Red Notice: A Million or Prison
Red Notice: A Million or Prison Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview and Goal of the Game
Over the course of successive rounds, Angela Farbank and Jessah Hope compete to reach their personal objective first and win the game.
Playing as Angela, you travel the world and cash forged checks for a total value of $1,000,000. You have your own world map board on which to secretly record your movements. If you are caught, you can rely on your false identities to escape.
Playing as Jessah, your objective is to burn Angela's false identities by locating her, then to arrest her once and for all before she can carry out her plan. To do this, you can count on the FBI's near-unlimited resources: as checks are cashed, your superiors will give you the means to match your ambitions.
Whatever your role, each round 4 randomly drawn Action cards determine the choices available to you and your opponent. Take turns placing your tokens to plan when and how to act, then resolve the actions according to the value of the tokens played.
Game Components
- 1 World Map board
- 1 Action board
- 12 Action cards
- 1 Initiative token
- 18 Check cards
For Angela (the Counterfeiter):
- 9 Action tokens
- 1 Character pawn
- 1 Security pawn
- 6 Identity tiles
- 1 personal board (on the back of the game box)
For Jessah (the Federal Agent):
- 9 Action tokens
- 1 Character pawn
- 6 Radar tokens
- 4 Barrier tokens
- 10 Upgrade cards
Setup
Choose (or determine randomly) who plays Angela (the Counterfeiter) and who plays Jessah (the Federal Agent).
Place the World Map board between you, positioning the security track on Angela's side.
Each of you then prepares the material corresponding to your character.
Angela
Take the 9 Action tokens in your color, shuffle them, and place them face down in front of you without looking at them. Take 2 of your 6 Identity tiles at random and place them face up. Set the others aside: they will not be used during the game.
For your first game as the Counterfeiter, we recommend playing with the Journalist and Pilot identities.
Place your Security pawn on space 2 of the corresponding track.
Place the game box in front of you, upside down, so you can see the card printed on the back. Use the lid as a screen to hide your movements from your opponent. Finally, take your Character pawn and keep it nearby.
Jessah
Take the 9 Action tokens in your color, shuffle them, and place them face down in front of you without looking at them. Place the 4 Barrier tokens and the 6 Radar tokens in front of you, white side up, to form a supply. Shuffle the Upgrade cards into a face-down deck and place it beside the World Map board, in the space provided for it. Reveal 2 Upgrade cards next to the deck.
Finally, take your Character pawn and keep it nearby.
Then place the Action board parallel to the World Map board.
Shuffle the Action cards into a face-down deck and place it beside the Action board.
Shuffle the Check cards and secretly deal 3 to each player, then place the remaining cards in a deck beside the World Map board.
Jessah
Place your Character pawn on the World Map board, in a city on a continent of the same color as one of your 3 checks. Show this check to your opponent, then place it beneath the check deck. Keep the other 2 checks: this is your starting hand. Take 2 Radar tokens and place them on 2 continents of your choice, white side visible.
Angela
Place your Character pawn on your personal board, behind the screen, in a city on a continent of the same color as one of your 3 checks. Show this check to your opponent so she is aware of it, then place it beneath the check deck. Jessah (the Federal Agent) only knows your starting continent, not your exact position. Keep the other 2 checks: this is your starting hand. You always have the initiative at the start of the game: place the Initiative token on the face representing your character, on your side of the Action board.
The game can now begin.
Goal of the Game
A game is played as a series of rounds, until one of you reaches your objective:
For Angela the Counterfeiter: You must cash checks worth $1,000,000 or more. (See "Cashing Checks and Winning" under the Bank action.)
For Jessah the Federal Agent: You must capture Angela 3 times: the first 2 times to make her lose her false identities, the 3rd to win the game. (See "Movement — Jessah" below.)
Game Round
Each round is made up of the following 3 phases:
- Programming
- Resolving Actions
- Preparing the Next Round
Every 3 rounds, you reset the Action cards and Action tokens.
1. Programming
Draw the first 4 Action cards and place them face up on the Action board, starting from the side of the Initiative token.
Randomly draw 3 of your Action tokens from among those still available, without revealing them to your opponent.
Taking turns, starting with the character who has the initiative, place a token face down beside an Action card, on one of the two spaces provided for it. Each space can hold only one token. You cannot place two of your own tokens on either side of the same card.
Once you have both placed your 3 tokens, move on to the next phase.
Example: Angela must place her last token. 3 spaces are empty, but she may only place it on 2 of them: she is not allowed to place it facing her own token.
2. Resolving Actions
Resolve the Action cards in order, starting with the one on the side of the Initiative token. Each time, reveal the tokens placed on either side of the card (do not yet reveal the tokens on the following cards).
Depending on the layout, there may be 0, 1, or 2 tokens on either side of a card.
0 tokens placed: ignore the card and move directly to the next one.
1 token placed: the owner of the token performs both actions on this card. She begins with the action on the side of her token, then performs the second one.
Example: Jessah flips her first token. It is a 1, but she is alone facing the first Action card. She therefore begins by performing the Check action, which is on the side of her token. She can then perform the action of her choice thanks to the joker.
2 tokens placed: compare the value of the 2 tokens. The owner of the token showing the higher value immediately performs both actions on the card, starting with the one on the same side as her token. Once she has completed both actions, it is her opponent's turn, who performs only one action: the one facing her token.
Example: Angela has a higher-value token. She plays first and performs both actions, starting from her token. She begins with a Bank action, then performs 1 Movement. Jessah can then perform 1 Movement on her turn.
Ties: if you and your opponent have placed a token of the same value, it is a tie. Each of you then performs only the action on the side of your own token. In this case, it is always the character with the initiative who performs her action first.
Each of you has a special POW! token with no face value. When it is revealed, it cancels any opposing token placed facing it, allowing you to perform both actions on the card alone, as in the case where only one token is placed.
If you and your opponent both play your POW! token on either side of the same card, it is a tie. Resolve the situation according to the normal tie rules.
The Actions
There are 4 actions found on the cards: Check, Bank, Security, and Movement. They are explained on the following pages.
There are also jokers that allow you to perform any one of these 4 actions.
All actions are optional. If you are required to perform an action but cannot or do not wish to perform it, ignore it.
Once you have fully resolved an Action card, move on to the next one.
Check
For each icon shown on the card, draw one Check card from the corresponding deck and add it secretly to your hand. You can never hold more than 5 checks in hand. If you are required to draw one while your hand is full, do not draw it.
Bank
You may cash one (and only one) check from your hand. To do this, you must be located in a city of the same color as the check you are cashing. Reveal it face up on the table.
Check Values and Effects
Whatever your character, the following effects apply the moment you cash a check.
If the check you cashed is worth $100,000, you may immediately make 1 Movement following the usual rules (see below).
If the check you cashed is worth $200,000, Jessah gains an Upgrade.
Jessah — Upgrade Cards
Each time a character (either one) cashes a $200,000 check, Jessah gains one of the 2 available Upgrade cards from the side of the World Map board. It is always the character who cashed the check who chooses the Upgrade. Jessah benefits from it immediately. The Upgrade not chosen is permanently removed from the game: it can no longer be obtained during the game.
Jessah keeps permanent Upgrades in front of her and discards immediate-effect Upgrades once used. Then reveal 2 new Upgrade cards. If the deck is empty, do not reveal any: from now on, each time a $200,000 check is cashed by either character, Jessah gains 1 Security action and then 1 Movement action (see below), as indicated on the board.
Example: Since Angela has just cashed a $200,000 check, Jessah gains an Upgrade, chosen by her opponent. Angela decides to give "Precise Radars" to Jessah. The other Upgrade is permanently discarded. Since these were the last 2 available Upgrades, the next time a $200,000 check is cashed, Jessah will gain 1 Security and 1 Movement.
Angela
When you cash a check, you must state which city you are in. In doing so, you reveal your position.
At any point in the game, if the total of your cashed checks reaches or exceeds $1,000,000, you win immediately.
Example: Angela is in Kolkata and has a check that can be cashed in Asia. Using the Bank action, she cashes this check, reveals it, and reveals her position to Jessah.
Security
The action differs depending on whether you are playing Angela or Jessah.
Jessah
For each Security icon shown on the card (1 or 2), you may place a barrier OR a radar on the World Map board.
Barrier: place a barrier on a route between two cities, white side visible, on the World Map board. It prevents Angela from taking that route. There can only be one barrier per route, and you only own 4. You may always use a Security action to move a barrier already on the board from one route to another.
Radar: place a radar on one of the 6 spaces provided on the World Map board, white side visible. Each radar allows you to monitor Angela's movements on the corresponding continent. There can only be one radar per space.
Example: Jessah gains 2 Security actions. Believing Angela is in North America, she decides to put the continent under surveillance with a radar. She then places a barrier between Los Angeles and Beijing to close that route to her.
Angela
Each Security icon advances your Security marker one space on the track on the World Map board. You may spend 2 Security points at any point in the game to remove a Barrier or Radar token positioned on its white side (never on its black side) from the World Map board. The token is then returned to the supply.
Example: Angela has a movement to make. Before moving, she spends 2 Security points to remove the barrier between Helsinki and Ulaanbaatar.
You can never accumulate more than 4 points: if you gain more, the excess points are lost. However, you are allowed to spend 2 points just before gaining new ones, so as not to exceed the limit.
Movement
Each Movement icon (1 or 2) shown on an Action card allows you to move from one city to another. Movements are made via the routes shown on the boards. Note that Beijing is connected to Los Angeles. For tactical reasons, you may choose to forgo all or part of your movements.
Specific rules apply depending on your role.
Jessah
Each time you enter a new city, you inspect it to find out whether Angela is there. She must then tell you whether this is the case.
Note: if you wish to inspect the city you are currently in before leaving it, you must spend a movement to do so.
Case 1: Angela is not in the city... Continue your actions normally (for example, if you have movements remaining).
Case 2: Angela is in the city... You capture her immediately! This ends your current action. If Angela still has at least 1 identity, she must lose one of her choice in order to escape. She immediately applies its effect (see the Identity Tile Descriptions section) then turns it face down. Since this false identity has been unmasked by the FBI, she can no longer use it.
Example: Jessah is in Port Douglas and can make 2 movements. She uses the first one on the spot to inspect the city. Since Angela is not there, she continues to Auckland and uncovers the Counterfeiter. Angela decides to use the "Pilot" identity to immediately flee 3 spaces.
Angela begins the game with 2 false identities, which you must make her lose before you can arrest her for good.
To win, you must therefore capture Angela three times during the game.
Angela
When you move, you record your movements using your pawn on your personal board, hidden from Jessah's view. You are constrained by whatever security measures Jessah has in place.
Barriers
You can never take a route blocked by a barrier.
Radars
If you enter a city on a continent monitored by a radar, you trigger it and deactivate it. At the end of your movement, you must tell Jessah every radar you triggered, and in what order. They then return to the supply, except for those positioned on their black side.
You do not have to specify which cities you passed through, nor at what point during your movement you triggered the radars.
If you pass through several cities on a continent monitored by a radar positioned on its white side, you only trigger it once, since triggering it deactivates it.
Example: Angela is in Cape Town and can make 2 movements, knowing that Africa and South America are being monitored by a radar. Angela first passes through Santiago, then travels to Caracas. At the end of her turn, she states that she triggered the radar in South America (once), then returns it to the supply.
Careful! You do not trigger a radar if...
- ...you leave a continent: it only triggers when you enter one of the continent's cities.
- ...Jessah places a radar on a continent where you already are: it only triggers if you enter a city on that continent again.
- ...you do not use your movements and stay in place. You are not required to tell Jessah whether or not you used your movements.
Note: you may use a movement to stay in place in order to voluntarily trigger a radar and deactivate it.
3. Preparing the Next Round
Flip the Initiative token to its other side and place it on the side of the character it now represents. She now has the initiative.
Discard the 4 used Action cards face up. Set aside all Action tokens played during this round, face up. You may check them at any time to know which tokens are still available to your opponent.
Then begin a new round.
Every three rounds, once you have exhausted your 9 tokens and the 12 Action cards, these elements are reset. Shuffle all your tokens face down without looking at them, and re-form the deck by shuffling the 12 Action cards.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately as soon as one of you wins by reaching your objective:
Angela the Counterfeiter has cashed checks worth at least $1,000,000.
Jessah the Federal Agent captures Angela a third time after having made her lose all her Identities.
Credits
Design: Gautier de Cottreau & Baptiste Laurent / Illustrations: Amélie Guinet / Layout: Jérôme Soleil / Proofreading: Camille Mathieu / Production Manager: Donia Faiz / Project Manager: Clément Milker
Angela's Identity Tile Descriptions
Unless stated otherwise, each time you move using the effect of one of your identities, you must follow the usual rules for barriers and radars. As a reminder, you may spend your Security points at any point in the game, even while applying the effects of an Identity tile.
Lawyer: Discard 1 barrier and 1 radar positioned on their white side, then make up to 2 movements.
Journalist: Make up to 2 movements. You may pass through barriers, and you do not trigger (or deactivate) radars, regardless of their color. You are not required to tell Jessah whether you passed through a barrier.
Secret Agent: Make up to 2 movements, then set your Security pawn to 4.
Doctor: Draw 2 checks, then make up to 2 movements.
Businesswoman: Destroy one of the permanent Upgrades Jessah has in front of her. The effects of this Upgrade are immediately cancelled. Then make up to 2 movements.
Note: if Angela destroys a "Permanent Units" Upgrade, she chooses which radar and barrier to remove from the board.
Pilot: Make up to 3 movements.