They Live: Assault on Cable 54 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components List
• Gameplay Overview
• Core Mechanics
  • Dice Rolls
  • Hoffman Lenses
  • The Game Board
• Character Cards and Skills
• The Resistance Stash
  • Drawing a Resistance Card
• Layout of a Resistance Card
• Tokens
  • Damage Tokens
  • Scrap Tokens
  • Wanted Tokens
  • Glasses Tokens
  • The Resistance Leader Token
• Injury Cards
• Enemy Tiles
• The Difference Between a Skill Test and a Combat Roll
• Setting Up the Game
• The Action Phase
  • Actions
  • Special Movement
• The Response Phase
  • Basic Enemy Combat Encounter
  • Fighting Multiple Enemies
  • Example
  • Enemy Interaction Flowchart
  • Rewards for Defeating Enemies
  • Persuade
  • Team Effort
  • Red Enemy Tokens
• Player vs Player Confrontation (PVP)
  • Rolling Criticals
  • PVP Confrontation 1 (Flowchart Summary)
  • PVP Confrontation (Continued)
  • PVP Confrontation 2 (Flowchart Summary)
• The Location Phase
  • Interact With the Space
  • Resistance Supply
    • Example
  • Recover
  • Trigger the Final Assault
  • Location Phase Flowchart Summary
• The Propaganda Phase
  • Breaking News Cards
    • Raids (Obey, Consume, or Marry and Reproduce)
    • Billboard Swaps
    • Clock Advances
    • Enemy and Scrap Placements
  • Breaking News Story
    • Running Out of Breaking News Cards
  • Ending the Game Turn
• The Final Assault Phase
  • Prepare Your Resources
  • Final Assault Cards and Winning the Game
  • Example
  • Invader Intervention
  • Example (Invader Reveal)
  • The Enemy Revealed
  • The Final Assault Flowchart Summary
  • Fight an Invader (Flowchart Summary)
• Ending the Game
  • Humanity Freed
  • Humanity Enslaved
• 1–3 Player Blind Play Supplement
  • Overview
  • Core Gameplay Changes
  • Invader Behavior Cards
  • Setting Up the Game (Blind Play)
  • Gameplay Phases (Blind Play)
    • The Action Phase
    • The Response Phase
    • The Location Phase
    • The Propaganda Phase
    • The Final Assault Phase

Components List

1. Game Board
2. Custom 'Kick Ass & Chew Bubblegum' Dice
3. Final Assault Cards
4. Location Cards
5. Injury Cards
6. Enemy Tiles
7. Character Case Files (Personal Story Deck)
8. Billboard Tiles
9. Clock Tiles
10. Resistance Stash
11. Character Cards, Overlay Boards, and Standee
12. Hoffman Lenses
13. Breaking News Cards
14. Scrap, Damage, & Wanted Tokens

Gameplay Overview

The game operates in phases in the following order:

Action Phase – During this phase you will move around the board, manage your resources, heal injuries, and much more. Players take turns to move 1 space and then perform 2 actions from those available. (More on page 12)

Response Phase – You've had your turn, now the enemies take theirs! This is their chance to move around the board in response to player infamy. When they land on the same space as a player, it's time to attack. This phase is also when players can engage each other in combat, and use the Hoffman lenses to reveal each other's true identity. (More on page 13)

Location Phase – This phase is all about where you are and what is happening in that area. Players can either draw a Location card, resolve one of their Personal Story cards, or deposit resources in order to strengthen the Resistance for the Final Assault. (More on page 20)

Propaganda Phase – This phase focuses on city-wide events and changes to the board. The next card in the Breaking News deck is revealed, and the rules followed accordingly. This has many potential resolutions, including advancing the game clock and creating events that force enemies and players to react. (More on page 23)

Final Assault Phase – When the time is right, players trigger the final battle and attack Cable 54 to destroy the signal. This can only be triggered once per game, and results in either the success of the human race, or marks the end of the Resistance. (More on page 25)

Core Mechanics

Dice Rolls

They Live uses standard six-sided dice for play. However, replacing conventional faces, you'll see the words 'KICK ASS' and 'CHEW BUBBLEGUM'.

A success is made by rolling a KICK ASS, and a failure by rolling CHEW BUBBLEGUM.

You'll also notice that KICK ASS appears on the dice in 2 different colors. When performing a skill or combat test, rolling 3 matching KICK ASS will count as a critical result. There are some instances where this applies additional effects.

Hoffman Lenses

The Hoffman lenses (the glasses) are a key mechanic of the game. It's essential they are only used under the right circumstances, as outlined in this rulebook. Using the glasses out of context can result in the game experience being spoiled.

Over the course of the game, you will have the opportunity to wear the glasses, revealing secrets on the board and allowing you to uncover the truth about other players. Feel free to disclose your findings to the group, especially if you find an Invader in your midst.

As an Invader, however, you may wish to provide false information about your findings and use lies to cast doubt on other players.

The Game Board

The board is divided into 4 areas: Tax Exempt (spaces 1–6), Downtown Redevelopment (7–12), Downtown (13–16) and Resettlement (20–24).

Within every area are spaces, each marked with a red pin. The ones with photographs attached to them are referred to as 'named locations'. For example, the 'Construction Site' space is located within the Downtown Redevelopment Area. The red thread between the spaces shows the path you are able to travel.

There is also a freeway that cuts across the board. It moves through spaces 2, 17, and 23, and can be used to traverse quickly from one side to the other. But be warned, they watch the freeway! (More on page 12)

Character Cards and Skills

The character card shows the following:

1. Name and brief bio.
2. Personal inventory. These are the things the character starts the game with.
3. Abilities and Actions. Each character has 2 unique actions, abilities, or a mixture. Abilities give the character advantages in certain gameplay scenarios. Actions can be performed during the Action Phase, and give you something unique that your character can do.
4. Starting stats. These are the values that each of your stats have when the game begins. Left to right they are: Stealth, Combat, Influence, Engineering, Tech, Intelligence.
5. Starting health.
6. Profile picture. This is where you will see either the Human or Invader hidden image when using the Hoffman lenses on a board overlay (more on that later).

When performing a test, or engaging in combat, you'll need to perform a skill-based dice roll–this is explained in full later in the rulebook. Characters begin the game with starting stats as per point 4 on their Character card. Over the course of the game, these values are likely to change. Each skill is outlined below.

Stealth – Not just simply sneaking up on an enemy. Stealth is a character's ability to perceive the world around them, their awareness of their surroundings, and their ability to use the city and its people to their advantage.

Combat – Represents a character's unarmed prowess in a fight (their ability to take and receive a hit). It's their strength, toughness, and physical presence. A decent weapon can change the odds if you're not particularly tough.

Influence – Not all confrontations need to result in a fight. Sometimes you'll need to use your words to talk your way out of a sticky situation. If you're good, you may even sway a few Human enemies to join your cause.

Engineering – There are some occasions where you'll need to do a little 'on the fly' repair. Put those hands to use.

Tech – Your understanding of science and technology. From being able to power up a computer to hacking an entire mainframe.

Intelligence – Represents your ability to comprehend and understand your place in things. For some, this is their ability to think before they act, for others this is their conscience.

The Resistance Stash

The Resistance Stash is an assortment of cards (called Resistance cards) that sits in 2 piles at the bottom right of the board. It contains 3 different types of cards: Weapons, Items, and Allies.

• Weapons include firearms and other offensive objects that can be used to help you in combat.
• Items are a variety of useful bits of equipment.
• Allies represent other characters that you have recruited to assist you.

Only 1 Weapon, 1 Item, and 1 Ally may be equipped at any one time. These are equipped to the top of a player's individual board. Weapons are equipped to the 'Weapon slot', Items are equipped to the 'Off-hand slot', and Allies are equipped to the 'Ally slot'. Some larger weapons will be marked with 'Two-Handed', which means they need to be equipped to both the Weapon and Off-hand slot at the same time. This means you will be unable to equip an Item at the same time. Some Items and Allies are marked as 'Single Use'. These do not need to be equipped, and can be used when needed. Once used, they should be discarded.

You can carry up to 10 Resistance cards at once (including those equipped), with any that are not equipped considered to be in your bag and not in use. To change what you have equipped, you must perform the REORGANIZE action during your Action Phase (details on turn order and the various phases start on page 12).

Many Resistance cards contain stat boosts. For Items and Allies, these increases are active as long as you have them equipped. For Weapons, it works a little different. Weapons have 3 possible stats: Stealth, Combat, and Wanted. If an equipped Weapon has an impact on Stealth, then that impact is there for the entire time the Weapon is equipped. For Combat and Wanted, it is up to you in a combat scenario if you wish to use the Weapon. If you do, then state you are using it, and take the number of specified. You can then roll the extra dice as indicated for your combat roll. Note: You must state it before rolling combat.

Drawing a Resistance Card

There are many scenarios throughout the game that will allow you to pick a card from the Resistance Stash. Usually events will ask you to specifically draw an Item, Weapon, or Ally. When this happens, keep turning over cards from the Resistance Stash (either deck—the choice is yours) until you find a card that matches the criteria. Keep that card, and shuffle the others back into the main deck.

If an instruction tells you to draw a card at random, then simply draw the next card from either of the decks.

Layout of a Resistance Card

1. Item Card Allegiance. Denotes who can use this card in the Final Assault Phase (more on page 25). This icon will only be revealed when wearing the Hoffman lenses.
2. The Final Assault Value. This shows what skill and how beneficial this card will be if it is deposited and used to assist in the Final Assault Phase.
3. Card type, Name, and Flavor Text. The strip of tape identifies if the card is a Weapon, Item, or Ally.
4. Stat Modifiers and Where to Equip. The additional number of dice added (green) and any penalties (red) to dice reduced when making skill tests using the card. Ally cards do not contain the 'where to equip' data, as they should always be equipped to the Ally slot.
5. Additional Rules and Card Abilities. If this section starts with the word Action, then this card's ability can be used as one of your actions during the Action Phase.

Tokens

Damage Tokens

There are various scenarios and interactions that may result in you taking damage tokens. These reduce your health until you remove them. Each character has a different starting health, as detailed on their Character card. There are ways to heal damage. The easiest of these is to perform the 'Lay Low' action (more on page 12), but there may be other instances that result in you removing damage. In addition, some enemies may take damage from combat encounters.

Player Death – When the number of damage tokens a player has is equal to, or exceeds, their health total, they are 'killed' and must be removed from the game.

Any Weapons, Items, and Allies are left on the space where the player was killed, ready to be picked up.

The player may then pick one of the two remaining player boards set aside at the beginning of the game, and then play as this character instead. Complete their story intro card and place their standee on their starting location.

Once all extra characters have been used, a further death will result in the party failing and the game ending. The Resistance will be over.

Scrap Tokens

In a world where the very money in our pocket is a lie, those who know the truth can find value in other things. Old tools, weapon parts, or even bits of an old watch; this is the currency of the Resistance. Over the course of the game, players will need to exchange scrap for various items and tests. Alternatively, you can discard unwanted Resistance cards to gain more scrap tokens. Your scrap is kept beside your player board, and you can hold up to 5 pieces at once.

Wanted Tokens

As you progress through the city, you have to be careful not to draw too much attention to yourself. The more you become known, the more the Invaders will hunt you down. Wanted tokens are placed by the side of your player board, and they represent the level at which the Invaders will be trying to take you out. Keeping this under control is essential to remaining hidden and staying alive. A player can have a maximum of 10 wanted tokens on them at once. After that, if they suffer any further wanted tokens then they must instead take 1 damage for each.

Glasses Tokens

Hoffman lenses are humanity's way of seeing the true world around them. Naturally, these aren't always easy to come by. Glasses tokens can be spent during phases of the game which allow a player to put on the Hoffman lenses.

Tokens can be gained numerous ways, from performing a CRAFT action to create glasses, to winning tokens for succeeding in Location and Story cards. Once a glasses token is used, it is discarded.

The Resistance Leader Token

Each turn your group will need to appoint a Resistance leader. It is from this player that the turn cycle begins in a clockwise direction. At the start of each turn (before the Action Phase begins) you must collectively decide who the new leader is, and that player will go first in each phase of the turn. Should players be unable to decide on the new Resistance leader, then it is automatically passed clockwise from the player who currently holds the token.

Injury Cards

Injury cards represent a more severe level of physical harm incurred. When a character takes an injury, the card should be placed beside their character board, and any effects apply immediately.

These effects differ depending on the seriousness of the injury. Some will be minor and only last a single turn, whereas more severe injuries may hinder your ability to perform certain actions and require more time and attention to address.

There are certain enemies and scenarios throughout the game that may result in you taking an Injury card. In addition, when a player engages in combat with another player, they get an Injury card for every 2 damage taken.

Enemy Tiles

From other civilians trying to make their own way in the world, to Invaders attempting to snuff out any man with free will, the streets of LA can be a dangerous place.

As part of the Propaganda Phase (page 23), enemy tiles will spawn on the board. In all following Response Phases (page 13), they will move to intercept players nearby.

There are two different basic enemy types: INVADER and HUMAN. Each can be identified through their artwork or their name, and there are key differences to consider when encountering them.

There are a number of icons that may appear on the front of an enemy tile. These are:

• Turn over icon – indicates that this tile should be inspected as soon as it is placed on the board. Any effects should be performed immediately. This icon is also a reminder that the enemy may behave differently during the Response Phase.
• Influence icon – an Influence icon on the front of the enemy tile indicates that the enemy is Human and therefore capable of being converted to join the Resistance.
• 'RAID SUPPORT' – should an enemy have 'RAID SUPPORT' written on their token, this indicates that the enemy behaves differently when a Breaking News card is revealed featuring a raid icon. Resolve any effects as soon as a raid occurs.

The back of the token shows the enemy tile's proficiency in an encounter, such as Stealth and Combat. The box beneath then details any additional rules associated with the enemy, often these are highlighted with the same icon on the front of the tile. Finally, the number in the bottom left of the tile represents the enemy's health value.

Instead of direct combat, it is possible to convince some Human enemies to join the Resistance. If a Human tile is eligible to be converted, there will be an influence icon on the front of the tile, along with an extra influence icon on the rear to indicate their willingness to be converted.

Human enemies which can be influenced also have an additional 'Final Assault value' in the bottom right corner of their tile. This highlights the specific skill they can bring to the Resistance when the final battle takes place.

The Difference Between a Skill Test and a Combat Roll

Simply put, a SKILL TEST is a basic test of the abilities that define your character. Character Case File cards, Location cards and Breaking News cards will often request you to perform a test and will display the icon of what skill is tested. For example, if it says TEST (or CHECK) [skill icon] this indicates that an engineering test is required.

Roll the number of dice based on the skill value on your Character card. So, if your character has an engineering score of 4, then you need to roll 4 dice. If you roll any KICK ASS icons, then you pass the skill test.

A COMBAT ROLL operates in a very similar way to a skill test; however, these only take place when engaging in combat versus an enemy tile or another player. Dice are rolled in the exact same way as above, although usually only based on your Stealth and Combat skills.

In the case of a combat roll, you'll often need multiple success rolls in order to maximize the damage you cause on enemies and other players.

Cards found in the Resistance Stash can be used to give you additional dice to roll when performing tests or combat rolls. Which stat they boost and by how much is detailed on the individual cards.

Setting Up the Game

Step 1. First, set up the game board and arrange all 11 clock tiles in ascending order. The tile marked 12:00 should be facing on top. When turned, further cards should show 13:00, 14:00, and so on to finally reveal the space marked 00:00 on the board.

Step 2. The border of each Final Assault card is color coded representing the difficulty of each scenario. Green is Easy, Blue is Medium, and Red is hard.

Determine the Final Assault difficulty you wish to play by using the table below and prepare the Assault Phase scenarios.

Difficulty	Green Cards	Blue Cards	Red Cards
Very Easy (Beginner)	2	1	X
Easy	1	2	X
Normal	1	1	1
Advanced	X	2	1
Expert	X	X	3

After determining the difficulty, randomly select your Final Assault cards. Each card has a level between 1 and 3, marked in the bottom right. These represent the sequence that they need to be played in. You need to pick one of each level, and place them face down in order, with the level 1 card being at the top.

For example, let's say you want to play a 'very easy' game. Using the table, you know you'll need to have 2 green cards and 1 blue card. Randomly select a level 3 blue card and place it face down. Then randomly select a level 2 green card and place it face down on top, then do the same with a level 1 green card.

One of the Final Assault cards is marked as the 'Final Assault Introduction' at the top. This card sets the scene for the endgame, and will be read aloud later when starting the Final Assault. Locate this card, and place it on the top of your deck. Together, they form the Final Assault deck.

Position	Card
Top of deck	Intro Card
	Level 1
	Level 2
Bottom of deck	Level 3

If it's your first time playing, we recommend choosing cards for either 'very easy' or 'easy' difficulty. The table above shows an example of how this would look for an Easy game.

Step 3. You need to go through the Resistance Stash (Items, Weapons, and Allies) and remove any cards that contain a red border. These are unique cards that only come into play during certain scenarios or character stories. In the same manner, remove all the enemy tiles with a red border. Once they are separated, the cards can be shuffled, split in half, and placed on the board (on the Resistance Stash spaces). The enemy tiles (all now with a green border) should be placed in a bag or suitable container, ready to be drawn at random through the game.

Step 4. Place billboards at key locations. Randomly select one of each type of billboard and place them at the billboard spaces on the board, ensuring that there is a different image on each one. Set the unused billboards aside to be used later during the Propaganda Phase. (More on page 23)

Step 5. Arrange the Breaking News, Injury, and Location decks. Divide the Breaking News cards into colors, then shuffle each individual pile. Randomly select 7 green cards, 5 blue cards, and 3 red cards.

This totals 15 cards, which are then shuffled together and placed face down on top of the newspaper on the board to form the Breaking News deck. Return the rest to the game box.

You then need to create the Area Location (one pile for each of the 4 areas), Generic Location, and Injury card decks. Shuffle these decks separately and place each of them beside the main board. It might be a good idea to place each Area Location deck next to the area on the board that it is relevant to.

Step 6. Next, prepare the overlay boards based on the number of players. Use the glasses to inspect all of the overlay boards for Human and Invader identities.

Number of Players	Human Overlays	Invader Overlays	Total Overlays
4	4	2	6
5	5	2	7
6	5	2	7

Select a number of overlays depending on the number of players as per the table above. This creates an overlay for each player, plus additional characters that are set aside as extra lives in the result of a player death. Without using the Hoffman lenses any further, shuffle the overlays, then randomly give 1 to each player, keeping the spares aside.

• A 4–5 player game should leave 2 extra lives remaining.
• A 6 player game will only have 1 extra life remaining.

Next, each player randomly selects a Character card and the matching player piece. Place it at the starting location determined on their story intro card (this is the first card in your Personal Story deck).

Players then collect any assets as detailed on their Character card. You can find these assets within the Resistance Stash. Note: Some of these may have been the red-bordered items that were put aside earlier. These assets can be equipped before the game starts.

Arrange the dials on the overlay to match the stats printed on your Character card, and then place your overlay over your Character card to create your player board.

Build each player's Personal Story card deck. Each player must take the case file deck that corresponds to their character. Set aside the intro and ending cards, then shuffle the rest of the deck. Place the intro card on the top of the deck, and the ending at the bottom. Keep them by the side of your character board. This forms your deck of Personal Story cards for the game.

Using the remaining overlays and Character cards, set up the extra lives in the same way as the players, along with their character piece, story deck, and any assets they come with. Keep them close by, but make sure the photo is hidden as well as possible (so that you don't accidentally reveal if they are Human or Invader when using the Hoffman lenses later).

These are extra characters/lives. In the event that one of your characters dies, you can switch them for one of the spares. If you reach a point where you have fewer characters than you do players, then the game is over and the Humans lose.

Step 7. Collectively decide on which player will be the Resistance leader for the first turn. This player takes the Resistance leader token.

As the Resistance leader, you are the first player in each phase of the game turn, in addition to being impacted by other effects and scenarios. At the end of each turn, players can choose a new player to assume the role of leader.

Step 8. Determine if you are a Human or an Invader. To do this, each player privately uses the glasses to inspect their own player board. If your character is wearing sunglasses, then you are Human. Your objective is to play the game as normal, cooperate with your teammates in order to build a successful Resistance, and storm Cable 54. However, if your character's face changes, then you are an Invader—be careful not to give it away!

As an Invader, your objective is to stop the Resistance movement by posing as one of them and preventing them from destroying the signal coming from Cable 54!

Your greatest defense is in your ability to look and act Human—this is your key to victory! It is essential that your behavior isn't suspicious. If you give it away, you could find yourself being confronted by the other players, and they won't stop until you are eliminated.

Your best plan of attack is to act like one of them, whilst secretly working to sabotage their Resistance from within.

Important Note: It's important that each player inspects their board as discreetly as possible, and you must ensure that other players don't see your board when using the glasses. Once all players have checked, set the glasses off to one side for later use.

Step 9. Each player takes turns to complete their story intro card. Read the card aloud and complete the test, collecting any rewards if you pass. These cards serve as an introduction for your character into the world of They Live, and are a way to familiarize yourself with cards and their outcomes.

Once all intro cards are done, the game begins. Starting with the Action Phase, each phase begins with the current Resistance leader.

After the leader has completed their actions, gameplay moves in a clockwise direction to the next player, until all players have taken their actions for that phase.

Once each player has finished that particular phase (e.g. the Action Phase) play moves on to the next phase.

The Action Phase

During the Action Phase, players can move 1 space and then perform 2 actions from the list below. You can't perform the same action twice during the same turn. However, you can move 2 spaces–the first at the beginning of your Action Phase, and then one of your actions can be MOVE from the list below.

For example, you could move 1 space, and then perform 2 of the other actions. Or, you could move 2 spaces, and only perform 1 of the other actions.

You can't, however, move 3 spaces by using both your actions on MOVE, as that would be using the same action twice.

Once a player has completed their actions, the game moves to the next player in a clockwise direction. Once all players have completed their actions, the game moves on to the Response Phase.

Actions

MOVE – You advance to the next space following the lines on the map. You can make a free move at the beginning of your Action Phase, and an additional move as an action.

LAY LOW – Performing a 'Lay Low' action will let your character rest. This allows you to remove 1 wanted token and 1 damage token. Whilst laying low, you can also remove additional wanted or damage tokens at a cost of 1 scrap per token.

The Lay Low action cannot be performed if the space you are on is shared with an enemy. Performing the Lay Low action will end your Action Phase, and play will move to the next player. Therefore, it should always be the last thing you do during your Action Phase.

TRADE – You can give a single Resistance card, or up to 2 scrap, to another player on the same space. The other player may give a Resistance card, or up to 2 scrap, in return.

REORGANIZE – Swap any Weapons, Items, or Allies in your bag (those not equipped) with those equipped.

DISTRACT THE AUTHORITIES – You gain 1 wanted token, and the closest enemy tile is moved one space closer to you.

INSPECT – You may spend a glasses token to put on the Hoffman lenses, and use them to inspect your own Resistance cards to check if any are sabotaged (i.e. to check if they carry the Invader icon).

Alternatively, you can spend a glasses token to put on the Hoffman lenses and inspect the billboards, revealing all the hidden messages. You do not need to keep the information you have seen a secret. In fact, this may be useful in helping other Resistance members move towards the right locations. As an Invader player, you can also opt to provide incorrect information to the rest of the group.

CRAFT – You can discard any Resistance card and gain 1 scrap token for each. Alternatively, you can exchange 3 scrap for a glasses token.

USE AN ITEM, ALLY, OR CHARACTER ACTION – Some Items, Allies, and Characters have special actions, indicated by the keyword ACTION. You can perform these as an action during this phase.

Special Movement

The board contains a freeway that allows you to travel across the city at speed. But be warned, it comes at a price…

The freeway is defined by alternating black and red arrows that run the width of the board. Any spaces along this path are considered freeway spaces. You can use the freeway to move between as many freeway spaces as you wish. However, you will suffer +1 wanted token for each space you move this way.

The Response Phase

In this phase, the 'game' takes its turn by reacting to the current state of play.

At the start of the Response Phase, enemy tokens move 1 space closer to the player in their current area with the highest wanted level (i.e. the one with the most wanted tokens). To do this, first check which player in each area has the most wanted tokens. Then, move each enemy tile in that area 1 space closer to them.

Note: If none of the players in an area have wanted tokens, then the enemies there do not move. An enemy will also not move if they begin the Response Phase already sharing a space with a player that has 1 or more wanted tokens (if that player has no wanted tokens, then the enemy may move away from them).

If 2 or more players have the same number of wanted tokens, then the enemies move towards whoever is closest.

Once the tiles have moved, enemies will then attack any players that share the same space as them. This includes enemies that didn't move during the Response Phase. The encounter is resolved in the following ways:

Basic Enemy Combat Encounter

As soon as the enemy attacks a player, that enemy tile must be turned over. On the reverse side of the tile there will be either 3 or 5 values (depending on if they are Human or Invader). Enemy tiles with a green border are standard enemies and shouldn't be too much of a match for a single player.

The first step in an enemy encounter is for the player to roll Stealth. To do this, you must roll 1 dice for every point that your character has on their Stealth skill, subtracting 1 dice for every wanted token that they have (to a minimum of 1). Players also gain bonuses, or suffer penalties, for any Item, Weapon, or Ally Resistance cards they have equipped. The details are on the individual cards.

If you roll LESS successes than the enemy's Stealth value, then you lose 1 combat dice for the next step of the enemy interaction.

The next step is to roll Combat. If you roll MORE successes than the enemy's health value (the number in the bottom left of the enemy card, minus any damage they have from previous encounters) then the enemy is killed, and the interaction has ended. You can now try for a reward (see page 15). If you roll LESS successes than the enemy health value, then the enemy takes 1 damage token for each success you rolled. However, in this case you also take damage. If your Combat successes are MORE than or equal to the enemy Combat value, then you are safe. If they are LESS, then you must subtract your successes from the enemy combat value, and the number left is how many damage tokens you take in return. If the enemy has survived the interaction, then they remain on the same space for the next phase. Some enemies may take several turns to defeat.

The next page features a flowchart that shows how this works.

Fighting Multiple Enemies

There may be times when a space contains multiple enemy tiles. When this happens, place them one on top of the other, with the latest one placed on the bottom (i.e. the tile that has been on the board longest should be on the top). When you enter combat with multiple enemies, you must fight them all one by one within the same Response Phase. This is done by engaging with the first enemy, rolling Stealth and Combat, and dealing damage accordingly. Regardless of the outcome, as soon as that interaction is done then you must then do the same for the next enemy in the sequence, until you have fought them all.

Example

Andrew is in a combat situation with an enemy. Andrew has a Stealth score of 6. He also has 2 wanted tokens, which means he subtracts 2 dice from his total pool, resulting in him rolling 4 dice.

The enemy tile has a Stealth value of 1.

Andrew rolls his 4 dice. He gets 1 Chew Bubblegum, and 3 Kick Ass. That is 3 successes, and so he has beaten the enemy's Stealth score.

After performing a successful Stealth test against an Invader civilian enemy tile, Andrew rolls Combat against it.

His Combat score is 4, plus he gains an additional 2 combat dice for the Weapon he's carrying. This means he rolls a total of 6 Combat dice.

The enemy has a health value of 4, but it already has 2 damage tokens on it from a previous encounter.

Andrew rolls 3 Kick Ass, easily defeating the enemy tile.

With no more enemy tiles on his current space, this ends the Response Phase for Andrew.

Enemy Interaction Flowchart

The flowchart on page 14 shows the following sequence:

1. An enemy tile has moved onto your space, or has started the Response Phase on the same space as you.
2. Roll Stealth (-1 dice for EACH wanted token you have, to a minimum of 1).
3. Is your Stealth roll higher or equal to the enemy's Stealth value? If No, you suffer -1 Combat dice. If Yes, go to step 4.
4. Roll Combat. Did you roll equal or more successes than the enemy health value?* If Yes, the enemy is killed (see rewards on the next page). If No, the enemy takes 1 damage token for each success you rolled.
5. Was the number of Combat successes equal or higher than the enemy Combat value? If Yes, the encounter ends. If No, the enemy Combat level minus your successes is how many damage tokens you take.

*Enemy health value = enemy health minus any damage tokens attached to them.

Rewards for Defeating Enemies

When an enemy is defeated, you can perform an Intelligence stat roll to search them for resources. For each success (Kick Ass) you get, you may draw 1 card from the Resistance Stash.

When performing a team effort to take down an enemy (more on team effort below) you must decide who is going to perform the Intelligence roll and take the reward. If two or more of you want it, then you must both roll Intelligence, and whoever gets the most successes collects the rewards.

Persuade

Some Human enemies are just doing their job, blissfully unaware of the evil in our midst. You might be able to take a more diplomatic approach, and appeal to their sensibilities. A Human enemy is capable of being persuaded if they show the INFLUENCE icon on the front of their tile.

To persuade an enemy, first declare this right at the start of the enemy encounter (before rolling Stealth). By attempting to persuade a Human enemy tile, you forfeit your chance to attack normally. After declaring it, you then need to perform an Influence roll. The influence icon on the back of the enemy tile will indicate how many successes are needed in order to convert this enemy into a member of the Resistance.

If you roll equal to or higher than the enemy Influence value, then the enemy is recruited into the Resistance! To do this, move the enemy tile onto the Resistance Resources space at the top of the board. This will come in use later when you assault Cable 54.

If you fail, then the enemy tile retaliates and deals damage to you equal to their Combat value, and the encounter ends. Since you didn't roll any combat dice, the enemy does not take any damage when using Persuade.

Team Effort

Some enemies are too tough for a single player to tackle alone. Imagine trying to take down a riot squad all by yourself!

Fortunately, all players that occupy the same space can join forces in combat against an enemy tile (note: You can't join together for persuade, nor can you team up in a player vs player encounter–more on page 16).

To do this, each player must first agree that this is the approach they want to take. It's harder to stay hidden as a group, so sneaking up on an enemy collectively works a little differently.

First, each player must complete a Stealth roll against the enemy tile's Stealth value, the same as if they were attacking the enemy alone. If any player performing the team effort attack fails their Stealth check, you ALL suffer -1 to your Combat rolls.

Each player then rolls their Combat tests (taking into account Weapons and wanted levels, as per the previous page). The successes of each player are then combined, and this equates to how much damage the enemy takes. If this is more than the enemy's health, then they are defeated.

If the enemy isn't defeated, then damage is dealt in the same way that it is for a 1v1 enemy encounter; however, the damage impacts ALL players that are fighting it. For example, if the enemy has a combat score of 6, and as a group you only manage to get 4 Combat successes, then you EACH take 2 (6-4) damage.

Red Enemy Tokens

There are some enemy tokens which were set aside at the beginning of the game. These aren't 'spawned' at random locations on the board like normal enemies. Instead, they come with their own unique scenario as part of a Breaking News card being revealed.

Enemies with a red border are considered 'bosses', and either have their own unique means of being dealt with or are simply too tough to take on alone. You may need to coordinate with your teammates to bring them down. It's worth double checking the Breaking News card for any hints on how to dispatch these foes and exercising more caution than usual around them.

Player vs Player Confrontation (PVP)

Over the course of the game, you may become suspicious of another player's behavior. Alternatively, as an Invader player, you may wish to cast doubt on an innocent Human player.

If you ended your Action Phase on the same space as another player, you can confront them. This begins the PVP Confrontation scenario. Team Effort may not be used when confronting another player. These fights are strictly 1v1.

After all enemies have moved and encountered any players in the Response Phase, check to see if there are any two (or more) players occupying the same space on the board.

Note: A player cannot participate (attack or be attacked) in a PVP Confrontation if either player has already engaged with any enemy tiles (or another player) this Response Phase. Both players are assumed to be too distracted battling, or persuading, the enemy to engage in a street fight.

Working in turn order, check to see if either of you wish to confront the other.

The next step is for the attacking player to decide if they wish to spend a glasses token or not.

Spending a glasses token means that after the fight the attacker (if they either won the battle or it was a draw) will be able to put on the Hoffman lenses to check the defender's game board and determine if they're an Invader or not. To use a glasses token, you must declare and spend the token before the engagement begins. If you lose the fight, then the glasses are considered lost in the scuffle. If you do not wish to use a token, then instead it just becomes a standard engagement scenario.

PVP confrontation works in a similar way to an enemy encounter in the Response Phase. The player instigating the combat will be referred to as the attacker. The other player will be referred to as the defender.

To begin, both players must roll Stealth against each other. As before, they gain bonuses or suffer penalties for any Item, Weapon, or Ally cards they have equipped. They also subtract 1 dice for each wanted token.

The victor is the player who rolled more successes than their opponent. The loser suffers –1 dice for their combat rolls for the engagement. If players roll equal successes, then the fight proceeds as normal without either player suffering a combat penalty for the engagement.

The next page features a flowchart that shows how the first part of PVP confrontation works.

Rolling Criticals

If the attacking player rolls a critical (3 or more Kick Ass of the same color) on the Stealth check, regardless of how many successes the defending player rolled, the attacking player is considered to have taken the defender by surprise.

If the attacker spent a glasses token prior to rolling, they can immediately inspect the defender's board using the Hoffman lenses, then the attacker can choose to let the encounter end without a fight or proceeding to Combat.

If the defending player rolls a critical (3 or more Kick Ass of the same color) on the Stealth check regardless of how many successes the attacking player rolled, the defending player is considered to be alert and can take this opportunity to avoid the attacker. The defender can choose to flee the scene, moving directly to any adjacent space and let the encounter end without a fight or proceeding to Combat.

Should both players roll critical on the Stealth check, neither player claims an advantage and the confrontation proceeds as normal.

Criticals can also be rolled during combat. This can happen against enemy tiles OR in PVP. When this happens, you do an extra 2 damage.

PVP Confrontation 1 (Flowchart Summary)

The flowchart on page 17 shows the following sequence:

1. Start: 2 players share a space during the Response Phase, there are no enemies present, and neither player has already fought during this Response Phase.
2. Attacker: Do you want to use a glasses token? If Yes, spend 1 glasses token. If No, continue.
3. Both players roll Stealth (-1 dice for EACH wanted token you have, to a minimum of 1).
4. Who rolled a critical? If the attacker, the attacker may use the Hoffman lenses to check the defender's card (if they spent a glasses token). If both or neither, continue. If the defender, see the Rolling Criticals section above.
5. Who got the most successes in the Stealth roll? The defender suffers -1 combat dice if the attacker wins; the attacker suffers -1 combat dice if the defender wins. If equal, move on to PVP Engagement 2.
6. Defender: Do you want to enter combat? If No, flee the scene–you move to an adjacent space, and the encounter ends.

PVP Confrontation (Continued)

Should players progress from taking a Stealth check to engaging in combat, the next step is for both players to battle it out and deal damage to each other. How this is done is detailed below.

The Dangers of PVP – PVP combat situations are high risk, with the possibility of either player walking away with an injury. The purpose of these encounters is to give you an opportunity to inspect the other player's board using the Hoffman lenses. This is the only way to uncover who among you are secretly Invaders!

It is advised that, to get the most from the game, PVP encounters are primarily used for this purpose. Do you suspect one of the team of being an Invader? Track them down, fight them, and take a look at their board.

Both players must roll Combat, including any modifiers for equipped Resistance cards. For each success that a player rolls, the opposing player takes a damage token. For example, if the attacker rolls 3 Kick Ass, and the defender rolls 2 Kick Ass, then the attacker takes 2 damage tokens, and the defender takes 3.

If either player takes 2 or more damage during a single PVP encounter, then they must also draw an Injury card.

Finally, if the attacker is still alive (i.e. they have LESS damage tokens than their health value) then what happens next depends on if they spent a glasses token at the start of the engagement or not.

If they did spend a token, AND if their successes in the Combat roll were GREATER THAN or EQUAL TO the defender's Combat roll, then they may inspect the defender's Character card using the glasses.

A player wearing the glasses is free to disclose what they saw. Highlighting an Invader to the rest of the group could help put a stop to them before they cause further sabotage.

However, this also leaves an opportunity for the Invader player to wear the glasses and cast doubt on a perfectly innocent player.

If they either didn't spend a token before the confrontation, or their Combat roll was LESS than the defender's, then the interaction ends.

When the confrontation has ended, the player who took the most damage is considered the loser of the engagement, and therefore must flee to an adjacent space of their choosing. The loser may not perform any steps as part of the upcoming Location Phase.

Proceed going around the board to determine if any players can/wish to participate in a PVP encounter (starting with the current Resistance leader, and moving in order). Remember that each player may only engage in a confrontation with another player ONCE per Response Phase, and they can only do so if they haven't encountered any enemy tiles this phase.

Players sharing the same space don't have to confront each other in this way. There are often times where players wish to come together for a cooperative reason.

Once each player has completed their Response Phase, play then moves onto the Location Phase.

PVP Confrontation 2 (Flowchart Summary)

The flowchart on page 19 shows the following sequence, continuing from PVP Confrontation 1:

1. Attacker and defender each roll Combat (adding any extras for Weapons, Items, or Allies used or equipped).
2. Each side deals damage tokens equal to its successes to the other player. Note: If you take 2 or more damage, you are injured and draw an Injury card.
3. Between you, did you roll at least 1 Combat success? If No, the encounter ends. If Yes, continue.
4. Do you still have 1 or more health remaining? If not, your character has died.
5. Attacker: did you roll GREATER or EQUAL combat successes than the defender? If Yes, and if you spent a glasses token, you may use the Hoffman lenses to check your opponent's card. If No, the encounter ends.

The Location Phase

In this phase, each player resolves one of multiple possible scenarios based on the current space they are on.

Each player will need to choose (depending on their location) from depositing resources to build the Resistance, investigating a place of interest, or resolving one of their own Personal Case File cards to advance their character's Personal Story. If a player begins their Location Phase on the same space as an enemy tile, or if they engaged in combat with another player (PVP) and lost, their only option is to recover.

Below is a list of options of what you can do for this phase. As with previous phases, the current Resistance leader takes their turn first, moving clockwise to the next player and so on.

Interact With the Space

This applies to both named and unnamed spaces on the board (NOT billboards). There are 2 ways that you can interact with a specific space.

Encounter the location. This is likely to be the most frequent thing that will happen during the Location Phase.

If you are on a named space (one with a picture and a title) then you may draw a Location card for the corresponding area. The card is split into 3 sections, 1 for each of the named spaces in that area. The text will contain a narrative followed by a skill test that needs to be resolved.

If, however, you are not on a named space, then you need to draw a generic Location card. These are split into 2 sections. The top section covers the generic locations in the Tax Exempt and Downtown areas, and the bottom section for generic locations in the Downtown Redevelopment and Resettlement areas. As before, each will feature a skill test to complete.

If you are successful (with a specific or generic Location card), as well as being rewarded with whatever the card says, you will also be able to collect any scrap tokens or Resistance cards that are on the current space.

Personal story card. Each character begins the game with a deck of Personal Story cards. On the back of the next card of your deck, an image will show a location. This is where you need to be on the board in order to resolve the story card. During the Location Phase, if you find yourself on the space that corresponds to your next story card and it's clear of enemy tiles, then you can choose to play that story card instead of drawing a Location card.

The card will feature a more personal experience based around the character you're playing as, indicating what has happened and what you need to do to succeed. If you fail the card, then it is discarded, and you can't attempt that card again through this play through.

Once you have successfully passed 3 Personal Story cards, then you have completed your story! Collect the story end card (at the bottom of your personal case file deck) and read it through. Note: The story intro card DOES NOT count as one of your 3 passes needed to complete your story.

The story end card will reveal 2 possible endings (Human or Invader) along with a special reward! Search the red bordered Resistance cards set aside at the beginning of the game for the reward, and use the Hoffman lenses to pick the relevant one (note: you do not need to use a glasses token for this).

It's best that you don't reveal the ending of your story to the other players–keep this hidden until the end of the game. If you're an Invader player, you need to keep your identity secret, and reading the ending might give it away.

Resistance Supply

This applies to: Billboards.

The billboard spaces on the board act as safe houses for the Resistance. They are essential in managing and preparing your items ready for the Final Assault. During the Location Phase, players on a billboard can do ONLY 1 of the following:

• Build the Resistance: You can deposit 1–3 Weapons, Items, or Allies from your hand onto the billboard you're currently on. Place them face down to form a deck. These cards remain here until they are deployed.

  Warning! During the Propaganda Phase, billboards can be raided and the cards on them may be confiscated by the Invaders.

• Gather resources: Stationed at each billboard is a Resistance broker who you can barter with to gain additional resources. Pay 2 scrap, and then roll an Influence test. For each pass, you draw a card from the Resistance Stash and add them to your hand. If you get 0 successes, then you can pay another 2 scrap to try again.

• Check and deploy resources: Deploying resources moves the cards from the billboard to the Resistance Resources space at the top of the board, ready for your assault on Cable 54. Building up a deck ready for the end game is essential in preparing yourselves for the final challenge.

  However, some Weapons, Items, and Allies may be sabotaged, and it is up to you to view and discard any cards that carry an Invader icon. If you wish to check them first, then you will need to spend a glasses token to allow you to put on the Hoffman lenses and detect the Invader interference. You are allowed to check the cards and deploy them within the same Location Phase.

  Alternatively, if you are playing as one of the Invaders, you may want to discreetly do the opposite–discard the useful cards, and only deploy the sabotaged Resource cards.

Building up a deck of Resistance cards on the Resistance Resources space is the key to taking down Cable 54! It's important to remember that you can only complete 1 of the above actions during your Location Phase. For example, you could build the Resistance by depositing cards onto the billboard, but you can't then deploy these resources during the same turn. Teamwork is essential in building up decks at billboards, checking them for sabotage, and then deploying them.

Completing any of the above during your Location Phase then allows you to collect any scrap that has spawned on the space.

Example

Matt has the Resistance leader token and takes his Location Phase first. In the Action Phase earlier, Matt moved to a billboard location.

There are no enemies here, and he chooses to 'Build the Resistance' by depositing some of his Resistance cards into the billboard stash. He hands in 2 cards.

On the next turn, Kevin moves onto the same billboard. During the following Location Phase, he spends a glasses token to 'Check and deploy' the resources.

He puts on the glasses, and looks at all the cards on the billboard. He notices that 2 of the 3 cards are showing an Invader icon, so he discards them. The 1 remaining card is sent to the Resistance Resources space.

Did Matt know he had deposited 2 sabotaged cards? Kevin starts to suspect he's up to no good.

Recover

This applies to: Any location you share with an enemy tile, or if you lost a confrontation with another player (during the previous Response Phase).

Battling enemies and brawling with each other in the street leaves little opportunity for sightseeing. If you've lost a fight with another player, or if there is an enemy tile on the same space, then you need to rest. This means that you skip the current Location Phase.

The Location Phase ends after all players have performed one of the above steps, starting with the Resistance leader, and working clockwise around the group. The next page features a flowchart that shows how the Location Phase works.

Gameplay then moves to the final phase of the turn: the Propaganda Phase.

However, there is 1 other option that can be done during the Location Phase. This will happen only once per game, and is detailed below.

Trigger the Final Assault

This applies to: The Cable 54 space.

The Final Assault is when the Humans take action and attempt to stop the Invader signal!

Players don't encounter the Cable 54 space like conventional locations. Instead, it is only used when you are ready to take on the final challenge.

When the game clock is RED (the numbers will turn red during the final few hours), then the Resistance leader may trigger the Final Assault. To do this, they must first get to the Cable 54 space. During their Location Phase, they can then state that they wish to begin the assault. The rest of the group must finish their Location Phase, before being teleported to the Cable 54 space.

When the Final Assault is triggered, and after the Location Phase ends, the game skips the Propaganda Phase and instead moves onto the Final Assault Phase.

Location Phase Flowchart Summary

The flowchart on page 22 shows the following sequence:

1. Start: Look at the space you are on.
2. Is there an enemy on your space? If Yes, go to Recover.
3. Did you lose an encounter with another player in the Response Phase? If Yes, go to Recover.
4. Are you on a billboard? If Yes, go to Resistance Supply.
5. If No, go to Interact with the space.

The Propaganda Phase

The Propaganda Phase is the last phase and marks the end of the current game turn. This phase creates some changes around the board before the next phase cycle begins.

First, turn over a new card from the Breaking News deck and follow the instructions.

Breaking News Cards

Breaking News cards represent the 'real world' stories and events that are being broadcast via the Cable 54 News station. Each card is broken into 2 sections: the propaganda bar and the news story.

The propaganda bar shows any game clock advances, billboard raids, billboard swaps, enemy placements, and scrap placements. This should be read and applied first, working left to right in order. If a icon is greyed out, then it does not apply to this Breaking News card.

Raids (Obey, Consume, or Marry and Reproduce)

The game confiscates and discards any resources left at specific billboard spaces.

If a Breaking News card shows a raid, nominate a player to put on the Hoffman lenses and look at the game board. If any billboards match the hidden message shown on the Breaking News card, all Resource cards at the matching billboards are discarded. In addition, any players in the same area as the raid instantly take 2 wanted tokens.

You also need to check if any enemies in play carry the 'raid support' icon. When they do, turn them over and follow the instructions on the back. This may include additional damage, loss of time, or further impacts that will support the raids.

Billboard Swaps

Swap a billboard with an identical pictured billboard on the map.

The billboard swap icon will tell you which billboard art to remove and replace with another. It's important to replace each billboard with identical artwork from those set aside at the beginning of the game. For example, if this says 'Billy', then you need to swap the Billy billboard on the board with one of the other Billy ones put aside.

Concealed within the art of each billboard is a hidden message which can only be revealed using the Hoffman lenses.

By replacing these, it changes the type of raids that will affect that billboard. Be sure to use your Hoffman lenses/Inspect Action to monitor the hidden messages.

Clock Advances

The game clock progresses. The game clock advances by the number of hours highlighted underneath the icon. Turn over the clock tiles to reflect this.

When the clock goes red, the end is approaching! This is the point where players should begin to discuss the most opportune time to trigger the Final Assault Phase.

If the clock hits midnight before triggering the Final Assault, the game ends and the Resistance lose.

Enemy and Scrap Placements

Spawn enemies and supplies.

The next two icons are for enemy tile and scrap token placement. The numbers under each icon denote which locations these should be placed on.

For enemies, you need to take a random enemy tile from the bag and place it on each numbered location shown on the 'watch' icon. When placing enemies, check to see if any carry the 'turn over' icon. If so, they may cause additional effects or need to be moved to specific locations.

For scrap, simply place a scrap token on the numbered location indicated on the 'scrap' icon.

Breaking News Story

Beneath the propaganda bar is a Breaking News story. This should be read and followed next.

A Breaking News story sets the scene with a narrative based on an event taking place in the city. It is then followed by a game effect. These range from altering enemy behaviors, creating conditions for players, or even spawning powerful bosses!

Each turn, discard the previous turn's Breaking News card, and replace it with a new one (unless the card specifically states otherwise).

Running Out of Breaking News Cards

If a game runs out of Breaking News cards while there is time remaining on the game clock, each following Propaganda Phase is slightly different. Should this be the case, do these 3 things for each Propaganda Phase:

• Advance the clock by 1 hour.
• Spawn a random enemy at each of the 3 billboards.
• Give each character 1 extra wanted token.

Players need to be aware that time is running out. When you run out of Breaking News cards, enemies are going to build up fast! It might be time to start thinking about storming Cable 54.

Ending the Game Turn

Once all the icons have been followed and the Breaking News story resolved, it must remain face up for the next turn.

All players must now collectively decide on who will be the Resistance leader for the next game turn. When decided, the new Resistance leader takes the token. That player goes first on the next turn. Remember, if the group cannot collectively decide who the Resistance leader should be, then the token is passed on to the next player in a clockwise direction.

Play then switches back to the Action Phase, and the next turn begins. You must continue to rotate through the Action, Response, Location, and Propaganda Phases until you are ready to take on the Final Assault.

The Final Assault Phase

This is the attack on Cable 54, THIS is what it's all been about, where Human players will attempt to stop the signal, and Invaders will try to thwart their efforts!

During the last 5 in-game hours, the clock numbers at the top of the board will turn RED. This indicates that time is running out, and you should consider starting the Final Assault. To do this, the Resistance leader must reach the Cable 54 space, and state during their Location Phase that they wish to trigger the assault.

If the clock strikes 00:00 before you have begun the Final Assault Phase, then the Human players have lost! They have failed to stop the signal, and the invasion will continue. Should this happen, all Invader players can then reveal themselves, as they have won the game.

When the Final Assault Phase is triggered, all players first complete their current Location Phase, and then instead of progressing to the Propaganda Phase, all players are pulled to the Cable 54 space to take part in the Final Assault. Note: No further turns can take place once the Final Assault has begun. Any extra character boards that have not been used (i.e. the extra lives) should now be discarded, as they cannot be used during this phase.

Prepare Your Resources

After triggering the Final Assault Phase, the group must check the resources available.

The first step is to look at what you are each carrying. Your equipped cards stay with you into the Final Assault, and continue to work as normal. However, any additional Resistance cards (including all unequipped Weapons, Items, and Allies) must be discarded. All wanted, scrap, and glasses tokens are also discarded–you won't be needing them here. Damage tokens, however, should remain on your characters.

Remember all those cards you've been sending to the Resistance Resources deck? This is where they come in use. Players are all now free to use the Hoffman lenses to inspect the Resistance Resources–you DO NOT need to spend a glasses token to do so. The first thing you're going to want to do is to inspect the deck with the lenses and divide them into 2 piles. Useful cards–those with a Resistance 'glasses' icon in the top right corner, and sabotaged cards–those with the 'Invader' icon. The other resource you will want to prepare is any Human enemy tiles that were acquired by using the Persuade action. These display a Final Assault value in the bottom right corner.

By the end of this step, you should have two piles:

• Useful Resistance cards and converted enemy tiles: These are Weapons, Items, and Allies that can be used to boost stats during the Final Assault. They can ONLY be used for their relevant stats. For example, an Item that has an Engineering boost can only be used to help in a scenario that requires Engineering.
• Sabotaged Invader cards: These are resources that carry the hidden Invader icon. These are now completely useless to Human players. However, these can be used by Invader players to increase the difficulty of stat rolls during the Final Assault. Unlike the useful cards, the Invader cards can be used against ANY stat test. For example, an Item that has an Engineering boost can be used to increase the difficulty of any stat check that the Human players need to pass.

Final Assault Cards and Winning the Game

At the start of the game, during setup, 3 Assault cards were placed face down underneath the 'Assault Introduction card'. The Assault Introduction card will set the scene and explain how you've gathered to make a final stand against the Invaders. The other cards will put you through a series of tests, from explaining how you get into the Cable 54 building to ultimately stopping the signal. These tests are too difficult for one player to take on alone, so a group effort is essential! When this phase begins, players must turn over the first card.

Each card details the scenario, and what test or tests need to be completed in order to move onto the next card. Overcoming these tests will require you to each roll for the specified stat and combine your successes to overcome it.

Turn over and read the scenario on the first card. That will tell you what skill test you need to pass to progress to the next card. Each card requires a number of collective successes to pass. These are detailed on the card, and include a icon and a number.

• The number of dice rolled is equal to the number of characters taking the test. For example, in a 5 player game where none of you have revealed yourselves to be an Invader, this value would be 5. However, if one of you had revealed that you were an Invader, then only 4 would be trying to pass the test, so this value would be 4.
• Some scenarios may ask that you split into 2 groups. When this happens, then this value represents that individual group size doing the test.

If you wish to use a converted enemy tile or card from the Resistance Resources to boost your chances of success, then the group must decide which to spend BEFORE attempting to roll for the test. Pass or fail, those cards/tiles are discarded! You may use as many cards and tiles as you wish, but it's important that you are careful when you spend the resources, as you don't know what the next card might bring. Note: You cannot use Resistance cards to cover 100% of a single test—you must have at least 1 of the successes from a dice roll.

If you fail the stats roll, then turn the Final Assault card over and read the fail section. This will tell you what to do next. You may be given the opportunity to try again, or perhaps it's too late. Unless the card states otherwise, after failing the same card 5 times it's game over, and the humans lose!

If the fail condition involves fighting an enemy, then do so as you would during the Response Phase (including the rules for a team effort). Fight the enemy and deal damage to both of you accordingly. If the enemy is not defeated, then repeat the process (without the initial Stealth roll—no Combat dice lost) until they are defeated, then move back to the Final Assault card and continue.

After succeeding the card, you can then move onto the second one, and so on. Once all 3 are passed, the Humans have successfully assaulted Cable 54, and they have won the game!

However, there could be Invaders hiding in your team.

Example

Andrew, Max, Hugo, and Luke are taking on the Final Assault.

Their first Final Assault card states that they must pass a test with +6 (total: 10) successes.

Andrew's character has a Combat score of 5, Max's has 5, Hugo's has 4, Luke's has 3. Before they roll, the group decides to use a Weapon card from the Resistance Resources deck that grants the group +2 Combat. This gives the group 2 automatic successes, effectively making the test require only 8 passes.

They each make their Combat rolls: Andrew gets 3 successes, Max gets 3, Hugo gets 1, Luke gets 1. Together, they got 8 successes, so they have just managed to succeed. The Weapon card used is discarded, and the group progresses onto the next Final Assault card.

Note: If they had lost the roll, the Weapon would still be discarded!

Invader Intervention

Sabotaged cards within the Resistance Resources can be used by Invader players to help stop the Human players.

These are marked with a hidden Invader icon on the top corner of Resistance cards (only visible through the Hoffman lenses).

It's during the Final Assault that Invader players can choose to reveal themselves. Doing so will give them access to the sabotaged cards that were hidden throughout the Resistance Resources.

The stats values on these cards are used in the opposite way to the Human players; instead of reducing the number of successes needed to pass a test, they increase it. In addition, sabotaged cards aren't specific to the test shown on the Final Assault card.

For example, the Human players need to pass an Engineering test requiring 10 successes. An Invader can add ANY additional sabotaged cards from their deck to increase the difficulty of the Engineering test. Pass or fail, any cards used by an Invader are discarded after the Human players attempt the test.

An Invader player may reveal themselves in any of the 3 stages of the Final Assault. The Invader player must play alongside the Human players as normal, up until the point of revealing themselves. Strategy and cunning can be used just at the right time to stop the Humans!

Example (Invader Reveal)

Andrew's character has an Engineering score of 3, Matt's has 4, Kevin's has 5, and Luke's has 6. The next Final Assault card asks for an Engineering test needing +6 successes to pass.

Before they roll, Luke, knowing he has the highest Engineering score, reveals that he has been an Invader the whole time. He takes the pile of sabotaged Resistance cards. One of these cards has +2 influence; however, as it's a sabotaged card with an Invader icon, Luke can use it against any test to increase the difficulty.

He plays the card. There are now 3 of them attempting the test. The card asks for +6 to pass, plus the extra 2 needed from the sabotaged card that Luke played. This means that between the 3 of them they need to get 11 Engineering passes.

The others must now use whatever resources they have to try and increase their chances of success. They also need to be careful, as if they use resources and still fail, those cards are lost, making it harder to try again.

The Enemy Revealed

After an Invader reveals themselves, there is an opportunity for the Human players to attempt to take them out!

First, the Invader player must reveal themselves during one of the Final Assault cards. During that same card, the Human players must then pass the skill test. If they do, then they can decide to fight the Invader.

Each Human player must decide before the fight starts if they want to take part in the battle or not. Once that has been decided, the players who are fighting must roll Combat. The Invader player must also roll Combat.

Similar to engaging with another player during the Response Phase, players deal damage for each success roll. However, as the fight takes place between multiple players simultaneously, each success the Human players collectively roll deals 1 damage to the Invader. Conversely, for each success the Invader rolls, EACH Human player that took part in the battle takes 1 damage token. Anyone with equal or more damage tokens than health is then killed and out of the game.

After the fight, the Humans continue onto the next card.

If the Invader survives the attack, then during the next card they can either:

• Continue and try to sabotage that card as well, or
• Retreat, and wait for the following Final Assault card to attempt to sabotage again.

For example, if an Invader reveals themselves during Final Assault card 1, and survives the attack, they can choose to hide away for card 2, then come back in card 3 and throw everything they've got at trying to stop the Humans!

The Final Assault Flowchart Summary

The flowchart on page 27 shows the following sequence:

1. Start: The clock is red, and the Resistance leader has triggered the Final Assault. Use the Hoffman lenses to sort the Resistance deck into 2 piles–ones that have been sabotaged, and ones that haven't.
2. Turn over the first card and read the scenario.
3. Human: Do you wish to use any cards to boost your stats? If Yes, as a group, decide which cards will be used. If No, go to the roll. (Humans: each card details what stat it can be used to boost during the Final Assault.)
4. Invader: Do you wish to reveal yourself, and use cards to increase the difficulty? If Yes, reveal to the group that you are an Invader, and decide which sabotaged cards you will use for this test. If No, continue to act as a Human, and join them in the stat tests. (Invaders: you can use sabotaged cards against ANY stat of your choosing.)
5. Roll the test/tests according to the scenario.
6. Discard ALL cards used (regardless of result).
7. Did the group pass the stat test/tests required? If No, turn over the scenario card and follow the instructions for FAIL. If Yes, continue.
8. Do you wish to engage any revealed Invaders in combat? If Yes, go to Fight an Invader (see below). If No, turn over the scenario card and follow the instructions for PASS.

(Note: unless otherwise stated, after failing the same card 5 times it's game over.)

Fight an Invader (Flowchart Summary)

The flowchart on page 28 shows the following sequence:

1. Start: An Invader has revealed themselves during a Final Assault card, and 1 or more of you wish to combat them.
2. Each Human decides if they want to fight the Invader.
3. Each player that wants to fight the Invader rolls Combat together. The successes are totaled.
4. Deal damage tokens to the Invader equal to the combined successes of the Combat roll.
5. Invader rolls Combat, and deals damage tokens to EACH of the Humans equal to the successes of its Combat roll.
6. Those of you with 0 health are now killed.

Ending the Game

Humanity Freed

Should the Human players succeed in completing all 3 Final Assault cards, then they have stopped the signal!

Congratulations, anyone playing as a Human has won the game!

All over LA people are waking up to the truth. The Invaders are exposed, and they have nowhere to hide. Humanity has been freed, and you are all heroes!

Any players (Human or Invader) that completed their personal stories during the game can now read their ending aloud.

Humanity Enslaved

Should the Invader players succeed in stopping the Resistance, either by the clock counting down, too many player deaths, or the players failing to complete all 3 Final Assault cards, then they win the game.

Congratulations Invaders, humanity will remain enslaved!

Each Invader player must now reveal their identity, and celebrate their victory.

Any players (Human or Invader) that completed their personal stories during the game can now read their ending aloud.

1–3 Player Blind Play Supplement

This rules supplement is a companion piece to the main rulebook. It ships with every copy of the game. If this is your first time playing, it's important that you read the main rulebook first.

Overview

The 1–3 player mode, called 'blind play', puts players in direct control of 4 Resistance characters. You will need to manage each member of the group and focus on gathering resources to take down Cable 54.

The player/s will need to move around the city, complete objectives (as highlighted in the 4–6 player rules manual), and take turns with the characters under your control.

The player/s will need to determine which of their team is secretly working for the Invaders, and reveal them before the Final Assault. If they don't, the Resistance could be compromised and they could find themselves outgunned and outnumbered, failing to save humanity.

This supplement details phase changes which take place (if any) in this alternate game mode.

Core Gameplay Changes

The core mechanics stay mostly the same, but the key change between the standard 4–6 player mode and blind play is the removal of player deception. Instead, the hidden Invader aspect of the game becomes one of deduction.

Unlike the 4–6 player game, all of the characters in blind play will be working together. This mode is about detecting hidden Invaders among your team of characters, and flushing them out as soon as possible to prevent them from stealing your items before the Final Assault.

The best way to detect an Invader is by forcing your characters to engage each other in combat, allowing the victor to inspect their defeated teammate (more on this later in the rulebook). Forcing characters to engage each other will determine who is real and who isn't.

When an Invader is revealed, the team must then tackle that enemy or risk further danger on the streets.

Do you ignore the Invaders in your midst and risk losing some of your hard-earned resources? Or do you spend some of the limited time you have working to weed out the traitors? The choice is yours.

Invader Behavior Cards

Blind play introduces a new deck of cards known as the 'Invader Behavior deck'. When a character is revealed to be an Invader, their player board is removed from the game. Instead, they are replaced with a randomized Invader Behavior card.

Similar to enemy tiles, these cards detail stealth and combat prowess as well as the character's health. However, this isn't a run-of-the-mill enemy! Some may have additional actions to perform in various gameplay phases, which will challenge you in new ways.

These Invaders know your strengths and weaknesses–they'll be much harder to take down.

There are several different types of Invader Behavior cards, each one detailing a different personality behind the enemy. Some may seek revenge for revealing them to the Resistance, while others might spring forth a master plan to bring even more enemies to the field. It's important to reveal and defeat these traitors as soon as possible.

Failure to expose the hidden Invaders in your team may critically impact your assault on Cable 54.

Setting Up the Game (Blind Play)

Step 1. Set up the game board and arrange all 11 clock tiles in ascending order, exactly as in the main rulebook (Step 1).

Step 2. Determine the Final Assault difficulty using the same table as the main rulebook and select the Final Assault cards. The table is reproduced here:

Difficulty	Green Cards	Blue Cards	Red Cards
Very Easy (Beginner)	2	1	X
Easy	1	2	X
Normal	1	1	1
Advanced	X	2	1
Expert	X	X	3

Each Final Assault card has a level between 1 and 3, marked in the bottom right. Place them face down in order, with the level 1 card at the top, and place the 'Final Assault Introduction' card on top of the deck.

Step 3. Remove any Resistance cards and enemy tiles with a red border, shuffle and split the Resistance cards and place them on the board (on the Resistance Stash spaces). Place the green-bordered enemy tiles in a bag or suitable container.

Step 4. Place billboards at key locations, as in the main rulebook (Step 4). Set the unused billboards aside for the Propaganda Phase (page 23).

Step 5. Arrange the Breaking News, Injury, and Location decks. Randomly select 7 green, 5 blue, and 3 red Breaking News cards, shuffle them together, and place them face down on the newspaper on the board. Return the rest to the game box. Create the Area Location, Generic Location, and Injury decks as in the main rulebook.

Step 6. Prepare the overlay boards and character cards. Regardless of how many players you have, in blind play mode your Resistance group will be made up of 4 characters. Randomly select 6 character cards, then set 2 aside as extra lives, should they be required.

Use the glasses to inspect all of the overlay boards for Human and Invader identities. Select 4 Human overlays and 2 Invader overlays, then shuffle them together to ensure they are randomized. Place 1 board on top of each of the Character cards (including the extra lives).

Next, distribute the characters based on the number of players:

• 1 player: The one player will control the entire 4 character team.
• 2 players: Divide the characters evenly, allowing each player to control 2 Resistance members.
• 3 players: Choose one player to control the fourth character, or simply let the group collectively decide how the extra character will play.

Next, each player randomly selects a Character card and the matching player piece. Place it at the starting location determined on their Story intro card (this is the first card in your Personal Story deck).

Players then collect any assets as detailed on their Character card. You can find these assets within the Resistance Stash. Note: Some of these may have been the red-bordered items that were put aside earlier. These assets can be equipped before the game starts.

Arrange the dials on the overlay to match the stats printed on your Character card, and then place your overlay over your Character card to create your player board.

You then need to build each character's Personal Story card deck. You need to take the case file deck that corresponds to each character. For each, set aside the intro and ending cards, then shuffle the rest of the deck. Place the intro card on the top of the deck, and the ending at the bottom. Keep them by the side of each character board. This forms the decks of the Personal Story cards for the game.

Keep the extra lives close by, but make sure the photo is hidden as well as possible (so that you don't accidentally reveal if they are Human or Invader when using the Hoffman lenses later). These are extra characters/lives. In the event that one of your characters dies, you can switch them for one of the spares. If you reach a point where you have fewer than 4 characters alive, then the game is over and the Humans lose.

Step 7. Collectively decide on which character will be the Resistance leader for the first turn. Place the Resistance leader token on that character's board.

As the Resistance leader, they go first character in each phase of a game turn, in addition to being impacted by other effects and scenarios. At the end of each turn, players can choose a new player to assume the role of leader.

Step 8. In the main rulebook, this step tells you that each player must check if they are an Invader or Human player. However, it's very important that you DO NOT do this in blind play. The key difference with this mode is not checking any player boards before the game starts. Instead, when the game begins you will have no idea which of your characters are Invaders and which are Human.

Step 9. Each player takes turns to complete the story intro cards for their characters. Read the card aloud and complete the test, collecting any rewards if you pass. These cards serve as an introduction for your character into the world of They Live, and are a way to familiarize yourself with cards and their outcomes.

Once all intro cards are done, the game begins. Starting with the Action Phase, each phase begins with the current Resistance leader.

After the leader has completed their actions, gameplay moves in a clockwise direction to the next character, until all characters have taken their actions for that phase.

Once each character has finished that particular phase (e.g. the Action Phase) play moves on to the next phase.

Gameplay Phases (Blind Play)

The rest of this rulebook will cover any changes that you need to make to the various phases of the game whilst playing blind play. It's important to familiarize yourself with the various gameplay phases in the main rulebook first before continuing with these changes.

The Action Phase

This phase is completely unchanged–all character actions stay the same as per the core rulebook. Starting with the current Resistance leader, moving clockwise, each character performs a free move action if they wish, followed by 2 actions from those listed on page 12 of the core rules.

The Response Phase

Enemy movements and interactions with characters are unchanged with the following exception: The rules for player vs player are now referred to as character vs character confrontations.

In addition to enemy tiles moving and engaging characters, any ex-Resistance members revealed to be Invaders will now activate this turn. Check their Behavior card to determine their actions this Response Phase. Unlike normal enemy tiles, these enemies can move between areas freely.

When a character encounters an ex-Resistance enemy, they treat the encounter in the same way as they would a standard enemy tile.

Note: As this is no longer a character vs character encounter, players may perform 'Team Effort' (page 15) to take down these enemies.

For a character vs character confrontation, separate rolls will need to be completed for each of the two characters engaging in this manner. Roll Stealth, then Combat, for each character as detailed on pages 17–19 of the main rulebook.

Designer's Note: Since all players are playing on behalf of the Resistance, and there's no deception required, it may be a more thematic approach to allow a different player to roll for each character.

After combat, if the attacking character spent a glasses token, the controlling player may inspect the defender's character board. If an Invader is revealed, move their character board off to one side along with any cards or glasses tokens they were carrying and replace this with a randomly drawn Invader Behavior card.

Leave their player piece on the board and treat this as their enemy tile for the rest of the game. Should this character be defeated, any cards or glasses tokens may be reclaimed for the Resistance by the player.

When an Invader is revealed within the group, the team must recruit a new member to take their place. Take one of the 'extra life' characters along with any starting equipment and place them on the starting space as determined by their Personal Story intro card (see Setup Step 6 on page 10 of the rulebook).

The Location Phase

This phase is completely unchanged. Locations are encountered in the same way as the main rulebook. Starting with the current Resistance leader, moving clockwise, each character encounters their present location, if able to do so as per page 20 of the rulebook.

When performing a Check and Deploy Resources step at a billboard, it's still important to check all items before deploying them to the Resistance Resources pile. Remember, as you are playing alone/cooperatively, no sabotaged items will have been deposited deliberately. However, it is your responsibility to filter out any sabotaged equipment. You can also make this easier by inspecting your items before they are deposited in the Action Phase (see page 12 of the main rulebook).

The Propaganda Phase

For the most part this phase will run the same way that it does in the main rulebook. A new Breaking News card is revealed and any effects are applied as normal.

However, if there are any ex-Resistance Invaders present, be sure to check their Behavior card for any additional effects.

The Final Assault Phase

Invaders Reveal Themselves! Unlike the core game, where players participate in revealing themselves when they feel most deceptive, blind play operates slightly differently by putting each character in control of a pool of Resistance cards generated from the collective resources gathered throughout the game.

During the prepare resources step, inspect all the cards for sabotage and discard any that carry the Invader icon. For each sabotaged card that has slipped through, you must also discard 1 Human card at random from the Resistance Resources as punishment.

Then, as evenly as possible, deal all cards and tiles, face down, to all remaining Resistance members.

Example: Below we have an example of 4 characters about to engage in the Final Assault. In total, the group has collected 18 cards and 1 Human enemy tile. These need to be shuffled, then divided as equally as possible between the 4 characters. It's now time to prepare these resources for the Final Assault.

• FRANK has been dealt 5 Resistance cards.
• NADA has also been dealt 5 Resistance cards.
• DIXON has been dealt 4 Resistance cards and a 'Human Cop' tile, which was previously persuaded to join the Resistance.
• DR. REDDY only has 4 Resistance cards, since the deck ran out of resources and tiles before she could be dealt any more.

Next, it's time to flush out any Invaders. Use the Hoffman lenses to inspect all character boards. Should you have an Invader in your team, that character, and any resources dealt to them, are discarded. Their character board is moved aside, unable to contribute towards any Final Assault tests.

If more than one Invader has slipped through the net, you could find yourself losing half of your resources! This thematically represents an imposter Resistance member/members being a no-show at the Final Assault and stealing the valuable resources.

Example: Following the same example as above, the player has now inspected each character board and found that NADA was secretly an Invader all along! The 5 Resistance cards dealt to his character are discarded, along with that player board. This leaves FRANK, DIXON, and DR. REDDY short on team members and even shorter on supplies. The Final Assault on Cable 54 is made harder to achieve. Perhaps this time, NADA isn't the hero of our story.

Once the team has been purged of Invaders, they are free to assault Cable 54 without the risk of intervention.

However, unlike when a character is revealed as an Invader during the Response Phase, no remaining extra lives replace the missing character in the team. Instead, the remaining characters must use what little power and resources they have in order to successfully storm Cable 54.

The rest of the Final Assault phase is conducted in the same way as core gameplay. The remaining members of the team must systematically reveal and complete all three Final Assault scenarios in order to win the game. In the same way as the core game, you can increase the team's chances of success by spending resources and tiles before rolling any dice. (See pages 26–27.)

Remember, Resistance cards and tokens spent in this way are discarded after use. It is important to use the team's resources wisely, as you never know what test is around the next corner.

If your team can detect the Invaders in your group and successfully assault Cable 54, humanity will be one step closer to seeing the truth!