Internal Affairs Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Object
• Game Contents
• Game Setup (5-8 Players)
• How to Play
  • Phase 1
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3
• Game End
• Action Cards
  • RED Action Cards
  • BLUE Action Cards
  • GREEN Action Cards
• Variant Rules for 2-4 Players

Game Object

The game is won by the team that manages to first reveal all 3 identity cards of 2 infiltrators belonging to the opposing team.

Game Contents

• 26 Identity Cards:
  • 13 Police Mole Identity Cards
  • 13 Triad Mole Identity Cards
• 45 Code Cards: 3 copies of each card from 1 to 15
• 28 Action Cards:
  • 9 RED action cards
  • 8 GREEN action cards
  • 11 BLUE action cards

A RED circle at the left upper corner of an action card means this card can only be played by the active player in Phase 1.

A BLUE rhombus at the left upper corner of an action card means this card can only be played by non-active players to respond in specific circumstances.

Game Setup (5-8 Players)

1. According to the number of players, select the appropriate number of ID cards and shuffle them before play (see the table below).
2. Deal 3 ID cards to each player. The remaining cards are put aside face down and will not be used in the game.
3. Players look at their ID cards. The majority of ID card types determine each player's real identity.
4. Shuffle the code cards and action cards separately. Place the 2 different draw decks on the table within easy reach for all players.
5. Deal 5 code cards and 2 action cards to each player.
6. Each player chooses 3 code cards out of the 5 they have just been dealt and places them face down on the table in ascending numerical order (the lowest to the highest from left to right). If there are identical numbers, the player decides which order to place them.
7. The game starts with all players having 2 code cards and 2 action cards in hand.

For example, this is "Triad mole".

Depending on the number of players, follow the table below to select the identity cards to play.

Players	Police Mole ID cards	Triad Mole ID cards
5	8	8
6	10	10
7	11	11
8	13	13

How to Play

On a player's turn, the player must complete the following 3 phases in this exact order:

Phase 1

The active player chooses only 1 of these 4 actions:

• A) Play a code card against another player. That player must insert it into the correct position among his face-down code cards, respecting ascending order from left (lowest) to right (highest). If the new card matches the value of one of these face-down cards, the player can choose to place the new card to its right or left.
• B) Play one RED or GREEN action card (RED circle at left upper corner) and execute it immediately.
• C) Choose one opponent randomly and look at 1 of his ID cards.
• D) Discard one card.

Important notes:

• In this phase, if the active player has run out of cards in his/her hand, he/she can only choose action (C) "look at another player's ID card".
• Players can use the "Shift" card to pass the code card from the active player to you, then that player has to insert this code card into the correct position.

Phase 2

Guess an opponent's secret code card: The active player is free to make a guess by choosing any opponent, pointing at one of his/her face-down code cards and guessing its value.

• If the guess is correct, the targeted player must reveal 1 ID card and put it above that code card (keep the code visible).
• If the guess is incorrect, nothing happens.

Important notes:

• A player can use the "Not Answer" card to refuse to answer the active player's guess.
• A player can use the "Shift" card to redirect the active player's guess to another player.
• When a player reveals his/her ID card, the "Hand Grenade" card can be used by the targeted player to try to reveal other players' ID cards.

Phase 3

The active player draws back up to 4 cards. He/she can freely choose to draw action cards and/or code cards.

Important notes:

• If the active player still has 4 cards at the end of the turn, he/she does not draw any card.
• If there are no cards in the draw pile, the player does not draw any new cards.
• Players only redraw in Phase 3. This means that any player who plays one or more BLUE Action Cards will start his/her turn with fewer than 4 cards, since that player is not allowed to redraw until the end of his/her turn.

The active player's turn is now over, and play continues in clockwise direction. The next player performs the above phases.

Game End

Play continues until 2 infiltrators of the same team have revealed all of their 3 ID cards. The opposing team wins the game.

For 5 players: If 1 player revealed 3 identical ID cards, then that player should reveal the ID card that had been put aside during game setup to check whether it is the same type as his/her own. If yes, the game ends immediately and the opposing team wins the game. If not, the game carries on.

Important notes:

• If 2 same-type ID cards of a player are revealed, his real identity is determined regardless of the identity of the 3rd card. However, this player can continue the game to help his/her teammates until all of his/her ID cards are revealed.
• If the 3rd ID card of a player is revealed, that player is eliminated from the game and must place all of the cards in hand face down on the table. However, if his/her teammates win the game, his/her sacrifice will not be wasted, and he/she can still share the glory of the victory.

Action Cards

RED Action Cards

RED action cards (with RED circle at left upper corner) can only be played by the active player during Phase 1 (option B). These are their effects:

• 3 Enquiry Cards: Choose 1 opponent to guess the value of one of his/her face-down code cards (a player using this card can make another guess as his/her action in Phase 2).
• 3 Swap Cards: Swap 1 code card in hand with 1 of his/her secret code cards on the table. The new code card must be placed in the correct position.
• 3 Steal Cards: Steal 1 card from an opponent's hand. The stolen card cannot be used during this turn.

BLUE Action Cards

BLUE action cards (with BLUE rhombus at left upper corner) can only be played by non-active players to respond in specific circumstances. These are their effects:

• 3 Not Answer Cards: Refuse to answer the active player's guess against your code card.
• 4 Hand Grenade Cards: If the active player has guessed your code card and you are forced to reveal one of your ID cards, you can also play this card. Then all other players who have the same face-down code card reveal that code card, and also one of their ID cards with it. This cannot be countered with the "Not Answer" card.
• 4 Shift Cards: This card has two different effects, and players can only use one of them according to the situation, and only if the player playing this card is being targeted by the active player:
  1. Redirect a Code Card: Pass the code card from the active player to you to another player of your choice. That player then has to insert this code card into the correct position among his/her face-down and face-up code cards.
  2. Redirect the Guess: Redirect a guess against you to another player of your choice. The active player does not choose a different number and point at a specific card, so the new target has to answer "yes" or "no" to the original guess. The question against the new target should therefore be interpreted as "is any of your cards a number X?" instead of the usual "is this card a number X?". The new target can also play the "Not Answer" action card to avoid replying, or play a Shift card to redirect again. (Same rules apply: if "no", nothing happens; if "yes", one ID card must be revealed.)

GREEN Action Cards

GREEN action cards (with RED circle at left upper corner) are identical to the RED ones. These can only be played by the active player during Phase 1 (option B). The different color is only to help identify the type of effect; GREEN action cards specifically affect ID cards as follows:

• 2 Left Cards: All players randomly take 1 ID card from the player to their left.
• 2 Right Cards: All players randomly take 1 ID card from the player to their right.
• 2 Any Direction Cards: The active player decides the direction for all players to randomly take 1 ID card from the player to that side (either left or right).
• 2 Exchange Cards: The active player can choose 1 player to exchange 1 ID card with. Both of them can choose which card to exchange.

Whenever players have to take a new ID card due to "Change ID Card", the new ID card is picked randomly from the players to the left/right. "Exchange Card" is an exception to this rule: the active player and the target player may choose which one to exchange with others. Afterwards, players may check the new card to confirm whether they have kept the same identity or whether they have changed. When played, execution of "Change ID Card" is a compulsory action.

Variant Rules for 2-4 Players

Everyone belongs to a different authority, therefore ID cards or any action cards to change ID will not be used in this game. Only use the code cards with numbers 1 to 12. Also, put all ID cards, GREEN action cards and the rest of the code cards back into the game box; the game won't require these.

The game plays the same. The active player follows the 3 phases as explained above, except that for Phase 1(C) "Check others ID Card" this action is ignored. If the active player runs out of cards in his/her hand, he/she can skip Phase 1 and directly make a guess against another player's secret code card.

The last player standing is the winner.