Hack Trick Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Game
• Set-Up
• How to Play
  • Ask the Sum (optional)
  • Playing a Card
  • Drawing a Card
• Scoring
• Variants
• Credits

The Game

1:34 a.m. --- A fired bookkeeper's message on Twitter: 3-SAME or SUM-15.

1:39 a.m. --- The information leaked out five minutes ago and the players already attack the cartel bosses server. Their goal is to enter (to mark) on a magic keypad a 3-digit password with the same digits (ex. 222, 555) or with their sum being 15 (ex. 816, 852, 159).

It is called "magic" because the sum of each row, column or diagonal is 15... so the players goal is to line up 3 markers or place 3 on the same key.

Set-Up

1. Place the 6 board cards edge-to-edge to form the keypad - as showed on the picture.

2. Choose a color and place your 10 markers in front of you. These will be used to mark the keys on the keypad.

3. There are 18 data cards, with values between 0 and 5, 3 of each.

The dealer shuffles the cards and deals 4 to his opponent and 3 for himself, the rest becomes a draw deck placed face-down. Take two cards from the top of the deck and place them next to it, face-up. They will not be used during this game.

4. The player with 4 cards places one card next to the keypad - this is the starting card. This card starts a sequence of numbers. Each time the player adds a new number to this sequence - playing a card -, he marks the key indicated by the sum of the last two numbers.

5. Finally both players say out loud the sum of their 3 cards - the sum.

How to Play

The dealer starts, then the players take turns. On his turn, the player

• first may ask the sum of the opponent's hand,
• than plays a card or draws a card.

Ask the Sum (optional)

If a player has a captured marker (see later), at the beginning of his turn he can place a captured marker next to the card sequence (this will be out of the game) and force the opponent to say the SUM of hand.

Paul asks the sum of the opponent's hand, who says 7 on his two cards. This means, that it can only be 3,4 or 2,5. Paul's hand is 2,3 ... and because there are two 3's in the sequence, rules out the 3,4 possibility and knows that his opponent hand is 2,5.

Important: If a player doesn't have a captured marker he cannot ask!

Playing a Card

Playing a card has two steps: one mandatory and one optional action.

1. The player adds a number (card) to the sequence, which differs from the last one, and marks on the keypad the sum of the last two.

If the last number is 3 and the player adds a 2, he will mark key no.5.

The key that the player marks, can already have one or two markers. If the marker or markers belong to the opponent, he captures them and places in front of him (these will be used to ask the sum). If the marker belongs to the player, he leaves it on (don't forget, you can win with three markers on the same key).

Important: You cannot play the same card as the last in the sequence!

2. Optionally, the player may place one of his markers next to the sequence (this will be out), and by saying "Play" or "Block", he forces the opponent to play a card or prevent him to do the same.

Play: On the next turn only, the player's opponent must play a card!

Block: On the next turn only, the player's opponent cannot force him - cannot say "Play".

Important: If the forced player has only the same card(s) as the last card in the sequence, he shows his hand and draws - he may not play a card.

Drawing a Card

If the player was not forced to play a card, and has less than 4 cards, he may draw one card from the deck.

Important: If there are no cards left in the deck, the dealer keeps the last card of the sequence on the table, shuffles the rest and forms a new deck.

Scoring

Hack Trick match game consists of a number of games until one of the players gather 5 Excellence Points (EPs). In the first game the players choose the dealer, than always the winner will become the dealer.

1. When a player marks a row, a column or a diagonal or gathers 3 markers on the same key, he gets 1EP - this is called a simple victory.

2. One of the markers is taller then the others. If this was not placed in the last turn, and it is part of the winning-three, the player gets 2 EPs - this is called a double.

3. It is also a simple and worth 1 EP, if a player's opponent runs out of markers.

Variants

In the sealed rulebook you will find 3 more variants: the 3-player game, the 4-player game and the Battle of Wits - a strategic variant where you use the program codes of 12 most wanted hackers. Each variant have only a few additional rules, however, we recommend starting with the 2-player base game!

Hack Trick gameplay is deceptively simple, but you'll see that it hides many combination possibilities. It is very important to learn throughout the base game how to defend and attack the positions, how to use and manage the markers, how to find the right balance between forming a strong hand and tend to the final goal on the board, when to ask, when to use the doubles and when to start a combination.

Credits

© 2015 Mind Fitness Games and Hack Trick are trademarks of OVECo. All rights reserved. Game published and distributed under license by OVECo Ltd., Odorheiu Secuiesc, Harghita, Romania. Made in Hungary. Designed in Romania.

SPECIAL THANKS TO Tókos B. Pál. MANY THANKS TO: Csucsák István, Nagy Gábor, Hajdú József, Kiss Tamás, Katona Sándor, Cebuc Rita, Hauszknecht Imre, Barabás Zoltán József, Tánczos András, Sándor Vince Csanád, Márton Zoltán.