Emergence: A Game of Teamwork and Deception
Emergence: A Game of Teamwork and Deception Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Your objective is simple: assimilate more knowledge than the Humans. To do this, you will move about the city collecting data blocks and compiling them into knowledge. With this knowledge we can rebuild our world and expose the remaining Humans. But, be warned — the Humans' task is much easier than ours.
There are four different data types: two digital and two biological. The more data types compiled, the more knowledge you will receive. Assimilating this knowledge is key to completing our mission; however, knowledge also allows you to gain information about other operatives and steal from suspected infiltrators.
Game Board Setup
Setup the city in which your mission will take place — for example, City 01 as shown to the right. Make sure that the start (black), compile (white), and assimilate (gray) tiles are never adjacent to each other.
Place one data block on each of the data tiles (blue or green): light blue on the tiles with the triangle icon, dark blue on the tiles with the circle icon, light green on the tiles with the double helix icon, and dark green on the tiles with the molecule icon.
Once you are comfortable completing missions in City 01, report to emergenceboardgame.com to search our database of cities with suspected Human rebels. Furthermore, senior operatives are free to carry out missions in new cities and add them to our database.
Operative Setup
Before we can commence operations, each operative needs a player board, an agent of the same color, an action marker, and an allegiance card.
Determine the number of A.I. and Human operatives from the table below. Take out the corresponding number of allegiance cards, shuffle them, and give one to each operative face down.
| Operatives | A.I. | Humans |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 |
Game Start
To begin, all operatives place their agent on the start tile (black). Next, everyone discreetly looks at their allegiance card to see if they are one of us, or one of them. Do NOT show your card to anyone else! The oldest operative at the table has the most experience with covert operations and takes point on this mission. Give that operative the leader token.
For a 5- or 6-player game, a narrator should help the Human operatives reveal themselves to each other without the A.I. team knowing. For example:
"Everyone close your eyes." [ Pause for 2 seconds ] "If you are a Human, open your eyes on three." "One… Two… Three." "Look around — there should be one other Human operative." "Silently acknowledge each other." [ Pause for 5 seconds ] "Okay, Human operatives close your eyes." [ Pause for 2 seconds ] "On three, everyone open your eyes." "One… Two… Three."
Round Overview
The leader of the round has two responsibilities: (1) allow each operative adequate time to prepare their next move and (2) lead a countdown.
At the end of the countdown all operatives simultaneously select an action & augmentation.
Then, beginning with the leader and continuing clockwise, each operative takes their turn.
Once the last operative has finished their turn, the leader passes the leader token to the left, and the next round begins.
Action & Augmentation Selection
To select your action & augmentation, place your action marker on your player board below the action you wish to perform, with your chosen augmentation facing up. Remember to wait for the leader's count before revealing your selection!
For example, to collect and decode different types of data you must augment yourself with the corresponding subsystem — electromechanical (blue) for reading digital data (blue) and biomechanical (green) for reading biological data (green) — and then activate a data tile.
"Data is stored in both biological systems — such as DNA and proteins — and digital systems including traditional magnetic systems, modern digital memory, and our ever-expanding neural networks. Our intel suggests that the Humans have become just as flexible as we are and have developed the ability to augment themselves with both biomechanical and electromechanical subsystems. Augmentations alone won't reveal a Human's true identity."
Taking Your Turn
Your turn consists of two steps: (1) Movement and (2) Action.
First, move your agent one tile in any direction, if possible. You may only move your agent onto an occupied tile if you have selected the same augmentation as all other operatives whose agents occupy that tile. The only exception is the start tile; any number of agents may occupy it regardless of each operatives' augmentation. Note, you are always free to move onto an unoccupied tile.
After finishing your movement you may perform your selected action. If you selected one of the hostile actions (hack, spy, or terminate), you may instead discard one knowledge token to perform a tile action (activate, boost, or replenish); however, you may NOT change your augmentation. Or you may do nothing.
Tile Actions
ACTIVATE Perform an action based on the tile your agent currently occupies.
- Activating a data tile (blue or green) allows you to collect all data blocks from that tile. To collect digital data (blue), you must have selected the electromechanical augmentation (blue). To collect biological data (green), you must have selected the biomechanical augmentation (green).
- Activating a compile tile (white) allows you to convert data blocks into knowledge tokens as explained in the COMPILE DATA section.
- Activating an assimilate tile (gray) triggers the assimilate knowledge event during which you can score points for your team as described in the ASSIMILATE KNOWLEDGE section.
BOOST Move an additional tile.
REPLENISH Add one additional data block matching the data tile (see GAME BOARD SETUP) that your agent currently occupies regardless of the amount of data already on the tile. To replenish digital data (blue), you must have selected the electromechanical augmentation (blue). To replenish biological data (green), you must have selected the biomechanical augmentation (green).
Hostile Actions
HACK Steal all of the data blocks from another operative. To hack another operative (1) your agent must be adjacent to theirs, (2) you must have selected the opposite augmentation as your target, and (3) you must discard one knowledge token. "By upgrading a different subsystem, your victim has left themselves outdated and vulnerable to your more advanced technology."
SPY Secretly look at another operative's allegiance card. To spy on another operative (1) your agent must be on the same tile as theirs, (2) you must have selected the same augmentation as your target, and (3) you must discard two knowledge tokens. "During your mission, it may become necessary to confirm the loyalties of your fellow team members."
TERMINATE Seize all of the data blocks and knowledge tokens from another operative and send their agent back to the start tile. To terminate another operative (1) your agent must be adjacent to theirs, (2) you must have selected the opposite augmentation as your target, and (3) you must discard three knowledge tokens. "The ability to terminate another operative is extremely powerful; use it wisely."
You may not hack, spy, or terminate another operative if either operative's agent is on the start tile.
See emergenceboardgame.com for rules regarding the optional teleport and dual resource tiles.
Compile Data
To compile data blocks into knowledge tokens, select the activate action and move onto the compile tile (white). Next, group your data into sets and choose the sets you want to compile. The table below shows the conversion rate for sets of data blocks to knowledge tokens. For example, if you had four dark blue data and one light green data, you could compile two sets: one set consisting of a dark blue data & a light green data and another set consisting of two dark blue data for a total of three knowledge tokens — keeping your last dark blue data for later.
| Sets of Data Blocks | Knowledge Tokens |
|---|---|
| Two same type | 1 |
| Two different types | 2 |
| Three different types | 4 |
| Four different types | 7 |
Assimilate Knowledge
To assimilate knowledge, select the activate action and move onto the assimilate tile (gray). The knowledge aggregator has two compartments: one for the A.I. team and one for the Human team. Tokens inserted into a compartment contribute to that team's knowledge requirement.
Beginning with the operative who triggered the assimilate knowledge event and proceeding clockwise, operatives discreetly insert their knowledge tokens into the aggregator. Each operative who possesses any knowledge tokens must insert at least one into the aggregator, but may allocate as many or as few beyond that initial token. Furthermore, operatives need not place all their tokens in the same compartment.
Once all capable operatives have inserted their knowledge tokens, the operative who triggered the event opens the aggregator and adds the number of tokens in each compartment to the respective team's total.
Winning the Game
There are two scenarios that end the game.
(1) If either team reaches their knowledge requirement shown in the table below, the game ends with that team victorious. In the event both teams meet their knowledge requirement simultaneously, the team with the most knowledge tokens beyond their requirement wins! For example, in a 4-player game where the A.I. amass 32 knowledge tokens and the Humans amass 11 knowledge tokens, the A.I. win!
(2) If there are no more data blocks on the board, the game is over and the Humans win!
| Operatives | A.I. | Humans |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 20 | 10 |
| 4 | 30 | 10 |
| 5 | 30 | 20 |
| 6 | 40 | 20 |