Breaking Bad: The Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Idea and Goal of the Game
• Setup
  • 1. Choosing the characters
  • 2. Preparing the character sheets
  • 3. Laying out the team boards
  • Setup for a game with 4 players
  • 4. Drawing hand cards
  • 5. Laying out lab cards
  • 6. Preparing the general supply
  • 7. Determining the start player
• Course of the Game
  • Precautions
• Making Blue Sky
  • Starting up a lab
  • Alliances
  • Betrayal
• Playing Criminal Cards
  • Threat level
  • Firefights
• Playing DEA Cards
  • Wanted level
  • DEA Raid
  • DEA Patrol
  • DEA Surveillance
  • Violations of the law
  • Caught in the act
  • In Custody
• Jail
• Being Eliminated from the Game
• End of the Game
• Card Explanations
  • Vendetta ("Rachefeldzug")
  • Seizure
  • Ricin
  • Blue Sky Theft
  • Salud!
  • Intimidation
  • Tortuga
  • Take Over! ("Übernimm die Macht!")
  • Improvised Cooking
  • Bulletproof Vest
  • Loyal Follower
  • Undercover
• Special Abilities in Detail
  • Hank Schrader
  • Steve Gomez
  • Walter White
  • Gus Fring
  • Mike Ehrmantraut
  • Jesse Pinkman
  • Example character sheets
• Player Aid
  • Actions
  • End of the game and victory conditions
  • Symbol overview

Game Components

• 1 team board DEA
• 1 team board Heisenberg
• 1 team board Los Pollos Hermanos
• 1 team board Juárez Cartel
• 8 character sheets (2 per team)
• 30 DEA cards
• 30 Heisenberg cards
• 30 Los Pollos Hermanos cards
• 30 Juárez Cartel cards
• 9 lab cards (3 per criminal team)
• 6 jail markers
• 130 Blue Sky crystals
• 34 life point markers (LP markers)

Idea and Goal of the Game

Each player takes the role of a character of the DEA or within one of the three criminal organizations: Heisenberg, Los Pollos Hermanos, Juárez Cartel.

As a criminal, your goal is to eliminate all enemy characters or to sell the required amount of Blue Sky.

As a DEA agent, your goal is to eliminate the characters of the criminal organizations or to shut down all labs.

Setup

1. Choosing the characters

First determine the seating order. Then choose as many character sheets as there are players:

• The chosen characters must belong to at least 3 different teams.
• In games with 3-5 players, only 1 DEA agent may take part.
• In games with 6-8 players, both DEA agents must take part.

Put all unused character sheets back into the box. You can either deal the chosen character sheets randomly or give each player his favorite character.

Note: Preselecting the participating characters lets you ensure a balanced game in the sense of the rules. But of course you can also try other combinations if you want to replay particular constellations from individual episodes.

If you deal the character sheets randomly, this makes for more variety. But if everyone agrees, there is nothing against everyone playing the character that appeals to them most.

Example: In a four-player game you could choose Hank Schrader (DEA), Walter White, Jesse Pinkman and Tuco Salamanca (criminals).

2. Preparing the character sheets

Each player places his character sheet in front of him. Then each player takes as many LP markers and Blue Sky crystals as indicated on the sheet.

Each character sheet shows the following:

1. Team affiliation
2. Name of the character
3. Life point display (LP display): shows how many LP the character can have at most. At the start of the game, put 1 LP marker on each space of the display.
4. Blue Sky stash: here you place all Blue Sky crystals you receive during the game.
5. Picture of the character
6. Special abilities
7. Starting hand cards: the number in the box tells you with how many hand cards you begin the game.
8. Starting Blue Sky: the number in the box tells you how much Blue Sky you have in your stash at the start of the game.
9. Card area of your character: here you place all cards that affect your character during the game. Several cards can lie here, but never two identical cards.

When your character is hurt, he loses life points and you must remove the corresponding number of LP markers from the LP display. Example: If you lose 2 LP, you must remove 2 LP markers from the display and return them to the general supply.

When your character is healed, he regains life points. Take the corresponding number of LP markers from the general supply and place them on empty spaces of the LP display. You can never exceed your maximum LP.

When a card is removed from a character's card area, it is placed on the discard pile of the team the card belongs to.

3. Laying out the team boards

Place the DEA board in the middle of the table. Then place the boards of the participating criminal teams in any order below the DEA board. Put all remaining boards back into the box.

DEA board:

• A. Patrol area: here you place DEA Patrol cards when you play one.
• B. DEA wanted levels: this overview shows the threat levels a criminal must have reached so that the DEA agents may play cards with the corresponding symbol (see page 10, Playing DEA cards).

Criminal board:

• A. Lab area: here you place the team's lab cards at the start of the game.
• B. Total amount of Blue Sky crystals sold: here you place the crystals sold by members of the corresponding team. You can see at any time how many crystals the team has already sold, which threat level the team therefore has, and how close this team is to victory.

Note: DEA agents cannot sell Blue Sky. But they can play Seizure cards to seize Blue Sky from the criminals' boards.

• C. Victory condition for teams with 1 member: every team that consists of only 1 member at the start of the game must sell 12 Blue Sky to win the game.
• D. Victory condition for teams with 2 members: every team that consists of 2 members at the start of the game must sell 18 Blue Sky to win the game. This victory condition remains valid for the entire game, even if one of the two team members is eliminated during the game.
• E. Violation of the law: this symbol is a reminder that every criminal commits a violation of the law when he sells Blue Sky while under DEA surveillance (see page 11, Violations of the law).

Setup for a game with 4 players

Diagram key: 1. character sheet; 2. hand cards; 3. team card deck; 4. lab cards; 5. team boards; A. jail markers; B. LP markers; C. general supply of Blue Sky; D. starting Blue Sky supply.

4. Drawing hand cards

Shuffle the card decks of each team separately and place them within reach of the respective team members. Leave room next to them for a discard pile. Then each player draws from his team's deck as many cards as indicated on his character sheet.

Throughout the entire game, each player basically only draws cards from his own team's deck. If a deck runs out, immediately shuffle all cards of the associated discard pile and form a new deck from them.

5. Laying out lab cards

Place the required number of lab cards of each team as a face-up stack on the lab area of the corresponding team. The number depends on the number of criminal teams taking part in the game:

• 2 criminal teams: 3 lab cards are placed on the area for each team.
• 3 criminal teams: 2 lab cards are placed on the area for each team.

Put the remaining lab cards back into the box.

6. Preparing the general supply

Put the Blue Sky crystals, the LP markers and the jail markers in three separate piles as the general supply, within easy reach of all players.

7. Determining the start player

Whoever watched the TV series most recently is the start player. You can of course also simply draw lots.

Course of the Game

Players take turns clockwise and perform 2 or 3 actions in each of their turns. The start player begins, then play continues around the table until a team wins the game (see page 13, End of the game).

Note: You may talk about anything at the table, exchange information, negotiate strategies, etc. But you may show your hand cards neither to your team partner nor to another player, unless a game effect explicitly allows it (such as Walter's special ability). Also, you may not say specifically which cards you hold in your hand.

When it is your turn you must perform two of the following actions. You can choose the order freely and may perform the same action multiple times.

• Draw a card: Take the top card of your team's deck into your hand.
• Play a card: Place a card from your hand in front of you and carry out its effect. Then put the card on your team's discard pile.
• Use an ability: Carry out the effect of a special ability of your character that says "As an action".

Criminals can also perform the following actions:

• Start up a lab: Place a chemist card from your hand on any lab and immediately use its "make Blue Sky" effect (see page 8, Starting up a lab). With this action you can also replace a chemist already in play with a chemist from your hand, or move one of your chemists in play to another lab (see page 9, Betrayal).
• Make Blue Sky: Use the effect of a chemist card on a lab to make as much Blue Sky as is indicated on the card (see page 8, Making Blue Sky).
• Remove a chemist: You can remove one of your chemists from any lab, or any chemist from your lab (see page 9, Betrayal).
• Sell Blue Sky: Take 1 Blue Sky crystal from the stash on your character sheet and place it on your team board. Important: per action you can sell exactly 1 Blue Sky crystal.

After you have performed the 2 actions, you may perform exactly 1 additional action per turn, which you must pay for as follows:

• give up 2 Blue Sky from the stash on your character sheet, or
• discard 2 of your hand cards, or
• give up 1 LP from your character sheet.

After you have performed the additional action (or decided to forgo it), your turn ends and the next player clockwise is up.

Return Blue Sky crystals or LP markers you gave up to the corresponding general supply. Put discarded hand cards on your team's discard pile.

Note: When a DEA agent seizes Blue Sky, he puts these crystals in his Blue Sky stash and can from then on spend them to perform an additional action per turn.

Precautions

At the end of your turn you may not have more than 6 cards in your hand. If you have 7 or more cards, you must discard until you have only 6 cards.

Making Blue Sky

Starting up a lab

Each criminal team can only have one lab in operation and each lab can only be operated by one chemist. If you want to place a chemist on a lab that is already in operation, discard the previous chemist and place the new chemist on the lab instead.

At the start of the game no criminal can make Blue Sky yet, since none of the labs is in operation. To be able to make Blue Sky in a lab, you must first perform the action "Start up a lab" to place a chemist from your hand on a lab.

When you perform the action "Start up a lab", you immediately use the "make Blue Sky" effect of this chemist once.

As long as the chemist lies on the lab, the lab is in operation. You can use it to perform the action "Make Blue Sky" and so receive as many crystals as indicated on the chemist card.

If you place a chemist on your own team's lab, only you and your team partner (if any) can perform the action "Make Blue Sky" with this chemist. But you can also ally with another criminal team and place a chemist on their lab (see page 9, Alliances).

Example (chemist Gale Boetticher: "When you start up a lab with this chemist, immediately make 3 Blue Sky." Lab Lavandería Brillante: "As an action: make 3 Blue Sky."): 1. You play a chemist card from your hand to start up the lab. 2. You immediately use the chemist's effect and receive 3 Blue Sky. 3. Place the Blue Sky you received in your stash.

Alliances

An alliance lets you share a lab or a chemist with another team. This can be profitable, but also risky.

If you want to start up another team's lab, you must first negotiate the terms with the other team. Very different things can be agreed: you can simply share the available resources, but you can also demand protection from the DEA, make the robbery of another criminal a condition, etc. However, the exchange of Blue Sky crystals may under no circumstances be part of the agreement, since it is never possible to voluntarily give Blue Sky to other players.

Negotiation examples:

Walter White: "So, you just lost your chemist and the DEA confiscated all your money. But you still have a lab. I know something about chemistry and I have the best chemist in the whole game in my hand. Maybe we can make something big together...?"

Gus Fring: "You have a chemist, but no lab. I have a lab in which you could cook - but first you must promise me something: take care of this Agent Schrader."

Tuco Salamanca: "Did you just say that guy can cook? Send this chemist to my lab before the Cartel and I lose our patience!"

As soon as you have agreed on the terms of the alliance, you place your chemist on the lab. As long as two teams share a chemist and a lab, all members of these two teams count as allies. Every member of this alliance can perform the action "Make Blue Sky" with the shared chemist.

Whenever your allies perform the action "Make Blue Sky" with the shared chemist, you (or, if applicable, your team partner) also receive 1 Blue Sky. Conversely, the same applies: when you or your team partner perform the action "Make Blue Sky" with the shared chemist, a member of the allied team receives 1 Blue Sky. This also applies already when you perform the action "Start up a lab".

Example: Walter White plays alone and has no team partner. He forms an alliance with the Cartel so that together they can take on Los Pollos Hermanos. He places his chemist from his hand into the Cartel's lab and immediately makes 3 Blue Sky, as stated on the card. The Cartel also receives 1 Blue Sky, which Tuco puts in his stash. Then it is Tuco's turn. With his first action he makes 3 Blue Sky and Walter also receives 1 Blue Sky. Tuco also uses his second action to make Blue Sky, so Walter receives 1 Blue Sky again.

Example: Gus and Walter are allies. Gus is attacked by the Cartel. Walter knows that he will be the next target if Gus goes down. Moreover, he does not want to lose the jointly used lab and stand alone against two Cartel members. So he heals Gus in his turn to keep him in the game a little longer.

As you can see, alliances get you large amounts of Blue Sky quickly. But of course only one team can win. So think carefully about whom you ally with - and make sure you can trust your allies...

Note: If you perform the action "Make Blue Sky" and have several chemists in different labs, you must decide with which chemist you want to make Blue Sky.

Betrayal

Alliances can be useful, but only one team can win. You can quite well win the game even if you are allied with another team. Nevertheless, there can be good reasons to break an alliance. This can happen in various ways:

If the shared chemist belongs to your team, you can do the following:

• Remove the chemist from the allied team's lab with the action "Remove a chemist" and discard it.
• Move the chemist from the allied team's lab to your team's lab with the action "Remove a chemist". With this you can even form a new alliance by moving the chemist to the lab of the third criminal team.

If the shared lab belongs to your team, you can do the following:

• Remove the allied team's chemist from your team's lab with the action "Remove a chemist" and discard it.
• Replace the allied team's chemist with the action "Start up a lab" by one of your own chemists from your hand.
• Form an alliance with the third criminal team and allow it to place a chemist on your lab with the action "Start up a lab" in its turn. The chemist of your former ally is thereby discarded.

Or you do it the classic way: when the allied team is eliminated from the game, the alliance also ends!

Playing Criminal Cards

Threat level

For every criminal, both his individual threat level and his team's threat level decide which cards he can play.

• A criminal's individual threat level equals the amount of Blue Sky in his stash.
• The team's threat level equals the amount of Blue Sky on the team board (that is, the total number of crystals sold by the team).

Some criminal cards show the threat level symbol in the upper left corner. The number in the symbol indicates which threat level is required at minimum to play this card. You can play such a card if either your individual threat level or your team's is equal to or higher than the stated value. However, only the higher of the two threat levels (individual or team) counts; the two values may not be added.

Example: Walter White wants to play an attack card that requires a threat level of 10+. But only 9 crystals lie on the team board, and he has 2 crystals in his stash. Too little for the attack card. So as his first action he chooses "Sell Blue Sky" and thereby raises the team's threat level to 10. As his second action he can now play the attack card.

Firefights

When you play a "Gunfire" card in your turn, you start a firefight. Choose an opponent you want to attack. (Starting a firefight requires a threat level of at least 1.)

As a reaction, the attacked player can fend off and counter your attack by playing a "Gunfire" card himself, thereby becoming the attacker himself. In turn you can play another "Gunfire" card, and so on. As soon as one of the two players can no longer (or does not want to) play a card, he loses the firefight and 1 LP.

When you are attacked, your team partner can support you. He too can play "Gunfire" cards in your place. If you are currently in an alliance with another team (see page 9, Alliances), all allied team members can also support each other in a firefight. If more than two players are involved in a firefight, only the player who was attacked last loses 1 LP (that is, the player whose card was fended off last).

As soon as the firefight is over, all players put their played "Gunfire" cards on their team's discard pile.

To be able to start a firefight, you must have a threat level of at least 1. But regardless of threat level, you can always play "Gunfire" cards in defense when an opponent involves you in a firefight. This possibility is indicated by the STOP symbol (see page 16, Symbol overview).

Note: If the effect of a card is unclear, reread the corresponding rules passage or look at the card explanations on page 14.

Playing DEA Cards

Wanted level

Only the cards "Seizure", "DEA Surveillance", "In Custody" and "DEA Gunfire" require that a wanted level be observed.

Some DEA cards show one or more wanted symbols in the upper left corner. The number of symbols is the wanted level and indicates which threat level a criminal or team must have reached at minimum to be the target of such a card. The DEA agents should therefore always watch the stashes and team boards closely to know against whom they can currently play which cards.

The DEA board shows how the wanted levels relate to the criminals' threat levels (see the DEA board overview: threat levels 1+, 4+, 7+ and 10+ correspond to wanted levels 1 to 4).

Here too, a criminal's wanted level always equals the higher value of his threat level (his individual one or the team's). Remember that the two values may not be added.

Example: Hank is up. The Pollos Hermanos team has already sold 6 Blue Sky, so both team members have a threat level of 6. Hank can therefore play "Seizure" (wanted level 1) and "DEA Surveillance" (2) against each of these criminals. But Hank cannot currently play "In Custody" (3) or "DEA Gunfire" (4) against them.

DEA Raid

As a DEA agent you can win the game by shutting down the labs of all criminal teams.

To shut down a lab you must play a "DEA Raid" card from your hand and name a lab as the target. If you succeed, the lab is shut down and you place the lab card next to your character sheet. If the lab was in operation, put the chemist card on the discard pile of the corresponding team. A shut-down lab is out of the game for the rest of the game.

Card text: Shut down 1 lab. If the lab was in operation, discard the chemist. "Police! Search warrant!"

Every criminal can fend off a "DEA Raid" by playing a "Better Call Saul" card, no matter who owns the lab.

DEA Patrol

When you play a "DEA Patrol" card, you place all criminals under surveillance. Put the card in the patrol area next to the DEA team board. Until the start of your next turn, all criminals are under surveillance. Discard the card onto your team's discard pile at the start of your next turn (see below, Caught in the act).

Card text: Place this card in the patrol area. All criminals are under surveillance until the start of your next turn. Discard this card at the start of your next turn. "So keep your eyes open. We have new players in town."

DEA Surveillance

You can play a "DEA Surveillance" card against a criminal who has reached at least wanted level 2. Then place the card in that criminal's card area. This has two effects:

• The affected criminal must discard two randomly chosen hand cards.
• The affected criminal is now under surveillance: during his next turn he is under DEA surveillance. Only at the start of his turn after that may he remove the card from his card area and discard it onto the DEA's discard pile (see below, Caught in the act).

Card text: Place this card in the card area of a criminal. He discards 2 cards at random from his hand. During his next turn the player is under surveillance. He discards this card at the start of his following turn.

DEA agents can place criminals under surveillance with the cards "DEA Surveillance" and "DEA Patrol".

Violations of the law

The red "violation of the law" symbol that appears on the criminals' cards and on the criminals' team boards indicates that a criminal commits a violation of the law when he:

• plays a card with this symbol,
• performs the action "Make Blue Sky",
• performs the action "Sell Blue Sky",
• receives 1 Blue Sky because an ally performs the action "Make Blue Sky".

If a criminal is under surveillance and commits a violation of the law, he may be caught in the act (see below).

Caught in the act

Of course you may always play a "DEA Gunfire" card to fend off a criminal's attack, provided you or your team partner is the target of the attack. Otherwise you may play such a card only in the following situations:

Attack a criminal who: has a wanted level of 4, or commits a violation of the law while under surveillance, or commits a violation of the law against a DEA agent, or plays a "Gunfire" card against your team.

• In your turn, to attack a criminal with wanted level 4.
• In a criminal's turn, to attack that criminal if he is under surveillance and commits a violation of the law (regardless of his wanted level).
• In a criminal's turn, to attack any criminal who commits a violation of the law directed directly against you (or your team partner) (regardless of his wanted level).

In each of these cases you start a firefight. With one exception, the same rules for firefights apply as described on page 10: if the DEA wins the firefight, the criminal does not lose an LP, but instead goes to jail (see page 12, Jail).

When a criminal cannot fend off a DEA agent's attack, he (or another criminal) can instead play a "Better Call Saul" card to prevent the loser of the firefight from going to jail.

Card text ("Caught in the act" DEA Gunfire): Cancel the effect of a "DEA Raid", "Seizure", "DEA Surveillance", "In Custody" or "Caught in the act" card, or free a criminal from jail (playable at any time, does not count as an action).

As a DEA agent you too have "Gunfire" cards ("Caught in the act"). Unlike criminals, however, you may not use them at will.

When you are attacked, your partner (the other DEA agent) can support you. He can fend off attacks against you by playing his own "Gunfire" cards. On the other hand, allied criminals (who share a lab or chemist) can support each other when you attack one of them.

Note: When a criminal is caught in the act, he interrupts the action he is currently performing until the end of the resulting firefight. If the criminal loses the firefight and goes to jail, the action is canceled and lapses. If the criminal escapes the DEA, he completes the action and continues his turn.

Example: A "DEA Patrol" card is active, so all criminals are under surveillance in their next turn. Walter tries to perform the action "Sell Blue Sky" anyway. Hank reacts with a "DEA Gunfire" card to send Walter to jail. Walter fends it off with his own "Gunfire" card, but Gomez steps in and plays a "DEA Gunfire" card of his own. Walter can fend off this one too and thereby wins the firefight: Gomez loses 1 LP, as he was the last DEA agent attacked. Walter continues his turn by completing the interrupted action "Sell Blue Sky".

Example: Hank has just removed 1 LP from Tuco using the card "DEA Blunder". Tuco thirsts for revenge. He has two "Gunfire" cards in hand and starts a firefight with Hank. Unluckily for him, Hank also has two "DEA Gunfire" cards in hand, fends off both attacks with them and wins the firefight. Tuco goes to jail: he loses all his cards, all the Blue Sky in his stash is seized, and he places a jail marker on his character sheet.

In Custody

You can play an "In Custody" card against a criminal who has reached at least wanted level 3. Then place the card in that criminal's card area. This has three effects:

• Discard all other cards in the affected criminal's card area.
• Take all crystals from his stash and put them in your stash.
• He loses his next turn.

Card text: Place this card in the card area of a criminal. Discard all other cards in his card area and seize all Blue Sky in his stash. He is "out of the game" and loses his next turn. He discards this card at the start of his following turn. "But don't get overconfident. You're not free yet."

When you are taken "In Custody", you are "out of the game" until the effect ends. You may not perform actions, play cards or use special abilities. But you also cannot be the target of other players' actions or special abilities. When it is your turn for the first time, you merely turn the "In Custody" card over, and the next player is up. When it is your turn again, you discard the "In Custody" card and take your turn.

Jail

As long as the jail marker lies on your character sheet, you are stuck in jail: you may not perform actions, play cards or use special abilities. But you also cannot be the target of other players' actions or special abilities.

When you go to jail, you place a jail marker on your character sheet and discard all your hand cards as well as all cards in your card area onto the corresponding discard piles. Then the DEA agent who sent you to jail receives all crystals from your stash and puts them in his stash.

At the start of each of your turns you draw 3 cards. If one of them is a "Better Call Saul" card, you play it automatically, remove the jail marker from your character sheet and are back in the game. You keep the two other drawn cards and immediately take a regular turn. If there is no "Better Call Saul" card among the 3 cards drawn, you discard all 3 cards and remain in jail.

Card text ("Better Call Saul"): Cancel the effect of a "DEA Raid", "Seizure", "DEA Surveillance", "In Custody" or "Caught in the act" card, or free a criminal from jail (playable at any time, does not count as an action).

Note: Any other criminal can play a "Better Call Saul" card at any time to free you from jail. That does not count as an action. Then too you remove the jail marker, immediately draw 2 cards and take your turn as soon as it is regularly your turn.

If all characters of a team are in jail, discard all their chemists in play, then turn the team's remaining lab cards face down. These lab cards count as "out of the game", which in particular means they do not count toward the DEA agents' victory condition. If a member of such a team gets out of jail, the labs are turned face up again and are "in the game" again. From that moment they again count for the DEA agents' victory condition.

Being Eliminated from the Game

When your character loses his last LP, he is eliminated from the game. Discard your hand cards and all cards in your card area onto the corresponding discard piles. The character who eliminated you takes all crystals from your stash and puts them in his stash. Turn your character sheet over.

Note: If a character is eliminated because of the "Ricin" card, the two members of the Heisenberg team may divide the crystals among themselves as they like. If no member of the Heisenberg team is left in the game, return the crystals to the general supply.

When all characters of a team have been eliminated, discard all their chemists in play, then permanently turn the team's remaining lab cards face down. These lab cards are out of the game forever, which in particular means they do not count toward the DEA agents' victory condition. Put all crystals from the team board into the general supply and then put the board back into the box.

When all DEA agents have been eliminated, discard all "DEA Surveillance" and "DEA Patrol" cards. All "Bulletproof Vest" and "In Custody" cards as well as jail markers that lie on character sheets stay where they are.

End of the Game

The game ends when one of the following conditions occurs:

• When only one team is left in the game, that is, all other characters are eliminated or in jail.
• When one of the criminal teams has sold the required amount of Blue Sky (depending on the number of team members at the start of the game).
• When all labs have either been shut down by the DEA or turned face down, provided at least one DEA agent is still in the game.

All players of the team that has fulfilled one of the above conditions win the game.

It can happen that the criminals run out of labs after the last DEA agent has been eliminated. In this case, continue the game until only one criminal team is left or until a team has sold the required amount of Blue Sky.

Card Explanations

Vendetta ("Rachefeldzug")

Also allied players can help the affected player by discarding "Gunfire" cards to meet the condition of the "Vendetta" card.

Seizure

When you play this card, you decide whether you take 3 Blue Sky from a criminal's stash or 1 Blue Sky from a criminal team's board. You put the seized crystals in your stash. You can use these crystals to perform additional actions. If all members of a team are protected by "Undercover" cards, you can only seize 1 Blue Sky from their team board.

Ricin

If a character with a "Ricin" card has only 1 LP left at the start of his turn, he is immediately eliminated from the game. If a character with a "Ricin" card goes to jail or is taken into custody, the "Ricin" card is removed from his card area. "Ricin" cards stay in play even if the Heisenberg team has been completely eliminated.

Blue Sky Theft

You can use this against a DEA agent, but that then constitutes a violation of the law: the DEA agent can defend himself with a "DEA Gunfire" card ("Caught in the act") and send you to jail. So be careful!

Salud!

You cannot play a "Hospital" card from your hand onto another character to prevent the effect of "Salud!" on that character.

Intimidation

With these cards you can force another player to discard 1 or 2 hand cards. Alternatively you can discard the stated number of "Bulletproof Vest" and "Undercover" cards from his card area. If the card says you can make him discard 2 cards, you decide in which combination the opponent discards cards. You can, for example, determine that he discards 1 random card from his hand and 1 "Bulletproof Vest", or 1 "Bulletproof Vest" and 1 "Undercover" card each.

Card text: An opponent of your choice discards 1 randomly chosen hand card. Alternatively you can make him discard a "Bulletproof Vest" or "Undercover" card from his card area.

Tortuga

If a neighbor (or both) of the chosen opponent is out of the game (in jail, in custody or eliminated), that character does not lose an LP.

Take Over! ("Übernimm die Macht!")

When you play this card, you must say aloud "I'm taking over!" to interrupt the opponent's turn. Then you take your turn and the game continues clockwise. If the interrupted opponent was in the middle of an action, it is still carried out completely before you take your turn.

Example: Walter takes his turn, then Hank takes his turn. It is Tuco's turn, but before Tuco can do anything, Walter immediately plays a "Take Over!" card and says aloud: "I'm taking over!" Tuco's turn ends immediately and Walter is up. After Walter it is Hank's turn again, and only then may Tuco finally act.

Another example: Gus is just making Blue Sky when Jesse plays a "Take Over!" card and announces aloud "I'm taking over!" Gus first receives the Blue Sky crystals he made before Jesse takes his turn.

Improvised Cooking

With this card you can immediately make 3 Blue Sky. You need neither a lab nor a chemist for this, and it does not constitute a violation of the law. Unlike chemists, an "Improvised Cooking" card is discarded after you have resolved its effect.

Bulletproof Vest

When a character wearing a "Bulletproof Vest" is attacked, the character loses no LP at all, no matter how many he would otherwise lose. However, the "Bulletproof Vest" cannot prevent LP loss from "Ricin" or "Salud!" cards. A "Bulletproof Vest" can be discarded by an opponent with an "Intimidation" card.

Loyal Follower

You determine the order. You can, for example, first remove 1 "Bulletproof Vest" and then 1 LP from that character.

Undercover

As long as this card is in your card area, you are out of the DEA's reach. DEA agents can neither play "Seizure", "In Custody" nor "DEA Surveillance" against you, nor start a firefight with you. They can still play "DEA Raid" against your lab cards, as well as "DEA Gunfire" if you commit a violation of the law. The "Undercover" card is removed from your card area when you commit a violation of the law or when an opponent plays an "Intimidation" card to remove it.

Mexican Hideout

As long as this card is in your card area, you are out of the DEA's reach. DEA agents can neither play "Seizure", "In Custody" nor "DEA Surveillance" against you, nor start a firefight with you. They can still play "DEA Raid" against your lab cards, as well as "DEA Gunfire" if you commit a violation of the law. The "Mexican Hideout" can only be removed from your card area if you are eliminated from the game or go to jail.

Hidden Chemist

If you make Blue Sky with this card, this does not constitute a violation of the law.

Special Abilities in Detail

Hank Schrader

For Hank's first ability, criminal teams that have already been (completely) eliminated are not taken into account.

Steve Gomez

Steve's second ability also applies during a firefight and when he discards cards to perform an additional action. If Steve plays a "DEA Reinforcement" on himself, the effect of the card is carried out first, so the ability has no effect here.

Walter White

When Walter plays a "Hospital" card, he decides separately for each effect how to use it. He can, for example, restore 2 LP to one character, or restore 1 LP and remove 1 "Ricin" card. He can also restore 1 LP each to two characters, or remove 1 "Ricin" card from one and restore 1 LP to another. However, the ability does not apply when Walter discards a "Hospital" card to prevent the effect of a "Salud!" card.

Gus Fring

When Gus uses his first ability, the action an opponent is currently performing is prevented, even if it is a DEA action. If a card was played for this action, its effect is canceled and the card is discarded. Blue Sky that was made or sold is simply returned to the supply. Gus can even prevent firefights with this, if he prevents the first "Gunfire" card played, since playing it costs 1 action. But once the firefight has begun, even Gus can no longer stop it. Moreover, Gus can prevent neither "Take Over!" nor "Better Call Saul" cards, since playing them costs no action.

Mike Ehrmantraut

Allies can jointly play 2 "Gunfire" cards to fend off a "Gunfire" card played by Mike. Mike also needs 2 "Gunfire" cards to fend off a "Vendetta".

Jesse Pinkman

When Jesse uses his first ability, he must lose all LP that the other character would lose. If he wants to protect an ally who would lose 2 LP, Jesse loses those 2 LP, but may only perform 1 additional action. Jesse cannot use this ability when a player voluntarily gives up 1 LP to perform an additional action. The ability also cannot be used to transfer the LP loss from the "Ricin" or "Salud!" cards from a character to Jesse.

Example character sheets

The character sheets shown in the rulebook illustrate two abilities:

• Walter White: Once per turn you may look at another player's hand cards (does not count as an action). When you play a "Hospital" card, you may use its effect twice.
• Tuco Salamanca: During your turn: each time you look another player in the eye, you may discard 1 random card from his hand. As an action: give up 2 Blue Sky from your stash to get 1 LP back.

Player Aid

Actions

In your turn you must perform 2 actions in any order:

• Draw a card
• Play a card
• Use a special ability (that requires 1 action)

Actions for criminals only:

• Start up a lab (place, replace or move a chemist)
• Produce Blue Sky (only possible with a chemist in a lab)
• Remove a chemist (discard a chemist from a lab)
• Sell Blue Sky (only 1 Blue Sky per sale action)

Additional action (only once per turn): give up 2 Blue Sky from your stash, or discard 2 hand cards, or give up 1 LP.

End of turn: maximum 6 hand cards, discard excess cards.

End of the game and victory conditions

• Only one team left in the game: this team wins.
• A criminal team sells the required amount of Blue Sky: this team wins.
• All labs have been shut down or turned face down and at least 1 DEA agent is still in the game: the DEA team wins.

Symbol overview

• Threat level: to play a card with this symbol, a criminal must have reached the stated value (individual or his team's).
• Wanted level: a card with this symbol may only be played against a criminal who has reached the stated value (individual or his team's).
• Violation of the law: playing a card with this symbol or performing an action with this symbol constitutes a violation of the law. If a criminal is under surveillance, this can lead to him being caught in the act by the DEA agents.
• STOP: a card with this symbol can be played during another player's turn to fend off an attack, cancel an effect or interrupt another player's turn.
• Card for card area: when a card with this symbol is played, it is placed in the card area on a character sheet.
• Surveillance: this symbol indicates that the character is under surveillance and can be caught in the act by the DEA agents when committing a violation of the law.