.
2. If this is the first round, randomly choose a player to be the "Lead Assassin" (L.A.) and give them the Lead Assassin Card. At the start of future rounds, pass this card to the next clockwise player.
3. If this is the first round, all players place their Status Card faceup with the "1" at the top. This designates the player to the right as the "Target" and the player to the left as the "Pursuer." At the start of all future rounds, players alternate the cards' directions to the other number.
4. Players secretly choose an Assassin Deck. Make 6 decks of Movement Cards for each color assassin (12 cards total), and place that assassin's Target Card on top. Next, the L.A. turns all decks facedown while everyone else closes their eyes. The L.A. then shuffles the position of each deck and chooses one to place in front of them. The L.A. then closes his eyes while the rest of the players open their eyes. Starting with the next clockwise player to the L.A., players choose an Assassin Deck. A player's identity matches the assassin of this deck. Keep it secret!
5. Each player gives their Target Card facedown to their Pursuer, as designated by their Status Card. The Pursuer secretly looks at their Target's card.
6. Keep an area open at the bottom of the board for Movement Cards to be played.
7. If playing with fewer than six players, place any remaining deck(s) on a Dummy Player space on the board, and place the Target Card(s) from those decks on the Inactive Target space. DO NOT LOOK AT THESE CARDS.

AssassinCon Gameplay

Objective

Be the first to get five points at the end of a Round. Points are earned in two ways:

1. Eliminating a Target
2. Calling Guards (see below)

Turn Overview

Each round consists of turns, which are broken up into three phases:

1. Planning Phase
2. Movement Phase
3. Elimination Phase

1. Planning Phase

Each player selects one Movement Card from their hand to play. The L.A. collects all cards from players, and while NOT looking at them, secretly shuffles them. If there are Dummy Players, the L.A. adds the top card of each Dummy Player deck before shuffling. Eliminated players also contribute cards during this phase with the goal of spooking the other players into Calling Guards on them.

Calling Guards

Any time during the Planning Phase, a player may Call Guards by yelling "GUARDS!" while accusing the color he believes to be his Pursuer. If multiple people Call Guards at the same time, the player holding the Lead Assassin Card decides which accusation will occur.

When a player Calls Guards, one of three situations can occur:

1. The accusation is correct: The accuser receives 1 point, plus all the points accumulated by their Pursuer this round.
2. The accusation is incorrect, AND the color matches that of an Eliminated Player: The Eliminated Player receives 2 points.
3. The accusation is incorrect, AND the color matches that of an Active Player or Dummy Player: Every player, except the accuser, receives 2 points.

In any case, the round ends immediately. Begin a new round (see End of Round).

2. Movement Phase

The Lead Assassin, one by one, reveals the shuffled cards and places each card below its corresponding color space in the area under the board. The L.A. then moves each pawn according to the letter on the card. An arrow means a move between rooms, and a "stop sign" means stay in that room.

3. Elimination Phase

If, after movement, a player is in the SAME room as his target, he may make one elimination. The player demonstrates this by showing the color of his deck to only his Target. The Target will confirm whether or not the Assassin was successful:

• If successful:
  1. The Pursuer receives 1 point (black side, until end of Round).
  2. Eliminated player flips his Status Card to "Eliminated!" and the Eliminated player gives his Target's card off to his Pursuer.
  3. Discard the old Target Card to the Inactive Target Space.
• If unsuccessful: The player flips their own Status Card to "Eliminated!" and gives their Target's card to their Pursuer, who discards the player's old Target Card to the Inactive Target Space.

Special Rooms

Players can also eliminate their Target if they are in one of three Special Rooms marked with Map Icons: the Electrical Room, the Sniper Booth and the Security Office.

Each Special Room has power over three other rooms, matching color and marked with the icon next to their name. For example, the Electrical Room has power over the two Escalators and the Security Office.

As a normal elimination, the player shows his Assassin Deck's color to his Target for them to verify a success.

The Art of Deception

A good assassin knows when to strike at the right time. Players DO NOT have to eliminate a Target, even if they can. A poorly-timed elimination can alert the other players of their identity, and that is an easy way to have the Guards called on an assassin. Instead, wait for that opportune moment to mask your attack when there are multiple eliminations possible on the board!

End of Turn

Once all Assassin Pawns have been moved and eliminations occur, the turn ends. Check the following conditions:

1. Two or fewer Assassins are remaining.
2. Players have no cards in hand.

If either of these conditions are met, the Round ends (see End of Round).

Otherwise, begin a new turn at the Planning Phase. All played cards at the bottom of the board are not available in future turns.

End of Round

If all but two players have been eliminated or players have no more cards in their hand, the Round is over. All players who scored round points, flip tokens to the "gold-colored sides." These are permanent and are kept separate from points scored in future rounds. Pass the Lead Assassin card clockwise and begin a new round (see Round Setup).

At the end of a round, if one player has 5 (or more) points, that player wins! If there is a tie, continue playing until there is a clear winner.

FAQ and Errata

What happens if someone accidentally reveals their assassin's or another assassin's identity to the table? For instance, they point at a pawn. This is a problem since at least one player now knows the identity of their Pursuer and can unfairly Call Guards on them. If this happens, let all the players know. Inform the players that you made this error, and ask if you can end the round immediately. If everyone is in agreement they may score their round points. However, if a player wishes to still Call Guards, understand that they have a right to do so. Be fair about it.

I was wrong about being able to Eliminate my Target. What do I do? DO NOT make a fuss! Quietly follow the "unsuccessful" condition above and continue playing.

I can Eliminate my target, however my Pursuer can Eliminate me, and they are closer clockwise to the Lead Assassin. What happens next? You both score points. Resolve eliminations in order starting with the L.A. and going clockwise. Your Pursuer first verifies with you that you are eliminated, and then you verify with your Target. After this, follow the "eliminated!" rules and continue playing.

After I eliminated my Target, I got my new Target and found I could eliminate them too. What do I do? Players are only allowed to make one Elimination in a turn. You must wait till the next Elimination Phase to do so.

Introductory Scenario

The Introductory Scenario is a fast-paced free-for-all. It is meant as a way to learn the mechanics of AssassinCon in a way that has open information for all.

Setup

1. Follow steps 1 and 3 on Round Setup to set up the game board. The Lead Assassin Card is NOT needed in this scenario.
2. Deal each player one of the 6 Target Cards facedown, and then reveal. This is the player's identity for the round, matching the corresponding Assassin Pawn on the board. Keep this card face up so players can identify each other. Each player takes their matching Assassin Deck (12 Movement Cards). Identities are not kept secret in this scenario.
3. If playing with fewer than six players, place the remaining Target Cards and Movements decks to the side of the board. Remove the corresponding Assassin Pawns from the board as well. There are no Dummy Players in this scenario.

1. Planning Phase

Each player selects one Movement Card from their hand to play, and holds it face down in front of them. When all players are ready, reveal cards and each player moves their pawn. Calling Guards IS NOT available, so skip that step from the main rules.

2. Movement Phase

Each player reveals their Movement Card, and moves their Assassin Token according to the letter on the card (see Movement Phase). Players discard this card to a pile in front of them.

3. Elimination Phase

Assassins may Eliminate their Targets, if valid (see Elimination Phase). When a player is Eliminated, flip their Status Card to "Eliminated!" and remove their Assassin Pawn from the board until the start of the next round. The "Eliminator" takes one Point Token (black side). If multiple Eliminations occur on a turn, each Eliminator gets a point, even if they themselves are Eliminated.

Quick Reference

Round Setup

1. Place Assassin Pawns randomly on locations with a star. Place point tokens near the board.
2. Place Status Cards in front of each player. Each new round, change the direction of these cards to face the other way.
3. Lead Assassin shuffles Assassin Decks around, and chooses one, all other players choose a deck.
4. Players pass their own Target Card to their Pursuer (designated on the Status Cards).
5. Shuffle and place all leftover decks on the Dummy Players Spaces. Place the Target Card from each of these decks in the Inactive Target space, face down.

Gameplay

Turn Overview:

1. Planning Phase: a. Select Movement Card. b. Lead Assassin collects cards. c. Call Guards available.
2. Movement Phase: a. Reveal cards. b. Move Assassin Pawns.
3. Elimination Phase: a. Players in same Location as their Target may Eliminate that player. b. Remove Eliminated Assassin Pawns from the board.

Round End:

1. If a player has 5 points, they win.
2. If two players are remaining, the round ends.
3. If there are no more cards in players' hands.