Spy Gear: Spy Trackdown Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• The Spy Phone
• This Is a Game of Deduction
  • Find the Covert Agents and Earn Cards
  • Find and Capture the Mastermind
• Winning the Game
• On Your Turn
  • Travel Actions
  • Covert Actions
  • Entering Codes into the Spy Phone
• Earning Covert Action Cards
• Covert Action Cards
• Batteries

Setup

1. Unfold the game board. Attach the Spy Phone dock to the board by squeezing the sides of the dock and inserting the tabs into the slots on the board.
2. Place the Spy Phone into the dock, making sure the activation buttons line up with the posts on the dock. The Spy Phone must be returned to this position to play important messages out loud to all players.
3. Shuffle the cards and place them in one side of the card tray to form a draw pile.
4. Each player chooses an agent mover (Blackfire, Goldhawk, Silverwing, or Whitewolf).
5. When you're ready to play, turn on the Spy Phone and listen to the instructions. Good luck!

The Spy Phone

The Spy Phone is the all-knowing computer that tracks everything in the game. At the start of the game:

• The Spy Phone will ask which agents are playing (use the X and O buttons to respond as directed).
• The Spy Phone will instruct players where to put their agent movers (all players start in the same location).
• The Spy Phone will hide the Mastermind in a secret location somewhere in the world (the Mastermind will never move during the game).
• The Spy Phone will hide one Covert Agent, a "virtual" friendly agent, on each continent (the Covert Agents will never move during the game).

This Is a Game of Deduction

To win the game, you must do two things:

Find the Covert Agents and Earn Cards

Whenever you stop in a new zone (the numbered spots on the game board), the Spy Phone will give you a secret message telling you how many "zones away" you are from the Covert Agent in that continent. The distance is always the shortest distance. If there are different ways to get from where you are to where the Covert Agent is, the Spy Phone will tell you the distance using the shortest possible route. By traveling from zone to zone and getting these distance clues, you will be able to figure out where the Covert Agent is. After you find the Covert Agent on a given continent you will be rewarded with Covert Action cards after you go to a new continent.

Example: If Agent Silverwing finds out that the Covert Agent in Australia is one zone away, then the Covert Agent is in either Australia zone 4 or Australia zone 2.

Find and Capture the Mastermind

Finding the Mastermind is more challenging, but this is how you win the game! In order to get clues about how far away the Mastermind is from you, you will need to perform the "Search for Mastermind" action (you will need a Covert Action card with the "Search for Mastermind" action code on it). When you perform this action, the Spy Phone will secretly tell you how many zones away the Mastermind is from you, but unlike the Covert Agent, he may be anywhere on the game board! It's best to search for the Mastermind from different locations on the board so you can deduce his secret hiding place.

Example: If Agent Silverwing learns that the Mastermind is one zone away, then the Mastermind is in either Australia zone 4, Australia zone 2, or North America zone 7.

Hint: When you get the "Search for Mastermind / Capture Mastermind" card, play this Covert Action as soon as you can in order to find the Mastermind!

Winning the Game

Once you think you know where the Mastermind is and you are in that zone, perform the "Capture Mastermind" action (you will need a Covert Action card with the "Capture Mastermind" action code on it). The Spy Phone will announce whether you have captured him and won or not. If you are wrong, you will lose a turn but get to keep playing. If you're right, [the sheet's text is clipped here at the page edge; the rest of this sentence is not printed on the sheet]

On Your Turn

You must perform two actions on every turn by entering action codes into the Spy Phone.

For your first action on your turn, you may:

• Perform a TRAVEL ACTION. The codes for these actions are printed on the game board for easy reference. You do not need any Covert Action cards to travel.

OR

• Perform a COVERT ACTION. You must have the Covert Action card you want to play in your hand. Enter the card's action code, then put the card in the discard pile face up.

For your second action, you can again choose to perform either a Travel Action or a Covert Action.

NOTE: If you do not want to travel or perform a Covert Action, you may enter the SKIP ACTION code (it's printed on the game board for easy reference).

REMEMBER: the game cannot proceed unless you enter two action codes!

Travel Actions

To move between zones (the numbered spots on the game board), enter the Travel Action code for the method of travel you wish to use. Each method of travel allows you to move one zone on the colored path that matches the color of the method of travel. For example, "Travel by Jet" allows you to travel one zone on a yellow path, say from Los Angeles (North America zone 7) to Brisbane (Australia zone 1). If you are in a zone that is not connected to a yellow path, you cannot travel by Jet. If you enter a valid method of travel, the Spy Phone will automatically compute your destination. Make sure to move your agent mover to your new location.

Covert Actions

Covert Action cards give you special abilities (read the last page of the rules for more information about the cards). HINT: You must earn Covert Action cards to succeed in the game because they are required for finding and capturing the Mastermind. How to earn Covert Action cards is explained below.

Entering Codes into the Spy Phone

The Spy Phone is "smart" and will know whose turn it is. When it's your turn, it will ask you to enter your first action code, addressing you by your agent name. To enter an action code, enter the four-digit code consisting of X's and O's into the Spy Phone, then press ENTER (wait to press ENTER until after the Spy Phone confirms it has received the code correctly). After you enter your first action code and press ENTER, it will ask you to enter your second action code. After you enter your second action code and press ENTER, the Spy Phone will give you information, then ask you to "pick up for a secret message." Pick up the phone, press the ENTER button, then put the speaker to your ear to hear your secret message. If you need to listen to the message again, press ENTER again.

After listening to your secret message, return the Spy Phone to its dock on the game board. Now it's the next player's turn.

Tip: At any time during game play you can get a Status Report for every mover by pressing the X and O buttons on the Spy Phone at the same [the sheet's text is clipped here at the page edge]

Earning Covert Action Cards

To find and capture the Mastermind, you will need to play Covert Action cards. To earn these cards, find the Covert Agents. There is one Covert Agent on each continent. If you end your turn in the same zone as a Covert Agent, you will earn Covert Action cards. For each Covert Agent found, players will be rewarded as follows:

• The first player to find the Covert Agent gets 4 cards
• The second player to find the Covert Agent gets 3 cards
• The third player to find the Covert Agent gets 2 cards
• The fourth player to find the Covert Agent gets 1 card

In order to keep other players from learning where you found a Covert Agent, the Spy Phone will reward you with the correct number of Covert Action cards after you leave the continent and end your turn on another continent. So, keep the location a secret and leave the continent to get your reward! If you find the Covert Agent on every continent, the Spy Phone will announce this accomplishment. You may then draw one card on each turn through the remainder of the game. Shuffle the discard pile and make a new draw pile if necessary.

Covert Action Cards

There are nine different types of Covert Action cards. Here's what they do:

Layout note: the sheet prints nine card descriptions and these card names: "Search for Mastermind / Capture Mastermind", "Point to Mastermind", "Take Another Turn", "Close Roads", and "Close Airports". In the scan the names do not line up one-to-one with the description blocks, so the descriptions below are given in printed order and only names the sheet's own text or card art ties to a description are attached. Blocks without a clear name are marked as such. The card art on the sheet shows the "Point to Mastermind" card with the closest-zone text.

• Enter the code on this card to travel to a randomly selected zone on the other side of the world. If you enter this code as the first action of your turn, the Spy Phone will immediately send you to the new zone before you perform your second action.

• (Search for Mastermind / Capture Mastermind) This is the most important card in the game. This card has two codes on it. You may use one code or the other when you use this card, but not both. Enter the "Search for Mastermind" code to find out how many zones away you are from the Mastermind. Or, enter the "Capture Mastermind" code to attempt to capture the Mastermind and win the game. To capture the Mastermind, you must be in that zone yourself. If you are incorrect and the Mastermind is not in that zone, you will lose one turn.

• (Point to Mastermind) Enter the code on this card to find out which zone near you is closer to the Mastermind. If multiple zones tie for closest, one zone will be randomly selected.

• (Name not clearly printed beside this block) You may enter the code on this card as one of the actions on your turn. After you complete the current turn and receive your secret message, the Spy Phone will prompt you to take another turn.

• (Name not clearly printed beside this block) Enter the code on this card to block all players from traveling by Sports Car or Motorcycle until the beginning of your next turn. If any player plays an "Open Roads and Airports" card before your next turn, it will cancel this action.

• (Name not clearly printed beside this block) Enter the code on this card to block all players from traveling by Jet until the beginning of your next turn. If any player plays an "Open Roads and Airports" card before your next turn, it will cancel this action.

• (Name not clearly printed beside this block; the other card texts mention an "Open Roads and Airports" card, which this text most likely describes) Enter the code on this card to re-open all roads for travel by Sports Car or Motorcycle, and re-open all airports for travel by Jet.

Batteries

The Spy Phone requires 3 AAA (LR03) batteries, not included. Only adults should install and replace batteries.

1. Locate the battery compartment on the back of the Spy Phone. Use a small Phillips head screwdriver to loosen the screw, and remove the battery cover.
2. Remove all old batteries.
3. Place new batteries in the compartment as shown on the sheet (Fig. 1), matching positive and negative signs.
4. Replace the battery cover and tighten the screw.