Spy vs Spy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• Game Setup
  • 1. Punch out the tiles
  • 2. Label and place the pawns
  • 3. Assemble, label and place the bombs
• Game Play
  • 1. All players roll the bomb die
  • 2. First move
  • 3. Your two turn options
    • The Dump Tiles option
    • The Move/Roll, Draw and Play (Read Bomb) option
  • 4. Pawn movement
  • 5. Rolling the bomb die
    • Always roll the bomb die:
    • IMPORTANT
  • 6. Drawing and playing tiles
    • The tiles
• A Two-Turn Sample of Game Play
  • First diagram
  • Second diagram

Object

Build tunnels to bombs, and be first to bring home:

• 7 bombs in a 2-player game.
• 5 bombs in a 3-player game.
• 4 bombs in a 4-player game.

Contents

• 1 gameboard
• 4 pawns
• 76 tunnel tiles
• 20 Spy tiles
• 13 plastic bombs
• 1 bomb die
• 4 tile racks
• 1 label sheet
• 1 rule book

Game Setup

1. Punch out the tiles

Carefully punch out the tiles. Mix them all together and spread them out facedown in a pile to one side of the gameboard.

2. Label and place the pawns

Each pawn has a Black Spy label on one side and a White Spy label on the other side. Label all pawns.

Once all pawns are labeled, pick one to match the color of the manhole ladder in front of you on the gameboard. Place the pawn on the manhole. This will be your home manhole throughout the game.

Then take a tile rack the same color as your pawn and place it in front of you. All players do the same.

3. Assemble, label and place the bombs

• Press bomb tops and bottoms together.
• Press a bomb label onto each bomb bottom.

Now place a bomb on each of the 13 bomb spaces on the gameboard (the spaces showing a bomb).

Game Play

1. All players roll the bomb die

The first player to roll an explosion goes first.

2. First move

Your first move is different from all of your later moves. On your first move, draw five tiles at random from the tile pile. Then choose any tunnel tile and play it on one of the two spaces next to your manhole. These are your manhole exits. If you can't make a legal play, throw your tiles back, draw five new ones, and try again. After playing a tile, set the remaining four tiles in your rack.

Rules for playing tunnel tiles are explained under BUILDING A TUNNEL, on page 5.

3. Your two turn options

From your second turn until the end of the game, you must choose either one of two options: either the MOVE/ROLL, DRAW AND PLAY (READ BOMB) option, which involves one or more of these actions; or the DUMP TILES option. These two options appear on each corner of the gameboard, for easy reference.

The Dump Tiles option

This is the option you will choose least often — but it's only a one-step move, so we'll explain it first.

If you don't like one or more of the tiles in your rack, just throw back 1 to 4 of them into the tile pile, and draw as many as you dumped. Your turn is then over.

The Move/Roll, Draw and Play (Read Bomb) option

If you decide to take this option (which you will most often), just follow the sequence plotted for you on the cardboard platform. What you do when you take this option depends on where your pawn is at the beginning of your turn.

4. Pawn movement

• Your pawn can land on or hop over spaces occupied by other pawns without advantage or penalty.
• You can move your pawn as far as you want along the tunnels. This means you can stop anywhere along an unblocked path.
• Your pawn can never move onto a space unless there's a tunnel tile on it.
• Your pawn can't move over Spy tiles. They block tunnels.
• You can move your pawn along an opponent's tunnel system, as long as your tunnel system connects to it.
• Your pawn can't move with a bomb unless you're taking the bomb home.
• If you can't — or don't want to — move your pawn, leave it and go on to the DRAW AND PLAY part of your turn.

5. Rolling the bomb die

Whenever your pawn is on a bomb space, you must roll the bomb die.

What you do next depends on whether you roll one of the 5 blank sides (which means no explosion), or the one side with the explosion on it (which means the bomb explodes). If the bomb explodes, you get blown back to your home manhole without the bomb!

Always roll the bomb die:

• When you land on a bomb space after you move. In this case, you're rolling for the right to stay on the bomb space.
• When you start your turn on a bomb space. In this case, you're rolling for the right to take the bomb home.

The roll: a blank side. The result: If you roll a blank, there is no explosion. Congratulations! Just finish your turn as usual.

The roll: the explosion side. The result: If you roll an explosion, follow the instructions on the cardboard platform.

IMPORTANT

To get a bomb home, you must roll the bomb die at least twice. The first time you roll is when you move onto the bomb space; then, if you get to stay on the bomb space, you must roll the bomb die again on your next turn, to take the bomb home.

6. Drawing and playing tiles

The tiles

There are two types of tiles: tunnel tiles and Spy tiles. Tunnel tiles are played to build tunnels, and Spy tiles are played to block tunnels. If you play a tile on your turn, it will be one of either type.

The five types of tunnel tiles

• Straight
• Angle
• T-shape
• Intersection
• Dead end

The three types of Spy tiles

• Black Spy
• White Spy
• Gray (Female) Spy

Drawing and playing

For the DRAW AND PLAY part of your turn, pick one of the facedown tiles from the tile pile. Then play any one of your five tiles. After you play a tile, you'll once again have four tiles in your rack.

You don't have to play a tile after you draw one. In fact, sometimes you may not be able to. In either case, you can just discard one tile facedown in the tile pile instead.

Building a tunnel

When you want to start a tunnel or add to one, you must play a tunnel tile. Here are the rules for playing tunnel tiles:

• Always play a tunnel tile so that it connects legally to a tunnel tile next to it (or to your home manhole, if you're starting a tunnel). If there are two or more tunnel tiles next to it, the tile you play must connect legally to all of them. See Figures 1 and 2 for legal and illegal connections.
• Every tunnel tile you play must connect in an unbroken path to your home manhole. This means you can play a tunnel tile which connects to an opponent's tunnel, as long as it also connects to your home manhole.
• Before you can move onto a bomb space, you must play a tunnel tile on that space, under the bomb. Then, on a later turn, you can move onto that space and try to bring the bomb home.
• Never play a tunnel tile...
  • ...directly on top of another tunnel tile.
  • ...so that a tunnel section leads off the edge of the gameboard.
  • ...so that a tunnel section does not connect legally to all tunnel tiles next to it.

Figure 1

These tunnel tiles all connect legally.

Figure 2

The tunnel tiles in these two examples connect illegally.

• A section of this tunnel tile is cut off by the edge of the gameboard.
• A section of this tunnel tile (see arrow) doesn't connect to a section of the tunnel tile above it.

Blocking a tunnel

When you want to block a tunnel, you must play a Spy tile on top of one of the tunnel tiles. Whenever you block an opponent's tunnel, no player can move past the block.

Here are the rules for playing Spy tiles

• You can play a Spy tile on top of any tunnel tile where a Spy tile hasn't already been played.
• You can play a Spy tile to block an opponent's tunnel, or to block one of your own tunnels (with the idea of building a better tunnel on top — see REPAIRING A TUNNEL, on page 7).
• Never play a Spy tile...
  • ...on top of another Spy tile.
  • ...under a bomb.
  • ...under a pawn.
  • ...on a manhole space.
  • ...on a tunnel tile picturing the same color Spy.
  • ...on a repaired tunnel tile (see REPAIRING A TUNNEL, on page 7).
• Notice that the tunnel tiles picture either a Black Spy or a White Spy. Play your Spy tile according to the diagrams in Figure 3.

Figure 3

• White Spy tiles on Black Spy tunnel tiles only.
• Black Spy tiles on White Spy tunnel tiles only.
• Gray (Female) Spy tiles on either Black Spy or White Spy tunnel tiles.

Repairing a tunnel

When you want to repair a tunnel, you must play a tunnel tile on top of the blocking Spy tile. Here are the rules for repairing a tunnel:

• The tile you play to repair a tunnel must comply with all the rules in the BUILDING A TUNNEL section.
• The tile you use to repair a tunnel can picture either a White Spy or a Black Spy.
• Once a tunnel is repaired, no other tiles can be played on it. This means a pile can be no more than three tiles high.

7. Bomb messages

Each bomb has a message underneath it — but you must bring the bomb home to read it. Whenever you bring a bomb home, you get to read the message and follow the instructions. There are four different bomb messages, each one a reward for getting the bomb home safely. The messages allow you to break the rules temporarily, to your advantage.

When you move your pawn back to your home manhole safely with a bomb, finish your turn (draw and play), then follow the message underneath the bomb, as described in the next column.

The four bomb messages

• FREE TURN — Take a whole new turn.
• DRAW AND PLAY — Draw and play a tile, just as you would do during your turn.
• MOVE A BOMB — Pick up any bomb that's still on the gameboard — this includes bomb spaces occupied by opponents' pawns! Then place the bomb on any space that has no tile on it.
• REMOVE A TILE — Take any visible tile (either a tunnel tile or a Spy tile) from the gameboard and place it facedown in the tile pile.
  • You can remove a tile under a bomb as long as no pawn occupies that space. You can also remove a tunnel tile to uncover a Spy tile. But you can't remove a tile under a pawn, or remove a tile to uncover a tunnel tile that doesn't connect to a tunnel tile next to it.

How to win

• In a 2-player game, be first to bring home 7 bombs.
• In a 3-player game, be first to bring home 5 bombs.
• In a 4-player game, be first to bring home 4 bombs.

A Two-Turn Sample of Game Play

In this sample, Player B clearly takes charge. Watch how he moves in on the bomb Player A intends to capture, then blocks Player A, steals the bomb, and moves another bomb closer to his home manhole!

First diagram

Player A

1. Moves pawn 3 spaces down to bomb space.
2. Rolls the bomb die — no explosion!
3. Draws a tile.
4. Plays a tunnel tile under bomb (on space shown by arrow).

Player B

1. Moves to bomb space occupied by Player A.
2. Rolls the bomb die — no explosion!
3. Draws a tile.
4. Plays a White Spy tile on a tunnel tile showing a Black Spy, to block Player A (see arrow).

Second diagram

Player A

1. Rolls the bomb die — no explosion! (doesn't move, because tunnel is blocked.)
2. Draws a tile.
3. Plays tunnel tile on Spy tile to repair tunnel (on space shown by arrow).

Player B

1. Rolls the bomb die — no explosion!
2. Moves home with bomb.
3. Draws a tile.
4. Plays a tunnel tile (on space shown by arrow).
5. Reads message under captured bomb (MOVE A BOMB).
6. Moves other bomb closer to his home manhole (on space shown by black arrow).