Ad Acta

Ad Acta Rulebook

Table of Contents

The Game

Players are state secretaries heading the town hall (yellow), the tax- (blue), environment- (violet), or job-office (red) and trying to put their own dossiers on file (z.d.A. = ad acta) at the time promising the highest score.

Testing ad acta has shown that it makes sense to first try to understand the general principles of the game – either by using the enclosed overview "Im Behördendschungel" (only in German – sorry) or by playing a "test turn".

Aim of the game

The player to score the most points wins the game. Putting any of your own seven dossiers on file scores between one and seven points each. For dossiers you have not managed to put on file at the end of the game you lose one point, because they go to the shredder.

Board with the central filing cabinet in six partitions (Ablage I – Ablage VI), the messengers' car, the pencil-sharpening-range (Bleistiftspitzen) and the scoring range (Start – 35)
Four desks with inbox (Eingang) and outbox (Ausgang)
66 cards, among these
- 28 dossiers (7 to each office), see picture of blue "F"-dossier on p. 02: the background colour indicates the owner (blue = tax office), the bars containing offices' names (Arbeitsamt (job office), Finanzamt (tax office), Rathaus (town hall), Umweltamt (environmental office)) indicate the offices that have to deal with the dossier (in the order shown by the numbered bars and the spots at the top of the card) before it can be put on file. The back of the dossier card shows the office that has to deal with the dossier first (picture: Finanzamt)
- 24 action cards (Aktionskarten), of which
  - 16 belong to four sets of measures (Durchzug, Per Sonderboten, Rücksprache, Telefon) (four in each of the players' colours)
  - 4 (green) are "neutral" measures (Besuch der Ministerpräsidentin, Erlass: Per sofort), Irrläufer, Weglegen) (see picture on p. 02: the bar at the top indicates where this card influences something (Eingangskorb (= inbox), Ausgangskorb (= outbox)), the text describes the measure taken, the symbol gives a brief information about the card's character, i.e. >> promotes action, << slows action, || changes positions, blocks measure (reaction))
  - 4 are (green) "neutral" reactions (REAKTION: Dienstschluss, Eilt!, Klimaanlage, Voicemail)
- 6 cards "Finished" (Erledigt!)
- 4 short rules of the game (Übersicht)
- 4 blank actions (Aktionskarten)
a bag of paper clips (references)
One stamp (first-player marker)
12 wood-coloured chips (dextrose drops)
8 markers for scoring and for pencil sharpening (Bleistiftspitzen) in four colours

The Game for 3 and 4 players

(changes when playing with two players are explained on page 5)

Preparation

Place the board in the middle of the table, see picture on page 03: It shows the central filing cabinet (Ablage I through VI), the scoring range with the START-field, the pencil sharpening range and the messenger's car.
Each player chooses one desk and puts in front of him/her so that the boxes show towards him/her. The players are now the state secretary of the relevant office. The picture on page 03 shows the desk with the offices symbol, the in- and outbox and the scoring table.
Each player receives three drops of dextrose. When only three are playing the remaining drops are put next to the board
Every player takes a short rule and puts his or her markers on the field "START" and next to the range for sharpening pencils (Bleistiftspitzen)
Hand out the set of measures of the relevant colour to each state secretary. Place the cards next to your desk.
I advise you to use the neutral measures and reactions only when you have already played the game and understood the general principles. The four measures and reactions are then separately mixed and handed out (cover up) one each to each of the players. The players put both cards open next to their own measures. With only three playing the remaining to cards are put back into the box.
Put the references next to the board
If only three players are playing place the fourth desk next to the board so that everybody can reach it. The relevant measures are not needed in the game
The player to start the game receives the stamp and puts it in front of his/her desk. The stamp will be passed on to the left neighbour at the end of the turn. Whoever holds the stamp will be this turn's messenger.
Mix the dossiers back up and hand them out one by one to the first office that has to deal with the relevant dossier first (the name of the office is given on the back of the card). Players put the dossiers received into their inboxes – in the order in which they get them. Dossiers are laid out so that the information bar at the top of all dossiers can be seen by everybody at all times (see pictures on page 04). Only the last dossier to be put into the inbox can be fully seen after all dossiers have been distributed. This dossier is from now on referred to as "the top dossier", while the dossier that was put into the inbox first is referred to as "the bottom dossier".

General rules

Offices value order a lot. That means that

in general nobody may confuse the order of the dossiers
heaps of dossiers may only be dealt with from top to bottom
the messenger waits for the state secretaries to hand him the heaps of dossiers from their outboxes and puts them into his messenger's car without changing their order
the messenger distributes the dossiers from his messenger's car from top to bottom

Just like in real life all offices work together in a cooperative manner. In detail that means that

everybody willingly contributes to the necessary cooperation between authorities
in general nobody can reject helping the other players if asked to
measures (on action cards) are executed by everybody on their own desks if asked to in the course of the cooperation between authorities

EXCEPTION FROM THE RULE: By playing reaction cards (that should not be used during your first turn) you may avoid measures forced upon any colleague by any player.

Every state secretary is master over his or her own desk, that means that

whoever touches dossiers on other players' desks is rapped across the knuckles
the messenger may only take the dossiers out of an outbox if the relevant state secretary agrees
every state secretary puts the dossiers distributed by the messenger into his inbox himself, obeying the order of distribution. This may lead to one dossier being distributed early ending up below a dossier distributed to the same office later in the same turn.

Course of a turn

1. Carrying out official duties

Starting with the first player everybody but the last player in the turn has three action points (AP) at his/her disposal in each turn, the latter only having two AP at his/her disposal. When only three players are playing, the vacant office is only acting if asked to in the course of cooperation between authorities. In his turn a player may

exchange two "pencil sharpening points" into one drop of dextrose (if there are any left next to the board) before starting to use his AP. Set back the relevant marker accordingly.
for his AP execute any of the following actions in any order and combination. He may use any number of drops of dextrose as surplus AP (one drop = one AP). Used-up drops are placed next to the board.

In your turn you may carry out the following actions:

Deal with the top dossier in your own inbox. Take that dossier, clip a reference to the field of your own office at the top of the dossier, and put the dossier at the top position in your own outbox. (1 AP), see picture on page 05)
Ask any colleague for cooperation between authorities and have him or her deal with the top dossier in his/her inbox. The player then has to take that dossier, clip a reference to the field of his/her office at the top of the dossier, and put the dossier at the top position in his/her own outbox (1 AP). If anybody asks the vacant office for cooperation between authorities in a three-player-game, he may carry out the necessary steps himself or ask a colleague to do so by order.
Sharpen pencils: (set marker 1 field forward) (1 AP) This is the only way to save AP for coming turns. At the beginning of your turn you can exchange two pencil-sharpening-points for one drop of dextrose as many times as you want to as long as there are drops of dextrose next to the board (compare above)
Execute measures by playing own or neutral measure cards. (Execute measure, turn over card) (2 AP each)

Attention: Reaction cards (see below) may be played without cost any time during the game!

2. Messenger's turn

The messenger (i.e. the first player) asks the players clockwise for the dossiers in their outboxes, which they have to hand to him. He starts with the dossiers in his own outbox and puts them into the messenger's car on the board. Onto this heap he then puts the second player's heap of dossiers etc. He does so without changing the order either within the individual heaps of dossiers or among the heaps. (compare picture p. 06)

After having collected all dossiers dealt with in the past turn, the messenger takes the whole heap of dossiers into his hand and distributes them one by one from top to bottom to the next office that has to deal with the dossier indicated by the next field at the top of the dossier that does not bear a reference yet. The state secretary of the relevant office immediately puts the dossier on top of the heap of dossiers in his inbox.

If the messenger comes across a dossier that has been dealt with by all offices indicated (i.e. by two (dossiers A, B, C) or three (D, E, F, G) offices), the messenger removes the references clipped to it and puts them back next to the board. He then puts the dossier into the next vacant space in the central filing cabinet (s. picture p. 07). The partition I holds 2, the partitions II and V 3 and partitions III, IV, and VI 4 spaces for dossiers each.

3. Balancing

If one or more of the partitions of the central filing cabinet (Ablage I – VI) is full after the messenger's round, an interim balance is drawn. Check the score for each dossier in the scoring table on the desks and set forward the dossier's owner's marker in the scoring range accordingly (1-7 fields per dossier). The cabinet's partition for which the balance was drawn is covered with one of the "Finished"-Cards (Erledigt!). The picture on page 07 shows an example for balancing. The partition I (Ablage I) is full. After drawing the balance the partition will be covered by a "Finished"-card. For partition II (Ablage II) no balance will be drawn yet, because there are still vacant spaces in the partition.

The action cards: own measures

Each player has four measure cards, each of which can be played once and have to turned over afterwards. All measures can be played for dossiers on all desks (including your own). Measures can be blocked or moderated by the neutral reaction cards (see below).

Telephone (Telefon): You call another player or yourself and ask him or her to deal with one dossier from his inbox you determine at once. Dealing with the dossier does not cost an extra AP. (Telephone can be blocked by "Voicemail")
Draught (Durchzug): A draught has confused the dossiers in the inbox of an office of your choice. You help him or her getting them back into order: Take all dossiers in the inbox (or have somebody give them to you) and sort them in the order you want. Hand back the sorted heap to the state secretary of the relevant office – he or she has to put the heap into his/her inbox without changing the order. (Draught can be block by Air-Condition (Klimaanlage)).
Special Delivery (Per Sonderboten): With this card you can order a special delivery for one dossier of your choice from any outbox. The dossier is transported to the inbox of next office that has to deal with it at once. If the dossier has already been dealt with by all relevant offices, it is transported directly to the central filing cabinet and put into the next vacant space there. ("Special Delivery" can be blocked by "end of work" (Dienstschluss))
Consultation (Rücksprache): You choose one dossier from any outbox and have it put back at the bottom of the inbox of the same desk after removing the reference clipped to it most recently. (Consultation can be moderated by Urgent! (Eilt!).

4. Weekend and Sunshine?

If now a player has reached a score of 36 points or more or has the balance been drawn for the last partition on the board (Ablage VI), the game is over. Proceed to the final balancing below.

5. See you tomorrow as always!

The first player passes on the stamp to his left neighbour. When only three players are playing, the vacant office is left out as first player. The next turn starts.

6. Weekend and Sunshine

The game is over if a player has reached a score of 36 points or more or the interim balance has been drawn for the last partition on the board (Ablage VI), For all dossiers that are still in the game (i.e. have not been put z.d.A. = into the central filing cabinet), their owners have to set their marker in the scoring range one field back. The player with the highest score wins the game. If there is a tie, it is broken by the number of dextrose drops players (in the tie) still own. If there is still a tie between players, the player (in the tie) with the highest number of point on the pencil-sharpening-range wins the game.

I advise you not to use the following cards in the first game of "ad acta" you play.

The action cards: neutral measures

"The MP visits" (Besuch der Ministerpräsidentin): In every office the dossier at the bottom of the inbox is dealt with at once without extra cost.
Decree: At once (Erlass: Per sofort): This measure either works like "Telephone" or "Special delivery" (see above) and can be played on one dossier in any in- or outbox.
Stray document (Irrläufer): You play this card on one dossier in any inbox. The dossier is put on top of the outbox on the same desk without being dealt with (no reference is clipped to it).
Put away (Weglegen): When playing this card you may put the heap of dossiers from one outbox onto the heap of dossiers in another outbox without changing the order within or among the heaps.

The action cards: reactions

These cards may be used cost-free once during any player's turn, you may use the cards for your own or others players' good. (No restriction to own dossiers)

End of work (Dienstschluss): Blocks one special delivery and is played at once when any player plays "special delivery". The latter does not work, does not cost 2 AP, but is used up, anyway.
Urgent! (Eilt!): After a consultation the relevant dossier is not put at the bottom but at the top of the inbox on the same desk. "Consultation" is used up and costs 2 AP.
Air-Condition (Klimaanlage): Blocks the sorting of an inbox by "draught". The latter does not work, does not cost 2 AP, but is used up, anyway.
Voicemail: Blocks the instant dealing with a dossier by "Telephone". The latter does not work, does not cost 2 AP, but is used up, anyway.

The Game for two players

Here only the rules different from the game for three and four players are explained. It seems to be a good idea to get to know the game in a three- or four-player-game first. For two players "ad acta" is more tactical. In addition to the three- or four-player-game you now also need the messenger's car-marker.

Preparation

Each player takes the desks of two offices she or he heads at the same time and puts them in front of him (compare picture on page 9)
Each player gets four drops of dextrose
Each player receives (as in the four-player-game) one set of measure cards plus two of the neutral measures (distribute cover up)
The remaining measure cards (two sets) and the reaction cards are not needed and put aside
The first player gets the stamp, that is passed on to the other player after every turn. The first player also takes the role of the messenger.
Besides, the first player takes the messenger's car-marker and puts it onto the left of his two desks.
Each player puts both of his markers onto the field "Start" of the scoring range, but only one marker next to the pencil-sharpening-range. The remaining two markers are not needed in the game.

Course of a turn

1. Carrying out official duties

Players act as one state secretary heading two offices. They take turns, in which the first player has 5 AP and the second player 4 AP.

2. Messenger's turn

After both players have completed their turn, the messenger takes his turn. He starts off at the desk that holds the messenger's car-marker.

3. Balancing

It is carried out exactly as in the four-player game.

4. Weekend and Sunshine?

If one player has reached 36 or more points in the scoring range with ONE of his offices, the game is over.

5. See you tomorrow as always!

Pass on the stamp to the other player. The messenger's car-marker is passed on clockwise to the next desk.

Attention: In the two-player game the stamp and the messenger's car marker are not necessarily held by the same player!

6. Weekend and Sunshine

The final balance is drawn for each office on its own (including deductions). Afterwards the players add the scores for both offices they headed. The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie the player who still holds the highest number of drops of dextrose wins.

Tactical hints

The order of the dossiers is turned over and over – its worth while observing where dossiers will be transported by the messenger
The dossier lying in the top position in the last player's outbox will be distributed first by the messenger – and thus will be, if dealt with completely, the fist to be put on file. On the other hand, a dossier, that lies at the bottom of the first player's outbox, will be distributed last by the messenger – and thus will have a good starting position in the next turn.
The last player in every turn can influence more than the others, because the dossiers he deals (or has others to deal) with will be on top of the relevant outboxes. Besides, there is nobody to "correct" his or her actions.
The game gets faster and faster, because more and more dossiers "disappear" from the desks to the central filing cabinet
Offices in which no or little dossiers are dealt with in the first turn soon develop into a "dossiers' cemetery", from which you can only save you files by creating a draught or using the telephone.
If you want to score high with your dossiers D, E, F, and G keep in mind that they have to be dealt with by three offices – starting early makes sense
All action cards can be used for your own good or the other players' bad – it's worth while

Variants

The following variants base upon suggestions from testing. In general, both variants can be used with any number of players. While testing variant 2 was especially welcome in the two-player-game.

Variant 1: Keeping to the standing orders!

According to the standing orders in public service all dossiers strictly have to be dealt with through the official channels. This variant helps to keep closer to this rule. Hence the number of measures may take is restricted ("We haven't ever done that, anyway!").

After having received the four or five (own resp. "neutral") measure cards you decide which card you do not want to use in this game and discard it. You may not discard the reaction card.

Variant 2: Project Management

A wanna-be progressive government introduces project management to public service, of course against the expertise of the civil servants.

In addition to the existing choice of actions state secretaries may now use points from the pencil-sharpening range to buy back used-up action cards of any colour (one point each).
If you play an action card (measure or reaction), you do not turn it over but put it cover up into a "pool" that is well visible to all players somewhere next to the board.
At the beginning of his turn each player may choose if he wants to spend any number of points on the pencil-sharpening-range for receiving dextrose drops (1 per 2 points) are buying back action cards (1 card per 1 point).
Cards bought back may be played according to the rules in one's own turn (measures, 2 AP each) or any time (reactions, no cost). Afterwards they are put into the pool again.

Blank action cards

These are enclosed for all of you out there with experiences in public service and ideas for official proceedings that are worth while putting onto an "ad-acta"-action card. Or, to use official language: I leave it to your discretion …