Secret Operation
Secret Operation Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
- 5 robot boards.
- 40 component cards.
- 4 block cards.
- 10 identity cards.
Component cards (40 cards in total):
- Mechanics: 18 cards
- Electronics: 12 cards
- Energy: 10 cards
Block cards: 4 cards (listed separately from the 40 component cards).
Identity cards: 7 engineer cards and 3 impostor cards (10 cards in total).
Goal
Secret Mission is a semi-cooperative card game with hidden roles and designed for groups of 4 to 10 players. The goal of the engineers is to collect all the required components to assemble the robot's four modules. If the game deck runs out before they achieve this, victory will fall in the hands of the infiltrated impostors in the team.
BZ1 Robot
The success of the mission depends on fully constructing the four modules that form the robot. Each module indicates the number of players and the required components to assemble said module.
The robot module boards show two things:
- Number of players: the player counts the module is printed for (highlighted at top left of each board).
- Required components: the component icons printed down the right-hand side of the board. Each icon is one required component card.
Identity cards
The number of identity cards used must be the same as players. First take the impostor cards:
- take 1 impostor card in 4-player games;
- take 2 impostor cards for 5 to 7-player games;
- take 3 impostor cards for 8 to 10-player games.
Then, add as many engineer cards as necessary to have one identity card per player in the game. Shuffle them and give one identity card to each player.
The card indicates their real goal:
- If you have an engineer card, your mission is to build the robot.
- If you have an impostor card, your mission is to boycott the robot.
Example (5-player game): 2 impostor cards and 3 engineer cards.
Game cards
The component cards are divided into three types:
- Mechanics (18 cards)
- Electronics (12 cards)
- Energy (10 cards)
The block cards (4 cards) are a fourth type of game card, described under "Block cards" below.
Robot modules (4-player setup)
| Board | Player counts shown | Required components (icons on board) |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 4, 5, 6, 8 | Mechanics, Electronics, Energy |
| 02 | 4, 5, 6 | Mechanics, Electronics, Energy |
| 03 | 4, 7, 9 | Mechanics, Mechanics, Energy |
| 04 | 4, 6, 8 | Mechanics, Electronics, Electronics |
Note on the table: the board artwork is small in the printed rulebook; the player counts and component icons above were read from the board graphics. The numeral for 5 on board 01 is partly obscured by the board's silhouette and is read as 5.
Setup
- Place the appropriate four modules of robot BZ1, according to the number of players, at the center of the table. The source illustrates the robot module to use for 4, 5 and 6-player games (marked "4 5 6").
- Shuffle the identity cards and give one to each player, who will look at their own card in secret.
- Give 3 component cards to each player. You will need them to complete the robot's modules.
- Form a deck with all remaining component cards and place it face down next to the robot boards.
- Attention! In 4-player games, discard the first 8 cards of the deck without looking at them.
- Leave room next to the resource deck for a discard pile. The cards in that pile will not return to the game.
Maximum alert: security breach detected.
Note: Communication among players is not only allowed but encouraged. Each player is free to share as much information as they want about the card they've played. Nonetheless, both their component and identity cards must remain hidden until the end of the game. Be careful with the information you share! The impostors are always watching and ready to exploit any information that can offer them an advantage.
How to play
If a player has been blocked, discard the block card and skip that player's turn. Otherwise, you must do one of these 3 actions:
- A. Add a game card: place a face down card on a robot module of your choice.
- B. Discard a game card: discard a card from your hand and place it face up on the discard pile.
- C. Play a block card: play a face up block card in front of another player.
Then, draw a card from the game deck (as long as there are cards left), and the turn passes to the player to your left.
The first player will be whoever does the best broken robot impersonation.
Block cards
The game deck includes 4 block cards. The players can use them to stop an opponent's action during the next turn.
These cards have immediate effect and can only be used once. After skipping the affected player's turn, discard the card.
Robot modules (completing a module)
To complete a robot's module, the players must add as many component cards as indicated by the board. The player who places the last component shuffles the cards and reveals them one by one on the table.
- A. Goal achieved: If the revealed components match perfectly, both in number and type, the goal is achieved and the module is transported to the lab (game box). The engineers are closer to victory!
- B. Goal failed: If the components don't match, the impostors have gotten away with their schemes. Discard the cards onto the discard pile and leave the module on the table since it will have to be rebuilt from scratch. Who may the impostor be? All theories are valid…
Example: a module that requires 3 components (one of each type: Mechanics, Electronics, Energy). Goal achieved when the 3 revealed cards are one of each type. Goal failed when the 3 cards added do not match (unknown components).
End of the game
- A. If the players manage to successfully assemble all four modules of the robot before the game deck runs out, the engineers win. You have proven that you are the best engineers in the world!
- B. But, if the cards in the game deck and player hands run out before you have assembled the robot, the impostors win.
Challenge for super-engineers
Was the mission too easy for you? Are the impostors having trouble to win? Don't hesitate to increase the game's difficulty by switching a module with another one with a higher component demand.