H.I.D.E.: Hidden Identity Dice Espionage Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Objective
• Contents
• Setup
• Game Play
  • 1st Phase: Choosing a target
  • 2nd Phase: Going on a mission
  • 3rd Phase: Mission accomplished
• End of the Game

Game Overview

H.I.D.E. is a deduction game. By combining the informations disclosed as the game goes on, try to find out other players' identities while hiding your own and gathering intel cards.

Objective

1. To win, raise your rank to become the legendary agent.
2. Or, be the richest at the end of the 3rd round.

Contents

• Rules
• 1 Game board
• 5 Hideout boards
• 5 Individual screens
• 32 Dice
• 1 Pouch
• 49 Cards: 16 Intel cards, 23 Rank cards, 1 Security card, 8 Gadget cards, 1 Start player card

Setup

1. Take dice depending on the number of players, as shown below. Put the remaining dice in the box, they will not be used during the game. For each color, 3 players - 6 dice / 4 players - 7 dice / 5 players - 8 dice
2. Shuffle the intel cards well and stack them face-down next to the game board.
3. Stack the rank cards face-up next to the game board as well.
4. Each player takes an individual screen and a hideout board and places them in front of himself.
5. The player who successfully completed an errand the most recently is the starting player. (The starting player puts the start player card in front of him.)

Game Play

The game consists of a maximum of 3 rounds, and each round consists of 3 phases.

1st Phase: Choosing a target

The starting player puts all dice in the pouch and keeps it.

Raising ranks. An agent rank shows his experience. The more experienced you get, your rank will rise. Each player takes 1 rank card and places it face-up on his hideout. If you already have some rank cards, make sure all players can see how many of them you have.

Tip: As ranks must absolutely be disclosed, it is a double-edged sword. While you get closer to become the legendary agent, you could also be a more favorable target of your enemies.

Dealing gadget cards. The starting player shuffles all gadget cards and deals 1 card to each player. Put remaining cards next to the game board. All players then reveal their card and place it vertically on their hideout board. Gadget cards are useful during 2nd Phase: Going on a mission and 3rd Phase: Mission accomplished. For details, see Using a gadget card and Showdown sections.

Placing intel cards. The starting player draws intel cards from the top of the deck and puts 1 card under each building. If any intel cards from the previous round are already there, overlap them but make sure their value is all visible. In this way, many intel cards can be stacked under each building as the game goes on.

Placing the security card (only in a 3-player game). In a 3-player game, the starting player draws a die from the pouch, rolls it, and places the security card on the building represented. This building's security gets strengthened for this round, and nobody can target it. (If a gun icon came up, the starting player can choose which building security will be strengthened.) He then puts the rolled die back into the pouch.

Choosing identity die. From the starting player, each player draws 1 die from the pouch in clockwise order. At this point, be careful to keep your die secret. Choose a building you want to target considering the value of intel cards stacked on it. Put your die behind your screen with the icon representing the targeted building side up. You cannot choose a gun icon nor an icon representing the building where the security card is placed. This die is called identity die and cannot be changed until the end of the round.

2nd Phase: Going on a mission

During the Going on a mission phase, each player plays up to 4 turns. As you pick 1 die on each turn, each player gets 4 dice, if you don't get assassinated in the process and eliminated from the round!

Rolling dice. The starting player draws as many dice from the pouch as remaining number of players +1. If some dice are remained from the previous turn, he takes them into account and draws dice so that it equals to remaining number of players +1. Then he rolls all of them together.

Picking a die. From the starting player and in clockwise order, each player picks 1 of the rolled dice. Dice have 2 features, color and icon. Where to place your dice depends on its features, as indicated below. However, if you choose a gun icon die, you can change the icon as you want. So put the die according to the new icon. See below for further explanation.

• Placing it on top of your screen & Assassination attempt. Place the die on top of your screen if it shares at least one feature with your identity die. When placing a gun icon die sharing the same color with your identity die, change it to the icon of your choice. Of course, you can also take a gun icon die of a different color than your identity die and change it to your targeted building icon to place it on top of your screen.

  Tip: Usually this action is used when preparing for an assassination attempt (see below) or a showdown (see next section). Why change the gun icon? Because as the gun icon cannot be chosen as an identity die, players will immediately find out your identity die's color. And a skilled agent like you never makes this kind of mistake, do you?

  By placing your die on top of your screen, you immediately make an assassination attempt. Designate 1 player and guess the color and the icon of his identity die. If you guess right, the player reveals his identity die and gets eliminated from the round. After a successful assassination attempt, you take all rank cards of the assassinated player. Use 1 of them to raise your own rank and place all remaining cards face-down on your intel cards stack. These rank cards are regarded as intel cards from now on. If your assassination attempt is failed, unfortunately nothing happens but providing clues about your identity and play moves to the next player.

• Placing it in front of your screen. Place the die in front of your screen if it shares no feature with your identity die. For example, you can place a gun icon die of a different color than your identity die in front of your screen without changing its icon. You cannot make an assassination attempt if you place the die in front of your screen.

  Tip: Usually this action is used to get intel cards without giving hints regarding your identity.

Using a gadget card. Once per each round, you can use your gadget card to change the icon of 1 remaining die to the icon of your choice. You have to do this after picking a die. To indicate your gadget card was used, turn it horizontally. All gadget cards, whether used or not, will be returned at the start of the next round and newly distributed.

Tip: Usually this action is used to force next players to give hints about their identity.

Changing starting player. After all players have taken 1 die on their turn, the start player card is passed down to the first surviving player on the left. He becomes the new starting player and proceeds to Going on a mission phase again. If each surviving player already has 4 dice, play moves to 3rd phase. In that case, the player who received the start player card becomes the starting player of the next round.

Last man standing. It sometimes happens that all players except one get assassinated during the Going on a mission phase. Nothing can stop this agent. Regardless of the building he was targeting, he takes all intel cards stacked on a building of his choice. He then adds 1 rank card to his hideout. In a last man standing situation, the round ends immediately, and the survivor places the start player card in front of him and starts the next round. Intel cards under the building where the security card is placed can be taken as well.

3rd Phase: Mission accomplished

Agents who completed their mission will get rewards. However, agents who share the same target must enter into competition once again. Because in this cold-blooded world, there is no partner at the end.

Identity disclosure. All players who survived until this step proudly reveal their identity die, then resolve below steps starting from the far left building.

• Intel cards acquisition. If any building was targeted by one player only, this player takes all intel cards from the building and places them face-down on his hideout board. He then draws 1 rank card and adds it to his board as well. If any building was targeted by 2 or more players, Showdown takes place.

• Showdown. Now a showdown cannot be avoided to complete your mission. It is time for dice on top of your screen to reveal their strength. If you collected just a few of them to not risk revealing your identity, you have no choice but to pray the Goddess of Luck to be by your side.

  Place your identity die on top of your screen, these dice on your screen represent your life. In order not to mix them up, put the dice in front of your screen back into the pouch. If you targeted the same building with your gadget card, regardless of gadget card usage, add 1 more die from the pouch to your life.

  All players participating in the showdown roll 1 life die at the same time. If a gun icon came up, all players who did not get one lose the die they just rolled. If no gun icon came up or all players got it, all players roll their die again. Secret agents who unfortunately lose all their dice are eliminated from the round with an unaccomplished mission. (Figure 8)

  Eliminating enemies through showdown is not assassination and you cannot take away their rank cards.

  Repeat this showdown until there is only 1 survivor left. The survivor takes all intel cards stacked on the targeted building and places them face-down in his hideout. He then adds 1 rank card to his hideout as well.

End of the Game

You win the game if you fulfill one of the following conditions.

Be the Legend. As soon as anyone gets the 7th rank card and reaches the "legendary agent" rank, the game ends immediately. This player becomes The Legend and wins the game. In rare cases, during the Raising ranks step, 2 or more players can be The Legend at the same time. Then, they must battle victory in a Showdown with a single die. However, the tied situation cannot happen during 3rd phase since the buildings are resolved one by one.

Ordinary victory. At the end of the 3rd round, all players add the value of intel cards stacked on their hideout board including the rank cards stacked together. However, the rank cards which show your rank do not count. The player with the highest value wins the game. If 2 or more players have the same highest value, they must battle victory in a Showdown with a single die. We already told you, but there can be only one winner in this cold-blooded world. Congratulations to the winning agent who is now rich enough to retire and enjoy a normal life! If he thinks he can......