The X-Files: Circle of Truth
The X-Files: Circle of Truth Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 2 Special Agent ID cards
- 18 Area / Scoring Condition cards
Setup
Each player chooses an Agent. You may do this by naming your favourite Agent or by flipping a coin.
Once you have chosen your Agents, place your Agent card on the table in front of you. It is not recommended to place it directly in front of you, as that is where you will build your Dossier.
It is worth turning your Agent card over to learn your Agent's special ability.
Shuffle the 18 Area / Scoring Condition cards. It is recommended to shuffle them with the Area side (the side showing the four symbols) face up.
Once the cards are shuffled, place 3 of them on the table with the Scoring Condition side face up. These 3 cards create special Scoring Conditions that apply to both players.
Place the remaining 15 cards (with their Area side face up) in a circle around the 3 central cards.
Choose a starting player. While the first player may take the first Area card from the circle, the second player may select the starting card. Once the second player has selected the starting card, the first player's turn begins.
Areas
Every Area / Scoring Condition card has 4 Areas. There are six types of Area: Sewer, Forest, Mountain, Field, Office and Lab.
Building Your Dossier
Your turn consists of this: take a card from the circle, then place it in your Dossier. Place your first card in front of you.
Each time you take a new card, you must place it so that at least one edge of one of its Areas touches the edge of an Area already in your Dossier. Alternatively, you may cover one (or more) Areas in your Dossier with your new card by placing it on top of them.
Correct and Incorrect Placement
- You may not place a card so that it touches your Dossier only at a corner.
- You may rotate a card by 180° so that it is upside down.
- You may not place a card sideways (rotated horizontally).
- You may not tuck a card under an Area that is already in your Dossier.
Choosing Cards
If you are the first player, you either take the starting card the second player selected, OR you move clockwise around the circle, skipping over as many cards as you like, to take a card of your choice. You must give every card you skipped over to your opponent. Your opponent may not refuse these cards.
Once you have selected your card, place it in your Dossier, and your turn ends.
After you have placed your card, your opponent takes their turn.
First, your opponent must place every card they received into their Dossier, in the order in which they received them. Then they continue their turn, following the same steps you did: they either take the next available card, or skip cards clockwise to the card of their choice, giving you every card they skipped over.
Example: Player 2 has chosen this card as the starting card. Player 1 must take the starting card, or jump forward clockwise to any card they like. In this example, Player 1 chose to jump to the next card. As a result, Player 2 receives the starting card. Player 2 continues the game: first they place the received card in their Dossier, then they continue their turn.
The game continues until all cards have been selected and placed. When the last card has been placed, the game ends and you count your points.
Scoring and Closing the Case
Each player scores 1 point per Area in their largest Investigation Area (Sewer, Forest, Mountain, Field, Office or Lab). An Investigation Area is a group of identical Areas that are connected to each other along at least one side. You score only for your largest Investigation Area. If you have more than one largest Investigation Area, you still score for only one of them. You can only ever score for one type of Area.
Bonus Scoring
In addition to the points from your largest Investigation Area, you also score points from the 3 Scoring Condition cards in the centre of the table, where possible. Each Scoring Condition card describes its own unique scoring condition.
Add together the points from your largest Investigation Area and the bonus points from the 3 Scoring Condition cards to find your final score. The player with the most points wins and closes their Dossier.
In the end, which was it: a paranormal event or a rational explanation?
Example: Your Dossier is built. In this example, this player would score 6 points, since their largest Investigation Area is 6 connected Lab Areas.
Card Texts
Agent Cards
Dana Scully, SPECIAL AGENT card — SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE Scully may select 1 Microscope in her Dossier and treat the Area on which it is located as any Area.
Fox Mulder, SPECIAL AGENT card — I WANT TO BELIEVE Mulder may select 1 Alien in his Dossier and treat the Area on which it is located as any Area.
Scoring Condition Cards
Alien Bounty Hunter 2 points per Alien in your largest Alien group.
Arson The player with the most Cigarettes loses 1 point for each Cigarette the other player has.
Ballistic Evidence 4 points per Weapon located directly between 2 Lab Areas.
Black Organization 9 points if you have the most Microscopes, but you must pay 5 points of ransom to the other player if they have more Weapons. If there is a tie for the most Microscopes, neither player scores.
Careful Investigation 2 points per Microscope located on or next to an Office Area.
Check the Archives 7 points per group of 4 Dossiers, each covering the space of one card, that form a group. A Dossier may belong to more than one group.
Circle of Truth 5 points per "circle" of 4 UFOs surrounding an Area. A UFO may belong to more than one "circle".
Emerging Patterns Add together all of your Alien icons and all of your Field Areas. Divide by two (rounding down); you score that many points.
Fire Fight Each row and column that contains a Weapon scores 1 point per Cigarette. Multiple targets: if the row or column that scores has several Cigarettes, you get +1 point.
Focused Investigation Both players count all of the Areas in their Dossier. If you have fewer Areas than the other player, you score points equal to the difference.
Hidden Below 3 points per UFO on or next to your largest Sewer group (if there are several largest, you choose the group).
Incredible Discovery 2 points per Alien that is not on or next to a Mountain Area.
Interspecies Conspiracy 2 points per Cigarette next to a UFO, and -1 point per Cigarette that is not next to a UFO. A UFO may belong to more than one Cigarette.
Lab Analysis Gain points for the Microscopes in your investigation.
Lights in the Sky Gain points for UFOs in a line (horizontal or vertical). Lines of UFOs that cross each other also score.
Men in Black 2 points per Dossier next to a Weapon. A Weapon may belong to more than one Dossier.
Missing 9 Minutes 2 points per Dossier, and -1 point per Forest Area.
Undiscovered 6 points per completely enclosed, undiscovered space (one Area's worth of empty space, surrounded by Areas on every side and at every corner).