Crack It
Crack It Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
CRACK IT is a game for 2 to 5 players who take on the role of a safecracker and try to discover their rivals' combinations, while protecting their own combination. Ages 8+, 10-30 minutes.
Components
- 95 cards, split between 30 combination cards (A), 64 resource cards (B) and 1 victory card (C).
- 24 tokens, split between 16 infamy tokens (D) and 8 prestige tokens (E).
- This rulebook.
Game Overview
Try to discover your rivals' safe combinations using the different resources at your disposal: dial cards to discover and narrow down the possible numbers in a combination, action cards to make your task easier, and prohibition cards to prevent the other thieves from trying to crack your own safe.
Setup
Shuffle the combination and resource cards into 2 separate decks.
Choose a game mode: King of Thieves (basic; recommended for 2-4 players) or King of Safes (advanced; recommended for 3-5 players).
Deal 3 combination cards to each player. The combination cards are numbered from 0 to 9. You can look at them and place them face down in any order you desire. This sequence, from left to right, will be your combination. Don't show it to the other players!
Deal 5 cards from the resource deck to each player. The first player to say "CLICK" can go first.
Turn Sequence
During your turn you can choose between:
- Discarding any number of cards from your hand.
- Using resources from your hand, in any order: You can narrow down a number using a dial card and/or do special tasks by using any number of action cards.
Narrow Down
Normally, you can only try to narrow down a number from any opponent's combination once per turn. Choose an opponent and use a dial card (numbered 0-9) against the first unrevealed number (starting from the left) of their combination. The target player must secretly look at their combination card and do one of the following actions:
- If the played card is greater than their number, they will place the dial card above of their combination card (A).
- If the played card is less than their number, they will place the dial card below their combination card (B).
- If the played card is equal to their number, they must say "CLICK" aloud and turn over their combination card, since its value has been discovered. They will then move all the dial cards used to narrow down this combination number to the discard pile. (C)
The subsequent dial cards will overlap the cards already played (in the corresponding position depending on whether they are higher or lower than the previous one).
Perfectly narrowed down number: If you narrow down a combination number in such a way that there is only one possible value for that number, you can say the corresponding number out loud and it will be revealed instantly, as if you had just played a dial card with the exact number ("CLICK").
Actions
You can use as many action cards per turn as you want and have them at any time during your turn. Action cards are tricks that you can use to gain certain benefits or to annoy your opponents. Once used, they must go to the discard pile. The available actions are the following:
- Hint: Choose a dial card from the discard pile or from another player's hand. If it's another player's hand, that player must secretly show you all the dial cards in their hand. That card must be played immediately to narrow down the number of any rival. This action is an exception to the rule of narrowing down once per turn. If there are no dial cards in the chosen option, the clue card is discarded with no effect. If the dial cards (whether in the discard pile or in the opponent's hand) cannot be played, the chosen hint card and dial card must be discarded.
- Lock: Block the first discovered number of the combination (starting from the left) of any rival. Place the locking card on top of the combination number instead of discarding it. A locked number can no longer be reset.
- Reset: Replace the first number revealed (starting from the right) of your own combination with a new one from the combination deck and place it face down in the same place. Warning: your rivals will have to crack this number again before continuing with the rest.
- CRACK IT: Automatically discover the first undiscovered number (starting from the left) of any rival. This card does not cause a CLICK and after its use your turn automatically ends.
- Master CRACK IT: Automatically discover the first undiscovered number (starting from the left) of all rivals. This card does not cause a CLICK and after its use your turn automatically ends.
Prohibition Cards
Prohibition cards are not played as actions, but as interruptions. They can be used against any opponent's action card right after they play their card, immediately stopping its execution. A prohibition can also be cast against other prohibition cards, thus causing a succession of prohibitions.
Warning: when using a prohibition card outside of your turn, you do not draw a new card to replace it until the end of your next turn. Manage your hand carefully.
Hint, lock, reset and CRACK IT actions can be completely nullified with a single prohibition card, whereas in the case of the master CRACK IT, a single prohibition will only nullify its effect against one player.
End of Turn
Once you have used or discarded all the resources you want, draw cards from the resource deck until you completely replenish your 5-card hand. If at any time the resource deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and form a new deck.
The turn goes to the player on your left.
CLICK
When you manage to crack a rival's combination number, either with a dial card or by perfectly narrowing down the number, they should respond aloud with a "CLICK". This success will then allow you to, exceptionally, play an extra dial card on the same opponent's next combination number. This extra dial card can only be played if the opponent still has a combination number to discover.
Important: A CLICK is only caused by revealing a number with a dial card or by perfectly narrowing down the number. CRACK IT and master CRACK IT cards do not cause a CLICK.
If you reveal the third number of a rival's combination, their safe will remain open and their combination cannot be reset anymore.
Game Modes & End of Game
CRACK IT has two game modes. They share the mechanics explained above, but differ in their goals. Both can be played by any number of players, although for greater enjoyment we give you our recommendation.
King of Thieves
Basic mode - recommended for 2 to 4 players
In this game mode, players compete to be the best thief in the city.
To win this game mode you must be the last thief standing with at least one number from your combination unrevealed.
Any player whose combination has been discovered during the game will not be able to continue playing until the game is over. The last thief whose combination remains undiscovered will be proclaimed King of Thieves and will receive the victory card, which they can wear to be the envy of their rivals.
Final duel (special rule for 3 or more player games): In this game mode, when there are only 2 players left, reset cards cannot be played to reset combination numbers. This makes the final duel faster and more exciting.
King of Safes
Advanced mode - recommended for 3 to 5 players
In this game mode, thieves compete to earn the reputation of "most-skilled thief" by opening safes.
To play this mode you will need the red prestige tokens and the black infamy tokens. Deal out three infamy tokens to each player and place the rest next to the prestige tokens in the center of the table.
Two games will be played following the same basic mechanics of CRACK IT, applying the following changes:
- If you discover a number from the combination of any rival, return one of your infamy tokens to the center of the table (if you have any).
- If you get a lock on one of your numbers, take an infamy token from the center of the table.
- If you crack a rival's safe (you discover the last number of their combination) take a prestige token from the center of the table, but in this case do not return an infamy token to the center of the table.
- If they crack your safe (they discover the last number of your combination) take an infamy token from the center of the table. You will be able to continue playing to discover other players' combinations and be the target of lock cards, but you will not be able to play reset cards on top of your combination cards.
- If you are the last thief standing at the end of the game, you can discard one of your infamy tokens (if you have any).
For the second game, shuffle the decks and deal new combination and resource cards to each player, keeping the prestige and infamy tokens earned in the first game.
At the end of the second game each player will count their points: prestige tokens are worth 2 points, infamy tokens are worth minus 1 point. The thief with the highest score will be proclaimed King of Safes. In the case of a tie, the player with the most prestige tokens wins. If the tie persists, the players involved share the victory. The winning thief (or thieves) will receive the victory card.