Inside Job
Inside Job Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Materials
- 52 playing cards, in four suits with the numbers 1 to 13. You can distinguish the four suits using the following symbols on the cards (one symbol per suit).
- 24 mission cards. Each mission card contains two independent pieces of information: in the center, the mission indicates which cards must be played in the trick in order to complete the mission; the bottom section shows the color and symbol of a suit, which is the trump suit for that trick.
- 4 risky mission cards (used in Risky Mode; each requires that the second, third, or last card played in the trick be played together with an intel token, and states that this risky mission must be selected when drawn).
- 14 role cards: 4 standard AGENT cards, 1 INSIDER card, 8 special role cards (Bugged Agent, Paranoid Agent, Risky Agent, The Decoy, The Accomplice, Tim Shady, Sleeper Agent, Prof. No), and 1 blank role card.
- 2 double-sided overview cards (one side for each possible player count).
- 1 Larry standee (used as a stand-in third player for the 2-player variant).
- 14 intel tokens.
Game Setup
The following is the setup for a game for three to five players. Once you have played Inside Job a couple of times, you can incorporate the special roles and risky mission cards. You can learn more about these components under Playing Using the Special Role Cards and Risky Mode, below.
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Count the number of players and then place the overview card for that number of players face up in the center of the table so that everyone can see it.
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Prepare the role cards: Take out the INSIDER card and enough standard AGENT cards for the number of players, minus one. Place any extra role cards (standard AGENTS and special roles) back in the box.
- Example: In a four-player game, you will have three AGENTS and one INSIDER.
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Shuffle the role cards and place one face down in front of each player. You may look at your own role card at any time during the game, but never at anyone else's role card.
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Shuffle the 52 playing cards and distribute them, depending on the number of players, in the following quantities:
- 3 players: 13 playing cards each
- 4 players: 12 playing cards each
- 5 players: 10 playing cards each
Without looking at them, place any extra playing cards back in the box.
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Each player now takes an intel token and places it in front of them, where it is clearly visible. Set aside the remaining intel tokens as a supply.
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Remove the four risky mission cards from the stack of mission cards. Shuffle the remaining 24 mission cards and place them face down in the center of the table.
Game Objective
Your objective depends on your role — you are either playing as part of the team of AGENTS or as the INSIDER.
- The AGENTS immediately win the game when they have completed a certain number of missions, depending on the total number of players:
- 3 players: 9 missions
- 4 players: 7 missions
- 5 players: 6 missions
- The INSIDER immediately wins the game when they have collected a certain number of intel tokens, depending on the total number of players:
- 3 players: 6 intel tokens
- 4 players: 5 intel tokens
- 5 players: 4 intel tokens
- If, after the last trick, neither side has won, the players vote on who they believe is the INSIDER. The AGENTS win the game if they successfully unmask the INSIDER by giving that player the greatest number of votes.
Basic Rules
Trick-taking and following suit
You are playing a trick-taking game. A trick is a round in which each player plays a card in turn.
The starting player plays a particular suit by placing one of their playing cards face up in the center of the table. The color of that card becomes the leading suit. Then, in clockwise order, the other players take turns placing a card face up on the table. Players must play a card of the same suit that was originally played by the starting player. This is called following suit. If a player cannot follow suit, i.e. does not have a card of the same suit in their hand, they may play a card of any suit. After each player has played a card into the center of the table, the player who placed the card with the highest number in the leading suit wins the trick.
IMPORTANT! The INSIDER is not subject to the same constraints, so they may play any card they want.
Trump cards
There is one trump suit for each trick. The trump suit for the current trick is identified on the selected mission card (more on that later). Cards in the trump suit have a higher value than cards in any other suit. If only one card in the trump suit is played, it automatically wins the trick. If more than one card in the trump suit has been played, the trump card with the highest number wins.
Gameplay
The game consists of several rounds of tricks, each of which runs the same way:
Before the trick
The starting player chooses one of two missions.
For the first trick, the starting player is the person immediately to the left of the dealer. After that, the winner of the previous trick becomes the starting player.
The starting player draws the top two cards from the stack of mission cards and looks at them, without showing them to any other players. Then, the starting player selects one of the two cards as the active mission for this trick and lays it face up on the table so that everyone can see. They place the unselected mission in the game box, face down.
Each mission card contains two independent pieces of important information:
- In the center, the mission indicates which cards must be played in the trick in order to complete the mission.
- The bottom section shows the color and symbol of a suit. This is the trump suit for that trick. Since a new mission card is selected for each trick, each has its own trump suit.
After selecting the mission, the starting player opens the trick by placing the first playing card, thus determining the leading suit for this trick.
Note: The starting player can place any suit. It does not need to be the trump suit.
After the trick
The winner of the trick takes an intel token.
The winner of the trick takes one intel token from the supply and places the playing cards from the last trick face down in the box. The winner becomes the starting player for the next trick.
If you are playing with the rule "Wager intel" (see below), the winner of the trick also takes all of the intel tokens wagered on the cards in this trick.
IMPORTANT! The winner of the trick always receives an intel token, regardless of whether or not the mission was completed.
Was the mission completed?
The starting player checks whether or not the mission for this trick has been completed. If the mission has been completed, place the mission card to the right of the overview card. If the mission has not been completed, place the mission card back in the box.
Has either side won?
Before moving on to the next trick, check to see if either side has met their early winning condition.
If enough missions have been collected, the AGENTS win and the game is over. If the INSIDER has collected enough intel tokens, they reveal their role. The game is over and the INSIDER wins. (The winning conditions depend on the total number of players and can be found under Game Objective or on the overview cards.) If both sides meet the winning conditions in the same round, the INSIDER wins.
Example: Monica won the last trick and is now the starting player. After looking at the two mission cards from the top of the stack, she chooses one to put back into the box, face down. She reveals the other mission card and reads aloud: "Use only the numbers 7 to 13."
In order for the mission to be completed, only cards with the numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13 may be played in the trick.
The trump suit for this trick is yellow. Monica plays the pink 8. Johnny must follow suit, and he plays the pink 10. Chris has no pink cards, but he has yellow cards (the trump suit) in his hand, and he plays the yellow 7. Heidi must follow suit, and thus plays the pink 12.
Chris wins the trick, because he played the only trump card, so he takes one intel token from the supply.
Now Monica checks whether or not the mission has been completed. Because only cards with numbers from 7 to 13 were played, the mission was a success! The mission card is placed face up to the right of the overview card. Since another mission was completed in the previous trick, this is the second completed mission of the game.
Because the AGENTS have not yet reached their goal of seven completed missions, and the INSIDER has not yet managed to collect five intel tokens, the game continues with Chris as the starting player (drawing two mission cards, selecting a mission, playing a card, etc.).
End of the Game
IMPORTANT! Players do not play all of the cards in their hands.
If neither of the winning conditions described under Game Objective are met, the trick-taking stage of the game ends when each player has either one or two playing cards left in their hand, depending on the number of players in the game. The following symbol on the overview card indicates how many playing cards each player will have in their hand when the game moves into the voting stage.
- 3-player game: 2 cards remain
- 4-player game: 2 cards remain
- 5-player game: 1 card remains
Voting
The grand finale of the game is the vote, where players openly speculate about who the INSIDER could be, then vote on their suspicions. Players may discuss details that others may find helpful when making their decision, and then each player holds up a hand. Players then simultaneously count to three, then point their finger at the player they believe to be the INSIDER.
You may not vote for yourself, nor can you vote for a player whose role has already been revealed (see Roles Revealed, below).
The player with the most fingers pointed at them (meaning they've received the most votes) must reveal their role:
- If the role revealed is the INSIDER, the AGENTS win.
- If the role revealed is NOT the INSIDER, the INSIDER wins.
If there is a tie for the most votes, the INSIDER wins.
Additional Rules
The Insider: No obligation to follow suit!
Reminder: The INSIDER does not need to follow suit (see Basic Rules). In other words, they can play any card they want. The INSIDER should use this special ability intentionally and specifically to sabotage the missions of the AGENTS or to win tricks (and thus collect intel tokens). But be careful: disregarding the rules too often or obviously can make you look very suspicious. (See Tips & Tricks, below.)
Wager intel
Note: For an easier start, when you are learning the game, players can agree not to wager intel tokens in their first game. In later games, you should incorporate intel tokens.
If you have at least one intel token, you may wager intel. To do that, you place an intel token on your card after playing into the trick according to the rules. You therefore have to follow suit (if you can) and then wager intel.
For the purposes of the active mission and for determining the winner of a trick, a card with an intel token on it is considered the trump suit. Any number of players can wager intel.
The only players who cannot wager intel are the starting player and any players whose roles have already been revealed.
The winner of the trick takes one intel token from the supply as usual and also collects all of the intel tokens that were wagered in the trick.
Using intel tokens can be useful in winning tricks, but it can also be risky, because if the winner of the trick is the INSIDER, that player can collect several intel tokens in a single trick.
With intel, it is possible that multiple cards have the highest number in the trump suit. In this case, the card that is played later in the trick wins.
Example: Chris, the starting player, has selected a mission card for this trick that specifies the trump suit is yellow. He plays the green 13. Heidi plays the green 5 with an intel token on it, which means it is treated as the yellow 5. Next it is Monica's turn. She does not have a green card in her hand, so she plays the yellow 5. Johnny plays the green 4.
Two trump cards with the same value have been played in this trick. Monica wins the trick because her yellow 5 was played after Heidi's card. She takes one intel token from the supply and also collects the intel token that Heidi wagered on her card.
Roles revealed
If any player collects the number of intel tokens required by the INSIDER to win the game, that player must turn over their role card, revealing their role.
If the role card shows the INSIDER, that player has won the game.
If the role card shows an AGENT, play continues. The revealed AGENT is no longer a suspect and, since their role has been revealed, they may not wager intel tokens for the remainder of the game. Note: Several of the special roles have unique rules for what happens when their role is revealed (see Playing Using the Special Role Cards, below).
Communication
Since you are playing the roles of secret agents, communication during the game is subject to some rules:
- You may not discuss whether or not you have certain cards in your hand. However, you may openly speculate about what cards other players have in their hands at any time.
- You may talk openly about cards that have already been played, but you may not look at them.
- Starting players may not discuss what was on the mission card that they did not select, which was put face down in the game box.
- Players may discuss who they think is the INSIDER at any time.
Another game?
Whoever started the previous game as the starting player is now the dealer. If you wish, you can use the Larry standee to mark the current starting player of the game.
Playing Using the Special Role Cards
Once you feel comfortable playing the game with the standard AGENT and INSIDER roles, you can add more variety to the game by incorporating special role cards. (Note: These can only be used in a game with four or five players.)
The special roles incorporate different game objectives, special characteristics, and specific weaknesses. Sometimes, a special role can even change the rules of the game entirely. If the details on the special role card contradict the overall rules of the game, the details on the special role card take precedence.
To play using the special role cards, simply replace a number of standard AGENT cards in the stack of role cards with the same number of special role cards. If you want, you can replace the INSIDER with Prof. No.
As a general rule, all players must be aware of which special roles are in play. The dealer should show all players the role cards before shuffling and distributing them.
Bugged Agent
Reveal this role card immediately when you receive it.
Objective: You win when the AGENTS win.
Special characteristics: If at any point during the game you have more than one intel token in your possession, the INSIDER immediately wins and the AGENTS lose.
Paranoid Agent
Objective: You win when the AGENTS win.
Special characteristics: When voting, you vote for two different people. If your role is revealed, you may cast both votes to the same person (to increase the chances of that player receiving the most votes).
Tip: Make sure, when counting to three during the vote, that everyone has both hands in the air so that the Paranoid Agent isn't revealed (and the voting remains fair).
Risky Agent
Important: Before starting the game, shuffle the four risky mission cards into the mission card stack.
Objective: You win when the AGENTS win.
Special rule: If one of the two mission cards drawn is a risky mission, it must be selected. If you happen to draw two risky mission cards, you may choose between them.
Special characteristics: If your role is revealed (by collecting the number of intel tokens required for the INSIDER to win), the AGENTS immediately win the game.
The Decoy
Objective: You can only win if you get the most votes at the end of the game.
Special characteristics: If you win, all other players (both AGENTS and INSIDER) lose.
Exception: If you and the INSIDER receive the same number of votes, you both win.
The Accomplice
Reveal this role card immediately when you receive it.
At the beginning of the game, choose one player to be your accomplice and peek at their role card.
Objective: If your accomplice wins, you both win.
Weakness: You cannot own or receive any intel tokens. At the beginning of the game, place your intel token back in the supply. If you win a trick, your accomplice loses one intel token. All intel wagered by other players during this trick is returned to the supply. You may not vote at the end of the game.
Tim Shady
Objective: You win only if the player to your right loses the game.
Special characteristics: If your role is revealed (by collecting the required number of intel tokens for the INSIDER to win), you immediately take an additional intel token from the player to your right. You may not vote if your role is revealed.
Note: The Decoy, The Accomplice, and Tim Shady are neither AGENTS nor the INSIDER. They are NEUTRAL, so they pursue their own goals.
Sleeper Agent
Objective: If your role does not get revealed and the AGENTS win, you also win.
Special characteristics: If your role is revealed (by collecting the required number of intel tokens for the INSIDER to win), you are compromised and must switch sides. Now, you will only win if the INSIDER wins. Also, if your role is revealed, you cannot vote at the end.
Prof. No
ATTENTION! If you are playing with Prof. No, place the INSIDER back into the box.
Objective: Keep your role a secret and reveal all of the other players' roles.
Special characteristics: Like the INSIDER, you are not obligated to follow suit.
Special rule: If Prof. No is in play, players' roles are revealed when:
- 4-player game: a player collects 4 intel tokens
- 5-player game: a player collects 3 intel tokens
Any player whose role is revealed is not allowed to vote.
You win immediately if everyone but you has revealed their role, but you lose immediately if your role is revealed.
Note: An alternative to the INSIDER, Prof. No is the most secretive and enigmatic of the special roles. Unlike the INSIDER, Prof. No's goal is not to collect intel tokens, but to avoid them and use them to reveal the roles of the other players, leaving fewer AGENTS to vote for them at the end of the game.
The blank role card
We have included a blank role card so you can be creative and come up with your own special role with unique characteristics. When you are using the blank role card, all players must agree on the objective and special characteristics that go along with the blank role card for the duration of the game. We suggest you jot these down on a piece of paper. Then shuffle the blank role card with the other role cards and distribute as usual.
Using more than one special role card
We recommend using only one special role card per game in the beginning and a maximum of two as you become more and more familiar with how to play using them. If you incorporate two special role cards, it is important to avoid choosing two roles that are revealed at the start of the game (Bugged Agent, The Accomplice) or have two NEUTRAL roles (The Decoy, The Accomplice, Tim Shady) in play.
Having two special roles in the game can result in exciting surprises and can often shift the balance of the game completely, as some combinations will make it easier for the AGENTS or the INSIDER to win. Try different combinations to find out which ones you have the most fun with. We especially enjoyed these:
- Sleeper Agent + Paranoid Agent
- Risky Agent + Tim Shady
- The Accomplice + Prof. No
- Tim Shady + Sleeper Agent
Risky Mode
When you're ready to incorporate some additional risk and make it more challenging for the AGENTS to succeed, you can shuffle the four risky mission cards into the stack before starting the game. This variant benefits the INSIDER.
The following rule applies to all players: At the beginning of each round, if one of the two mission cards to select from is a risky mission, it must be selected. If two risky missions are drawn, the starting player may choose either.
The four risky mission cards require, respectively: the second card played must be played with an intel token; the third card played must be played with an intel token; the last card played must be played with an intel token; the second OR third card played must be played with an intel token. Each risky mission card also has its own trump suit, like a normal mission card.
Two-Player Variant
In a two-player game, there are special rules that apply.
Game Setup
Choose the starting player at random. The other player receives the Larry standee, placing it in front of them. Larry is a middleman who acts as the imaginary third player. Larry can also win the game. The player with Larry in front of them controls Larry and plays cards on his behalf.
Shuffle the mission cards and place them face down in the center of the table. Next to the stack of mission cards, place the overview card with information for a two-player game facing up.
In a two-player game, each player receives ten playing cards and nine tricks are played. Place the remaining playing cards face down in a stack to your right — this is Larry's stack, from which you play cards for him.
Shuffle three role cards (2x AGENTS, 1x INSIDER) and deal one to yourself, one to your opponent, and one to Larry. Larry's role card remains face down next to Larry's stack.
Give one intel token to yourself and one to your opponent. Larry receives three intel tokens at the start of the game.
Playing a card for Larry
Larry is a middleman and, thus, you do not play clockwise as usual, but instead play every trick in the following order:
- Starting Player (we will refer to this player as Player 1 below)
- Larry (controlled by Player 2)
- Player 2 (not the Starting Player)
When it's Larry's turn, Player 2 draws the top three cards from Larry's stack. Player 2 plays one card for Larry, and then, of the remaining two, places one back on top of Larry's stack and discards one by returning it face down into the game box.
Larry must always follow suit, if possible, even if Player 2 is the INSIDER. Larry cannot wager intel tokens, but Player 2 may use theirs on their own card.
Note: Player 2 should play Larry's card in a way that achieves their game objective. For example, if Player 2 is the INSIDER, Larry can be used to sabotage the missions.
Who controls Larry?
Control of Larry can change after each mission and depends on who won the previous trick. After each trick, determine who controls Larry during the next trick. From the point of view of the player controlling Larry, there are three possible scenarios:
- I control Larry and Larry wins the trick. I give the Larry standee to the other player, who will control Larry during the next trick.
- I control Larry and I win the trick. I give the Larry standee to the other player, who will control Larry during the next trick.
- I control Larry and the other player wins the trick. I keep the Larry standee, and I will control Larry during the next trick.
IMPORTANT! You will either be the starting player (and thus will select the mission at the start of the trick) OR you will be in control of Larry. You will never be both!
NOTE: If Larry wins a trick, control of him passes to the other player in the next trick, but Larry is never the starting player.
Winning early in the two-player variant
If any player (including Larry) collects six intel tokens, their role is revealed. If the card revealed is the INSIDER, that player wins and the game ends.
If the card revealed is an AGENT, play continues until seven missions are completed OR the INSIDER is revealed.
Voting
If neither the AGENTS nor the INSIDER has won early, players vote on who they believe is the INSIDER. Larry does not get to vote, but, because he may be the INSIDER, players can point their fingers at him.
After the vote, all three roles are revealed. In the two-player game, votes that end in ties do not result in a win for the INSIDER, unlike the game with three to five players.
Now, if an AGENT has pointed the finger at another AGENT, the INSIDER wins. If no AGENT has pointed at another AGENT, all AGENTS win.
Tips & Tricks for Groups of Any Size
- At the end of the game, players will have at least one playing card left in their hand. This gives the INSIDER the opportunity throughout the game to deceive the AGENTS about what cards are still in their hand, and thus be able to spoil missions without being suspicious. (For example, "I could not play yellow because I didn't have a yellow card.") But be prudent, if the AGENTS notice you playing the necessary card later on, they'll correctly suspect that you are the INSIDER.
- You are allowed to place intel tokens on trump cards. The value of the card will not change, but by doing this, you can funnel intel tokens to a player whom you trust so that they may reveal their role early.
- Is someone in the group apprehensive about taking on the role of the INSIDER? You can assign them one of the special roles that must reveal their identities at the start of the game (Bugged Agent or The Accomplice) and then deal out the remaining cards face down.
The Designer
Tanner Simmons is a game designer and artist from the metro Detroit area of Michigan. Majoring in Illustration and graduating in 2016, Tanner wanted to combine his love of the arts with his love of game design, and set out to make unique experiences to grace the tables of his friends and family. He loves horror films, writing, and any dog that crosses his path. He is also definitely not the INSIDER.
Inside Job was made as a love letter to every kid who was taught Euchre as a child and hated it because it made no sense at the time.
The designer and publisher would like to thank everyone who was involved in the play-testing, editing, and creating Inside Job. Special appreciation goes to the Grand Rapids Unpublished Boardgame Society (GRUBS), the Designer's Circle, the Protospiel Online Community, the Portland Game Collective, Kilian Vosse, Sebastian Wenzlaff, and Thorn Kurtzhals.
A very special thank you from the designer goes to his parents, Dave and Cindy Simmons, for pushing him to do what he loves most.
Credits
- Designer: Tanner Simmons
- Illustration: Marek Bláha
- Graphics: Mirko Akira Suzuki
- Technical Product Development: Carsten Engel
- Editing: Tobias Gayer, Wolfgang Lüdtke
- English Editing: Ted McGuire, Peter Bowen, Hannah Mintz
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