CIA: Collect It All Rulebook

Source note: transcribed from the Techdirt / Diegetic Games official edition rulebook. Icons for the four intelligence aspects (Political, Military, Economic, Weapons) are named in words. "Fact check" sidebars and credits are summarized or omitted; the illustrated card diagrams are described by their numbered labels.

Premise

A competitive card game where players use intelligence collection techniques to solve international crises. On each turn, one player will try to defuse a crisis while their opponents interfere with reality checks.

Components

This game contains three types of cards:

• Techniques: Tactics used to overcome crises.
• Crisis Cards: Global crises worth victory points when defused.
• Reality Checks: Ways to alter the difficulty of a challenge or effectiveness of a tactic.

(The game is based on a real CIA training game, the Collection Deck designed by CIA analyst David Clopper, used to teach new recruits about intelligence collection techniques. Many of the original technique and crisis cards were redacted by the CIA; the missing information has been filled in with new research.)

Technique Cards

Each Technique card lists:

1. The collection discipline: GEOINT, HUMINT, MASINT, OSINT, or SIGINT.
2. An icon indicating if it is a satellite-based technique.
3. The name and description of the intelligence technique.
4. The difficulty range of Crisis cards it can target.
5. The intelligence aspects of Crisis cards it can target: Political, Military, Economic, Weapons.
6. Some technique cards have additional language indicating that they are Not Affected By certain Reality Checks or that they Can Only Target certain Crisis Cards.

Crisis Cards

Each Crisis card lists:

1. The name of the global crisis.
2. The point value of the Crisis, indicated by 1, 2 or 3 dots. This is also the number of Techniques required to solve the Crisis.
3. The difficulty rating of the crisis. Limits which Techniques can be used against it.
4. The intelligence aspects of the crisis: Political, Military, Economic, Weapons.

Reality Check Cards

Reality Check cards have specific effects when played that help or hinder a player's strategy. Effects include:

• Increasing or decreasing the difficulty of a Crisis
• Blocking the use of a specific type of Technique
• Expanding a Technique's difficulty range

Many Reality Check cards only apply to techniques from a specific collection discipline (GEOINT, HUMINT, MASINT, OSINT, or SIGINT) and some indicate that they only apply to satellite-based techniques.

The Think Outside the Box card allows a player to defeat any Reality Check card that another player uses against one of their Technique cards.

Optional: Manager Challenge Cards. These Reality Check cards force the player to justify why the technique would be relevant in the real world. They were part of the CIA's original designs but we suggest you only use them if you have a firm understanding of intelligence techniques. These cards also double as Resolution Cards for our storytelling variant.

Initial Setup

• Remove the Manager Challenge cards unless you are playing with that variant, and the blank "redacted" cards.
• Shuffle the Collection Deck (Technique cards and Reality Check cards) and the Crisis Deck (Crisis cards) separately.
• Deal seven cards from the Collection Deck to each player.
• Place ten cards from the Crisis Deck face up on the table; this is known as The Field. If you have two players, place only five Crisis cards face up.

Playing the Game

This game is played over a series of rounds with each round consisting of multiple turns per player. On their turn, a player will try to use their Techniques to overcome a Crisis and other players may try to block them. The game continues until one player reaches ten victory points.

The player who most recently watched a spy themed film or TV show takes the first turn. Then, play proceeds clockwise.

On Your Turn

Each turn, you may attempt to defuse one Crisis by playing Techniques and Reality Checks from your hand. A Crisis's point value determines how many Techniques you need to use (e.g. a 2 point card requires two techniques). You may also choose to pass and not target any problem, at which point it is the next player's turn.

Forming a Collection Strategy

Only some Techniques are applicable to any given Crisis. There are two key conditions that each Technique needs to meet:

• The Technique card has to match at least one intelligence aspect (Political, Military, Economic, Weapons) of the Crisis card.
• The Range listed on the Technique card has to include the Difficulty of the Crisis card.

You may also play Reality Check cards to modify a Technique or Crisis so that the Technique becomes applicable.

Place all of your chosen Techniques and Reality Checks on the table. This is your Collection Strategy.

Disruption

Your opponents may now play Reality Checks in an attempt to disrupt your Collection Strategy. Starting with the player to your left, each opponent may play one Reality Check from their hand. After each card is played, you have the opportunity to react by playing additional Techniques and Reality Checks to counter their card or augment your Collection Strategy.

Each turn, your opponents may play a combined maximum of three Reality Checks to try to stop you. A given opponent may play multiple Reality Checks so long as the other players have had an opportunity to play and you have had a chance to respond after each one.

After each disruption attempt is resolved, discard any successfully countered cards and the Reality Checks used to target them. Reality Check cards which are used to modify a Crisis card stay on the Field until the Crisis is solved.

If Your Strategy Succeeds

If your Collection Strategy survives all disruption attempts then you succeed at defusing the Crisis. Place the Crisis card in front of you to track your victory point total. Discard any Techniques and Reality Checks used to defuse the Crisis.

If Your Strategy Fails

If you fail to defuse a Crisis that requires multiple Techniques, your Collection Strategy might still contain valid, un-countered Techniques. These cards stay on the Field, associated with the Crisis. On future turns, a player can build on these Techniques to defuse the Crisis.

Ending a Round

Players continue taking turns until all players pass, thus ending the round. Before the next round starts:

• If there are fewer than ten Crises on The Field, draw additional cards from the Crisis Deck until there are ten Crises total (or five if playing with only two players).
• Players may discard any number of cards from their hands.
• Deal players back up to seven cards in their hands.

Winning the Game

The game ends at the end of the round once one of the players solves 10 points worth of Crisis cards. If multiple players score 10 points, whomever scored more points wins. If there is a tie, the winner is whomever solved the most Crises. If there is still a tie, then both players win.

Additional Rules and Clarifications

• If you ever start a round with one or two Techniques in your hand, you may mulligan and discard your entire hand and redraw a new hand of only six cards.
• Players may not play Reality Check cards to counter their own techniques or otherwise defeat their own strategies.
• You may only play one of the following Reality Check cards on a given Crisis: Hard Target, Soft Target, Very Hard Target, Very Soft Target.
• If a Crisis has Techniques or Reality Checks remaining from a previous round, these cards are fair targets for additional Reality Checks on later turns.
• If you run out of cards, reshuffle the discard pile and draw from the new deck.
• Played cards will never end up back in your hand.
• You can counter a Think Outside The Box with another Think Outside The Box.
• You cannot play Think Outside The Box to counter a Manager Challenge Reality Check.
• You can play multiple Reality Checks that extend the difficulty range.
• You can play a Hard Target card as part of your own Collection Strategy.
• The box includes three blank "redacted" cards (one Technique, one Crisis, and one Reality Check) that you can use to replace missing cards or create your own.

Storytelling Rules

Premise

In this variant, you'll use the CIA: Collect It All cards to collaboratively tell a story about intelligence gathering and international crises. Together, you'll weave a narrative that jumps between the operations officers in the field and the analysts managing the intelligence.

Initial Setup

Start by creating three decks:

• Techniques and non-counter Reality Checks
• Crisis Cards
• Resolution Cards

You won't be using any of the Reality Checks that counter Techniques but you may find it easier to keep them in the deck and discard and redraw when they come up.

Each player should form a hand by drawing five Techniques.

Playing the Game

In this game, you'll tell the story of the analysts and officers working to defuse international crises.

Draw Initial Crises. You'll start the game by creating two more crises than the number of players (e.g. five crises for three players). Take turns creating the crises; when it's your turn:

1. Draw two Crisis cards.
2. Pick one of them to use and place it on the table, discard the other.
3. Describe this Crisis to the group: What is this Crisis about? Add rich details. How did your agency first hear about this Crisis? What are the consequences for failing to defuse it?

Player Turns. This game is played over several rounds. In every round, each player takes one action that advances the story. On your turn you may do one of the following: Collect Intelligence, Conduct an Operation, or Draw a New Hand. At the end of your turn, draw new cards until you're back to five cards in your hand.

Collect Intelligence. You can Collect Intelligence on a specific Crisis by playing a Technique from your hand that is applicable to the Crisis. The same rules apply as in the base game, the Technique must match at least one aspect (symbol) as well as the difficulty of the Crisis. You and the other players may play any Reality Checks that help. Place the Technique next to the Crisis and describe what you've learned about the threat. However, each crisis can have only one technique of each collection discipline applied to it. For example, you can only use one SIGINT Technique per Crisis.

Conduct an Operation. You can only Conduct an Operation on a Crisis if your group has already played the required number of techniques. When you attempt to defuse a Crisis, pick an approach from the following or create your own:

• Diplomatic Backchannels
• Formal Treaty Negotiations
• Assistance from an Ally
• Aide Package or Arms Deal
• Economic Sanctions
• Special Forces
• Drone Strike
• Military Invasion

Describe how this approach will be used, then draw a Resolution Card to determine if the operation is successful. If you have an extra Technique that matches the Crisis, you can discard that technique to draw an additional Resolution Card and then pick whichever Resolution you prefer. Narrate the results with the Resolution Card as guidance. If you succeed, discard the crisis and any related techniques.

Draw a New Hand. You may use your turn to redraw your hand. Discard as many cards as you'd like and then draw until you have five cards in your hand. Describe an unsubstantiated rumor you've heard about any crisis.

Ending a Round

A round ends once each player has taken a turn. If any Crisis hasn't had a new Intelligence Technique played on it this round, that Crisis escalates. For the first round, there will be at least two Crises that escalate.

If this is the first or second time that the Crisis has escalated:

1. Take a card from the Technique deck and place it face down behind the Crisis; this is to track the number of times it's escalated.
2. Describe how the Crisis has gotten worse and how the pressure on your team is mounting.

If this is the third time that the Crisis has escalated, that Crisis has concluded and you've failed to intervene. Do the following:

1. Describe the consequences of this Crisis.
2. Discard the Crisis and any attached Technique cards.
3. Draw a new Crisis and introduce it to the table in the same way you introduced the initial Crises.

If this is the second Crisis you've failed to defuse, the game is over. Your team will be disbanded and you will be reassigned to a less critical role.

Ending the Game

You win once you have successfully defused all of the Crises on the table. Congratulations! Take a moment to describe how the world is better off for your efforts.