Mission Impractical
Mission Impractical Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 62 task cards
- 183 item cards
- 20 guessing cards — 5 sets of 1–4 cards
- 1 task bar
- 1 stop token
- Pile of point tokens
Setup
- Place the task bar on the table.
- Shuffle the task cards. Draw and place four task cards under the bar.
- Shuffle the item cards. Draw and place 16 item cards in a 4x4 grid.
- Place the point tokens and stop token beside the grid.
- Give each player 1 point token and four guessing cards — a 1, 2, 3, & 4.
- Randomly choose one player to be the first lead agent.
The Round
The game plays over several rounds, each with these steps.
#1. Lead Agent Gets Assignment
The lead agent starts the round by choosing a random task. That player shuffles their 1–4 guessing cards face-down, randomly chooses one of them, and secretly looks at its number.
The card's number matches a task on the task bar. The other players must guess that task.
Figure caption: When the lead agent draws 4, the other players must guess the 4th task.
#2. Lead Agent Picks Items
The lead agent then silently chooses one item card from each column of the 4x4 grid. That player takes a point token from the pile and places it on an item in the 1st column, then does the same for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th columns.
The lead agent must choose items in column order from left to right, and they can't say anything or give any other hints about the task.
Figure caption: The lead agent chooses 1 item in each column.
#3. Other Players Hide a Guess
The other players look at these items and each hide a guessing card face-down, matching their guess on the task bar.
Before the lead agent chooses the 4th item, you can shout "Stop!", hide a guessing card, and place the stop token on it. If your guess is right, then you score a bonus point. Only the first player to shout "Stop!" can do this each round.
Once you shout "Stop!", the lead agent can't continue choosing items until you finish hiding a guessing card. You can't change your guessing card after that.
If two players shout "Stop!" together and you can't decide who shouted first, put the stop token between those players and let the token apply for both of them.
#4. Players Reveal Guesses
When all guesses are hidden, the players take turns revealing their guesses, beginning with the player to the lead agent's left.
Each player reveals their guessing card and explains how they will complete the task using the four items. (Your plans can be as brief or elaborate as you like!)
Finally, the lead agent reveals the correct task and tells the other players how they were expected to complete the task.
#5. Score Guesses
Players score points for their guesses by taking point tokens from the pile.
- Each player who guessed correctly takes 1 point.
- The lead agent takes 1 point for each correct guess.
- The player with the stop token takes 1 more point if they guessed correctly or returns 1 point (if they have any) to the pile if they didn't.
- Optional! The lead agent decides which player had the best plans (even if they guessed the wrong task!) That player takes 1 point. Every lead agent must do this if you choose to use this rule.
#6. Discard Tasks and Chosen Items
To prepare for the next round:
- Discard all task cards on the task bar and draw 4 new tasks.
- Discard the 4 chosen item cards and draw 4 new items (return the point tokens on those cards to the pile).
- The player to the lead agent's left becomes the new lead agent.
Players
| Players | Rounds | Each Player is Lead Agent |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | Twice |
| 4 | 8 | Twice |
| 5 | 5 | Once |
Winning
The game ends after a certain number of rounds, depending on the number of players (see the Players table above). Or play as long as you like!
The player with the most point tokens wins! Players can share victory with a tie score.
Example
Haley is the lead agent this round, playing with Ellie, Felix, and George. She shuffles her guessing cards and secretly draws a 3. The 3rd task is Get Past a Bouncer.
Haley places a point token on Trampoline in the 1st item column. Then, she places a token on Motorcycle Helmet in the 2nd column. Before she chooses the 3rd item, Felix shouts "Stop!" He takes the stop token and hides a guessing card.
Haley then chooses Water Wings and Clothesline in the 3rd and 4th columns, and Ellie and George both hide a guess...
Ellie sits to Haley's left and reveals her guessing card first, her 3 card. She tells her plan to tie up the bouncer with the clothesline, jump over his body with the trampoline, and use the helmet and water wings to cushion her fall. Then, Felix reveals his guess, also a 3 card. He rolls the motorcycle helmet past the bouncer to distract him. The bouncer goes to investigate, trips over the clothesline, lands on the trampoline, and bounces into the pool. Felix enters, wearing the water wings in case he accidentally falls in the pool.
George scoffs and reveals his guess, a 2 card, matching the Jump From a Plane task. He plans to tie the clothesline to the plane's landing gear, slide down the clothesline until he's near the ground, and drop onto the trampoline, wearing the helmet and water wings for a soft landing.
Haley finally reveals that the correct guess was 3, but she says that they were supposed to wear the helmet and stuff the water wings under their shirts as fake muscles. They could then jump from the trampoline to a second-story window and swing down to the ground floor on the clothesline, and no one would dare question a tough-looking stuntman that makes such a great entrance.
The players take point tokens: 1 point to Ellie (correct guess), 2 points to Felix (correct guess with the stop chip), 0 points to George (wrong guess), and 2 points to Haley (lead agent with 2 correct guesses).