City of the Great Machine: The Story Unfolds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• How to Use This Booklet
  • Finding a Page
  • Commonly Used Icons
• Four Heroes Mode
• Modules, Scenarios, and the Campaign
• Where to Begin?
• Game Components
  • 1/12 Base Game Upgrade (q, p. 12)
  • 2/12 The Escalation Expansion Upgrade (q, p. 25)
  • 3/12 Four Heroes Mode (w, p. 3; r, p. 15)
  • 4/12 Sky City Cableway Module (w, p. 9; r, p. 19)
  • 5/12 Unique Servants Module (w, p. 9)
  • 6/12 to 12/12 (headings only; full inventories are in booklets w and e)
• Upgrade to z: Changes to the Base Game
  • Risk Tokens
  • Updated Heroes
  • Access Cards
  • New Hero: Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator
  • Identity Tokens
  • Hero Tokens
  • Reference Cards
    • Hero Actions (Revolutionary Reference card, large)
    • Servant Actions (condensed)
    • Detainment
    • Common Card and Rule Icons (condensed)
    • Important S&C Rules [S&C]
• New Rules
  • Checks
    • Regular Checks (summary table)
  • Gain Trust Action
  • Parity Riot Stage Rule
  • City Event Choice Rule
• 5 Balance of Power (Refined and Updated Rules) [OvM]
  • Creating Your Own City
  • Standard Game
  • Scenario Game
  • Revised Minor Rules
  • City Presets
• New Definitions
• Game Setup: Full List of Changes
• Let the Struggle Begin!
• Deviation Cards
  • Law Revisions (example card printed in the booklet)
• Special Scenario Rules
  • Lesser and Greater Scenario Decks
  • Placement on the Table
  • Icons in the Scenario Cards and in the Rules
  • Random District
• Riot Opportunity
  • Standard Game
  • Scenario Game
• Rule 3. Blind Riot Price
• One Riot Revolution
• Transition Phase (VI)
• Hero Interactions
• Servant of the Great Machine Interactions
• Upgrade to z: Earlier Expansions
  • The Escalation Expansion (Updated)
  • The Stand-In Heroes Expansion (Updated)
• Reference Guide
  • Introduction
  • Base Game Rules: Updated Rules Sections
    • Part 1. Hero Movement
    • Part 2. Standard Hero Actions
• Reference Guide: City Events [OvM]
  • Entrapping (Group I)
  • Airship Day (Group I)
  • City Day Celebration (Group I)
  • Join Our Side! (Group I, updated)
  • Loopholes in the Laws
  • Manhunt (Group I)
  • Ready for Emergency (Group I, updated)
  • Roadblocks (Group I)
  • Stalkers vs. Sentinels (Group I, updated)
  • Access Control (Group II)
  • False Accusations (Group II)
• Reference Guide: Directives [OvM]
  • Block Off
  • Manipulate
  • Persecute
  • Suppress
• Reference Guide: Heroes
  • Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator (New Hero)
  • Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran (Updated)
  • Olga de Troyes, the Vagabond (Updated)
  • Base Game Hero Abilities: Clarifications
• City Presets (New)
• Compatibility
  • Scenarios and Modules
• Victory and Defeat in a Standard Game
• Rules Summary

How to Use This Booklet

Start here to get acquainted with the expansion! You will upgrade the base game and then get acquainted with the new rules. There is no need to read the entire booklet right now. You will stop at page 21 and move on to playing the game. This is because some sections do not apply to your first few games with z, and besides, a Reference Guide is provided at the end of the booklet.

In z, the following changes are made to the base game:

• Upgrade to z: changes to the base game (Assault and Escape dice, Risk tokens, Universal Access cards and Identity tokens, new and updated City Events, new Directives of the Great Machine).
• Four Heroes mode (a fourth Hero and the Enforcer, for 1 to 5 players in One-vs-Many and up to 4 players in Solo & Cooperative).
• Modules, Scenarios, and the Everett Triad campaign.
• Deviation cards: variable starting conditions for standard games.
• New Hero: Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator, and updated cards for 2 base game Heroes.
• A lot of new or updated rules along with other changes.

The expansion is split into four booklets:

• q: Game Rules. Main expansion rules and upgrade, plus the basic reference guide (this booklet).
• w: Scenarios & Modules. Four Heroes mode, 2 Modules, and 4 Scenarios.
• e: The Everett Triad. The Everett Triad campaign. (Not included in the public preview.)
• r: Solo & Cooperative Rules. Complete S&C game rules for everything in booklets w and e.

Finding a Page

In the text, you will see page numbers referring you to the relevant rules, and booklet numbers telling you where a particular page is located.

• Numbers q, w, e and r: the page is in the corresponding booklet of z. These numbers are depicted on the booklet covers.
• Base Game Rules and Base Reference Guide refer to the original base game booklets. You may also encounter links to the booklets of the earlier expansions.
• Page number only: the page is in the booklet you are now reading.

Commonly Used Icons

• [OvM] (the lightning-bolt icon): only for One-vs-Many mode (OvM).
• [S&C] (the heart icon, printed as "B"): only for Solo & Cooperative mode (S&C).
• No marking: applies to both modes (or the difference is not important).
• z: short for this expansion.

Four Heroes Mode

The Four Heroes mode not only expands City of the Great Machine to support up to 5 players in One-vs-Many games and up to 4 players in S&C (Solo & Cooperative). It does much more.

Four Heroes, instead of three, forge a revolution in the City. In counterbalance to the increased rebel forces, an awe-inspiring colossal robot has been placed at the disposal of the Great Machine: the Enforcer.

The Four Heroes mode is a new format of play in City of the Great Machine. The Revolutionary players, as usual, distribute the Heroes among themselves (for example, 2 Heroes each in a 3-player game), while the Great Machine controls the Enforcer in addition to Servants and Guards. The Enforcer is equipped with a powerful emitter capable of suppressing a Hero exposed to its radiation.

In the base game and earlier expansions, everything may be played in the Four Heroes mode. In z, it's almost everything (with the exception of the Rise of the Enforcer Scenario and the Everett Triad campaign where the Enforcer is introduced).

Modules, Scenarios, and the Campaign

Each Scenario along with the Everett Triad campaign tell a story of how the confrontation between the Great Machine and the Heroes might have unfolded otherwise. Imagine that the Great Machine or the Revolutionaries have different technologies or resources at their disposal, and their tasks are of a different kind.

In other words, each time you find yourself in an alternative version of the City. Each story begins similarly to the base game and then takes its own path. How each of the stories ends, is in your hands!

Sequence of playing the Scenarios: any. The Scenarios are placed in booklet w in ascending complexity, not in the order of play. It's also fine to replay the Scenarios you like best, discovering new tactical possibilities... and the means for countering them!

Solo & Cooperative (S&C): revised S&C rules are waiting for you in booklet r. They almost completely replace the S&C rules in the Reference Guide of the base game. Everything in z may be played both in One-vs-Many and in S&C. The rules for pairing each Module, Scenario, the Four Heroes mode, and the Everett Triad campaign with S&C are in booklet r.

Earlier Expansions: both The Escalation and Stand-In Heroes expansions are great with z. Some components of the Escalation expansion have been updated. In detail: p. 25.

Story order: the Rise of the Enforcer Scenario is a prologue for the Everett Triad campaign. Story-wise, it's consistent (but not a necessity) to play this Scenario first.

Scenario Complexity: indicated for each Scenario, including the campaign Scenarios. Complexity shows the degree of changes compared to the standard gameplay, and the scope of new rules. The more gears there are, the higher the complexity.

• One gear: Class Warfare; Rise of the Enforcer.
• Two gears: Under Spybot Supervision; Murders in the City.
• Three gears: the final Scenario in the Everett Triad campaign.

Secret Content: there are no secret codes in z as there were in the base game, but there is one sealed envelope. You are allowed to unseal it ONLY when you complete the Everett Triad campaign and either the Great Machine or the Revolutionaries achieve victory. Please do not open the envelope until you receive direct instructions in the game. Otherwise, you will significantly spoil your experience of the campaign! (Marked as "First 2 Scenarios in the Everett Triad campaign" on the envelope.)

When you add a Module, whether from z or earlier expansions, or enable the Four Heroes mode, the complexity roughly increases by half a gear.

Compatibility of Scenarios, Modules, and the Four Heroes mode is detailed at the end of this booklet (p. 35). Check the Compatibility page (p. 35) before including any Module or the Four Heroes mode, especially if you are playing a Scenario!

Enhancement Code (base game): by solving the secret code in the Directive cards in the base game, you received something valuable for the Great Machine. We heartily congratulate those of you who have successfully deciphered the code!

Important! This "something" has a card whose name begins with "N". This card is strictly not allowed in the Scenarios "ty" or the Everett Triad campaign in OvM. In all other aspects, "something" is fully compatible with z. Enough said!

Where to Begin?

We recommend that you first play the base game with Risk tokens and other basic innovations of z. You are free to alter the game setup with one of the Deviation cards (p. 20). But do not inject any Modules or lay out any Scenarios yet! Each Module or Scenario assumes a good knowledge of the game. If you have recently purchased City of the Great Machine or haven't played for a long time, then the renewed gameplay of z is perfect for a great start.

Next, dive into the Scenarios with one gear and the Modules, and perhaps enable the Four Heroes mode. Once you're comfortable with the game, introduce yourself to the Scenarios with two gears and, finally, the Everett Triad campaign, the highest point of z.

In each Scenario or Module, make sure to pay maximum attention to the rules detailed in the booklet and on the cards. The higher the complexity, the higher the impact of accidental mistakes!

Order of Mastering the Solo & Cooperative (S&C) Rules [S&C]

• You have not played S&C before, or it's been a long time: first off, familiarize yourself with the main S&C rules in booklet r. After that, check out the rules in this booklet. You will update the game components and get acquainted with the new concepts in z.
• You know the base game S&C rules well enough: first off, follow the rules in this booklet. You will update the game components and get acquainted with the new concepts in z. After that, browse through the revised S&C rules in booklet r to understand the differences from the base game.

If you are interested in S&C only, skip the sections marked with 5 (OvM) in this booklet.

Game Components

Use the subsection numbering [1/12] ... [12/12] to quickly locate any z components you need for a game.

1/12 Base Game Upgrade (q, p. 12)

• Heroes: 1 New Hero card and 1 miniature for Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator (Queen of the Air). 2 Hero cards updated: Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran (Assaulter) and Olga de Troyes, the Vagabond (Artful Dodger).
• Risk tokens: 12 Risk tokens and 1 Risk token bag.
• Identity tokens: 4 Identity tokens, plus 1 Hero token (in addition to the 3 base game Hero tokens [12/12]).
• Access cards: 36 Access cards [4 decks] (update).
• Directives: 8 Directive cards [OvM 4 / S&C 4].
• City Events: 18 City Event cards [OvM 12 / S&C 6]; 5 City Event cards (update); 4 Campaign City Event cards [OvM 2 / S&C 2] with "The Everett Triad" in the title, used in the campaign only [10/12]; 3 Checkpoint tokens.
• Deviation cards: 5 Deviation cards.
• Reference: 1 Revolutionary Special Rules Reference card; 2 District Repositioning / Checks & Icons Reference cards; 2 The Great Machine Reference cards [OvM]; 5 Revolutionary Reference cards [OvM 3 / S&C 2].
• Other components: 1 Sealed Mysterious Envelope (see Secret Content); 1 Universal marker; 1 Servant Movement card [S&C].

2/12 The Escalation Expansion Upgrade (q, p. 25)

• 4 Smugglers Hideout Access cards (update).
• 2 Invention cards (update): Probabilitator and Hyperbolic Emitter (see p. 25).
• Chronoleon game components (see also [5/12]): 2 Interdiction Surge tokens; Chronoleon Surge tokens; 3 Surge Token Reference cards [OvM 2 / S&C 1].

3/12 Four Heroes Mode (w, p. 3; r, p. 15)

• 4 Exposure markers; 1 Enforcer miniature.
• 18 Radiation cards [OvM 12 / S&C 6]. There are also 4 R.E.R. Radiation cards [OvM 3 / S&C 1] that are primarily used in the Everett Triad campaign only [10/12].
• 2 Enforcer cards [OvM 1 / S&C 1].
• 2 Exposure Focus Servant Movement cards.
• 6 Enhancement cards [OvM 3 / S&C 3].

4/12 Sky City Cableway Module (w, p. 9; r, p. 19)

• 3 Cableway Mini-District tiles.
• 6 Ticket tokens.
• 3 Connection tokens.
• 1 Sky City Cableway Reference card.

5/12 Unique Servants Module (w, p. 9)

• Configuration cards for the base game Servants, Punisher, and Chronoleon (count as printed on page 9: 5).
• 1 Class Warfare Reference card (listed on page 9 among the Scenario components).

6/12 to 12/12 (headings only; full inventories are in booklets w and e)

• 6/12 and 7/12: the Rise of the Enforcer Scenario cards and the Class Warfare cards (booklet w).
• 8/12 Under Spybot Supervision Scenario: its Scenario cards (booklet w).
• 9/12 Murders in the City Scenario: its Scenario cards, and 3 Investigation tokens (see Risk tokens note above).
• 10/12 The Everett Triad Campaign (booklet e): 4 Campaign City Event cards [5 2 / B 2] [S1 to S2]; Everett Triad Campaign cards [S1 to S3]; 4 R.E.R. Radiation cards [5 3 / B 1] [S2 to S3]; 9 Vain Search tokens [S2, B S3]; 3 ASO Fragment tokens [S2]; 3 Mystery Temple tokens [S2 to S3]; 9 Breach / Distortion tokens [S3]; 24 Consequences cards [5 5 / B 5] [S3]; 3 Secret Knowledge cards [S3]; 1 W. E. miniature [S3].
• 11/12 Booklets: q Game Rules; w Scenarios & Modules; e The Everett Triad; r Solo & Cooperative Rules.
• 12/12 Base Game S&C components (from the base game, now usable in OvM): 3 Hero tokens; 9 special Guard figures; 9 District tokens. The 4th Hero token (viola) is added in z [1/12].

Note on this section: the component counts on pages 9 to 11 were read from the text layer and the page images at reduced legibility. Where a count is given in brackets, it is as printed. The Scenario and campaign rules themselves are in booklets w and e, not in this booklet.

Upgrade to z: Changes to the Base Game

Follow this section to update your game to z and learn how to deal with the new game pieces. New components shown are listed in subsection [1/12] of Game Components.

Risk Tokens

The Assault and Escape dice are no longer used. They are replaced by Risk tokens. There are 12 Risk tokens of four types: Hero Success, Great Machine Success, City, and Reshuffle.

In Step 9 of the Game Setup, place all 12 Risk tokens in the bag and mix. Leave the Assault and Escape dice in the game box.

Be careful! The 3 Investigation tokens of the Murders in the City Scenario [9/12] have the same shape as the Risk tokens. Do not accidentally mix them in with the Risk tokens.

During the game, players reveal Risk tokens from the bag to perform Checks. For instance, when attacking a Guard, during Hero movement (when a Hero lacks Trust to exit a District), and so on. In detail: p. 15.

Updated Heroes

Replace 2 Hero cards from the base game with their new ones: Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran, and Olga de Troyes, the Vagabond. Mateusz has learned how to use the Risk tokens instead of the Assault die. Olga's card update is part of the overall game adjustments.

For complete reference on Anneke, Mateusz and Olga, as well as for additional reference on Coolum McDouglas, the Fowler, and Veiga Vazquez, the Actress, see p. 31.

Access Cards

In the base game, each Hero has a personal Access deck, while the Escalation and Stand-In Heroes expansions use unified decks.

In z, the game shifts to universal Access decks for all Heroes, taking the 3 decks from the Stand-In Heroes as a basis and adding the 4th one (which has the musical instrument, a viola). All previously published Access decks are no longer in use.

The Access card backs form a continuous perspective of the City over a 24-hour cycle. In Step 8 of the Game Setup, each Revolutionary player chooses a deck for their Hero that best suits their Hero's appearance and personality. Use any 3 Access decks of your choice, and in the Four Heroes mode, use all of them.

Be careful! The Smugglers Hideout Access card (4 copies with different backs) belongs exclusively to Julie Corvus from the Escalation expansion (p. 25). No other Hero may use it.

New Hero: Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator

In z, Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator, joins the Revolutionaries. The Mistress of the Air ability allows Anneke to reposition her current District at the beginning of her turn, surprising the Great Machine and rearranging the City in a way that benefits the Revolutionaries!

Overall, there are 18 Heroes in City of the Great Machine: 6 in the base game, 6 in the Stand-In Heroes expansion, 3 in the Escalation expansion, 1 in z (Anneke), and 2 more in the Gears of Revolution limited-edition expansion. Each of these valiant Heroes is ready to join you in The Story Unfolds expansion!

Identity Tokens

New Identity tokens signify which Access cards belong to which of the Heroes.

They also indicate the affiliation of Exposure markers (used in the Four Heroes mode and the Everett Triad campaign), Hero tokens (some Scenarios, campaign, S&C), and correspond to the Servant Movement cards (S&C).

In Step 8 of the Game Setup, each Hero receives an Identity token and a deck of corresponding Access cards. Each Hero places their Identity token to the left of their Hero card, as shown in the picture, or to the right (flipped).

During the game, you can keep the Access card you choose for the current round in the Identity token cutout.

Always use Identity tokens when Exposure markers, Hero tokens, and/or Servant Movement cards are in play. When this is not the case, it is up to you whether to use Identity tokens or not.

Hero Tokens

New There are now 4 Hero tokens with the addition of the new viola token. Previously, Hero tokens were used in S&C only, but now they may appear in OvM as well.

Reference Cards

Update Replace all Reference cards in the base game with the new ones. The Reference cards now are marked with the Revolutionaries and the Great Machine symbols, as well as the OvM and S&C symbols when appropriate. Some key changes are explained below.

• Revolutionary Reference card (large) [3 copies]: the base game's 2 medium-sized cards are combined into one large card.
• The Great Machine Reference card (large) [OvM, 2 cards, 1 copy each]: the special rules are on the previously empty side.
• Revolutionary Reference card (large) [S&C, 2 copies]: the Hero symbols are removed (in favor of Identity tokens).
• Revolutionary Special Rules Reference card (medium) [1 copy]: all special rules in one place.
• District Repositioning / Checks & Icons Reference card (medium) [2 copies]: a common-use card. The repositioning rules have been refined.

Note. Reference cards contain condensed information and cannot serve as an ultimate replacement for the complete game rules.

Hero Actions (Revolutionary Reference card, large)

The cost glyphs on this card are shown below as [icon]; the base game Reference Guide defines them. Costs are given as printed.

Standard Actions

• Identify Citizens (1 or more). Cost: [icon] for each Citizen. Turn the identified Citizen tokens so that the identified side is visible.
• Move Citizens (1 or more) from your District to any. Cost: [icon] per District a Citizen exits.
• Attack a Guard. Cost: 2 to 4 [icon]. Perform an H Check X, where X = the amount paid. On success, the Guard is broken.
• Start a Riot. Cost: [icon] [icon] for each unknown Citizen. Then reveal all Citizens in the District.
  • Success: Active Citizens > Guards + Traitors. Break all Guards and place a Riot token there.
  • Failure: Guards + Traitors >= Active Citizens. The Master Plan advances by 1. The Great Machine may arrest all or any active Citizens in the District for free.
• Gain Trust. Cost: free. Receive 1 [icon] OR perform an H Check 3 and receive 1 [icon] per Success.
• Movement (card summary): Guards: 1 per District. Servants: 2 per District.

Incitement Action (may be taken in any Minor District). Cost: [icon] [icon]. Increase Discontent by 1.

Major District Special Actions. Most Major Districts provide Actions to choose from. Cost: [icon] and [icon] to choose from.

• Grand Citadel: [icon] Discard 1 Directive from the Great Machine's hand. [icon] Look at 1 arrested Citizen and return it to any District as identified.
• Tower of L.A.W.: [icon] Cancel 1 published Directive. [icon] Any one Hero retrieves 1 forfeited Access card.
• Control Nexus: [icon] Reposition a District. Cost: free. Any one Hero receives 3 [icon].
• Central Square: Increase Discontent by the number of Citizens minus the number of Guards.

Servant Actions (condensed)

• Cost: 2 [icon], except for the Central Square Special Action (free). Each Servant may take 1 Action in their District and may not move afterwards.
• Standard Servant Actions (may be taken in any District):
  • Raid Action. Place a Raid token. Any Hero ending their movement in that District will be detained.
  • Repair Action. Repair 1 broken Guard (put it upright).
  • Arrest Action. Arrest 1 revealed active Citizen.

Detainment

A Hero may get detained in a Raid, during movement, etc.

• Detainment Results (apply to detained Hero): Advance the Master Plan by 1 OR finish the Hero's turn and either take their Action or make them forfeit their Access card.
• If a Hero is detained during movement, place their miniature in the destination District (then Detainment Results are applied normally).

Common Card and Rule Icons (condensed)

• Opening Phase (I): 1. Each Citizen provides you 1 Trust, except for revealed active Citizens (2 Trust) and revealed Traitors (0 Trust). Two or more Heroes in the same District have to share this Trust. 2. Reveal a new City Event card.
• Access Phase (II): Choose an Access card. Next, the Great Machine Phase (III) (see the other side).
• Heroes Phase (IV): In Initiative order, on your turn:
  1. Move to the destination District indicated on your Access card, paying Movement upon exiting each District. If not enough Trust, discard your remaining Trust and the Great Machine performs an M Check 1. On its success, you are detained. End of movement: Related Effects (if any). You may perform 1 Interaction (in some Scenarios and Missions). Detainment Results (if detained).
  2. You may take 1 Action.
• Closing Phase (V): Step 1. City Event: Security Protocol. Step 2. City Event: Breakthrough. Step 3. City Event: The Master Plan Advancement. Step 4. Complete Missions with the fulfilled Objectives.
• Transition Phase (VI): according to Scenario rules (if any).

Important S&C Rules [S&C]

• An identified Citizen is immediately revealed.
• After a successful Riot, also place a Raid token in the District: Servants take up to 2 different Actions instead of 1 there. Remove the Raid token when no active Citizens remain.
• Missions: some are available from the beginning; when you complete both, another becomes available. Each completed Mission opens a Riot Opportunity. The Parity Riot Stage Rule is in effect.

Revolutionary Reference card and Great Machine Reference card: the symbol key

• OvM only and S&C only are marked by the lightning-bolt and heart icons respectively.
• Master Plan current position. Reveal the Greater/Lesser Scenario 4#/3# card with the specified number, respectively, return it to the deck. 2#/1# No number specified: return this card.
• The Hero symbols are removed (in favor of Identity tokens).

City Events

Update Replace the base game City Events Stalkers vs. Sentinels (I), Join Our Side! (I), Ready for Emergency (I), Public Execution (II) and Sneaking through Security (II) with the updated ones. The changes are due to the introduction of Risk tokens and the overall game adjustments.

New Add 12 new City Event cards to OvM (6 each for Groups I and II) and 6 new City Event cards to S&C. In the 3 new City Events, you will encounter the Forbidding Security Protocol. Icons of 2 Districts marked with red crosses indicate the Forbidding Security Protocol. During the game, the Security Protocol is not executed if there are no Heroes in the marked Districts during the Closing Phase.

For reference on new and updated City Events, see p. 28. For reference on new Directives, see p. 31.

S&C City Events are self-explanatory.

Be careful! Do not add City Events with "The Everett Triad" in the title. These cards are intended for the campaign only.

Some of the new City Events feature Checkpoints and the Forbidding Security Protocol. See below.

Non-regular City Events: a City Event marked RESOLVE WHEN REVEALED is a non-regular City Event and resolves immediately. It does not count towards the regular City Events of the game. (The regular City Event count depends on the current Scenario; see the Scenario rules in booklet w. The page-14 scenario counts were not fully legible in the preview.)

Directives

New Add 4 new Directive cards to OvM and 4 new Directive cards to S&C.

Be careful not to confuse the Directives from OvM and S&C! They have different card backs, and S&C Directives have the mechanical heart symbol at the bottom of the front side.

Directive Deck Tuning [OvM]: during Setup, the Great Machine may choose whether to add all new Directives or some of them, and/or exclude any base game Directives. You can customize the Directive deck as you wish, but there should always be at least 9 Directive cards in the deck.

Directive Deck Tuning [S&C]: you may configure the Directive deck as described above, but we caution against overly fine-tuning. The AI's tactical opportunities should not narrow down or become predictable. For instance, it may be a good idea to exclude some base game Directives at random so the new Directives may come up faster, or shuffle the new Directives into the top cards of the deck in your first games!

Checkpoints

In the 3 new City Events, 3 Checkpoint tokens are used. During Game Setup, place the Checkpoint tokens in the common reserve (or you may leave them in the game box to take out when required).

Checkpoint icons are shown on the City Event cards to indicate you need these tokens. Checkpoint tokens are double-sided. Both sides mean the same in terms of the gameplay; the difference is aesthetic. Checkpoint tokens are placed in the Districts and affect the game as specified in the City Event. Always return Checkpoint tokens to the common reserve at the end of the Closing Phase (this is not indicated in City Events).

New Rules

This section represents new and updated rules for any game you play in z. They are also true for the base game and earlier expansions. New components shown here are listed in subsection [1/12] of Game Components.

Checks

In z, the Great Machine and Heroes perform Checks to determine the success of their Actions, Interactions, and so on during the game.

Performing a Check: the Great Machine or Hero reveals the specified number of Risk tokens from the bag. The success of the Check depends on the Risk tokens revealed.

Checks can be either regular or unique. Regular Checks are performed the most often. A regular Check is successful if the Great Machine or Hero reveals at least 1 Success token of their own.

• M Check X / H Check X, where X is a numerical value. The icon and colour indicate who is performing the Check (purple stands for the Great Machine, red sides with Heroes). The one who performs the Check reveals X Risk tokens. The Check is successful if there is at least 1 Success of their own among the tokens they reveal.
• Hero Regular Check example: a Hero performs a regular H Check 2. They reveal 2 Risk tokens. The Check is successful if there is at least 1 Hero Success token among these 2 Risk tokens.

Checks. Other Rules

• City and Reshuffle Risk tokens are neutral. They are not anyone's Successes unless the rules say otherwise.
• Revealed Risk tokens remain on the table next to the bag. All players may view them.
• Unique Checks follow the same principle. The only difference is that the result is determined not by one, but by several Successes (example: Gain Trust Action, see on the next page).
• Note. Unique Checks are always explained in detail. If nothing is said about the number of Successes, this is a regular Check!
• Note. Always reveal exactly as many Risk tokens as instructed, not "until the first Success".
• At the end of a Check (or any other gameplay process), if both Reshuffle tokens are on the table, return all revealed Risk tokens to the bag. Do not return the tokens if there is just one Reshuffle token on the table or none.
• When you need to reveal more Risk tokens than there are left in the bag: 1) reveal all Risk tokens left in the bag, 2) return to the bag the Risk tokens that were revealed prior to performing this Check, and 3) reveal the rest of the required Risk tokens from the bag.

Regular Checks (summary table)

Situation	Check	Performing	Risk tokens revealed
Attack a Guard (Hero Action)	H Check X, X = Trust paid (2 to 4)	The Hero chooses to pay from 2 to 4 Trust, then performs the Check. The Guard is broken if at least 1 of the revealed tokens is a Hero Success.	As many as Trust spent
Check during Hero movement	M Check 1	A Hero does not have enough Trust to pay for exiting a District. Same as in the base game, a Hero must discard any leftover Trust. Then the Great Machine performs M Check 1. The Great Machine reveals 1 Risk token. The Hero is detained if this is a Great Machine Success.	1
Any regular Check	Per the rule	In a Scenario, by City Event...	X

For the complete updated rules on the Attack a Guard Action, see p. 27. For the complete updated rules on Hero movement, see p. 26.

Risk token makeup (12 in total, as listed on the Risk token reference): Hero Success (3 tokens), Great Machine Success (4 tokens), City (3 tokens), Reshuffle (2 tokens).

Gain Trust Action

Now the Gain Trust Action gives your Hero a choice. You may either receive 1 Trust, as before, or perform a unique H Check 3 and receive Trust equal to the number of Hero Successes you reveal. Tactically, this gives Heroes a tool to "control the bag". The Great Machine does not have such a tool, but it has a variety of other means to control the City (for instance, with the City Event Choice Rule).

For the complete rules on the Gain Trust Action, see p. 27.

Parity Riot Stage Rule

According to the base game rules, reaching the Riot Stage equals 1 successful Riot. In z, an alternative principle is introduced.

The Parity Riot Stage Rule is as follows: the Riot Stage does not automatically mean a successful Riot. Instead, once the Riot Stage is reached, following Riots will be successful if there are more or equal active Citizens than Guards and Traitors in the District.

No other rules regarding the Riot Stage are changed. For instance, as usual, until the Riot Stage is reached, a Riot will be successful only if there are more active Citizens than Guards and Traitors in the District.

Parity Riot Stage Rule example: Discontent is at Riot Stage. Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator, starts a Riot in the Commerce District. She pays 4 Trust for the unknown Citizens, and then reveals all Citizens. There are 3 active Citizens vs. 2 Guards and a Traitor. The forces are equal! What would have been a failed Riot turns into a success, since the Riot Stage has been reached, and so the Parity Riot Stage Rule is in effect.

The Parity Riot Stage Rule is mandatory in Scenarios where the Heroes need only 1 successful Riot to achieve victory (see One Riot Revolution, p. 23), and when you are playing with Missions (from the base game or earlier expansions). In all other cases, the Parity Riot Stage Rule is optional. The Great Machine may switch this rule on during Setup at the cost of moving the Master Plan back by 1 (see 5 Balance of Power on the next page).

City Event Choice Rule

In the Opening Phase (I), the Great Machine draws 2 City Events (instead of one), chooses one and removes the other one from the game. The Great Machine publicly examines the cards, but it does not have to explain why it prefers one City Event over the other.

This rule does not affect The Countdown card. Once revealed, The Countdown inevitably stays in play to the end of the game.

City Event deck assembling with the City Event Choice Rule: double the number of Event cards in Groups I and II. For instance, in a standard game you will have a deck of 12 City Event cards I (on top), 12 City Event cards II (in the middle), and The Countdown (at the bottom).

City Event Choice Rule example: in the Opening Phase (I), the Great Machine draws 2 City Events: Roadblocks and Concentration of Force. The Great Machine chooses Roadblocks and removes Concentration of Force from the game.

The City Event Choice Rule may be switched on during Setup at the cost of moving the Master Plan back by 1 (see 5 Balance of Power, p. 17).

5 Balance of Power (Refined and Updated Rules) [OvM]

In Step 5 of the base Game Setup (base Game Rules, p. 7), it was explained how to set the Master Plan at the beginning of the game, along with the Variable Master Plan variant. In z, some of the rules you know have been slightly modified, and some new definitions have been introduced. These base game rules have been completely replaced by the following.

Creating Your Own City

The recommendations for creating your own City, set out on p. 9 of the base Reference Guide, have been revised and are considered mandatory now. Apply these rules during Setup in addition to the usual rules for creating a City. These rules are used during Setup only.

• Distance from the Grand Citadel. Each District in the City must either be adjacent to the Grand Citadel or located one District away from it. Simply put, a Servant should be able to reach any District with no more than 4 Bonds.
• Major Districts. The Grand Citadel should not connect to the Tower of L.A.W., but must connect to the Central Square (recommended) and/or Control Nexus.
• Minor Districts. Any Minor District should connect to at least one other Minor District or the Central Square, and the Central Square should connect to at least one Minor District. In other words, not to the Grand Citadel, Tower of L.A.W. and Control Nexus only.
• Heroes: Optimal Route. During movement, Heroes must always choose the least expensive route through the City. In z, you choose between different routes to your destination only if each one requires the least amount of Trust. For the complete rules on Hero movement, see p. 26.

Standard Game

Set the Master Plan to III. Next, in Step 1 of the Game Setup:

• Move the Master Plan back by 1 if the Great Machine decides to use the optional City Event Choice Rule (p. 16).
• Move the Master Plan back by 1 if the Great Machine decides to use the optional Parity Riot Stage Rule (p. 16).

Summarizing, if the Great Machine enables each of these rules, the Master Plan pointer will be set to I; if one of them, to II; and if none, to III. By the mutual agreement of all players, the Master Plan may be additionally advanced forward or backward by 1 (but no more than by 1). This is recommended only for the game groups where the Great Machine is significantly superior to the Revolutionaries or vice versa. In either case, the Master Plan can only be set in the range from zero to III (zero position: see the Revised Minor Rules below).

Scenario Game

Set the Master Plan strictly according to the Scenario rules unless otherwise specified. In the Class Warfare and Rise of the Enforcer Scenarios, the Master Plan is set as in a standard game. In other Scenarios and the Everett Triad campaign, it is set differently.

Revised Minor Rules

• The Great Machine and Heroes receive Bonds and Trust before the City Event is revealed, not after.
• The Master Plan can be set to zero. Point the Master Plan pointer to XII (or, if more convenient, between XII and I). The Master Plan cannot go below zero.
• The Great Machine returns the Raid tokens from the City to its reserve at the very end of the round, not at Step 1 of the Closing Phase.
• A Hero returns the Access card chosen for the current round to their hand at the very end of the round (if it is not forfeited), not at the end of movement.
• A Riot can only be started in a District with at least 1 Famous Citizen. This is mostly important when the Parity Riot Stage Rule is switched on.
• In the extremely rare case when all Heroes have forfeited an Access card to the same single District during Setup (for instance, to the Tower of L.A.W.), all Heroes may return their forfeited cards, reshuffle the Access decks, and forfeit a card again.

City Presets

In the base game, you were offered 6 Presets for creating a City (base Reference Guide, p. 9-10). In z, 6 more Presets have been added (p. 33). Special Presets may not be used in Scenarios "ty" and the Everett Triad campaign.

New Definitions

• Enter a District. A Servant or Hero who started their movement in some other District has entered a new District while moving. It does not matter if they end their movement in this new District or continue on. Timing: a Servant or Hero enters the District after spending Bonds or Trust to exit their previous District.
• Relocating. An instantaneous transfer of a Servant or Hero from one District to another (for simplicity, you may think of it as teleportation). Relocating is not movement. Ignore all movement-related effects: exiting a District (including payment for exiting), entering a District, and ending movement in a District.
  • Note. A Hero will still be detained if they relocate to a District with a Raid token or a Servant (if the Servant is not on Maintenance) and does not move on. Detainment in a District happens regardless of how the Hero got themselves into a trap.
• Unknown Citizen means neither identified nor revealed. After Setup, usually all Citizens are unknown.
• Neutral Citizen means an inactive Citizen who does not participate in Riots.

Game Setup: Full List of Changes

The following changes are true for any standard game in z. They are explained in detail throughout the previous pages.

1. The City. Adjustment: when creating your own City, keep in mind the revised rules (p. 17). Do not use Special Presets in Scenarios "ty" or the Everett Triad campaign.
2. Progress Board. Adjustment: in a standard game, set the Master Plan as detailed in the Balance of Power section (p. 17). In a Scenario, follow the Scenario Setup.
3. City Event Deck. In addition: place 3 Checkpoint tokens in the common reserve (p. 14). In addition: each Hero takes an Identity token with the same symbol as depicted on their Access deck, and places it to the left or right of their Hero card (p. 13). In addition: Heroes take the Revolutionary Special Rules Reference card if any Special Rules are used (p. 13).
4. The Revolutionaries' Preparations. Adjustment: use Access cards from z instead of any other ones (p. 12).
5. Final Steps. Adjustment: put 12 Risk tokens in the bag and mix. Place the bag within reach of all players. Leave the Assault and Escape dice in the game box (p. 12). In addition: place the District Repositioning / Checks & Icons Reference cards within reach of all players (p. 13).

Let the Struggle Begin!

You have finished reading the basic rules of z. There is no need (for now) to study the Special Scenario Rules large section that comes next. Time to plunge into the conflict between the merciless Great Machine and the valiant Heroes!

As we explained in the first pages (see Where to Begin, p. 5), it's best to play a standard game with Risk tokens and other basic innovations of z, but with no Modules or Scenarios. You may alter the game's beginning with one of the Deviation cards (see next section).

The rest of this booklet includes the Special Scenario Rules section (each Scenario tells you what to read in this section), followed by the Reference Guide. Finally, there is the Compatibility section with guidelines for mixing and matching Scenarios and Modules.

Be sure to check out the Upgrade to z: Earlier Expansions section if you are playing with the Heroes from the Escalation or Stand-In Heroes expansions (p. 25).

Deviation Cards

In a standard game, you may alter the initial alignment of forces in the City with one of the Deviation cards. Deviation cards are designed for standard games and may not be used in any Scenarios except the Class Warfare Scenario.

Game Setup: complete the Setup first. Then randomly, or by collective decision, choose 1 Deviation card and follow its instructions.

How to use a Deviation card: resolve the instructions under the Standard Game heading. After that, execute the instructions under the Four Heroes Mode heading if you are playing in this format. Icons on the card: the top (purple) icon applies to the Great Machine; the red icon applies to the Revolutionaries; the lightning-bolt icon is resolved in One-vs-Many mode; the heart icon is resolved in Solo & Cooperative mode; a card with neither icon is resolved in any mode.

The Full Swing Confrontation Deviation card is special. It speeds up the game, allowing you to "breeze through" the first 2 to 3 rounds. We recommend to choose it when you want to cut the game length or jump to the heat of the struggle faster.

Note on this section: the booklet prints the full text of one Deviation card, Law Revisions, shown below. The other four Deviation cards are not printed in this booklet, so their text is not transcribed here.

Law Revisions (example card printed in the booklet)

• Standard Game: [OvM] Draw 4 Directive cards. Keep 2 and return each of the other 2 to either the bottom or top of the deck. [S&C] The Great Machine publishes 1 Directive from the top of the deck and draws 1 Directive to its "hand".
• Applies to Revolutionaries: Each Hero returns 1 of their own forfeited Access cards (usually results in Heroes having all of their cards) and receives 1 Trust. Increase Discontent by 1.
• Four Heroes Mode: [OvM] Draw 1 Radiation card and receive 2 [icon]. [S&C] Advance the Progress marker by 2 Stages (counter-clockwise).
• [S&C] Use the Servant Order tokens when you need to choose a random Servant.

Special Scenario Rules

Each Scenario clearly states which of these rules you need. Only the Everett Triad campaign uses all of the Special Rules. Furthermore, the word "Scenario" means both a single Scenario and a Scenario in the Everett Triad campaign.

Lesser and Greater Scenario Decks

In each Scenario, except for the Class Warfare Scenario, two Scenario decks are used: the Lesser and the Greater. As the name suggests, the difference is in the card sizes.

First off, always check the Greater Scenario cards with the title artwork fragments. These cards set the key objectives for both the Great Machine and Revolutionaries. The presence of a title artwork fragment in the left of a Greater Scenario card indicates that you should check this card first.

Affiliation. The front sides of the Great Machine, Revolutionaries, and Common Rules Scenario cards are easily distinguished by icons, colors, and graphic design. The Scenario Setup specifies the numbers of the Scenario cards you should reveal. Always take only the Scenario cards indicated. Do not look at any other Scenario cards in the decks.

Scenario rules are summarized in the Scenario cards and are often explained in more detail in the booklet.

Scenario card layout (as described in the booklet):

• Back: shows the Scenario name and card number. In the background you see the Scenario title artwork, which is also shown in the booklet. The numbering is continuous for all Scenario cards. Card types: the Great Machine card, the Revolutionaries card, the Common Rules card, and the Cult card (the Everett Triad campaign).
• Face: top shows the card's title, its number, and affiliation (for instance, the Revolutionaries). The lightning-bolt or heart icon next to the number shows that the card is used in OvM or S&C only. Middle: the story. Bottom: rules text. The flash icon informs you that this is a tip or reminder (not specifically a rule).

Example (printed in the booklet): The City Against the Enforcer (Greater Scenario card of the Revolutionaries in the Rise of the Enforcer Scenario). Story: the Great Machine rolls the Enforcer all throughout the City, staging a show for the sake of deceiving gullible citizens. Rules text: move the Master Plan back by 1 after each of the first 2 successful Riots. Victory of the Revolutionaries: carry out 3 successful Riots. Strive to sabotage the construction of the Enforcer. Also, try to slow down the Master Plan advancement, as the higher it is, the easier the assembly process.

Placement on the Table

The Great Machine and Revolutionaries place their cards face-up in front of them. The Common Rules cards, if any, are placed face-up within reach of all players.

Players are highly recommended to examine all revealed Scenario cards! It's hard to win, or even to build an effective strategy, when you don't know what opportunities are available to the other side of the conflict or what goals they pursue.

The Everett Triad campaign is different in many aspects. You reveal Scenario cards not only during the Setup, but also during the game. The campaign also features the 4th type of the Scenario cards: the Cult of the New Dawn Triad cards.

Icons in the Scenario Cards and in the Rules

• Reveal the card with the specified number from the Greater Scenario deck (the number is printed on the icon).
• Reveal the card with the specified number from the Lesser Scenario deck.
• "2/1" (Greater / Lesser): return the card with the specified number to the Greater or Lesser Scenario deck, respectively. If a number is not specified, return this card (where the icon is depicted).
• The current position of the Master Plan (from 0 to 12). Possible use in the game: "0 / [value]" divides the current position of the Master Plan by the specified value (rounded up). For example, 0/3: if the Master Plan is at VII, then 7/3 = 2.3 and round up to 3.
• (The Everett Triad campaign) Open the "The Story Unfolds #" section in the campaign booklet.
• (The Everett Triad campaign) A numeric value that is determined by the current Stage of Discontent.
• OvM only / S&C only (the lightning-bolt and heart icons).

Random District

The District tokens from the base game are used to choose Districts at random. Previously, these tokens were used in S&C only.

In Step 9 of the Game Setup, take 9 District tokens, shuffle them, and place them face-down. It is best to arrange them in a 3x3 grid.

During the game, each District token corresponds to one of the Districts. Whenever you need to choose a random District, turn over a face-down District token and leave it face-up. When there are no District tokens left face-down, flip them all back over, mix them face-down and arrange them in rows again, same as during the Setup.

It is possible that the District token you reveal is not suitable. For example, you need to choose a Minor District, but you flip a Major District token. Or, you are going to identify a Citizen in a random District, but you flip a token of a District with all Citizens already identified or no Citizens present. In this case, turn over one District token at a time until a suitable District shows up.

Note. When a miniature or token needs to be moved to a random District, and the District token points to its current District, that miniature or token stays in its place (of course, provided that the current District meets the required condition).

Riot Opportunity

Each Riot Opportunity means that Heroes have 1 Riot token at their disposal. Until then, the Start a Riot Action is not available.

Standard Game

Heroes receive 3 Riot tokens in Step 9 of the Game Setup (by the normal rules). From the point of view of z, this means that 3 Riot Opportunities are open to them from the beginning of the game.

Scenario Game

In some Scenarios, the Heroes must complete certain tasks in order to open up a Riot Opportunity and, consequently, receive a Riot token. Only after that they can start a Riot. Disagreement with the regime does not mean that the cityfolk are ready for a direct confrontation!

• Each Riot token that the Heroes have may be spent on conducting 1 successful Riot. If the Riot fails, the Riot token remains in their possession (for the next Riot attempt).
• The Start a Riot Action rules do not change.
• [OvM] Missions (base game and earlier expansions): as before, the Riot Opportunity rules apply, and, not as before, the Parity Riot Stage Rule is in effect (p. 16). Victory may only be achieved by completing all 3 Missions and carrying out 3 successful Riots in the Districts.

Rule 3. Blind Riot Price

Prior to starting a Riot in a District with at least 1 unknown Citizen, a Hero must discard 2 Trust. Otherwise, the Start a Riot Action may not be taken.

After discarding 2 Trust, the Hero must still pay Trust as usual for each unknown Citizen in the District (1 Trust per Guard for each unknown Citizen).

By the collective decision of all players, you may apply the Blind Riot Price Rule to the games where Revolutionaries need 3 successful Riots to win (or victory is achieved in other ways).

• [S&C] In S&C, this rule is recommended for seasoned Revolutionaries in any games as an additional Difficulty setting.

Blind Riot Price Rule example: Olga de Troyes, the Vagabond, starts a Riot in the Science District. First, she discards 2 Trust because unknown Citizens are present there (it does not matter if it's one or more). Then, following the normal rules, she pays 4 Trust for unknown Citizens (2 Trust per Citizen for each Guard) and reveals all Citizens.

Source note: the rule text above reads "1 Trust per Guard for each unknown Citizen" while the example reads "2 Trust per Citizen for each Guard". Both are transcribed as printed. The discrepancy is in the preview booklet and has not been resolved here.

One Riot Revolution

There are Scenarios where Heroes only need 1 successful Riot to win in the game. In such Scenarios, four special rules are in effect. These rules apply in addition to the normal rules and are called the One Riot Revolution Rule Set as a whole.

• Rule 1. Riot Opportunity. Heroes cannot take the Start a Riot Action until they have a Riot token (in detail: see above).
• Rule 2. Parity Riot Stage. The Riot Stage does not mean a successful Riot. Instead, when Discontent is at the Riot Stage, Riots are successful even if the forces in the District are of equal number (in detail: p. 16).
• Rule 3. Blind Riot Price. See above.
• Rule 4. Rapid Master Plan Advancement. If the Riot fails, the Master Plan advances by 3 (instead of 1). Also, as per the normal rules, the Great Machine arrests active Citizens in the District for free.

Transition Phase (VI)

The Transition Phase (VI) appears in some Scenarios. It comes after the Closing Phase (V). Everything that may happen in the Transition Phase is defined by the Scenario. After that, the next round begins.

• The growth of Discontent caused by failed Raids, the Master Plan advancement due to City Events, etc. are still handled in the Closing Phase, before the Transition Phase.
• The frequent expression "end of the round" on the cards and in the rules still refers to the Closing Phase (not the Transition Phase).
• In relatively rare situations, when it is necessary to indicate the actual end of the round (after all Phases), it says "the very end of the round". For instance, according to the updated rules of z, the Great Machine returns the Raid tokens from the City to its reserve at the very end of the round (p. 18).

Hero Interactions

Previously, the Heroes performed Interactions in S&C Missions only. Now, Interactions are also available to them in the Everett Triad campaign.

An Interaction is something that a Hero can perform after ending their movement in the destination District. What kind of Interactions may be performed is always determined by the Scenario or [S&C] Mission. A Hero may perform no more than 1 Interaction during their turn.

An Interaction is performed after any possible effects occurring on ending movement in a District, but before the Detainment Results are applied (if detained), and before taking an Action. The exact sequence is: End of movement, then Interaction, then Detainment Results, then Action.

• Change of Plans. A Hero is allowed to spend an entire Interaction to pick up their Hero token from any District (or other Hero), if they put it there by mistake or changed their mind.
• Other rules for Hero tokens. Usually, a Hero performs Interactions with their own token, but they are allowed to use a token from another Hero instead (for instance, perform an Interaction to take a token from another Hero and later place it in a District with another Interaction). Once a task is completed (such as a Mission), return all Hero tokens used for this task to their respective owners. A Hero does not need to explain why they performed any operation with a token.
• Other rules for Hero Interactions. Whenever the cost of an Interaction is not specified, it is performed for free. An Interaction may not be performed after relocating, because this is not movement (p. 19).
• [S&C] In S&C, the Detainment Results are now applied after the Interaction, rather than before as it was in the base game. Note that still in some Missions where it is required that the Hero is not detained, an Interaction may not be performed if there is a Servant in the District eagerly waiting to detain this Hero.
• Hero tokens in Interactions. Hero tokens are often used in Interactions. Actually, this is their main purpose in the game. Possible operations with a Hero token: place it in your District, pick it up in your District, give it to another Hero in your District, or take it from another Hero in your District. Each one operation spends the entire Interaction.

Servant of the Great Machine Interactions

Previously, Interactions were for Heroes. Now, in some Scenarios, Interactions are available to Servants of the Great Machine as well, but according to different rules.

• A Servant Interaction is something that a Servant may perform in their District during the Transition Phase (VI). What Interactions are available is always determined by the Scenario.
• Each Servant may perform no more than 1 Interaction during one Transition Phase.
• Servants may interact with each "unique object" no more than once per Transition Phase. This is typically worded as "Servant Interaction with [object]". It is not a type of objects, but a specific object (Hero, token, etc.). For instance, if the Interaction is aimed at a Hero, then only one Servant is allowed to interact with each Hero (and only once per Transition Phase), even if there are two or three Servants in the District with a single Hero. But, of course, one Servant may interact with one Hero, another one with another (or with some other object), and so on.
• Other rules for Servant Interactions: whenever the cost of an Interaction is not specified, it is performed for free. Interactions in the Transition Phase are not considered "the Great Machine's turn", which is performed in Phase III.

Upgrade to z: Earlier Expansions

Some time ago, the City of the Great Machine universe was expanded by the Escalation and Stand-In Heroes expansions. Both are compatible with z. New components shown are listed in subsection [2/12] of Game Components.

The Escalation Expansion (Updated)

Chronoleon, the Servant of the Great Machine

1. Add the Interdiction tokens to the other Surge tokens. Replace the Surge Token Reference cards with the new ones (OvM 2 / S&C 1).
2. Chronoleon may be chosen in the Unique Servants Module. At the end of this Module rules, you will find both her rules and the revised reference on Surge tokens (booklet w, p. 14 / booklet r, p. 22).

Heroes. Akira Wagner, Julie Corvus, and Enkidu now use Access cards from z. Note that still only one of them may participate in the same game.

• Julie Corvus, the Smuggler (Update). Use the updated Smugglers Hideout Access card (there are 4 copies with different backs). Adjustment: Julie must choose a different Access card if she starts her turn in the Smugglers Hideout.

The Stand-In Heroes Expansion (Updated)

• Akira Wagner, the Inventor (Update). Replace the Hyperbolic Emitter and Probabilitator Invention cards with the new ones.
  • Reference. Hyperbolic Emitter: Akira pays from 0 to 2 Trust to Attack a Guard and reveals 2 more Risk tokens than the Trust paid, that is, from 2 to 4 Risk tokens.
  • Probabilitator: only applicable to the Attack a Guard Action or when a Hero may be detained during movement due to lack of Trust. Before repeating the Check, return all Risk tokens to the bag if both Reshuffle tokens are on the table.
• Enkidu, the Determinist. The Probability Theory card + City Event Choice Rule: you may not replace the current City Event with the one that was not previously chosen by the Great Machine (and removed from the game).
• Each of the 6 Heroes of the two expansions is willing to take the side of revolution in z. The Access cards in the Stand-In Heroes expansion differ slightly by their backs from the Access cards in z. Do not mix them together.
• Yanko Kalderash, the Maverick (Adjustment). Now Yanko relocates not at the end of his turn, but at the very end of the round (after the Raid tokens are returned to the reserve). This is after the Closing Phase (V) or, if present, after the Transition Phase (VI). Note that relocating is not movement (p. 19), so Yanko is not subject to any end-of-movement effects after relocating.

Reference Guide

Introduction

At the beginning of the Reference Guide, the extensively updated base game rules are provided in full. They are followed by reference for the new City Event and Directive cards, and then for the new and base game Heroes. At the end, you will find new Presets for creating your own City and the Compatibility section.

The Reference Guide applies both to the One-vs-Many mode (OvM) and the Solo & Cooperative mode (S&C), except for the OvM City Events section, which is OvM only.

For any questions regarding cards in the Four Heroes mode, Modules, Scenarios, or the Everett Triad campaign, refer to booklets w, e or r.

Base Game Rules: Updated Rules Sections

Part 1. Hero Movement

This entirely replaces the "Part 1. Movement" section in the base Game Rules on pp. 19 to 20.

• Returning the Access card. Previously, you returned the Access card chosen for the current round to your hand at the end of your Hero movement. In z, you return it at the very end of the round (after the Closing Phase or, if present, the Transition Phase) unless it is forfeited. Next round, you may use any one of the Access cards you have in hand, including this one.
• Choosing the destination. The Revolutionary reveals their Access card that was chosen during the Access Phase. Now their Hero must move to the destination District shown on the card.
• Routes. Heroes move through the connections between Districts. Heroes move through any connected Districts, including Districts they do not have Access cards for. Heroes ignore Raid tokens in the Districts they move through.
• Least expensive route. Heroes must take the least expensive route. You choose which Districts your Hero goes through only if it requires the least amount of Trust amongst all possible routes.
• Placement. Heroes are placed in the center of the District tiles. There can be any number of Heroes and Servants in a District. After reaching the destination District, a Hero ends their movement.
• Zero movement. If the chosen Access card is for the District the Hero is currently in, the Hero stays where they are. It is still considered movement for the rules and effects (sometimes referred to as "zero movement").

Example (printed in the booklet): when exiting the Art District, Sylvia Wu, the Artificer, pays 3 Trust (1 Trust per Guard in her District). Now she has two routes to choose from. Each requires her to spend the least amount of Trust on Guards (2 Trust). Sylvia cannot choose to go through the Control Nexus, as this route requires her to pay more than 2 Trust.

• Exiting a District. When exiting a District, you must pay 1 Trust for every Guard in the District. Broken Guards are not counted. If the Hero needs to move through several Districts, you must pay for every District you exit. You do not pay Trust for Guards in the destination District.
• Not enough Trust. If you don't have enough Trust to pay for exiting a District, you will have to take risks. Discard all your remaining Trust to the common reserve. Then the Great Machine performs M Check 1 (p. 15). There are two possible outcomes:
  • Slipped away! The Great Machine reveals any Risk token other than its Success. You slipped past the Guards and entered the next District on your route. If you haven't reached the destination District yet (and there is at least one Guard in the new District you are in), the Great Machine performs M Check 1 again when you exit it. This is repeated until you reach your destination District.
  • Detained. The Great Machine reveals its Success. You are detained. Place your Hero in the destination District.
• Heroes always end their movement in the destination District shown on their chosen Access card. The only questions are whether they arrive on their own or in handcuffs (detained), and how much Trust they will have after movement.

After you end your movement in the destination District, in order:

1. Resolve any effects related to end of movement (for instance, a City Event card effect).
2. In some Scenarios and [S&C] Missions, you may perform an Interaction (p. 24).
3. The Great Machine applies the Detainment Results if your Hero is detained (see Detainment in the base Game Rules, p. 15).

Next, it's time for the second part of your turn. Your Hero may take 1 Action.

Note. Previously, Heroes used to roll the Escape die. You may come across this wording in the base game and earlier expansions. Now, this is replaced by M Check 1 performed by the Great Machine.

Part 2. Standard Hero Actions

Attack a Guard. This entirely replaces the "Attack a Guard" section in the base Game Rules on p. 20.

• A Hero may attack 1 Guard in their current District. Cost: 2 to 4 Trust.
• Pay from 2 to 4 Trust and perform a regular H Check X (p. 15), where X is equal to the amount of Trust you paid. If there is at least 1 Hero Success token among the Risk tokens you revealed in the Check, the Guard is broken. Otherwise, your attack fails.
• Either way, your Hero has spent their Action for this round, and the Trust paid is not returned.
• Broken Guard figures are put on their side. They are not counted for movement and Action costs, during Riots, and so on until the Great Machine repairs them (see Broken Guards in the base Game Rules, p. 14).

Example (printed in the booklet): Mustafa Azikiwe, the Physician, pays 3 Trust and then performs H Check 3. Two Hero Successes! Since it's a regular Check, one Success is enough. The Guard is broken. Mustafa puts the Guard's figure on its side.

Gain Trust. This entirely replaces the "Gain Trust" section in the base Game Rules on p. 22.

• Cost: free. Choose one of the two options:
  • A. Your Hero receives 1 Trust.
  • B. Perform a unique H Check 3 (p. 15). Your Hero receives 1 Trust per Hero Success revealed. If there are no Successes, your Hero receives no Trust.
• Either way, your Hero has spent their Action for the round.

Reference Guide: City Events [OvM]

The general rules for City Events remain unchanged (base Reference Guide, p. 2). City Events are listed in alphabetical order, Group I first.

Note that in z, the Great Machine retrieves Raid tokens from the City, and Heroes return their Access cards at the very end of the round (p. 18). This is more convenient with some new City Events, where the Master Plan advancement depends on the Raid tokens in the City or the Access cards chosen by Heroes.

• Checks. H Checks are commonly performed during the Attack a Guard (p. 27) and Gain Trust (p. 27) Standard Actions. There may be other Actions in Modules or Scenarios that require Checks. Interactions are not Actions.

Entrapping (Group I)

When this City Event comes into play, the Great Machine may decide to return all Risk tokens to the bag.

A Hero is detained as per the normal rules, if they perform any H Check (p. 15) as part of their Action and reveal 2 or more Great Machine Successes. In this case, the Action has no effect. The Hero has spent their Action for this round, and the Trust paid is not returned.

• Riot Action in the Class Warfare Scenario: if a Hero reveals 2 or more Great Machine Successes when determining the result of their Riot, their Action is cancelled. The revealed Citizens stay revealed, the Hero gets detained, and... that's all that happens.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time there are no Hero Successes among the revealed Risk tokens on the table.

Airship Day (Group I)

At the end of the round, each Hero in a Major District may decide to relocate to any Minor District for free, if not detained. Relocation is not movement (p. 19).

Note. Heroes who decide to relocate from Major Districts would not be counted for the Master Plan advancement condition, because it is checked in the next Step.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if A) at that time there are at least 2 Major Districts with at least 1 Servant each, and B) there are neither Heroes nor Raid tokens in these Districts.

City Day Celebration (Group I)

The Central Square Special Action is unavailable: Heroes may not raise Discontent there, and Servants may not receive Bonds. Any other Actions in the Central Square are available as usual.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if A) there is no Raid token in the Central Square at that time, and B) there is at least 1 Servant and at least 1 Hero in the Central Square, or there are neither Servants nor Heroes.

Join Our Side! (Group I, updated)

At the end of the round, each Hero in a Minor District may identify 1 Famous Citizen in that District for free, if not detained. This is not an Action.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at least 1 Hero has not taken any Action during the round. The Gain Trust Action does not count for this condition. Interactions are not Actions.

Loopholes in the Laws

• The Great Machine: any Servant Actions in Minor Districts cost 1 less Bond. This is stacked with any reductions or increases in Servant Action costs (but cannot go below zero).
• Revolutionaries: each Hero who ends movement in a Minor District with no Servant immediately receives 1 Trust.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if Servants have taken more Special Actions of the Major Districts than Heroes during the round. Hero Special Actions are listed on their Access cards, and Servant Special Actions are on the Great Machine Reference card.

Note. You may track Special Actions taken by placing Trust and Bonds from the reserve on this City Event card.

Manhunt (Group I)

When this City Event comes into play, the Great Machine chooses any one Hero. The maximum Trust this Hero may have is unlimited until the end of the Closing Phase. The chosen Hero receives 2 Trust. At the end of the Closing Phase, the Hero must discard any extra Trust (if it exceeds their limit at that time).

At any point during its Phase, the Great Machine places 3 Checkpoint tokens in different Districts of its choice.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if the chosen Hero has ended their movement in the District with a Checkpoint during the round. At the end of the Closing Phase, return Checkpoint tokens to the common reserve.

Ready for Emergency (Group I, updated)

While performing a regular H Check when Attacking a Guard (p. 27), a Hero pays Trust as usual, but reveals 1 less Risk token. For example, 2 Risk tokens by spending 3 Trust.

Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran, is able to reveal a maximum of 3 Risk tokens and, if the attack is successful, pays 1 more Trust than the Risk tokens he revealed. At a minimum, Mateusz reveals 1 Risk token (and, if the Guard is broken, pays 2 Trust).

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time there are no broken Guards in the City. Districts with Servants and Districts with Riot tokens do not count.

Roadblocks (Group I)

At any point during its Phase, the Great Machine places 3 Checkpoint tokens in different Districts of its choice.

Each time a Hero enters a District (p. 19) with a Checkpoint token during movement, the Great Machine performs a regular M Check 1 (p. 15). The Check is successful if the Great Machine reveals its Success. In this case, the Hero cannot take any Actions until the end of the round. If the Great Machine reveals any other Risk token, the Check fails and the Hero receives 1 Trust.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if no Hero exited 2 or more Districts during movement and then took any Action. At the end of the Closing Phase, return Checkpoint tokens to the common reserve.

Note. Heroes must take the least expensive routes. You may not "bypass" Districts with Checkpoints or extend your route to exit 2 Districts if this requires you to spend more Trust (p. 18).

Stalkers vs. Sentinels (Group I, updated)

In Minor Districts with no broken Guards, a Hero receives 1 Trust per Hero Success revealed in the H Check during the Attack a Guard Action (p. 27).

The Hero receives Trust after the Action is completed, not at the moment when the Risk tokens are revealed (therefore, Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran, will not be able to spend this Trust to pay for the attack). It does not matter if the Attack is successful or not.

Suppress Directive: cancelled Hero Successes also do not provide Trust.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time at least 1 Hero is in a District with a Servant.

Access Control (Group II)

When this City Event comes into play, the Great Machine chooses any one Hero.

Each Hero in a Major District may spend an Action to return 1 forfeited Access card to any Hero of their choice (this is similar to the Special Action of the Tower of L.A.W.). The Hero pays 1 Trust per Guard in their District. This counts as the Hero's Action for the round.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time the Great Machine decides to discard 6 Bonds minus the number of forfeited Access cards the chosen Hero has. For example, 4 Bonds if this Hero has 2 forfeited Access cards.

False Accusations (Group II)

At the end of the round, each Hero may decide to reveal all identified Famous Citizens in their District. After this, the condition for advancing the Master Plan is checked.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time there is at least 1 Hero in a District with at least 1 identified Citizen. Revealed and unknown Citizens do not count.

In Scenario 1 of the Everett Triad campaign, do not count Cult Leaders for this City Event. In Scenario 2, identified Cult Leaders and Adepts do count, but a Hero may reveal them as any other Citizens.

Spying in the Shadows (Group II)

During this round, Heroes may take turns in any Initiative order. Each Hero must complete their turn before the next Hero's turn begins.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time the Great Machine decides to perform a regular M Check X (p. 15) and reveals at least 1 of its Success. X is equal to the number of Heroes in Minor Districts.

Unauthorized Rallies (Group II)

When this City Event comes into play, the Heroes place 3 Checkpoint tokens in different Districts of their choice.

Each Hero who ends their movement in a District with a Checkpoint forfeits their Access card.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time the Great Machine decides to perform a regular M Check X (p. 15) and reveals at least 1 of its Success. X is equal to the number of Servants in the Districts with no Checkpoints. At the end of the Closing Phase, return Checkpoint tokens to the common reserve.

Grip on the Platforms (Group II)

Each Hero in a Major District may spend an Action to reposition any one District following the common rules (this is similar to the Special Action of the Control Nexus). The Hero pays 1 Trust per Guard in their District. This counts as the Hero's Action for the round.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time Servants are in 3 different Districts connected to each other. It is sufficient that each Servant's District is connected to one other Servant's District.

Public Execution (Group II, updated)

Each Hero in a Major District, except for the Central Square, may take an Action to cancel 1 published Directive of their choice (this is similar to the Special Action of the Tower of L.A.W.). The Hero pays 1 Trust per Guard in their District. This counts as the Hero's Action for the round.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if the Great Machine finished any Hero's turn during this round. This usually happens when the Great Machine detains a Hero and chooses the appropriate Detainment Result.

Sneaking through Security (Group II, updated)

Each Hero who ends their movement in a Major District immediately receives 2 Trust, if not detained. Districts a Hero moves through on their way to the destination District do not count.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if at that time there is at least 1 Minor District with more Guards than Famous Citizens or the same number. Revealed Traitors and broken Guards do not count.

Uncovering of the Sleeper Cells (Group II)

At the end of the round, each Servant may reveal 1 unknown (neither identified nor revealed) Famous Citizen in their District if there are no Heroes there. If the Great Machine has an opportunity to reveal 2 or 3 Citizens (there are 2 or 3 Servants in suitable Districts), it reveals them one at a time, each time deciding whether to reveal the next one or to stop. After this, the condition for advancing the Master Plan is checked.

The Master Plan advances by 1 at the end of the round, if A) at that time, at least 1 Servant is in a District with an active revealed Citizen (it does not matter when and how it was revealed), and B) there are neither Heroes nor Raid tokens in this District.

Reference Guide: Directives [OvM]

The general rules for Directives remain unchanged (base Reference Guide, p. 5). Directives are listed in alphabetical order.

Block Off

Normally, the Great Machine performs a regular M Check 1 when a Hero does not have enough Trust to pay for exiting a District during movement. With the Block Off Directive, the Great Machine performs a regular M Check 2 instead of M Check 1. The Hero is detained if at least 1 Great Machine Success is revealed.

Manipulate

At Step 1 of the Closing Phase, the Great Machine may decide to pay 1 Bond to perform a unique M Check 2. Each Great Machine Success cancels the increase of Discontent for one failed Raid.

• A failed Raid is still considered failed for all rules and effects. For example, for the No One Is Safe City Event (from the base game).
• Riot Stage reached: instead of preventing the growth of Discontent, the Great Machine prevents Heroes from identifying a Famous Citizen.
• The Great Machine may not use the Manipulate Directive when there are no failed Raids in the City.
• [S&C] After the Closing Phase, advance the Progress marker counter-clockwise by 1 for each Hero who was detained during the round. It doesn't matter how many times a Hero got detained during this round.
• Note. You may track how many Heroes were detained by placing Bond tokens on this Directive card.

Persecute

At the beginning of their turn, the Hero reveals their Access card chosen for the current round (as usual). If the Hero chose the Access card for the District they are currently in, the Hero must immediately give 1 Trust to the Great Machine as 1 Bond. In the rare situation when a Hero has no Trust, nothing happens.

• [S&C] During the Access Phase, a Hero must discard 2 Trust to be able to choose an Access card to their current District. If they cannot discard 2 Trust or do not want to, they cannot choose an Access card to their District.

Suppress

When a Hero takes an Attack a Guard Action and performs a regular H Check, ignore 1 Hero Success for each 1 Reshuffle token revealed.

When a Hero does not have enough Trust to pay for exiting a District during movement and the Great Machine performs a regular M Check 1 (or M Check 2 if the Block Off Directive is published), each Reshuffle token is considered the Great Machine's Success. The Suppress Directive is used in these two cases only.

Reference Guide: Heroes

Anneke Hoffman, the Aviator (New Hero)

Initiative 0, Max. Trust 6. Starts in any Minor District with no other Hero.

• At the beginning of her turn before movement, Anneke may reposition her current District for free.
• Anneke must follow the rules for District Repositioning (see base Game Rules, p. 16 to 17, and check the District Repositioning Reference card for slightly refined rules).
• Anneke starts the game in any Minor District of her choice, where there is no other Hero.
• Anneke has the lowest Initiative number in the game and takes her turn before any other Hero (with the exception of Heroes with no fixed Initiative, like Julie Corvus from the Escalation expansion).

Tactically, Anneke prefers Districts that she can later reposition. She is able to reach the Districts the Great Machine would not think of and rearrange the City in a more advantageous way, but she must be careful with her plans because the Great Machine may trap her by repositioning other Districts!

Mateusz Orzeszko, the Veteran (Updated)

Initiative 1, Max. Trust 8. Starts in Industrial District.

When taking the Attack a Guard Action (p. 27), Mateusz performs a regular H Check (p. 15). Mateusz begins the attack by revealing 2 Risk tokens. After that, he may reveal 1 or 2 Risk tokens, one at a time, bringing the total number of revealed Risk tokens to 3 or 4. If Mateusz is fortunate enough to reveal at least 1 Hero Success, the Guard is broken, and Mateusz pays Trust equal to the number of Risk tokens he revealed. If there are no Hero Successes, Mateusz does not pay any Trust. Whether Mateusz breaks the Guard or not, his Action is spent.

• Mateusz must have enough Trust to spend if his attack succeeds. Mateusz cannot take the Attack a Guard Action if he lacks 2 Trust, or reveal the 3rd or 4th Risk tokens while not having 1 or 2 additional Trust.
• Mateusz may not refuse to pay Trust (and break the Guard) if the attack is successful.
• When attacking a special Guard (in the Murders in the City Scenario or in S&C), Mateusz begins the attack by revealing 3 Risk tokens instead of 2.

Tactically, the loss of several Guards has a tangible effect on the Great Machine's ability to hold back the Heroes, forcing it to divert its Servants and spend resources on repairing.

Olga de Troyes, the Vagabond (Updated)

Initiative 4, Max. Trust 6. Starts in Central Square.

During movement, Olga pays 2 Trust less than required for Guards while exiting her first District in the round. Afterwards, as she moves, she pays Trust as usual for exiting her second, third, and so on Districts.

• The Shadow Directive and any other means that increase payment for Guards, etc., add up before Olga deducts 2 Trust.
• The Security Checks City Event is not related to the number of Guards in a District, and therefore Olga must pay 1 Trust as required by the Event to exit her first District.

Tactically, one of the most powerful techniques of the Great Machine is to "lock" a Hero in a District by sending more Guards there. This may force the Hero to spend more Trust and probably lead to their detainment on movement. This can be dangerous for any Hero... but rarely for Olga!

Base Game Hero Abilities: Clarifications

• Coolum McDouglas, the Fowler. Whenever a card or rule tells a Hero to lose their Action (in any wording), for Coolum this means losing both of his Actions, not one.
• Veiga Vazquez, the Actress. Veiga's ability triggers when she is caught in a Raid. This happens when she ends her movement in a District with a Raid token or [S&C] with a Servant (this is equivalent to Raid in OvM). Her ability does not trigger if she is detained in any other way than a Raid: during movement, by a City Event effect (e.g., Entrapping), by a Radiation card effect (e.g., Police Zeal), and so on.
  • Sometimes Veiga may be caught in 2 or 3 Raids at once (e.g., S&C, Unique Servants Module) or several Detainment Results are applied to her (e.g., the Betrayal of Supporters Radiation card). In such situations, follow these guidelines.
  • Turn finished: Veiga has only one turn, so Discontent only increases by 2, no matter how many times the Great Machine "finishes" her turn.
  • Master Plan advancement: Veiga receives 2 Trust for each Master Plan advancement if it advances more than once.
  • [S&C] Progress marker advancement by 3 (when detained by Phantasmer): for Veiga's ability, it is equivalent to advancing the Master Plan by 1.
  • Veiga receives her Trust or the Discontent increases after all Detainment Results are applied. The order of applying several Detainment Results: [OvM] at the discretion of the Great Machine, [S&C] at the discretion of Heroes.

City Presets (New)

Numbering continues from the base game. In z, 6 more Presets have been added for creating your own City: Normal Presets 7 to 11 and Special Presets 12. Special Presets may not be used in Scenarios "ty" and the Everett Triad campaign.

Note on this section: the preset layouts are printed as diagrams in the booklet and are not transcribed here.

Compatibility

Scenarios and Modules

The compatibility matrix (p. 35) lists, for each Scenario (Standard game, Class Warfare, Rise of the Enforcer, Any Scenario "ty", and The Everett Triad campaign "ty / tty"), the compatibility with each Module (Escalation, Sky City Cableway, Unique Servants), the Four Heroes mode, and the Deviation cards, with a recommended maximum number of Modules. The matrix itself is a diagram of values and is not transcribed here; the rules below are transcribed from the booklet text.

Standard game means a non-Scenario game. In other words, it is any game that aligns with the base game and z rules and has no fundamental changes in gameplay typical of Scenarios.

Selective Customization

• From earlier expansions. The Escalation Expansion: Unique Servants Module plus Servants of the Great Machine. Module: incompatible.
• [S&C] The Aeterna Scenario: same compatibility principles as the Class Warfare Scenario.
• Scenarios are in no way compatible with each other.
• Four Heroes mode / any Modules. When you add a Module, whether from z or earlier expansions, or enable the Four Heroes mode, the overall complexity increases approximately by half a gear for each, until you reach the recommended maximum number of Modules. If you decide to go above the maximum, each subsequent Module may increase the complexity by a gear or more due to the sum of the factors.
• Four Heroes mode + Sky City Cableway Module. It is fine to put them into play together. Note that the Sky City Cableway Module may seem excessive for 4 Heroes who tend to use the Cableway network less often compared to when there are 3 of them.
• [S&C] Mission sets. May be played with any Modules, the Four Heroes mode, and Deviation cards. Missions work wonderfully with the Class Warfare Scenario. They are possible with the Rise of the Enforcer Scenario, but you may face an overabundance of tasks.
• The Secret Enhancement of the Great Machine (from the base game): the card whose name begins with "N" may not be used with Scenarios "ty" or the Everett Triad campaign in OvM.
• The Stand-In Heroes expansion. Optional Stand-In variant: same compatibility principles as Modules.

Victory and Defeat in a Standard Game

• The Revolutionaries win after 3 successful Riots. A Riot Stage of Discontent counts as 1 successful Riot (see the Parity Riot Stage Rule for the z alternative, p. 16).
• The Great Machine wins when the Master Plan is at XII.

Rules Summary

The summary below follows the phases of the Rules Summary page (p. 36). Icons are shown as [icon] where the summary uses an icon whose meaning is given in the full rules above.

I. Opening Phase

• Receive Trust and Bonds. Each Citizen provides 1 [icon] to 1 Hero in the District, but revealed active Citizens provide 2 instead of 1, and revealed Traitors provide none. The Great Machine receives [icon] according to the current Stage of Discontent.
• The Great Machine reveals a new City Event card.

II. Access Phase

• Each Hero chooses an Access card (in secret from the Great Machine).

III. The Great Machine Phase

• Standard Actions for the Great Machine: Identify Famous Citizens: 1 [icon] for each Citizen you identify. Secretly look at the identified Citizens and put them back so that the green indicator is visible. Move Famous Citizens: 1 [icon] for each District a Citizen exits, from your District to any.
• Start a Riot: 1 [icon] for each unknown Citizen. Reveal all Citizens in the District. The Riot is successful if there are more active Citizens than Guards and Traitors in the District, otherwise it fails. Success: break all Guards and place a Riot token there. Failure: the Master Plan advances by 1, and the Great Machine arrests all or any active Citizens in this District.
• Gain Trust (for free): receive 1 [icon], OR perform an H Check 3 and receive 1 [icon] per Success.
• Actions: each Servant may take 1 Action in their District for 2 [icon] and may not move afterwards.
• Standard Servant Actions: Raid: place a Raid token. Repair: put 1 broken Guard figure upright; it is now operational. Arrest: place 1 revealed active Citizen with the other arrested Citizens.
• Movement: Guards move for 1 [icon] per District; Servants move for 2 [icon] per District.
• Major District Special Actions: in Major Districts for 1 [icon]. Most Major Districts provide Actions and [icon] to choose from. The summary page prints these from both sides, as follows.
  • Grand Citadel: Draw 1 Directive to your hand (Great Machine side: choose and discard a Directive from the Great Machine's hand). Look at 1 arrested Citizen and return it to any District as identified.
  • Tower of L.A.W.: Publish 1 Directive from your hand (Great Machine side). Cancel a published Directive (Revolutionary side). Any one Hero retrieves 1 forfeited Access card.
  • Control Nexus: Reposition a District (for free). Any one Hero receives 3 [icon].
  • Central Square (for free): Increase Discontent by the number of Citizens in the Central Square minus the number of Guards (Great Machine side). Receive 1 [icon] for each Citizen in the Central Square minus the number of Guards (Revolutionary side). Revealed Traitors are not counted.
• Incitement Action: in any Minor District for 1 [icon]. Increase Discontent by 1.

IV. Heroes Phase

• Heroes take turns in Initiative order (lowest number first, then ascending). On your turn, reveal your Access card and move to the indicated destination District.
• Movement: pay 1 [icon] per District you exit. If you don't have enough, discard your remaining, and the Great Machine performs M Check 1. On its success, you are detained.
• End of movement: related effects (if any), then 1 Interaction (when available), then Detainment Results (if detained). Then you may take 1 Action.
• Standard Hero Actions: Attack a Guard: pay 2 to 4 [icon] and perform H Check X, where X = the amount paid. On your success, the Guard is broken.

Detainment

• A Hero is detained when captured by Guards on movement or ends their movement in a District with a Raid token. Then the Great Machine chooses between 2 options:
  • Option A: advance the Master Plan by 1.
  • Option B: the Hero's turn is finished. Either take their Action or make them forfeit their Access card.

V. Closing Phase

• STEP 1. For each failed Raid, increase Discontent by 1. If the Riot Stage is reached, the Heroes identify 1 Famous Citizen for free instead.
• STEP 2. Resolve City Event "At the end of this round only..." condition (if there is one).
• STEP 3. Check for City Event "The Master Plan advances if..." condition.
• Note. Page 13 of the booklet lists the Closing Phase as four City Event steps (Security Protocol, Breakthrough, Master Plan Advancement, and completing Missions with the fulfilled Objectives). Both are printed in the preview and both are transcribed here as printed.

VI. Transition Phase

• According to Scenario rules (if any). Next: return Raid tokens and Access cards, then start the next round.