Specter Ops
Specter Ops Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Story
RAXXON GLOBAL — HUMANITY THRIVES ON RAXXON
Security Level A2.9 Encryption: Deactivated
E.S. Director Hartley, your position has been created to address an extremely pressing concern. In order to equip you for the task ahead we felt it necessary to upgrade your security clearance. The following missive is security level A2.9.
An indeterminate number of employees have gone off-grid. They are calling themselves Agents for a Reclaimed Kingdom or A.R.K. (the acronym references ancient illegal religious texts).
We are unable to identify their leadership or their point of origin. What we know is they are organized, and either well-funded or possessing open access to our tech. A.R.K. has earned the following criminal classifications: Terrorist, Embezzler, Unemployed, Murderer. Their attacks have already managed to temporarily interrupt power through wide swaths of MexAm and limited zones within NorthCan. We believe this was a recruitment effort. With the grid down they were able to move through the populace without detection. Thousands of employees have been killed, either directly in the attacks or in the chaos and hysteria that followed after.
Your duty as director of experimental security will be to adapt our human enhancement tech to the cause of hunting down these terrorists before they can do more damage. You are hereby authorized to utilize all tech that falls under military gene splicing, cybernetic retrofits, advanced experimental anti-personnel weaponry, and combat cloning. Standard chemical dependencies should be established to ensure cooperation and maintain secrecy.
Be aware: The terrorists of A.R.K. seek to plunge our species back into the nightmare we originated from. They will not rest until humanity once again teeters on the brink of self-inflicted extinction. Your work will be instrumental in assuring this world stays united, working toward the single goal of off-planet travel and exploration.
No disease. No violence. No pollution. Humanity thrives on Raxxon!
If one can look past the haze of myth that clouds the illegal oral histories, one can find the truth. There was a time when humans were more than employees. We used to be colorful, artistic, passionate, and spiritual. Raxxon sought to cleanse humanity of its many blemishes, but their brush scrubbed too deep. They have stripped us of our souls. We have never felt our emotions rise and fall to the sounds of an instrument played by human hands, for Raxxon decided organic music was dangerous. Now we are fed jingles generated by algorithms that Raxxon feels will not interrupt the populace. We have never eaten juicy red tomatoes, ripe off the vine. Instead we only see their pictures on the jars and cans of the food we buy, though the actual food inside is tasteless and gray. All because Raxxon decided we can't be responsible to manage our diets. We used to remember those who came before us. We counted them as wise or foolish and learned from their mistakes and triumphs. But Raxxon decided history was too full of dangerous ideas, so they incinerated our books. Raxxon bombards us daily with tasteless food, insipid jingles, and mindless vids, all to keep us placated and servile. How can we have souls when we are constantly filled with such poison?
It used to be a person could decide the direction of their lives for themselves. Yes, it created conflict, and yes it was inefficient. But humanity is not a device or program, made more efficient by increasingly restrictive processes. Our DNA needs chaos in order to thrive — without that uncertainty we stagnate and die. We are more than just bodies inside the Raxxon machinery. Happiness is more than the absence of misery.
Thus we have risen up in rebellion. We fight for real happiness, and when the forces of Raxxon resist us, we will cause misery. We fight for our species' history and its future. We fight for its soul. A.R.K. is aware that there will be countless employees – fools blinded by the corporate veil – who will resist. So be it. There is too much at stake here to protect the purposefully ignorant. We will consider those who side with Raxxon as part of Raxxon itself, and mark our words, Raxxon will burn.
Introduction
STOP! If you want us to teach you how to play, you can visit plaidhatgames.com and watch a video explanation.
In a game of Specter Ops: Shadow of Babel, one player is an A.R.K agent who has just infiltrated Raxxon Global's experimental security facility in an attempt to gather information about and sabotage the program. The other player(s) are Raxxon hunters genetically or mechanically enhanced humans tasked with hunting down A.R.K. agents and nullifying the threat they pose to Raxxon.
Components
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Rulebook
- 1 Pad Movement Sheets
- 4 Agent Figures
- 4 Hunter Figures
- 2 6-Sided Dice
- 4 Secret Role Cards
- 1 Occupy Vehicle Card
- 4 Agent Character Cards
- Spider
- Cobra
- Orangutan
- Blue Jay
- 4 Raxxon Hunter Character Cards
- The Prophet
- The Beast
- The Gun
- The Puppet
- 4 Unique Agent Equipment Cards
- Spider's Tangle Line
- Cobra's Velocity Blade
- Orangutan's Power Fists
- Blue Jay's Holo-Decoy
- 8 Generic Equipment Cards
- 2 Flash Bang
- 2 Adrenal Surge
- 2 Smoke Grenade
- 2 Stealth Field
- 23 Tokens
- 4 Mission Tokens
- 2 Flash Bang Tokens
- 3 Stun Tokens
- 2 Smoke Grenade Tokens
- 2 Last Seen Tokens
- 1 Vehicle Token
- 1 Exit Point Token
- 8 Character Tokens
Tokens
The token types are: last seen, stun, exit point, vehicle, smoke grenade, mission, and flash bang.
Character tokens: Use these when two or more character figures cannot fit on the same game board space.
Character Card
- Name: The name of the character
- Proficiencies: The effects the character has on the game
- Agent or Hunter: The character will either be an agent or a hunter
Equipment Card
- Name: The name of the equipment
- Type: The type of equipment
- Effect: The effect the equipment has when used
- Unique Symbol: Some equipment can only be used by a specific agent
- Charges: The number of times the equipment can be used per game before it is discarded
Game Set Up
If none of the players have ever played a game of Specter Ops, we recommended starting with the 2- or 3-player version of the game. With fewer rules in the 2-3 player version, it is a good way to learn the game.
The main portion of this rulebook describes the setup and gameplay for the 2-3 player game of Specter Ops, while the 4- and 5-player rules are discussed in the back of the rulebook.
To set up a 2-3 player game of Specter Ops, complete the following steps in order:
-
Decide which player will be the A.R.K. agent. The rest of the players will be Raxxon hunters.
-
Unfold the game board and place it in the center of the play area. Make separate piles of each token type within reach of all players.
-
Place the 'occupy vehicle' card to the side of the game board and place the vehicle token on space K17.
-
Determine the location of the 4 mission objectives. As the agent player, roll the 6-sided die to determine where the first mission objective is located on the map in section 1. Find the objective that matches the die in section 1 and circle it on the movement sheet. Then place a mission token (blue Raxxon side up) on the corresponding location on the game board. Roll the 6-sided die again to determine where the second mission objective is located in section 2 of the map. Find the objective that matches the die, circle it on the movement sheet, and place a mission token (blue side up) on the corresponding location on the game board. Repeat this for the third and fourth mission objectives. See "Determining Mission Objectives" in the next column.
Note: Placement of mission objectives may differ than those shown in the game setup example.
-
If playing with 3 players, each hunter player chooses 1 hunter, placing the chosen hunter figure on the occupy vehicle card and the chosen hunter character card face up in front of him. In the 2-player game, the hunter player selects 2 hunters to play.
-
The agent player secretly chooses an agent and places that agent's character card face down in front of her. During the game, when the agent's figure would be placed on the board, the agent player reveals her character card and places the corresponding figure on the board.
-
The agent player takes all the equipment cards (unique and generic) and secretly chooses 3 to place face down in front her. She then, without revealing them, places the rest of the cards back in the game box.
Note: The unique equipment cards are only usable by specific agents. For example: Blue Jay cannot use Cobra's Velocity Blade.
Determining Mission Objectives
The agent player rolls a 6-sided die and rolls a 2.
Looking at her movement sheet, she finds the mission objectives located in section 1. Mission objectives are indicated by a numeral and dice icon placed on the darkened structures of the movement sheet.
Having rolled a two for section 1, she circles that mission objective on her movement sheet.
The agent player then places a mission token on the corresponding location on the game board with the blue Raxxon side of that token facing up.
The agent player repeats this to determine the remaining 3 mission objectives.
Playing as an Agent
The agent player takes the first turn of the game. On her turn she will move her agent and may choose to use an equipment card. When she is done with her turn, play passes to the hunter player(s).
Objective
The agent player's objective is to have her agent complete any 3 of the 4 mission objectives and reach 1 of the escape points before time runs out.
Movement
The agent player will not move her agent using a figure on the game board; instead she will secretly track her agent's movement by writing on a movement sheet. The agent player controls the movement sheet during the game and is the only player that gets to look at it.
The agent will start the game on space N1. On her turn the agent player may move her agent up to 4 spaces (orthogonally and/or diagonally).
To move, she selects a path of up to 4 spaces (see "Move 1"), then uses the right-hand column of the movement sheet to write down which space her agent stopped its movement on (see "Move 2").
Note: The agent cannot be moved onto or through a space that is occupied by a hunter.
Note: The agent cannot be moved onto or through structures. Structures are easily identified by the areas on the board that do not have coordinate text on them.
Being Seen by a Hunter
If the agent ends her move on a space that is visible to a hunter, the agent is seen and must place her figure on that space.
If the agent moved through 1 or more spaces that were visible to a hunter but didn't end her move on a visible space, she must place the "last seen" token and her figure on the last visible space regardless of how many spaces she moved.
If the agent is seen by 1 or more hunters when she begins her move and then moves out of sight, she must place the "last seen" token and her figure on the last visible space (see the Hunter Vision section on page 6 for details on hunter line of sight).
Using Equipment Cards
Before or after moving, the agent player may use 1 of the equipment cards she chose during setup. The text of an equipment card describes its effect. Equipment cards have a number of charges on them indicating how many times the card can be used per game. After using an equipment card, mark that card's initials down next to your movement coordinate on the movement sheet.
Example: Spider's Tangle Line has 2 charges (see 1 above), so it can be used twice per game. Some cards are revealed when they are used. Other cards are not revealed and will remain secret when they are used.
Completing Mission Objectives
There are 4 different mission objectives. To complete a mission objective, the agent must start a turn adjacent to that objective (orthogonally or diagonally).
When the agent starts a turn adjacent to a blue Raxxon mission objective (see "Mission 1"), the agent player may flip over that objective's mission token to its red A.R.K side to indicate that it has been completed (see "Mission 2"). Then she takes her turn normally. The agent player must complete 3 mission objectives before escaping.
Escaping and Winning
After the agent has completed 3 mission objectives she must escape. To escape she must end a move on 1 of the 3 escape points on the board. These escape points are indicated by the arrows located next to coordinates A3, N1, and W3 (see "Escape"). If a hunter is on an escape point, the agent cannot be moved onto that space to escape. If the agent is able to achieve 3 mission objectives and escape, the agent player immediately wins the game.
Most agents start the game with 4 HP. If the agent loses all of her hit points she immediately loses the game. She also loses the game if the agent doesn't complete 3 objectives and escape by the end of round 40.
Playing as a Hunter
Note: This section of the rules is written as if there are 2 hunter players controlling 1 hunter each. The rules are the same for a single hunter player, except that player controls both hunters.
After the agent player has taken a turn, each hunter player will take 1 turn. The hunter players decide which of them will go first and which will go second. A hunter player must complete his turn before the other hunter player may take a turn. On his turn, a hunter player will move his hunter and may attack a visible agent. When both hunter players have taken a turn, play passes back to the agent player.
Objective
Defeat the agent by bringing her down to 0 hit points or by preventing her from escaping before the end of the 40th round.
Movement
A hunter player will move his hunter by moving his figure on the game board. On a hunter player's turn he may move his hunter up to 4 spaces (orthogonally and/or diagonally). A hunter cannot be moved onto or through structures (see "Hunter Move").
Vehicle
The hunters will start the game in the vehicle. A hunter in a vehicle may move the vehicle instead of the hunter. The vehicle may be moved up to 10 spaces (orthogonally and/or diagonally), but can only be moved on road spaces. Road spaces can be identified on the game board as the coordinates adjacent to dashed lines (see highlighted spaces in "Road Spaces" in next column).
To move the vehicle, move the vehicle token on the game board. The vehicle can only be moved a total of 10 spaces per round. See, "Moving the vehicle" below.
Moving the Vehicle: Both hunters are in the vehicle at the start of this round. The first hunter player moves the vehicle 6 spaces before exiting the vehicle with his hunter.
The second hunter player may now only move the vehicle up to 4 spaces on his turn, for a total of 10 spaces this round.
Entering or exiting the vehicle with a hunter immediately ends that hunter's movement for the turn. To enter the vehicle, a hunter player must move his hunter onto the vehicle token and then place his figure on the occupy vehicle card. To exit the vehicle, a hunter player removes his figure from the occupy vehicle card and places it on the game board on a space adjacent to the vehicle token.
Agents and hunters can be moved onto or through the vehicle. The vehicle does not block line of sight. Being in the vehicle does not impair a hunter's sight in any way. A hunter in the vehicle cannot attack. A hunter cannot be stunned while he is in the vehicle.
Seeing an Agent
At the end of a hunter's move, the agent player must say "clear" if the agent is NOT visible to that hunter. If the agent IS visible to that hunter the agent player must place her figure on the game board on the space the agent currently occupies. (See the Hunter Vision section on page 6 for details on hunter line of sight.) Line of sight is only checked at the end of each hunter's move. Therefore, it's possible to move a hunter past the agent without detecting her presence.
After a hunter moves, if the agent is visible to that hunter, that hunter may attack the agent.
Attacking
To attack the agent, roll the 6-sided die and count out the number of spaces away the agent is from the attacking hunter. The agent is hit on a roll equal to or greater than that number. See "Attacking an agent" on next page.
Attacking an Agent: The Puppet is attacking the agent. Since the agent is 3 spaces away, the hunter player will need to roll a 3 or higher to hit.
If the attacking hunter is on the same space as the agent, no die is rolled. Instead, the hunter automatically hits. Each hit inflicts 1 HP of damage. (An agent's HP is tracked on the movement sheet.)
When attacking, a roll of 1 is an automatic miss. If a 6 is rolled the hunter player may roll the die again and add the new value to his previous roll; he may continue doing this every time he rolls a 6. Therefore it is always possible to hit the agent regardless of the distance.
Note: A hunter cannot attack while in the vehicle.
Hunter Vision
On the game board a hunter has line of sight down the row and column it is on (see highlighted spces in, "Hunter Vision 1"). There is no range limit to its line of sight but it can't see through structures.
If a hunter is on a road, it is able to see down the stretch of road as well as line of sight down the row and column it is on (see highlighted spaces in, "Hunter Vision 2").
If the agent ends its move on a space that is visible to a hunter, the agent can be seen (See the Seeing an Agent section on page 5 for details).
Motion Sensor
The vehicle is equipped with a motion sensor. If a hunter is in the vehicle, instead of moving the vehicle, the hunter player may use its motion sensor. When using the motion sensor, if the agent player moved the agent 3 or more spaces on her last turn, she must announce which direction the agent is relative to the vehicle (using the compass on the game board). Most of the time the direction announced will be northeast, northwest, southeast, or southwest. See, "Determine Sensor Direction".
Determine Sensor Direction: The agent was moved from O5 to L4 (3 spaces) and the vehicle is located at N9.
The hunter player activates the motion sensor. The agent player must state that motion was detected to the northwest.
If the agent is on a space that is on the same row or column as the vehicle when the motion sensor is used, the agent player must say north, south, east or west. If the agent was moved 2 or fewer spaces on the agent player's last turn, then the agent player announces that no motion is detected.
Note: The vehicle cannot be moved and have its motion sensor used during the same round.
Stunned Hunter
Some abilities will cause a hunter to become stunned. When a hunter becomes stunned, place a stun marker on that hunter's character card. While stunned, that hunter cannot attack and can only be moved up to 2 spaces during his turn. At the end of a stunned hunter's turn, remove the stun marker from its card. It is no longer stunned. A hunter cannot be stunned while he is in the vehicle.
Defeating the Agent and Winning
Most agents start the game with 4 HP. If the agent loses all of her HP, the hunter players immediately win the game. The hunter players also win the game if the agent doesn't complete 3 objectives and escape by the end of round 40.
4-Player Rules
Playtime: 90 minutes
When playing with 4 players, 1 player will play as the A.R.K. Agent and the other 3 players will play as the Raxxon Hunters.
Setup for the 4-Player Game
- When rolling to determine mission objectives, the agent player will roll the die secretly and mark the objectives on her movement sheet. The mission objectives are not placed on the game board and the hunters do not know where the objectives are at the start of the game.
- The vehicle token starts on space K23 with all 3 hunters in it.
- The agent player takes 5 equipment cards instead of 3.
- The agent player starts with 2 additional HP.
Completing Missions
When completing a mission objective in the 4-player game, the agent player places a mission token red side up onto the game board at that mission objective's location.
Additional Escape Point
The H1 space is also an escape point. Place the Exit Point token here.
5-Player Rules
Playtime: 120 minutes
When playing with 5 players, 1 player will play as the ARK Agent and the other 4 players will play as the Raxxon Hunters. 1 of the hunters will be a traitor and will secretly be on the agent's side.
Setup for the 5-Player Game
- When rolling to determine mission objectives, the agent player will roll the die secretly and mark the objectives on her movement sheet. The mission objectives are not placed on the game board and the hunters do not know where the objectives are at the start of the game (including the traitor).
- The vehicle token starts on space K23 with all 4 hunters in it.
- At the end of setup, but before beginning the game, the agent player collects the 4 secret role cards. That agent player will look at the role cards and hand each hunter player 1 card face down. Each hunter player looks at his own secret role card. Hunters cannot reveal their secret role.
Secret Role Cards
In the 5-player game, during setup, the hunter players are all dealt 1 secret role card. A hunter player that has the blue Raxxon symbol on his card is loyal to Raxxon and will play as a normal hunter. The hunter player that has the red A.R.K. symbol on his card is the traitor who is secretly working with the agent player.
Playing as the Traitor
The traitor player's goal is to help the agent player complete her mission and escape. Since the agent player hands each player their role card, she knows which hunter player is the traitor. Whenever the agent crosses the vision of the traitor, the agent is not required to place her figure and last seen token on the game board. If the traitor would spot the agent, the agent is also not required to place her figure on the game board.
Vehicle Access
At the start of the hunter players' turns, they may, by majority vote, revoke 1 hunter's access to the vehicle.
Revealing as the Traitor
Any time the agent becomes visible to a hunter while the agent was secretly in line of sight of the traitor, it becomes apparent who the traitor is. At that point, the traitor takes a movement sheet and immediately moves (even if he already took his turn as a hunter). Then he writes down his first move on the movement sheet and removes his figure from the board. The traitor is now considered a second agent. He must select 1 of the remaining agent character cards to use, placing it face down in front of him and revealing it the first time he becomes visible. He starts with 4 HP (6 if he chooses Orangutan) and gets to select 2 equipment cards from the cards remaining in the game box.
Instead of taking a turn as a hunter, the traitor may voluntarily reveal himself and become a second agent as described above.
Completing Missions
When completing a mission objective, the agent player places a mission token red side up onto the game board at that mission objective's location. The second agent cannot complete mission objectives.
Additional Escape Point
The H1 space is also an escape point. Place the Exit Point token here.
Winning
If either agent loses all of its HP, the hunter players immediately win the game. The hunter players also win the game if the agents don't complete 3 objectives and escape by the end of round 40. The agent players win the game if they can complete 3 out of the 4 mission objectives and both escape before the end of round 40 or if the agent player escapes without the traitor being revealed.
Card Conflicts
Holo Decoy vs. The Gun
Blue Jay's Holo Decoy equipment card causes hunters to think they spotted Blue Jay, when in fact it was just a decoy that they saw.
When The Gun spots an agent, her quick draw ability or Sniper Shot may come into effect, potentially causing that agent to lose HP. If The Gun uses one of these abilities against Blue Jay's Holo Decoy, Blue Jay does not take damage, but the agent player may pretend to mark down damage on the movement sheet to keep up the illusion that Blue Jay was just spotted by The Gun.
Cards Shown in This Rulebook
The following card text is reproduced from the card illustrations printed in the rulebook.
The Beast (Hunter)
- Enhanced Senses: After moving the Beast, if you moved him 3 or fewer spaces, any agents within 4 spaces of the Beast must declare they are 'close'.
- Brutal Strength: When the Beast ends his movement sharing a space with the agent, roll a die. On a result of 5+ the agent loses 1 HP.
- Quadripedal Move: The Beast may move 5 spaces on a turn, but can only attack agents he shares a space with during that turn.
Cobra (Agent)
- Ambush: When a hunter ends its move on Cobra, stun that hunter; it cannot attack. When a hunter ends its move orthogonally adjacent to Cobra, you may roll a die. On a result of 4+, stun that hunter; it cannot attack.
The Gun (Hunter)
- Sharp Shooting: Roll 2 dice when attacking with the Gun.
- Quick Draw: During the agent's turn, if the agent is spotted by the Gun, roll 1 die. On a result greater than or equal to the distance from the Gun to the last seen marker, the agent loses 1 HP.
- Sniper Shot: After moving the Gun, if the agent is not visible, you may choose a direction (N, S, E, W). The Gun only has vision in that direction. If the agent is seen by the Gun, the agent loses 1 HP.
Holo Decoy (Agent Device)
Do NOT reveal this card. Place the last seen token and the Blue Jay figure on the board within 4 spaces of Blue Jay's actual location. Use the movement sheet to secretly mark the round Holo Decoy was used on.
Tangle Line (Agent Device)
Reveal this card. Choose a hunter that has line of sight to Spider and roll the die. If you roll equal to or higher than the distance to the chosen hunter, that hunter is stunned.
Index
- 4-Player Rules — 7
- 5-Player Rules — 7
- Agent Movement — 4
- Agent Objective — 4
- Attacking — 5
- Being Seen by a Hunter — 4
- Completing Mission Objectives — 4
- Defeating the Agent and Winning — 6
- Determine Sensor Direction — 6
- Determining Mission Objectives — 3
- Escaping and Winning — 4
- Hunter Movement — 5
- Hunter Objective — 5
- Hunter Vision — 6
- Motion Sensor — 6
- Moving the Vehicle — 5
- Playing as a Hunter — 5
- Playing as an Agent — 4
- Playing as the Traitor — 7
- Secret Role Cards — 7
- Seeing an Agent — 5
- Stunned Hunter — 6
- Using Equipment Cards — 4
- Vehicle — 5
Credits
Game Designer: Emerson Matsuuchi
Producer: Colby Dauch
Illustrator: Steven Hamilton
Writers: Mr. Bistro, Colby Dauch
Graphic Designer: David Richards
Sculptor: Chad Hoverter
Editors: Nate Rethorn, David Moody
Contributors: NYC Play-Test Group, Brian Lam, Jon Monath, Robert Brotherson, Rick Corredor, Paul Mendez, Alex Blakeney, Game and a Curry
© 2015 Plaid Hat Games. Nazca Games — www.nazcagames.com. Plaid Hat Games — www.plaidhatgames.com.