Agent DOG Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components and Setup
• Aim of the Game
• How to Play
  • 1. Dealing and Swapping Cards
  • 2. Moving Pieces
    • Bringing New Pieces Into Play
    • Home Spaces
    • Requirement to Take Your Turn
    • Undercover Pieces
    • Which Pieces Can I Move?
    • Hopping Over and Knocking Out Pieces
    • Pieces on Their Own Starting Spaces
    • Spy Meeting Points
  • 3. End of a Round and End of the Game
• Card Descriptions
• Playing With 2 or 3 Players

Game Components and Setup

• 1 game board
• 110 cards
• 16 black pieces with coloured dots (4 pieces in each colour)

Let's start with the rules for 4 players. An explanation of how the game works with 2 or 3 players can be found at the end of these rules.

1. Place the game board in the box, as shown in the picture.
2. Each player chooses a colour and finds the 4 pieces in that colour. Place 3 of your pieces in the starting area for your colour. Put the fourth piece on the starting space in the matching colour. Make sure your pieces are the right way up – you should be able to see the coloured dot on top. Each player pairs up with the colour directly opposite them to form two teams, i.e. red and green form one team, while blue and yellow form the other.
3. The player who is the best at keeping secrets shuffles all the cards and puts them face-down in a stack in front of them.

Aim of the Game

Players play in teams of 2. You move the pieces around the game board by playing cards. As a team, try to get all your pieces to your home area. The team that gets all 8 pieces into their home area wins the game. You can not win as an individual. You can only win as a team.

However, you're not allowed to discuss your cards or plan moves with the other player on your team during the game.

How to Play

1. Dealing and Swapping Cards

[NEW] At the start of each round, the person with the stack in front of them deals 5 cards face-down to each player. (Unlike the original game, you deal 5 cards in each round in this game.) Pick up your cards and look at them.

Swap 1 card with the other player on your team, without allowing the other team to see your cards. Choose 1 card from your hand and slide it face-down to the other player on your team. You can only look at the card you've been given by the other player after you've given your card to them. Add your new card to your hand once the swap is complete.

Make the most of this opportunity to help the other player on your team. For example, if they don't have a piece on the track, it would make sense to give them a start card. (Read the instructions on BRINGING NEW PIECES INTO PLAY below.)

2. Moving Pieces

The player with the stack of cards in front of them makes the first move.

When it's your turn, you must play a card from your hand. Place your card face-up on the discard pile in the middle of the game board and move a piece. Remember that you're trying to move all your pieces to the home spaces in your colour as quickly as possible. (Find out more about the HOME SPACES below.)

Important: You can only play a card if you can complete the move(s) specified on that card. If you can't play any of the cards in your hand on your turn, you're out of the round. (Read more about the REQUIREMENT TO TAKE YOUR TURN below.)

In most cases, you will have to move one of your pieces forward by the number shown on the card.

[NEW] You can move pieces in your colour or undercover pieces. (Read more about UNDERCOVER PIECES below.)

[NEW] In some cases, you can also move pieces for the other player on your team or even one of the players on the other team. (Find out WHICH PIECES YOU'RE ALLOWED TO MOVE below.)

Blue cards allow you to move a piece forward (in a clockwise direction) by the exact number of spaces shown on the card. Red cards are special and allow you to move pieces in different ways. You can find out more about these cards and how they work under CARD DESCRIPTIONS on page 8.

As you move around the board, be aware of the rules for HOPPING OVER OTHER PIECES AND KNOCKING PIECES OUT below.

You start the game with 1 piece on the track. You need a start card to bring an additional piece into play from the starting area. (Read more about BRINGING NEW PIECES INTO PLAY below.)

That's the end of your turn. You don't draw another card. Play continues in a clockwise direction.

Bringing New Pieces Into Play

You need a card with a start symbol on it to bring an additional piece into play on the track from the starting area.

When you play 1 of these cards, you can either move 1 of your pieces on the track by the number shown on the card, or move 1 piece from your starting area to your starting space.

If you play a 3, you have to move a piece forward by exactly 3 spaces.

If you choose to use a start card to move a new piece to the starting space, you can ignore the number on the card.

Home Spaces

The first team to move all their own pieces onto the home spaces in the right colour wins the game.

The following rules apply:

• Pieces can only be moved onto home spaces in their colour.
• You move pieces onto the home spaces via the starting space, but you can't move directly from the starting space to a home space.
• You can't hop over or knock out pieces that are on home spaces.

You will usually bring a new piece into play, place it on your starting space, move it once all the way around the board and end up on one of your home spaces. If you use the red cards strategically, you can speed up the whole process considerably. However, you should make sure your piece doesn't land back on the starting space, because then you'll have to go all the way around the board again.

You also need to fill up your home spaces from the back because you can't hop over pieces in your home area.

Requirement to Take Your Turn

When it's your turn, you must play a card from your hand. You can only play a card if you can complete the move(s) specified on that card. This means you must move the full number of spaces shown on the card you play.

If you can carry out the move(s) specified on (at least) 1 card in your hand, you must play that card even if it works to your disadvantage. You can't choose not to play a card.

So, for example, if you were 3 spaces away from your home area but you only had higher cards in your hand (and you couldn't move any other pieces), you would have no choice but to go past your home area and go around the whole board again.

If you cannot complete the move(s) specified on any of your cards, you're out of the round. Place your remaining cards at the bottom of the discard pile. You are back in the game again once the next round begins.

Undercover Pieces

[NEW] If you move your piece to a normal space, the coloured dot on that piece should be on top for everyone to see.

But if your piece lands on a hole in the board, that piece goes undercover. Turn the piece over, so that the coloured dot is on the underside and is no longer visible.

Any player can move an undercover piece.

Exception to the rule: You can't move an undercover piece while one of your pieces is on your own starting space. (Read more about PIECES ON YOUR THEIR STARTING SPACE below.)

When you move an undercover piece to a normal space, turn it back over so everyone can see the coloured dot on top again. If you pass normal spaces but still land on another hole in the board, do not reveal the colour of the piece during the move. That piece is still undercover.

You can only move undercover pieces onto your own home spaces. As soon as you have finished moving an undercover piece onto one of your home spaces, turn it over so that the colour can be seen.

If the piece is in your own colour, you can leave it on your home area. If the piece is in the colour belonging to the other player on your team, move it back to their starting area. If the piece belongs to one of the players on the other team, place it on the furthest-back empty home space in their colour.

Which Pieces Can I Move?

In Agent DOG, you can move pieces in your colour or undercover pieces.

Reminder: You can't move an undercover piece while one of your pieces is on your own starting space. (Read more about UNDERCOVER PIECES above.)

Once you've moved all of your own pieces to your home spaces, you haven't yet finished the game. You still need to help the other player on your team. You will therefore still be dealt cards and will now move your team mate's pieces around the board (instead of your own pieces).

Some of the special cards also allow you to move pieces belonging to players on the other team.

Just remember that you are forbidden from discussing your cards or moves with the other player on your team.

Hopping Over and Knocking Out Pieces

You can hop over other pieces as you move around the board. You count spaces occupied by other pieces as normal.

Exception to the rule: You can't jump over a piece on its own starting space! (Read more about what happens when PIECES ARE ON THEIR OWN STARTING SPACES below.)

Only one piece is allowed on each space. If you land on a space that is occupied by another piece, you have to knock out that other piece.

When a piece is knocked out, it has to be moved back to the starting area for that colour.

[NEW] KNOCK OUT WITH CAUTION! If you knock out one of your own pieces or one of the pieces belonging to the other player on your team, you're out of the round! You have to place all your remaining cards at the bottom of the discard pile.

Just make sure to keep a close eye on any undercover pieces. You don't want to accidentally knock out one of your own team's pieces. You can't change your mind if you knock out an undercover piece and it turns out to be one of your own team's pieces.

Pieces on Their Own Starting Spaces

The following rules apply when a piece is on its own starting space.

If a piece is on its own (coloured) starting space, you cannot:

• hop over it,
• knock it out.

These rules apply even when it's your own piece.

This means that a piece can only be moved from its own starting space if it makes a normal move. (Exception: SPY MEETING POINTS below.)

While one of your pieces is on your own starting space, you can't move an undercover piece.

You can still move undercover pieces if you're playing a special red card, e.g. by swapping them. (Read the CARD DESCRIPTIONS on page 8.)

Spy Meeting Points

[NEW] When you move a piece to one of the 4 spy meeting points, there is a meeting of 2 spies at the end of your turn.

Move the closest piece behind the piece you just moved to the space directly behind the spy meeting point. This could involve moving a piece over a large number of spaces. The piece you move will always land on a hole in the board, so it will immediately go undercover.

You must always move the closest piece behind the piece you just moved. It doesn't matter which colour the piece is – the piece can even be undercover. You can even move a piece that's on its own starting space.

If more than one spy meeting point has been activated at the end of the turn, you can decide on the order of resolution.

Example: A spy lands on the meeting point. The closest piece behind this is a red piece that is just about to enter its own home area. The piece is moved past the home area and has to move all the way around the board again.

3. End of a Round and End of the Game

You continue to take turns until all players have played or discarded all their cards (read more about the REQUIREMENT TO TAKE YOUR TURN above). The round is then over.

At the end of a round, the stack of cards is passed to the next person in a clockwise direction and a new round begins. Deal another 5 cards to each player. Players in the same team should swap 1 card. Start moving the pieces.

When you run out of cards in the stack, shuffle the discard pile and face the cards down in a new stack.

Keep playing until 1 of the 2 teams manages to get all 8 pieces into the corresponding home areas. (Find out more about the HOME SPACES above.)

The team that does so wins the game.

Card Descriptions

Cards with a blue background: When you play a card with a blue background, you move a piece forward by the exact number of spaces shown on the card.

Cards with a red background: All cards with a red background have a special function.

Start card (1 / 11): When you play this card, you have to choose 1 of the following 3 options:

• Move 1 piece forward 1 space, or
• Move 1 piece forward 11 spaces, or
• Move 1 piece from your starting area to your starting space.

[NEW] Start card (13): When you play this card, you have to choose 1 of the following 2 options:

• Move 1 piece forward 13 spaces, or
• Move 1 piece from your starting area to your starting space.

[NEW] Swap: When you play this card, you have to swap 2 undercover pieces with one another. Both pieces stay undercover after they have been swapped. You are not allowed to look at the colours of the pieces as you swap them.

You can only play this card if at least 2 pieces are undercover.

Copy: This card allows you to copy the last card that was played before your turn. You don't have to play the card in exactly the same way as the player before you.

For example, if a 1/11 card was played just before your turn, you can still choose between the 3 options available for that card.

The copy card does not carry over to a new round. In other words, you won't be able to play this card as the first card in a new round.

If you play a copy card straight after another copy card, you copy the same card that has just been copied.

[NEW] Partner: You are free to divide the 4 spaces on this card between your own pieces, pieces belonging to the other player on your team and undercover pieces. You have to move all the spaces one way or another, but it's up to you how you divide out the spaces and which order you move pieces in. (Remember that you can't communicate with the other player on your team!)

Important: Any pieces (including your own) that are landed on or hopped over with those 4 spaces will be knocked out!

You have to wait until all 4 spaces have been moved before you turn over any undercover pieces or activate a spy meeting point.

If all 4 of your pieces or the pieces belonging to the other player on your team are already in the home area, you can even move pieces belonging to players on the other team.

Playing With 2 or 3 Players

The following modifications and additions are made to the rules described above:

• Every player plays on their own – there are no teams.
• If you can't complete the move(s) specified on any of the cards in your hand, discard 1 card and draw 1 new card. If you still can't play any of your cards, you have to discard 1 card without playing it and without moving any pieces. But you're not out of the round.
• If you play a partner card, you can always divide out the 4 spaces among pieces in the other colours.
• Card swap: At the start of a round, each player chooses 1 of their cards to pass face-down to the player on their left.
• The winner is the first player to get all 4 pieces in their home area.