Super Hack Override
Super Hack Override Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Summary - TL; DR
The game consists of 25 hacks (cards) worth 0 to 10 cred (points) as shown on the top of the card. Hacks are always either face-in, in a hacker's hand so only they can see them, or face-out, on the table for all to see. Once a hack is face-out, it stays face-out unless it is flipped.
Players take turns executing hacks. You execute (play) a hack by flipping one of your face-in hacks face-out or any opponents' face-out hacks face-in. That's right: you can play opponent's face-out hacks!
Only your face-out hacks count towards your cred. If any hacker has face-out hacks with a sum of cred equal to or greater than the winning cred at the end of any hacker's turn, that hacker wins. Your cred may change each turn as hacks are proxy swapped! You can also win by being the only hacker not locked away in Hacker Jail.
The most valuable hacks, those worth 7 cred or greater, are government hacks. If any player has the maximum or more of these cards face-out at the end of anyone's turn, they lose and go to Hacker Jail before they win.
Setup the Game
The number of hackers (players) playing determines the number of hacks used to play the game. For five players: use all the hacks. Six, four, or three players: set the Diskette card aside. With two players set the Diskette card aside, then shuffle the deck and set four random hacks aside without revealing them. Shuffle and deal all the remaining hacks. The game is played with only these hacks – there's no drawing cards! All players start with their hacks face-in.
The setup table is printed on the rules sheet and is reproduced here:
| Player Count | Remove from the Deck | Winning Cred | Gov Hack Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Diskette | 25 | 3 |
| 5 | None | 25 | 3 |
| 4 | Diskette | 30 | 3 |
| 3 | Diskette | 32 | 3 |
| 2 | Diskette & 4 random hacks | 40 | 4 |
Who Goes First?
In a five player game, the hacker holding the Diskette card always goes first. If there is no Diskette card, the hacker who last won goes first. If this is your first game, the youngest hacker goes first. Play continues clockwise.
Take Your Turn
Step 1 – Execute a Hack
Flip one of your opponent's face-out hacks face-in, returning it to their hand.
OR
Flip one of your face-in hacks in your hand face-out, face-up on the table.
Step 2 – Resolve Effects
Read the executed hack out loud and resolve its effects. If you chose to execute an opponent's hack, the effects resolve as if YOU played the card yourself. Refer to your cheat sheet card for specific help with each hack's effect.
Step 3 – Check Hacker Cred to Lose/Win
If any hacker has the maximum number of government hacks face-out, immediately send them to Hacker Jail, even if the hacker has enough cred to win. Afterwards, if there is only one player not in Hacker Jail, that player immediately wins the game.
The hacker whose face-out hacks sum to or over the winning cred wins the game. If there is more than one, the hacker with the highest cred wins. The winning cred depends on the number of hackers starting the game as shown in the table above and does not change if hackers are thrown in Hacker Jail.
Hacker Jail
Any player with the maximum number of government hacks face-out at the end of any hacker's turn loses, is eliminated from the game, and may not execute any more hacks. There's no escaping Hacker Jail. Jailed hackers reveal and place all their face-in hacks face-out in front of them. These hacks act the same as if they were face-out in front of a hacker not in jail, but are NOT protected by any hacker protection and remain face-out on the table even if executed by other hackers.
General Effects
Hacker Protection
Having a hack with the protection symbol face-out in front of you protects you from all effects (including Proxy Swaps) of any hack with the specific cred value noted within the symbol. If the protection hack is moved in front of another player while face-out, the protection moves with the card.
Proxy Swap
Executing a hack with this symbol grants you any ONE of the following as a bonus effect after resolving the primary effect: (Reminder: Only you can see your face-in hacks.)
Choose one hacker's face-out hack and give it face-out to another hacker, then choose at random one of that hacker's face-in hacks and place it face-in into the first hacker's hand.
OR
Swap one of any hacker's face-in hacks for one face-in hack in any other hacker's hand. Both remain face-in.
OR
Swap one hacker's face-out hack with a hack face-out in front of another hacker. Both remain face-out. No effects are resolved. Any of the above hackers can be you. Any hack proxy swapped to a hacker in Hacker Jail is immediately revealed and placed face-out in front of that hacker.
Table Optional
Tables are optional – this game was designed to be played anywhere, from standing in line to sitting at a table. You can choose to play the game by holding your face-out hacks in your hand face-out or play them face-up on a table in front of you. It's all up to you!
Hack Overview
Card anatomy: each hack shows its hack title, its hacker cred value (top left and top right), any special features (Proxy Swap symbol, Hacker Protection symbol with the protected cred value, Government Card symbol, Interrupt symbol), and its hack effect (for example, "Then – Proxy Swap") at the bottom of the card.
Symbol key: Proxy Swap; Hacker Protection (with the cred value it protects against inside the shield); Government Card (scales); Interrupt (lightning bolt).
Super Hacker 101
1. Socket Puppet Hack
The Socket Puppet is the ultimate in hacker decoy technology. It is only useful when executed from your hand during any opponent's turn. It cannot be executed when face-out. When executed, flip the Socket Puppet face-out. It then takes the place of any card your opponent wants to take from you with a proxy swap. It does nothing if executed by you on your turn.
2. Screen Door Hack
The best defense a hacker can write against back doors. When executed, you are protected from all proxy swaps until your next turn no matter what happens to this hack card. Before your turn ends you perform a proxy swap!
3. Computer Goggles Hack
Choose one hacker, and then choose any hack they can legally play, be it a random card face-in their hand or any of their opponent's face-out hacks. Indicate the choice by turning the chosen hack upside down. That hacker must execute the chosen hack on their next turn unless the card was affected by any other hack before then. Before your turn ends you perform a proxy swap!
4. Stolen Goods Hack
When executed, flip this card face-out and proxy swap the Stolen Goods hack with any opponents' face-out hacks. The targeted hack is moved face-out in front of the hacker who played Stolen Goods and the Stolen Goods hack is placed in front of the hacker whose goods were stolen! Do not resolve the effect of the stolen hack. This hack cannot be executed while face-out.
5. Firewall Hack – Protection from 3 cred hacks
Hack into a hacker's system to mess with their plans – just for the LOLs! When executed, you choose any 1 of your hacks or choose 2 hacks owned by opponents (may be the same opponent or 2 different opponents) and flip them – if the hacks were face-out in front of hackers, place the hacks face-in their hands, if they were in hacker's hands place them in front of the hackers. None of the flipped hacks' effects activate. You cannot look at opponent's face-in hacks before choosing them – randomness!
6. Proxy Spoof Hack – Protection from 2 cred hacks
Hack other hacks to spoof their proxys for the ultimate, unbeatable proxy swap. Choose 1 of your opponents' face-out hacks and proxy swap it with 1 of another opponent's face-out hacks. This effect cannot be prevented by any protection including the Screen Door hack. In a two player game, Proxy Swap any of your opponent's face-out hacks with the Proxy Spoof Hack for an unbeatable proxy swap. This does nothing if there are no legal targets.
7. NOAA Weather Control Hack – GOVERNMENT CARD
Hack into the Weather Control mainframes to issue a Tornado Warning! When executed, each hacker not in jail chooses one of their face-in or face-out hacks. If the NOAA Weather Control hack you just executed is yours you may choose this hack. Face-out and face-in hacks are combined. Do not reveal any face-in hacks. Close your eyes for honor, shuffle the hacks, and deal one hack to each hacker. Face-out hacks are placed in front of the new hacker. Face-in hacks go into the new hacker's hand without revealing them to any other hackers. None of the tornado-ed hacks' effects activate.
8. Monorail Control Hack – GOVERNMENT CARD
Hack into either the West Side or East Side Monorail Control Grid to cause havoc! When executed, every hacker not in jail picks one of their face-in or face out hacks. When everyone has chosen a hack, all hackers pass the chosen hacks to the hacker on their left or right. Face-in hacks remain face-in in the new hacker's hand and face-out hacks are placed face-out in front of the new hacker. If the Monorail hack you executed is yours you may use it as the hack you pass to the next hacker.
9. CIA Satellite Hack – GOVERNMENT CARD
Hack into a CIA Satellite to spy on your opponents. When executed, this hack allows you to see any two hacks of your choosing in one opponent's hand. Not very useful– but worth a lot of cred!
10. The Mainframe Hack – GOVERNMENT CARD
The Mainframe is the ultimate hacker prize. They say it's unhackable; you can prove them wrong when you execute this hack. This hack is all for the cred as it has no other effect.
0. Diskette Hack
The diskette is used in a five player game so all hackers have an equal number of hacks. The Diskette does nothing but determines that you are the coolest hacker so you go first. Execute this hack in front of you and then execute another hack for the first turn. The Diskette cannot be flipped but can be Proxy Swapped.
Glossary
Affected: Any time a hack is flipped, swapped, or in any other way moved by the effect of another hack.
Cred: The sum of all hacker cred (points) shown in face-out hacks in front of you.
Execute: The act of playing a hack.
Face-out: A hack that has been flipped face-in is face-out. These hacks are revealed for all to see. Your face-out hacks count towards your cred, protections, and total number of government hacks. The hacker's opponents can execute face-out hacks to flip them face-in back in the owner's hand. Any hack on the table in front of any hacker is "face-out."
Face-in: Any hack in any hacker's hand is "face-in". A hacker's opponents can never see their face-in hacks unless an effect specifically states otherwise.
Flip: Take a hacker's face-out hack and place it face-in back in their hand or take a face-in hack from a player's hand and put it in front of them face-out.
Government Hack: Any hack with a red colored cred value – you may only have a certain number of these cards in front of you.
Hack: Any of the eleven different cards.
Notes on this transcription: dropped-letter typos in the printed text were corrected to their evident intent: "ace-out" to "face-out" (Proxy Swap, Firewall/Glossary), "faceo-ut" to "face-out" (Table Optional), "faceout" to "face-out" (Glossary, Face-out), "Thefirst" to "The first" (intro), "toyour" to "to your" (Step 2), "toeach" to "to each" (NOAA), "owner'shand" to "owner's hand" (Glossary), "backin" to "back in" (Flip), "Close youryes for honor" to "Close your eyes for honor" (NOAA). Wording otherwise is as printed, including "proxys" and "Hack other hacks" as in the source.