Channel WON
Channel WON Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Earn the most points after three rounds (morning, evening, and nightly news) by reporting stories and keeping the network ratings above zero.
Components
- (A) 1 Game Board
- (B) 5 Ratings Tracker Tokens
- (C) 6 Pass Tokens
- (D) 24 Reporter Tiles (4 of each color)
- (E) 36 Source Cards (6 from each category)
- (F) 12 Location Cards
- (G) 24 Inside Scoop Cards
- (H) 36 Lead Cards (6 from each category)
- (I) 6 Character Cards
Setup
Based on the number of players, choose which of the six news categories (Politics, Crime, Business, Entertainment, Sports, Fluff) you will report on for this game. Then return both the Lead Cards and Source Cards for the unselected categories to the box.
- 2 Player Game: Choose FOUR news categories to use.
- 3-4 Player Game: Choose FIVE news categories to use.
- 5-6 Player Game: Use all SIX news categories.
- Place the Game Board in the middle of the playing area and place the five Ratings Tracker Tokens on the five spaces on the Network Rating track.
- Select THREE Lead Cards from each of the selected categories and place each set Open Lead side up in a row on the Game Board, creating the Lineup. Place unselected Lead Cards aside.
- Shuffle all of the selected Source Cards together into one deck. Place facedown in the playing area above the Game Board. Flip up five cards next to the deck to form a row.
- Shuffle the Location Cards and place face down to form a deck above the Source Cards. Flip up five cards next to the deck to form another row.
- Shuffle the Inside Scoop Cards, then place the deck face down in the playing area, leaving enough room next to it for discarding.
- Each player will select a Character Card and their corresponding Reporter Tiles, and place one Reporter Tile on the Score Track. The three remaining Reporter Tiles will be used to report on stories. Each player will also receive a Pass Token. Place the Pass Token with the green play side up.
Game Play
Each round will consist of two phases. The player who most recently watched the news will go first, with play proceeding clockwise.
Phase 1: Collecting Sources
During Phase 1, players take turns collecting cards, which will be played during Phase 2. Players have the option to select either a Location Card, a Source Card, or an Inside Scoop Card. They may choose to collect either a face up card from the Location or Source row, then replenish the row with a new card from the respective deck, or they may draw the top card from any of the three decks.
Players will take turns collecting cards until all players have reached the hand limit of SEVEN cards. This ends Phase 1.
Phase 2: Reporting on Stories
Beginning with the first player, players will take turns performing 1 of 3 actions: playing a card, closing a Lead, or passing.
Playing a Card: There are three types of cards a player may play during Phase 2: Locations, Sources, and Inside Scoops.
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Locations: Players can play a Location Card from their hand to any Lead that requires that same Location. No Source Cards can be played to a Lead until the respective Location has been played. Only one Location can be played to each Lead. When a player adds a Location Card to a Lead they will also place one of their Reporter Tiles above the Lead to signify their role in helping to report it.
Note: Each player may help to report up to three stories using their three Reporter Tiles. All players with a Reporter Tile placed on a completed Story will receive points equal to the value of that Story.
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Sources: Players can add Source Cards to any Lead once it has its Location. One Source is required to report on a Lead, however, more sources of the same category, including the same source type, can be played for additional points before a Lead is closed. Any player who contributes Sources to a Lead will place a Reporter Tile above that Lead to signify their contribution.
Note: Each player may help to report up to three stories using their three Reporter Tiles. If a player has already added a Reporter Tile to a Lead, but adds an additional Source, they do not need to add an additional Tile to that same Lead. Source cards can also be played as Bonus Sources (See Bonus Sources below).
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Inside Scoops: Inside Scoops are special cards that can help players during the game and can be played at various times throughout the round. Each Inside Scoop is explained in the Inside Scoop Cards section below. After Inside Scoops are played or discarded between rounds they are added to a discard pile and are not shuffled back into the game.
Closing a Lead: Players can choose to close a Lead from the lineup by flipping the card to the closed side. A Lead must be closed at the end of the round to count as being reported. Now that the Lead is closed, no other Reporter Tiles can be added as contributors on that Lead and no additional Sources of the matching category can be played on that Lead.
Bonus Sources: Once a Lead is closed, it then opens the opportunity to receive Bonus Sources from categories that do not match the Lead category. The Bonus Source categories are indicated on both the open and closed sides of the Lead cards, but may only be played once a Lead is closed. Any player can play Bonus Sources whether they helped report on a Lead or not, but they cannot earn credit as a contributor as the story has already been sent to the editing room. Some Bonus Sources increase the value of the Lead, while others discredit the story and bring down its value.
Example:
- Player 1 collected a Park Location Card during Phase 1. The Location Card is played by placing it beneath the Sports Lead, which requires the Park Location Card. Next, Player 1 places their Reporter Tile above the Lead to indicate they are a contributor.
- Player 2 collected the Athlete Source Card during Phase 1. Player 2 then plays the Source Card next to the Park Location card, and adds their Reporter Tile above the Lead to indicate they are also a contributor.
- Player 3 does not have a Sports Source to play on the Lead. Player 3 closes the lead knowing they are able to discredit Players 1 and 2 by adding a Bonus Source with a negative point value.
- On Player 3's next turn, they play a Business Source Card from their hand to discredit Players 1 and 2. Player 3 does NOT add a Reporter Tile to the Lead.
- Player 1 is able to see the Lead now has a value of zero, and thus adds a Fluff Source Card to the Lead, bringing its value back up to 1 point. This move prevents the Network Rating from losing a star (see Network Ratings below).
Passing: Players may pass during any turn of the round whether they have cards to play or not. If a player chooses to pass, they will flip their Pass Token to the pause side. You may only pass once per round. If a player is unable to play while their token is on the pause side, they are done for the round.
Use your pass token wisely! Passing can be a strategic way to force other players to make a move before you do.
Network Ratings
As competitors, players may want to try to discredit fellow reporters while maintaining the 5-Star reputation of Channel WON. Network ratings drop one star for each unreported Lead, which is a Lead that is not closed or has a score of zero or less at the end of each round. If the rating falls below 1-Star, Channel WON will become Channel None and everyone loses the game!
Remember the game is semi cooperative! While you want to beat your opponents, you also want to make sure Channel WON doesn't lose too many ratings! Table talk is allowed and encouraged!
End of Round
The end of round is triggered when every player declares they are done for this round or they are unable to play when their Pass Token is on the pause side.
Discarding Cards: At the end of the round players will discard any cards in their hand that they were unable to use.
Scoring Stories: Based on played Source Cards and Bonus Sources, the value of each Lead in the lineup is calculated and players who helped report on each Lead will move their Reporter Tile forward or backward the respective number of points on the Score Tracker (A player may never fall below zero points). Remove a Ratings Tracker Token for each unreported Lead.
Scoring Example: Playing the Coach Source Card brings the Lead to a value of 2 points, however, the Bonus Business Source Card reduces the value to 1 point.
Prepping the Next Round: Discard all of the Source, Location, and Inside Scoop Cards and take back all Reporter Tiles from reported Leads. Remove and discard the top cards from the Lineup, revealing a new Lineup of Leads. Shuffle both the Source and Location Cards, then flip up five new cards from each deck. All players will flip their Pass Tokens back to the play side up. You are now ready to begin the next round. The player with the fewest points will go first. In the case of a tie for lowest points, the player who falls first in the previous turn order breaks the tie and goes first.
Ending the Game
The game ends after three rounds of play. However, if the Network Rating ever falls below 1-star, the game immediately ends and all players lose. After the final round is complete, the player with the highest number of points on the Score Tracker Board wins. In the case of a tie, the player who reported on the most Leads in the final round wins. If there is still a tie, players share the anchor desk as co-anchors.
Character Abilities
Each Character Card features the reporter's unique ability. These abilities can be used once per game. Each card states during which phase the ability may be used. The Character Card should be placed ability side up (green play icon). Once used, the card must be flipped over to indicate that it has been used (red stop icon).
The rulebook illustrates one Character Card, Trey DeMark (Business Analyst):
- Reporter Power (play during Phase 1): Discard and replace all of the face up cards in the Location row.
Card References
Lead Cards
Each Lead card has an Open Lead side and a Closed Lead side. The printed parts of a Lead card are:
- News Category Icon
- Story Headline
- Location
- Sources by Point Value
- Bonus Sources Preview
- Scoring for Story (closed side)
- Bonus Source Value (closed side)
- Bonus Sources (closed side)
Inside Scoop Cards
- Early Bird: This card allows players to take an additional action on the same turn immediately after taking an action. Discard this card after playing.
- Discredit: This card decreases the value of a Lead by 2 points. It is played as an action on a player's turn during Phase 2. This card may only be played on closed Leads.
- Final Touch: This card increases the value of a Lead by 2 points. It is played as an action on a player's turn during Phase 2. This card may only be played on closed Leads.
- Star Witness: This card can be used as a 2-point Source of any Lead's news category. It is played as an action on a player's turn during Phase 2. This card may only be played on open Leads.
- Security Footage: This card can be used in place of any Location Card. It is played as an action on a player's turn during Phase 2.
- Library Archives: This card allows a player to take a Source Card from the faceup source row and play it immediately on an open or closed Lead. It is played as an action on a player's turn during Phase 2. Once you have played this source, replenish the row with a new Source card from the Source deck. Discard this card after playing.