Write the Future Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Overview
• Solo Player?
• Choose Mode!
  • Draft Mode
  • Traditional Mode
• Setup
  • Secrecy (optional)
• Rules
  • 1. Tick off the Neighbourhood Ability
    • Neighbourhood Abilities
  • 2. Draw Resources in the District
    • Resource Symbols
    • Row/Column Bonuses
  • 3. Manipulate the Black Market
    • The Black Market
• End of a Round
• End of the Game
• Missions
• Future Proof Expansion (sold separately)
  • Setup & Rules
  • Future Proof Missions

Contents

• 1 x Player Sheet Pad with 100 pages
• 1 x Rules in English, French, German
• 4 x Pencils
• 18 x Dice
• 42 x Mission Cards
• 5 x Neighbourhood Cards

Overview

In WRITE THE FUTURE, all the players will create their own thriving criminal empire in a crime-infested cyberpunk future by cleverly filling their Player Sheet with beautifully (or less so) drawn agents, intel, weapons and money!

Not only will you take on a big variety of missions, unlock different bonuses and create spectacular combos, you will also be able to manipulate the value of the resources at the black market!

Solo Player?

If playing solo you follow the rules of the Traditional Mode with the exception that you always play 15 rounds (keep track by counting your ticked Neighbourhood Abilities spaces).

Choose Mode!

Decide which mode of the game to play based on the preferences of your game group:

Draft Mode

For 2-4 players that enjoys drafting, a slightly longer game and having to consider other players actions. Continue reading the white and pink text (NOT the blue).

• Turn based
• Drafting of cards and dice

Traditional Mode

For 1-100 players that want a quick game, don't want other players' decisions to affect them and enjoy a game with the exact same opportunities. Continue reading the white and blue text (NOT the pink).

• Simultaneously play
• No impact of other players

Setup

Give each player a Player Sheet and a pencil.

(Draft Mode) Place Neighbourhood Cards numbered 1-3 on display at the centre of the table if playing with 2 players (Neighbourhood Cards 1-4 if playing with 3, or Neighbourhood Cards 1-5 if playing with 4). Randomly decide upon a First Player.

(Traditional Mode) Place Neighbourhood Cards numbered 1-3 on display at the centre of the table.

Place all the dice in an opaque container and randomly draw, roll and place 2 dice on each Neighbourhood Card.

Randomly draw 4 face-up Mission Cards and place them above the Neighbourhood Cards. Make sure you are playing with at least 3 different numbered cards (numbers are printed in the top right corner). If not, discard the most recent same numbered Card and draw a new one until there is at least 3 different numbers.

Secrecy (optional)

Decide before starting to play. When playing with secrecy, each player will draw a secret Mission Card to keep throughout the game. If a player draws a card with a top right number that already appears twice as public Missions, discard the card and draw a new card. Before the end game scoring, a player may decide to score their own secret Mission Card instead of one of the public Mission Cards. (This introduces hidden information to the game and will make each players goals more unique, but will also increase randomness in the game in the form of different scoring opportunities)

Rules

(Draft Mode) Each player will in turn order draft a Neighbourhood Card (that card can not be used by another player).

(Traditional Mode) Each player will simultaneously choose a Neighbourhood Card (several players may choose the same card).

The Players will then use the cards ability and dice to draw on their Player Sheet in the following way:

1. Tick off the Neighbourhood Ability

Tick off the matching Neighbourhood Ability in the leftmost available space on your Player Sheet. Mark the box with an X if it is an empty space or O if there is a symbol on the space. The Neighbourhoods has different abilities and once you reach a symbol, you may use it whenever you like. Once the ability has been used, mark the space with an X to show it's no longer available.

When reaching an ability symbol, the player marks the space with a circle. The ability is now ready to be used!

Neighbourhood Abilities

• (Arrow symbol) Cross over a resource symbol on the District section of your Player Sheet and draw it somewhere else. The crossed over space is considered occupied and can not be used for the remaining game, and it's no longer considered a resource.
• (Die with question mark) Change the number of a Die (only impacts yourself)
• (Colored dice) Change the color of a Die (only impacts yourself)

2. Draw Resources in the District

Use the dice to draw matching resource symbols in the District Section (the big square grid) of your Player Sheet. The dice colors represent the different resources in the game. You're only allowed to draw the resource in the column or row matching the number of the Die.

Resource Symbols

Agents, Intel, Money and Weapons are each drawn as their own symbol, matching one die color each. (Example: the player uses her blue die to draw an Agent in the 5th row. She then uses her pink die to draw a weapon in the 4th column.)

The different colors of the District represent different areas (used for Missions). The middle square is called the City, the square around it is the Suburbs, and the outmost square is the Wastelands.

Row/Column Bonuses

Should a player complete a full row or column with resources in their District, they will immediately gain the depicted bonus by ticking off the bonus space! If it's a resource symbol, the player gets to draw it anywhere in their District. If it's the symbol for the Black Market, the player may tick off a Black Market square of their choice. If it's a Victory Point symbol (a star with a number) the player will receive the points during the end game scoring (they do not lose the Victory Points should any of the spaces in the row/column later get crossed over).

(Example: the player completes their first row and receives a Black Market Bonus!)

3. Manipulate the Black Market

A player may decide to use any unused dice to manipulate the Black Market. When manipulating the Black Market, only the number of the Die is used (the color doesn't matter). Tick off a Black Market square of a Resource following the rules below. This will increase the value of your resources during end game scoring!

The Black Market

• Agents: Cross over the top leftmost space. The value of the dice doesn't matter.
• Intel: Cross over the top leftmost space. Only uneven numbered dice can be used.
• Money: Cross over the top leftmost space. Only even numbered dice can be used.
• Weapons: Cross over the same numbered space. Only the exact number can be used.

End of a Round

(Draft Mode) After all players have taken a turn, the round ends and all cards are put back on display. The player to the left of the current first player will be the new first player.

(Traditional Mode) When all players are finished drawing, the round ends.

All dice are returned to the opaque container. Randomly draw, roll and place 2 dice on each card and start a new round.

End of the Game

Once a player has completed 4 row/column bonuses or maxed out 3 resources at the Black Market, it marks the end of the game.

(Draft Mode) The players will then continue to play until everyone has been first player an equal amount of times.

(Traditional Mode) The players will then play one final round.

Victory Points are then scored in the following way:

• Points for each Mission Cards
• Points for the different resources based on a players Black Market.
• Points for row/column Bonuses

Missions

Biggest group (Gangs, Trojan Virus, Hedge Fund, Armory): Players will receive the point value for each of the depicted resource in their biggest group of that resource (orthogonally adjacent) in the District of their Player Sheet.

Pairs (Cyborgs, Bribes, Special Agents, Crypto Currency, Tech Weaponry, Sanctions): Players will receive the point value for each pair of orthogonally adjacent depicted resources (a resource can not exist in more than one pair) in the District of their Player Sheet.

Sets (The Big Heist): Players will receive the point value for each set of the depicted resources in the District of their Player Sheet.

Surrounded (Spies, Hackers, Investments, Goons): Players will receive the point value for each depicted resource that is surrounded by resources (orthogonally adjacent) in the District of their Player Sheet.

Isolated (Rogue Agents, Shadow Logs, Stash, Contraband): Players will receive the point value for each depicted resource that do not have any resources (crossed over resources are not considered resources) around it (orthogonally adjacent) in the District of their Player Sheet.

Areas (Insiders, Inside Information, Banks, Leaders: City; Thugs, Computer Parks, Fake Bills, Replicas: Suburbs; Sleeper Agents, Server Halls, Money Laundry, Smugglers: Wastelands): Players will receive the point value for each of the depicted resource that is in the depicted area in the District of their Player Sheet.

Patterns (Occupation, Reinforcement, Pyramid Scheme, Security, Swarm, Hotspot, Connection, Wall, Enterprise, Estates, Towers): Players will receive the point value for each depicted pattern consisting of resources in the District of their Player Sheet. The red X can not contain a resource (a crossed over resource is not considered a resource) and a pattern may not overlap another pattern.

Future Proof Expansion (sold separately)

Why not ask for a "helping" hand? The city is full of questionable Factions willing to lend you their talents...

Setup & Rules

Before the normal setup, give each player a Faction Card randomly (or decide by choice). During the game the players may use their Factions ability to gain a benefit.

Mix in the Future Proof Mission Cards with the rest and proceed as normal.

Players may use their Factions ability by rotating the card (if it's a once per game ability), otherwise it's permanent and players keep the text visible.

Note: the individual Faction card texts appear only as tiny card illustrations in the rulebook and are not transcribed here.

Future Proof Missions

Patterns (Pyramid of Power, The Inner Circle, Secured Area, Wire): Players will receive the point value for each depicted pattern consisting of resources in the District of their Player Sheet. The red X can not contain a resource (a crossed over resource is not considered a resource) and a pattern may not overlap another pattern.

Sets (Tech Heist, Inside Job, Bank Heist, Ransomware): Players will receive the point value for each set of the depicted resources in the District of their Player Sheet.

Rows and columns (Evacuation, Off Grid, Anticapitalism, Truce): Players will receive the point value for each row and column without the depicted resource in the District of their Player Sheet.