Agent Avenue Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Simple Mode
Advanced Mode
Team Variant
Credits

Components

1 double-sided board (simple mode / advanced mode)
38 agent cards:
- 6x Double Agent
- 6x Enforcer
- 6x Codebreaker
- 6x Saboteur
- 6x Daredevil
- 6x Sentinel
- 1x Sidekick
- 1x Mole
15 black market cards (advanced mode only)
2 meeples
2 player aid cards

If you are new to the game, it is recommended to use only the rules of the simple mode. Once you are familiar with the game, you can then read the rules of the advanced mode and the team variant.

Simple Mode

Game Setup

Place the board in the center of the table, with the side for the simple mode face up.
Each player chooses a color, takes the meeple of that color, and puts it on its corresponding home space on the board.
Shuffle the agent cards and deal each player 4 cards in hand. Put the remaining cards in a face-down draw pile. It is called the agent deck.
The player who watched a spy movie most recently is the starting player.

The 15 black market cards remain in the box. You will not use them. These cards are used in the advanced mode only.

Winning the Game

You are attempting to unmask the secret identity of your opponent by catching their meeple on the board before they catch yours. To achieve this, you will recruit agents in your neighborhood. Your progress is represented by your meeple's position on the board, relative to the position of your opponent's meeple. If you catch their meeple before they catch yours, you will reveal their secret identity and win the game!

Cards in Hand

Whenever you have less than 4 agent cards in hand, you draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 agent cards in hand.

Game Turn

On your turn, perform the following steps in this order:

Play
Recruit
End

Step 1: Play

Play 2 cards from your hand in the center of the table, 1 face up and 1 face down. They must have different card names.

Remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 cards in hand. Do this only after you have played both cards.

Optional: Before you play cards, you may choose a card from your hand and discard it face down in front of you to draw a new one. You can do this multiple times on the same turn, but only 4 times in the entire game.

Step 2: Recruit

The opponent must recruit 1 of the 2 agent cards you have played. To do so, they choose 1 card and put it face up in front of them. You must now recruit the other agent card by putting it face up in front of you.

Then both players move their meeple on the board. To move your meeple, look at the agent you have just recruited. Check how many agent cards with that same name you have in play, including the one you have just recruited.

If you have only 1, look at its 1st icon on the top.
If you have 2, look at its 2nd icon in the center instead.
If you have 3 or more, look at its 3rd icon on the bottom instead.

Move your meeple forward (clockwise) on the board by the indicated number of spaces. If the number is negative, move it backward (counterclockwise) instead. If the number is zero or if the icon doesn't contain any number, don't move it at all. Your opponent does the same with their meeple.

Step 3: End

After both meeples have moved, check whether any player fulfills a condition to win or lose the game. If that is not the case, the game continues, your turn ends, and your opponent's turn begins.

Always check all conditions:

A. If a player catches their opponent's meeple, they win the game. To do so, the position of their own meeple must reach or exceed the position of their opponent's meeple.

B. If a player has 3 Codebreakers in play, they win the game.

C. If a player has 3 Daredevils in play, they lose the game.

"Running out of cards": If neither player won or lost the game and the agent deck is empty and your opponent has less than 2 cards in hand, the game ends (because your opponent can't play next turn). In that case, the player who is closer to catching their opponent's meeple wins the game.

In the event of a tie, the player whose turn it is (the active player) wins the game. This occurs in the following cases:

Both players fulfill a condition to win the game.
Both players fulfill a condition to lose the game.
Any player fulfills a condition to win the game and a condition to lose the game.
Players "run out of cards" (see above) and both meeples are located at equal distance from each other.

Reminders & Clarifications

During the Play step, the 2 cards you play from your hand (1 face up and 1 face down) must have different card names. In the rare case that all the cards in your hand have the same card name, it is allowed to play 2 identical cards.
If the agent deck is empty, you can't discard an agent card from your hand to draw a new one.
If the agent deck is empty, you draw no more agent cards and continue playing.
There is no upper limit to the number of agent cards you can have in play or in hand.
During the Recruit step, if you recruit your 4th, 5th, or 6th agent of the same name, you treat it as your 3rd.
You can win the game only during the End step, not during the Recruit step. If your opponent recruits their 3rd Codebreaker, you continue playing until the End step. If you catch their meeple during the same turn, the player whose turn it is (the active player) wins the game.
If you catch your opponent's meeple but it "escapes" forward during the same turn, it doesn't count as you catching it.
To catch your opponent's meeple, you don't necessarily have to reach exactly its position. If the position of your meeple exceeds the position of their meeple, it counts as you catching it.
If your opponent's meeple moves backward and their position is now the same as yours or behind yours, it counts as you catching it.

Advanced Mode

With the advanced mode, you can play a more varied and challenging game. The players will get access to new assets and events that will provide unique benefits and tactics.

The advanced mode introduces an additional deck of cards, called the black market cards. They help you win the game with their unique abilities. You gain these special cards when moving your meeple to specific spaces of the board.

Make the following additions to the previous rules.

Game Setup

Use the side of the board featuring black market spaces in the corners.

Shuffle the 15 black market cards. Put the top 3 cards face up next to the board. This is the black market supply.

Put the remaining black market cards in a face-down pile. It is called the black market deck. Leave a bit of room next to it for a discard pile.

Game Turn

Step 2: Recruit

After moving your meeple forward or backward, if it has just landed exactly on a black market space, you must choose 1 card from the black market supply. Take that card and replace it immediately with the top card from the black market deck.

There are two kinds of black market cards: instant abilities and ongoing abilities, indicated by the symbol next to the card title.

Instant abilities: After you take this card, its ability is immediately resolved. Then it is put in the discard pile and has no further effect.

Ongoing abilities: After you take this card, put it face up in front of you. For the rest of the game, its ability is always active, as long as you have the card in play.

Additional Clarifications for Black Market Cards

If your meeple lands exactly on a black market space by moving backward, you also take a black market card.
If your meeple crosses a black market space instead of landing exactly on it, you don't take a black market card.
If your meeple was already on a black market space when you resolve an agent card's icon that doesn't move your meeple, you don't take a black market card again. This can happen if the indicated number is zero or if the icon doesn't contain any number.
When you take a card from the black market supply, replace it immediately with the top card from the black market deck. Do this before resolving your card's ability.
If an ability cannot be performed, it is ignored and has no effect.
When you take a card with an ongoing ability, it has no effect on the agent card that has just been recruited. Instead, it is active for the rest of the game (as long as you have the card in play).
Some ongoing abilities have an effect that triggers when you recruit a specific agent card. It triggers no matter how you recruit the agent card, for example if you recruit it using another card ability.
Your home space is the starting space on the board that is the same color as your meeple.
Some ongoing abilities let you win the game during the End step if you fulfill a specific condition, adding to the 3 regular conditions in simple mode. If this results in a tie, the active player wins the game.
If an instant ability instructs you to recruit an agent card, put it face up in front of you with your other agent cards as usual, then move your meeple again accordingly. If your meeple lands exactly on another black market space this way, you take a card again. Always finish resolving an ability before doing anything else.
If both meeples land exactly on black market spaces during the same turn, the player whose turn it is (the active player) takes a card first. Only after that player has completely resolved it (which could involve moving to another black market space and taking another card), the other player then takes a card.
If your hand size is decreased by an ability such as Outpost, remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 agent cards in hand.
If your hand size is increased by an ability such as Mind Control, keep following the rules. You only draw cards when you have less than 4 agent cards in hand.
Removing an agent card from play with Mind Control or Spycation doesn't cause the meeple to be moved.
You can use Mind Control to remove their 3rd Codebreaker they recruited during that turn, thus preventing them from winning the game.

Team Variant

With the team variant, you can play the game with 3 or 4 players. Cooperate wisely with your teammate using limited communication. Will you make the right decisions together and defeat the opposing team?

Teammates share their single meeple as well as the agent cards and black market cards they have in play. Each teammate has their own hand of cards. They take their turn together. They play 1 card each and the opposing team decides together which card to take. Teammates win or lose the game together.

Make the following adjustments to the previous rules. You can combine the team variant with either the simple mode or the advanced mode.

Game Setup

Divide all players into 2 teams. Teammates sit next to each other, facing the opposing team.

At 4 players, both teams have 2 players.
At 3 players, one team has 2 players while the other player plays on their own.

Deal each player 4 agent cards in hand. You may not look at your teammate's cards. You may not reveal or describe your cards to your teammate.

Game Turn

Step 1: Play

Agree with your teammate on who wants to play a card first that turn. That player plays 1 agent card from their hand face up. Then the other teammate plays 1 agent card from their hand face down. They must have different card names.

Remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 cards in hand.

Optional: Before you play a card (no matter if your teammate has already played a card or not), you may choose a card from your hand and discard it face down in front of you to draw a new one. You can do this multiple times on the same turn, but only 2 times in the entire game (your teammate can also discard 2 times).

Step 2: Recruit

The players of the opposing team agree on which card to recruit: either the face-up card or the face-down card.

Step 3: End

"Running out of cards": If neither team won or lost the game and the agent deck is empty and an opponent has no cards in hand, the game ends. The team who is closer to catching their opponent's meeple wins the game.

Additional Clarifications for the Team Variant

If there is only 1 card remaining in the agent deck at the beginning of the Play step, the teammate who plays their card face up draws that last card.
In the rare case that all the cards in your hand have the same card name as the one that your teammate has just played face up, it is allowed to play an identical card face down.
If your team's meeple lands exactly on a black market space, agree with your teammate on who wants to take a black market card and on which card to take.
When playing a team of 2 players against 1 player, the 1 player may discard up to 4 times in the entire game while the teammates may discard up to 2 times each.

Credits

Game Design: Christian Kudahl, Laura Kudahl Art Direction: Dominik Lorenz Illustrations: Fanny Pastor-Berlie Graphic Design: Maximilian Gotthold Game Development: Marvin Hegen, Dominik Lorenz, Alexandre Guignard Rulebook: Alexandre Guignard

Agent Avenue Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Simple Mode
Advanced Mode
Team Variant
Credits

Components

1 double-sided board (simple mode / advanced mode)
38 agent cards:
- 6x Double Agent
- 6x Enforcer
- 6x Codebreaker
- 6x Saboteur
- 6x Daredevil
- 6x Sentinel
- 1x Sidekick
- 1x Mole
15 black market cards (advanced mode only)
2 meeples
2 player aid cards

If you are new to the game, it is recommended to use only the rules of the simple mode. Once you are familiar with the game, you can then read the rules of the advanced mode and the team variant.

Simple Mode

Game Setup

Place the board in the center of the table, with the side for the simple mode face up.
Each player chooses a color, takes the meeple of that color, and puts it on its corresponding home space on the board.
Shuffle the agent cards and deal each player 4 cards in hand. Put the remaining cards in a face-down draw pile. It is called the agent deck.
The player who watched a spy movie most recently is the starting player.

The 15 black market cards remain in the box. You will not use them. These cards are used in the advanced mode only.

Winning the Game

Cards in Hand

Whenever you have less than 4 agent cards in hand, you draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 agent cards in hand.

Game Turn

On your turn, perform the following steps in this order:

Play
Recruit
End

Step 1: Play

Play 2 cards from your hand in the center of the table, 1 face up and 1 face down. They must have different card names.

Remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 cards in hand. Do this only after you have played both cards.

Step 2: Recruit

If you have only 1, look at its 1st icon on the top.
If you have 2, look at its 2nd icon in the center instead.
If you have 3 or more, look at its 3rd icon on the bottom instead.

Step 3: End

After both meeples have moved, check whether any player fulfills a condition to win or lose the game. If that is not the case, the game continues, your turn ends, and your opponent's turn begins.

Always check all conditions:

A. If a player catches their opponent's meeple, they win the game. To do so, the position of their own meeple must reach or exceed the position of their opponent's meeple.

B. If a player has 3 Codebreakers in play, they win the game.

C. If a player has 3 Daredevils in play, they lose the game.

In the event of a tie, the player whose turn it is (the active player) wins the game. This occurs in the following cases:

Both players fulfill a condition to win the game.
Both players fulfill a condition to lose the game.
Any player fulfills a condition to win the game and a condition to lose the game.
Players "run out of cards" (see above) and both meeples are located at equal distance from each other.

Reminders & Clarifications

During the Play step, the 2 cards you play from your hand (1 face up and 1 face down) must have different card names. In the rare case that all the cards in your hand have the same card name, it is allowed to play 2 identical cards.
If the agent deck is empty, you can't discard an agent card from your hand to draw a new one.
If the agent deck is empty, you draw no more agent cards and continue playing.
There is no upper limit to the number of agent cards you can have in play or in hand.
During the Recruit step, if you recruit your 4th, 5th, or 6th agent of the same name, you treat it as your 3rd.
You can win the game only during the End step, not during the Recruit step. If your opponent recruits their 3rd Codebreaker, you continue playing until the End step. If you catch their meeple during the same turn, the player whose turn it is (the active player) wins the game.
If you catch your opponent's meeple but it "escapes" forward during the same turn, it doesn't count as you catching it.
To catch your opponent's meeple, you don't necessarily have to reach exactly its position. If the position of your meeple exceeds the position of their meeple, it counts as you catching it.
If your opponent's meeple moves backward and their position is now the same as yours or behind yours, it counts as you catching it.

Advanced Mode

With the advanced mode, you can play a more varied and challenging game. The players will get access to new assets and events that will provide unique benefits and tactics.

Make the following additions to the previous rules.

Game Setup

Use the side of the board featuring black market spaces in the corners.

Shuffle the 15 black market cards. Put the top 3 cards face up next to the board. This is the black market supply.

Put the remaining black market cards in a face-down pile. It is called the black market deck. Leave a bit of room next to it for a discard pile.

Game Turn

Step 2: Recruit

There are two kinds of black market cards: instant abilities and ongoing abilities, indicated by the symbol next to the card title.

Instant abilities: After you take this card, its ability is immediately resolved. Then it is put in the discard pile and has no further effect.

Ongoing abilities: After you take this card, put it face up in front of you. For the rest of the game, its ability is always active, as long as you have the card in play.

Additional Clarifications for Black Market Cards

If your meeple lands exactly on a black market space by moving backward, you also take a black market card.
If your meeple crosses a black market space instead of landing exactly on it, you don't take a black market card.
If your meeple was already on a black market space when you resolve an agent card's icon that doesn't move your meeple, you don't take a black market card again. This can happen if the indicated number is zero or if the icon doesn't contain any number.
When you take a card from the black market supply, replace it immediately with the top card from the black market deck. Do this before resolving your card's ability.
If an ability cannot be performed, it is ignored and has no effect.
When you take a card with an ongoing ability, it has no effect on the agent card that has just been recruited. Instead, it is active for the rest of the game (as long as you have the card in play).
Some ongoing abilities have an effect that triggers when you recruit a specific agent card. It triggers no matter how you recruit the agent card, for example if you recruit it using another card ability.
Your home space is the starting space on the board that is the same color as your meeple.
Some ongoing abilities let you win the game during the End step if you fulfill a specific condition, adding to the 3 regular conditions in simple mode. If this results in a tie, the active player wins the game.
If an instant ability instructs you to recruit an agent card, put it face up in front of you with your other agent cards as usual, then move your meeple again accordingly. If your meeple lands exactly on another black market space this way, you take a card again. Always finish resolving an ability before doing anything else.
If both meeples land exactly on black market spaces during the same turn, the player whose turn it is (the active player) takes a card first. Only after that player has completely resolved it (which could involve moving to another black market space and taking another card), the other player then takes a card.
If your hand size is decreased by an ability such as Outpost, remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 agent cards in hand.
If your hand size is increased by an ability such as Mind Control, keep following the rules. You only draw cards when you have less than 4 agent cards in hand.
Removing an agent card from play with Mind Control or Spycation doesn't cause the meeple to be moved.
You can use Mind Control to remove their 3rd Codebreaker they recruited during that turn, thus preventing them from winning the game.

Team Variant

Make the following adjustments to the previous rules. You can combine the team variant with either the simple mode or the advanced mode.

Game Setup

Divide all players into 2 teams. Teammates sit next to each other, facing the opposing team.

At 4 players, both teams have 2 players.
At 3 players, one team has 2 players while the other player plays on their own.

Deal each player 4 agent cards in hand. You may not look at your teammate's cards. You may not reveal or describe your cards to your teammate.

Game Turn

Step 1: Play

Remember to draw cards from the agent deck until you have 4 cards in hand.

Step 2: Recruit

The players of the opposing team agree on which card to recruit: either the face-up card or the face-down card.

Step 3: End

Additional Clarifications for the Team Variant

If there is only 1 card remaining in the agent deck at the beginning of the Play step, the teammate who plays their card face up draws that last card.
In the rare case that all the cards in your hand have the same card name as the one that your teammate has just played face up, it is allowed to play an identical card face down.
If your team's meeple lands exactly on a black market space, agree with your teammate on who wants to take a black market card and on which card to take.
When playing a team of 2 players against 1 player, the 1 player may discard up to 4 times in the entire game while the teammates may discard up to 2 times each.