Tales from the Loop: The Board Game
Tales from the Loop: The Board Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In Tales from the Loop – The Boardgame players assume the role of Kids living on the Mälar Islands in Sweden during the 1980s. They will explore the strange world brought on by the construction of the particle accelerator called the Loop, and at the same time go about their day-to-day lives with friends, family, and school.
In general terms a game of Tales from the Loop will revolve around a mystery, dictated by the chosen Scenario, that the Kids have to try and solve while also keeping their mundane lives going in a more or less normal fashion.
Scenarios
A Scenario Card is chosen at the beginning of the game which contains specific setup instructions and tells you which Diary Cards start in play. The Diary Cards are the heart of the narrative experience. Tales from the Loop – The Boardgame has no default win or lose condition — these are determined by the Diary Cards in play.
Sandbox play
If you want to challenge yourself with sandbox play, choose the Scenario Card Mystery Islands. It has a scalable difficulty depending on the number of Kids that the players want to control, and has a set of Diary Cards called "Complications…". These cards can be either ignored (not used); drawn every other Round (Monday, Wednesday, Friday); or drawn every Round for increased difficulty. You can also freely change the number of INSIGHT required for a failure if you want to make it easier, or harder.
How to Win
As the game begins the players usually don't even know the win conditions for a particular Scenario, and have to discover these through play, often in a matter of one or two weeks (6 or 12 Rounds). INSIGHT and ENIGMA are tracked with the two dials on the board, and will be a part of most Scenarios. Insight will normally be represented as something that benefits the players, while Enigma is something that makes things worse. New Diary Cards will be added as you play the game, depending on the choices players make, creating an evolving narrative.
By following the leads on the Diary Cards and investigating Rumors on the islands, the Kids will gradually reveal the mystery and learn how to deal with it to win the game. Of course, while all this is going on they'll also have to deal with complications brought on by their personal life and school!
The rules of Insight and Enigma
The text on a Diary Card always takes priority over a regular game rule. Diary Cards can have rules about how to gain INSIGHT and ENIGMA during play. If the Diary Cards do not state otherwise, the following are the default rules for gaining INSIGHT and ENIGMA:
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| Succeed at the test laid out on a Rumor Card from the Rumor Set stated on the Scenario Card. | Raise INSIGHT by 1 |
| Fail at the test laid out on any Rumor Card. | Raise ENIGMA by 1 |
| Be forced to push an existing Rumor Card off the board, if the number of new cards drawn exceeds the number of empty spaces available. | Raise ENIGMA by 2 |
Rumor Cards can have text that raises INSIGHT or ENIGMA. These results are in addition to the rules above.
Order of Play
A game of Tales from the Loop – The Boardgame is played in Rounds. Each Round is represented by a day on the Calendar, and consists of the following phases:
School Phase. The Kids meet up at School and have to make it through the day and find out about new Rumors all over the islands, while at the same time, the Machines move about the landscape.
Adventure Phase. The Kids explore the Locations of the islands, investigating Rumors, perform their Chores and discover more about the Scenario's mystery.
End Phase. The Kids get home, deal with their Chores and rest up for the coming day (next Round).
Preparations
Before your first game, mount the dial tops on the board using the plastic mounts. Also attach the Kid and Magnetrine Ship standees to the acrylic standee mounts.
Machine ID stickers. To keep track of the two AMB110 Fireguards and Paarhufer MK79 Machines, attach the Machine ID stickers to the miniatures' bases.
Game Setup
The game board
- A. Calendar. A two-week calendar to keep track of the Rounds.
- B. Enigma Meter. Tracks how much ENIGMA (bad things) accumulates.
- C. Insight Meter. Tracks how much INSIGHT (good things) accumulates.
- D. Open Location. White Locations are OPEN and less dangerous.
- E. Restricted Location. Orange Locations are RESTRICTED and more dangerous.
- F. Bus Stop. Locations marked with the Bus Sign can be used when taking the bus.
- G. Sector. The square Sectors in the grid (A1 to F8) are used for MACHINE MOVEMENT.
- H. Event Location. Tiles with special Location rules.
- I. Sea Sector. Machines won't enter sea Sectors.
- J. School Location. The school in Stenhamra (M) is where the Kids start most Rounds.
- K. School Cards. Draw and discard piles.
- L. Rumor Track. Where Rumors are placed and shifted during the game.
- M. Rumor Tokens. Indicators of unsolved Rumors (two-sided).
- N. Diary Cards. Tell the story and rules of the Scenario.
- O. Chore Cards. Tasks that parents or guardians expect each Kid to complete.
- P. Item and Anomaly Cards. The gear that the Kids can find and use.
- Q. Machine Sheets. Used for Response Cards and Machine HACKING.
- R. Character Boards. Used to keep track of each Kid.
- S. Iconic Items. The starting ITEMS which cannot be traded.
- T. Kid Standees.
- U. Machine Figures.
- V. Firewall Tokens. Tokens used when HACKING Machines.
Setup steps
- Set up the board in the middle of the play area. Set the ENIGMA and INSIGHT dials at the top right corner to 0 and place the Calendar Token on Monday, week 1 of the Calendar.
- Each player chooses a Kid they want to play and takes their corresponding Character Board and Trait Tile. Put the Trait Tile in its slot on the board, with the face up corresponding to the number of Kids in the game (see "Number of Kids" below). Everyone should also take their standee and 6 Time cubes. Also take a FAVOR cube and place it at the middle position on the Favor Track.
- Each player checks their ICONIC ITEM and takes it from the ITEM deck. Then shuffle the deck and place it near the board.
- Choose or randomly determine which Scenario you would like to play. It is recommended to start with Bot Amok! if this is your first time. Take the chosen Scenario Card and reference it during the following setup steps:
- Place the indicated Machine Figures and Event Location Tiles on the board. Both are placed in the underlying grid of Sectors, not on Locations.
- Take the corresponding Machine Sheets and place them near the board and place each Machine's standard Response Card on the designated space on the sheet. If the Machine starts NEARBY an OPEN Location (white border), place the Response Card with the ROUTINE side up, otherwise with the ALERT side up.
- Take out the Diary Cards with the numbers indicated by the Scenario and place them near the board with the red A-side facing up (don't read the backside!). Put the deck of remaining Diary Cards nearby.
- Take all the Rumor Cards (identified by the circular icon in the middle of the card) that are indicated on the Scenario Card and shuffle them together. Place the pile of Rumor Cards in the indicated draw space on the Rumor Track.
- Any Rumor Card sets not mentioned in the Scenario setup are returned to the box.
- Take the School Cards, shuffle them and place them in the indicated space on the board.
- Put all the Firewall Tokens face-down or in an opaque container near the board.
- One at a time, draw cards from the Rumor deck and place them face-down on the Rumor Track, starting at space 1 and going to 4. If you draw a duplicate letter of a Rumor already on the Track, put it aside and continue dealing out cards. When all four spaces have Rumor Cards with unique letters on them, shuffle any cards you put aside back into the deck. Then put Rumor Tokens on all the Locations on the board that correspond to the letters of the Rumor Cards. These tokens help you determine where to go.
- Each player draws two CHORES and chooses one to keep. The other is returned to the deck.
- Shuffle the deck of CHORES and the ANOMALY deck and place them both near the board.
- Place all Character standees at the school in Stenhamra (Location M).
- Place any other tokens, cubes and card piles within easy reach around the board.
Number of Kids
The number of Kids in a game determines the difficulty. Their Trait Tiles and the Machine Sheets are double-sided. One side is used when playing with 2–3 Kids and the other when playing with 4–5 Kids. When setting up the game, make sure to turn the sheets and tiles so that they show the correct icon: the 2–3 Kids icon or the 4–5 Kids icon.
Adjacent and Nearby
Whenever the rules refer to "adjacent" it means a Location connected to the Kid's current Location. Locations are connected via white lines on the game board.
In regards to Machines, the term "NEARBY" is used. This refers to a Sector in the grid that intersects with any part of a Location. Sectors are adjacent orthogonally, but not diagonally.
Event Locations
Scenarios may use Event Locations. These are placed on the board and are then connected to a certain Location. When a Kid is standing at the Location they can perform a special action:
B. Gravitron Echoes. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to remove one face-down Rumor Card and replace it with the top one from the draw pile (as long as there are no duplicate Locations already on the board).
C. Irma's café. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to perform an extra REST ACTION, relieving one CONDITION or moving the INJURED CONDITION one step to the right.
F. Machine Graveyard. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to go through the ITEM discard pile and retrieve a card with the CABLE, BATTERY or COMPUTER TAG.
G. The Sätuna Spiders. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to see if you can get the spiders running. Roll a die:
- 1 — You shock yourself. Become UPSET.
- 2–5 — Make a MACHINE RIDE as if using a Machine with Capacity 1 and Movement 1, starting from D5.
- 6 — A sudden burst of speed! As 2–5 but with Movement 2.
H. The Old Astronomer. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to roll to get an extra Time cube the next day. Failure means becoming UPSET.
J. The Videostore. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to look at the Location letter of the top three cards of the Rumor Deck. Put them back in any order, or place all the cards at the bottom of the draw pile.
L. The Tunnels. Once per Round, any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to roll to move to any other Location. Failure reduces the Kid's FAVOR one step.
M. The School Library. Once per Round any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time and roll to raise INSIGHT by 1. Failure means becoming EXHAUSTED.
N. Recharge Station. Once per Round any one Kid can SPEND 1 Time here to force a Machine to move one Sector closer to the Recharge Station.
Playing the Game
You are now ready to experience the 80s that never was! Follow the order of play to see what actions and stages are available to you. On the Summary Sheets you will also find a rundown of all the phases, and on each Character Board you can see the individual Actions available each Round.
Your Kid
Each player takes control of a Kid, made up of a Character Board, an ICONIC ITEM, 6 Time cubes and whatever else the current Scenario dictates. The Character Board displays all the important information about the Kid.
- A. Name and Short Descriptor.
- B. Home and Iconic Item. Each Kid has their HOME Location listed together with their ICONIC ITEM here.
- C. Action Space. As Time is SPENT on ACTIONS, the cubes are put into the ACTIONS area.
- D. Action List. During the Adventure Phase, the Kid can perform various ACTIONS. They are described here for easy reference. There are also two special ACTIONS: REST and HOME FOR DINNER.
- E. Character Traits. Each Kid has two Character traits. The top one listed is the Kid's STRENGTH, which provides extra dice for any test of that type, and the lower one is their WEAKNESS, which instead reduces the number of dice rolled, and also blocks the Kid from participating in HELP ACTIONS (see Helping). Note that the entire Character Board has the same color as the Kid's STRENGTH.
- F. Favor Track. FAVOR is used to track the current mood of the Kid's parents or guardians. It has three steps and goes from low to middle to high.
- G. Conditions. There are four negative CONDITIONS that can afflict Kids in the game. They make it harder for the players to perform ACTIONS by limiting their available time, as well as applying other penalties.
- H. Anomaly Cards. A Kid may carry any number of ANOMALIES. These can be used according to their special ACTION, or as a COMBO (see Combos).
- I. Item Cards. At most a Kid can carry a total of four different ITEMS at once, including their ICONIC ITEM. They can use, trade or discard them. The ICONIC ITEM cannot be traded (but it can be discarded if a card action declares it).
- J. Time Pool. The TIME Pool, kept beside the Character Board, is made up of 6 Time cubes. The Kid SPENDS Time to take various ACTIONS. When the pool is empty, the Kid cannot take any more ACTIONS.
Traits
When the game indicates a roll needs to be made, it is always connected to one of five core traits: BRAVE, CLEVER, CHARMING, QUICK and TOUGH. Each of these also has a corresponding weakness: SKITTISH, DENSE, DULL, SLOW and WEAK.
| Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|
| BRAVE | SKITTISH |
| CLEVER | DENSE |
| CHARMING | DULL |
| QUICK | SLOW |
| TOUGH | WEAK |
Machine Abilities
Machines have a special rule or, in a few cases, an ability. The text defines how it is used, and whether or not it requires Time.
ALARMED. The Machine is vigilant and will change its Response Card to the ALERT state if it ends its MACHINE MOVEMENT NEARBY another Machine.
ARMED. The HACKER can SPEND 2 Time to WRECK an unarmed Machine in a NEARBY Sector, removing it from the board. The WRECKED Machine removes all FIREWALLS and restarts at the Scenario starting position (see Machine Actions).
ESCAPEE. This Machine moves before all other Machines during MACHINE MOVEMENT.
PREDICTABLE. The Machine is very easy to read. If it is SCOUTED or the target of a HACK, immediately draw all FIREWALLS and place them face-up.
SLOW REBOOT. At the start of Machine Actions, remove the left-most face-up FIREWALL on the Machine's Firewall Track.
UNPREDICTABLE. The Machine will RESET if the School Card has a FIRMWARE UPGRADE icon. It does not require two icons in a row, like normal (see Machine Actions).
The Machines
- A. Designation. The name of the Machine model, for identification purposes. Identical Machines also have Alpha and Beta denominations to tell them apart.
- B. Number of Kids. The Machine Sheet has two sides depending on the number of Kids in play.
- C. Class icon. Machines belong to one of four different Classes: Worker, Warden, Watcher and Warrior.
- D. Response Card. A space for the Machine's Response Card to show that it is in either ROUTINE or ALERT mode. This determines its behavior and how hard it is to HACK.
- E. Machine Combo. If the Machine is HACKED the HACKER gets access to this COMBO and can use it as an ACTION instead of a dice roll (see Combos).
- F. Movement. Used when the Machine has been HACKED to see how many Sectors the Machine can move when taking the MACHINE RIDE ACTION.
- G. Capacity. Used when the Machine has been HACKED to see how many Kids it can bring along from one Location to another during a MACHINE RIDE ACTION.
- H. Special Rules and Abilities. If the Machine has any special rules or abilities they are listed here.
- I. Firewall Track. Firewall Tokens are placed on the track to indicate required tests during a HACK. The track can consist of up to five spaces. See Hack for more on hacking Machines.
For the sake of the rules, all larger creatures roaming the Mälar Islands are considered "Machines", even though some might be of a more organic nature...
Playing a Round
1. School Phase
The School Phase happens first in every game Round.
1.1. Preparations
Check Diary Cards. At the start of the Round, the First Player reads the currently active Diary Cards so that all players understand what they need to do or what might happen during the Round.
Replenish Time. All Kids then take the Time Cubes in their action space and put them in the pool, to the side of the Character Board.
Prepare for Rumors. All currently remaining Rumor Cards on the board are then slid to the right, to make space for new ones.
New Chore. During setup, each Kid got a Chore Card to complete before Friday evening, week 1. If the Scenario is played over two weeks, let each player draw another CHORE on Monday, week 2, which needs to be completed before the end of Thursday. As before, draw two cards each and choose one.
1.2. School Day
On any weekday, the Kids have to go to school before starting their adventure. Place all the Kids at Stenhamra (M). The First Player then draws a School Card.
New Rumors. Not in the first Round, as this has already been setup. Draw a number of Rumor Cards as shown on the top-left icon of the School Card. Place the cards face-down from left to right on the Rumor Track. The number of cards can be:
- same as the number of Kids
- number of Kids − 1
- number of Kids − 2
Group size and Rumors: the number of new Rumor Cards is based on the number of Kids. However, there will always be a minimum of one, and a maximum of four Rumor Cards. So getting number of Kids − 2 in a game with two Kids means one card, and getting number of Kids in a game with 5 Kids means four cards.
Too many Rumors. If you need to draw more Rumor Cards than there are spaces left on the board, push the old ones to the right. Any card being pushed off the board is discarded and raises ENIGMA by 2 (unless an active Diary Card says otherwise).
Duplicate Rumors. If the Location letter of the drawn card is a duplicate of one already active on the board, discard the old Rumor and replace it with the new one. If this happens one or more times in this phase, then all Machines on the board are set to ALERT mode and stay that way for the rest of this Round.
School Event (not on Weekends). The First Player is the focus for today's school day and will now have to deal with the event described on the School Card. This TEST is mandatory unless indicated otherwise by the word 'may'. The icon describes how the event is handled:
- First Player: Only the First Player rolls, and cannot receive any HELP.
- Group: The First Player rolls and can receive HELP.
- Individual: Each player rolls individually, and no one can HELP.
Start of weekend: the weekend (end of Week 1 and 2) is a special Round where each Kid receives 3 bonus Time to use for that Round only. The Kids also start the weekend at their HOME Location and the event section of the School Card is ignored.
Sick leave: Kids who don't have any Time in their pool at the start of the Round, due to CONDITIONS and GROUNDED, have to stay at their HOME Location. They do not participate in the School Phase. If they were going to be First Player, the token is instead passed on to the next player. They can not SPEND Time, or move away from their HOME in any way. They can HELP other Kids at the same Location as them. Giving up this Round, Kids on sick leave get a free REST ACTION and are automatically HOME FOR DINNER, which raises FAVOR by 1 and removes GROUNDED. Next Round the Kid returns to play as normal.
1.3. Machine Actions
Once the School Event has been dealt with, it's time to see to the Machines for the current Round.
Firmware upgrades. If the current and previous School Cards both have a FIRMWARE UPGRADE icon in their bottom left corner, an upgrade takes effect. All HACKED Machines are RESET and no longer count as HACKED.
Reset or Wrecked. If a FIRMWARE UPGRADE is in effect, or if individual Machines were WRECKED on the previous Round, the affected Machines return to play. Remove all FIREWALLS on the Firewall Track. Place the Machine on its starting Sector (according to the Scenario or Diary Card that put it into play) and set the Response Card to ROUTINE if the Machine is NEARBY one or more OPEN (white) Locations, otherwise set the card to ALERT. If the starting Sector is already occupied by another Machine, instead use an adjacent Sector as the starting Sector.
Machine Movement. Check the lower part of the School Card. The icons and arrows show how Machines will move (one or two Sectors) or if they will stand still. Two Machines can never stand in the same Sector. If a move would cause this to happen, instead move the Machine as far as possible but stop in the Sector adjacent to the occupied Sector. If a Machine move takes it past an occupied Sector, it can still move through the other Machine.
Move order: follow the movement instructions on the School Card from left to right, moving the Machine with the corresponding icon. If two Machines on the board have the same icon, ALERTED Machines move first. If they all have the same ALERT level, the First Player chooses the order.
Alert State. After movement, each Machine updates their Response Card according to the Sector it is in. Set the Response Card to ALERT if the Machine is NEARBY one or more RESTRICTED Locations, otherwise set the card to ROUTINE. If NEARBY both types of Locations, set it to ROUTINE.
Hack token: if a Machine has a Hack Token (from a previously failed HACK attempt), then keep the Response Card with the ALERT side facing up and remove the token. This Machine will not adjust its Response Card again until the next Round.
2. Adventure Phase
During the Adventure Phase, the Kids will use their Time to move around the islands and solve mysteries. This is done by performing actions, either those described below, or on Diary, Anomaly, or Rumor Cards currently in play.
Check Diary Cards. The First Player is responsible for checking if any requirements are met on the currently active Diary Cards.
2.1. Spending Time
Taking ACTIONS always means SPENDING time. When this is done, move Time from the Kid's pool to the action space. Unless otherwise indicated, an ACTION always costs one Time.
Card actions: some Diary Cards or Rumor Cards provide an alternative to making a roll, where the Kids have to SPEND Time to perform a custom action described in the text.
Making a Roll. The basic resolution mechanic, called a TEST or a ROLL, is to make a pool of 3 dice and roll it. If using the Kid's STRENGTH additional dice are added (+2 dice for 2–3 Kids, and +1 die for 4–5 Kids). If the Kid must instead roll for the TRAIT corresponding to their WEAKNESS they instead have fewer dice (−1 die for 2–3 Kids, and −2 dice for 4–5 Kids).
The dice pool is determined by the TRAIT associated with the test, bonuses from other Kids HELPING, and the use of Item Cards. The maximum number of dice in a pool is 8, and the minimum is 1. When there are modifications to the dice pool, they always refer to the number of dice being rolled, never the number you have to roll on the dice (which is always 6). If any of the dice comes up a 6, the test is successful. If not, the test fails, but can be PUSHED (see Pushing).
Starting pool and modifiers (number of dice, max 8, min 1):
| Situation | Number of dice |
|---|---|
| Regular dice pool | 3 |
| Using a STRENGTH | 5 (2–3 Kids), 4 (4–5 Kids) |
| Using a WEAKNESS | 2 (2–3 Kids), 1 (4–5 Kids) |
| HELP from other Kids | +1 per Kid (max +2) |
| ITEMS with the right color | +1 per ITEM (for the Kid making the roll) |
| Correct COMBO | Automatic success! (for the Kid making the roll, and any helpers) |
Chance of success by dice pool size, on the first roll and if PUSHED:
| Dice pool | First roll | Pushed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17% | 29% |
| 2 | 31% | 50% |
| 3 | 42% | 64% |
| 4 | 52% | 74% |
| 5 | 60% | 81% |
| 6 | 67% | 87% |
| 7 | 72% | 90% |
| 8 | 77% | 93% |
Succeeding Kid: the success text is specific to the Kid rolling the dice. Any rewards are only gained by that Kid, unless the text states otherwise.
Helping. If there are several Kids at the same Location during a TEST, they can HELP each other. Up to two Kids can HELP the one currently taking the TEST, which gives an extra die (+1) for each HELPER. Kids can not HELP if the TEST matches their WEAKNESS!
Items. ITEMS add one die (+1) to the pool if their color matches the TRAIT the TEST is rolled for. This means black ITEMS do not add bonus dice! The Kid can use several of their ITEMS as long as they match the TEST, to gain more dice. Only ITEMS owned by the Kid currently making the ROLL can be used. Item Cards are not discarded when used in this way.
ITEMS can also be combined to create COMBOS. The combinations available are indicated on the lower half of the Item card.
Anomalies. Anomaly Cards are artifacts with connections to the Loop. When gaining an ANOMALY take as many Counters as the card has Number of Uses and place them on the card. An ANOMALY has two functions:
- An ITEM TAG that can be used to create COMBOS with other ITEMS, or an actual COMBO TAG that can be used on its own.
- A special effect that is detailed on the card and unique to it. If the effect is an action or replaces an action, it still costs 1 Time to use.
When using the card for either of the functions listed above, remove a Counter from the card. When the card has no Counters left on it, it is immediately discarded.
Item tags and combos. An ITEM TAG can be combined with another TAG to create a COMBO. It can also be used on its own (as a COMBO) if the TAG exists on the available action. In both cases, discard the used card or cards afterwards, unless they are ICONIC ITEMS. ANOMALIES also carry an ITEM- or COMBO TAG and by using it they reduce their number of uses by one. There are 13 ITEM TAGS and 11 possible COMBOS.
The TAG "KNOWLEDGE" is a wild card that can replace any other ITEM TAG.
| Combo | Combinations |
|---|---|
| CHEMICALS | SHARP + COMBUSTIBLE, SHARP + MAKEUP |
| DECOY | LOUD + BIKE, LOUD + GLUE, CLUB + CLOTHES |
| EXPLOSIVE | FIRE + BATTERY, FIRE + COMBUSTIBLE, FIRE + GLUE |
| HIT 'N' RUN | CLUB + BIKE |
| INTERFACE | COMPUTER + BATTERY, COMPUTER + CABLES |
| KNOCKOUT | MAKEUP + CLOTHES, MAKEUP + LOUD |
| PARTS | COMPUTER + COMBUSTIBLE |
| POWER | CABLES + BATTERY |
| REACH | CLUB + GLUE |
| ROPE | SHARP + CLOTHES |
| TOW | BIKE + CABLES |
Combos. At times there is a way to completely avoid rolling dice and instead produce an automatic success. Several cards and effects have a COMBO option. This means that when the TEST is resolved, if the Kids at the Location can produce the COMBO in question it counts as a successful ROLL. Used ITEMS are discarded (but not ICONIC ITEMS) and ANOMALY Counters are reduced (Machine Combos do not deplete) when used to create COMBOS.
Participating Kids: COMBOS are created by combining ITEMS, ANOMALIES, or by using the COMBO TAG on a HACKED Machine. For all three variants, it's required that each used card, or Machine, is owned by one of the Kids participating in the roll, which means the Kid making the roll (taking the test) and up to two helpers.
Pushing. If a TEST does not succeed on the first roll, the player can choose to take a CONDITION to reroll all the dice in the TEST. This is called PUSHING the ROLL. The Kid then takes an unspent Time from the pool and places it in the slot of a CONDITION of their choosing. If all Time has already been spent, or if the Kid is INJURED, they cannot PUSH. A ROLL can only be PUSHED once and the reroll is not counted as a separate roll from the original roll, but instead replaces it (important for CONDITIONS etc).
Failing Rolls. Kids who HELP are bound by the result of the ROLL as stated in the Failure text of the TEST. If the failure results in taking a CONDITION, all participating Kids become affected equally unless there is a parenthesis stating a different CONDITION (which then only applies to HELPERS). Any other failure text is applied only to the Kid taking the TEST, unless it's specified otherwise on the card.
Taking Conditions. Kids become hurt by failing ROLLS or by PUSHING (rerolling). When a Kid is required by the rules or a card's text to take a specific CONDITION, move one Time from their pool and place it in the slot for the mentioned CONDITION. If that slot already contains Time or if the text does not specify a CONDITION type, the Kid must instead place Time in the slot of a more severe CONDITION than the most severe one already locked in on the Character Board.
The order of severity is (from lowest to highest):
- EXHAUSTED
- UPSET
- SCARED
- INJURED
Conditions
The Time placed in a CONDITION slot is locked and cannot be used for other actions until Relieved, either by using the REST ACTION (see Special Actions) or taking the steps stated for three of the CONDITIONS below and on the Character Board. If the Kid has already spent their last Time from the pool, take one Time Cube from the action space on the Character Board instead.
Keep in mind that a PUSHED roll is considered a single roll. A Kid cannot become UPSET to PUSH a roll and then Relieve that CONDITION by getting HELP when rerolling.
Exhausted. This is the least severe CONDITION. It locks Time and can only be Relieved through a REST ACTION.
Upset. The Kid can not HELP others in any way during a ROLL (no bonus, or use of ITEM and ANOMALY cards). Can be Relieved by REST, or by getting HELP from another Kid on a future roll.
Scared. The Kid can not use the bonus dice from their STRENGTH during any ROLLS. Can be Relieved in one of two ways, either by REST, or by the Scared Kid succeeding on any future ROLL.
Injured. The Kid gets −2 on all ROLLS and also cannot PUSH any ROLLS. The locked Time is moved one step to the right in each End Phase and when moved from the last square, it is placed in the action space of the Character Board. The REST action can also move the Time one step, speeding up the recovery. If the Kid takes another Injured CONDITION, the Time is reset to the left-most square.
2.2. Movement Actions
Walk — 1 Time. Move from the current Location to another adjacent Location (connected by a line) by SPENDING 1 Time. Walking normally costs 1 Time. However, when walking from an OPEN Location into a RESTRICTED one, the cost is increased by 1 (to 2 Time).
Bus Ride — 1 Time. Move between two Locations with a Bus Stop, by SPENDING 1 Time. During BUS RIDES Kids only have to AVOID (see Avoiding Machines) Machines NEARBY the destination Location.
Car Ride — 1 Time. If a Kid is in good favor with their parents or guardians, they can come and get the Kid at their current Location on the game board and then take them to any other OPEN Location. This move costs 1 Time and reduces FAVOR one step. See more about FAVOR under End Phase.
Machine Ride — 1 Time. When a Kid controls a Machine (after a successful HACK) they can use it to take a MACHINE RIDE action by SPENDING 1 Time. Place the Machine on a Sector NEARBY the Kid's current Location. Then move along the grid according to the Movement value on the Machine Sheet. The move must end NEARBY another Location and can pass, or land on, other Machines on the way. Upon reaching the final Sector, the Machine and all the Kid standees are moved onto that Location.
Machine Capacity: a Machine's Capacity value determines how many Kids, including the HACKER, that a Machine can carry with it from one Location to another. Only the HACKER controlling the Machine has to SPEND Time to make the move, but all participating Kids have to be at the same Location. The Kids that come along for the ride can only move to the same Location as the HACKER and the Machine.
Avoiding Machines. When entering a Location (by whatever means) with a Machine in a NEARBY Sector, check its Response Card to see if a TEST is required to AVOID it. If there's a green Ignore icon no TEST is needed, but a red Block or yellow Special icon means a TEST is required, using the TRAIT listed at the top of the card. A successful ROLL means that the Kid avoids the attention of the Machine, doesn't trigger any effects and can continue moving. A failed ROLL means the Machine's Response takes effect, often hindering movement. This TEST does not add any Time cost to the move, and can be PUSHED.
- Ignore: The Machine doesn't care about NEARBY Kids at all. No TEST is required.
- Block: The Machine is actively forcing NEARBY Kids back. A TEST is required to AVOID the Machine. If the TEST fails, the Kid has to move back to the Location they came from and any other effects on the Response Card trigger as well. If the Location the Kid moved from is not adjacent (if they got a BUS, CAR or MACHINE RIDE, for example) they still have to move to another adjacent Location, one that is OPEN, if possible.
- Special: Check the text on the card for exact details of the Response. A TEST is required to AVOID the Machine. A failed TEST triggers the effect on the Response Card.
2.3. Adventure Actions
Scout — 1 Time. For 1 Time the Kid can SCOUT any one of the following:
- A face-down Rumor Card on the same or an adjacent Location. The card and the corresponding Rumor Token are turned over, but the card's effect and action is not triggered. The Kids now know what to expect.
- A Machine at a NEARBY Sector. The Kid then gets to place the two leftmost FIREWALLS on the Firewall Track, face-up. The Kids now know some of the Machine's behavior.
Investigate — 1 Time. For 1 Time the Kid can perform the TEST on a Rumor Card with the same letter as their current Location. If the card is face-down (hasn't been SCOUTED), the Kid flips it and commits to the action immediately. The card has unique text for what happens depending on whether the TEST is a success or a failure. See Making a Roll.
Gain Insight and Enigma — default rules if nothing else is stated by any card text: when successfully INVESTIGATING a Rumor Card belonging to the Rumor Set indicated in the Scenario, raise INSIGHT by 1. Each time an INVESTIGATION ACTION fails (regardless of set), raise ENIGMA by 1. Each time a Rumor Card is pushed off the board during the School Phase, raise ENIGMA by 2.
Trade — 1 Time. For 1 Time spent by one Kid at the current Location, all Kids there can freely trade any number of ITEMS or ANOMALIES, except for ICONIC ITEMS. They can exceed their ITEM limit of four cards while trading, but during the End Phase, any excess cards will have to be discarded (see End Phase).
Free Trade: after successfully completing a Rumor Card, all Kids at that Location may participate in a free TRADE action to distribute any new cards received as well as already owned ones.
Hack — varied cost. Kids can HACK a Machine and take control of it. This is done through a group action:
- Participants. Each participating Kid has to be in a Location NEARBY and SPEND at least 1 Time. The combined starting cost for initiating a HACK is the number of FIREWALL spaces on the Machine's Firewall Track.
- Lead Hacker. The Kid with the most invested Time is the HACKER and will take control of the Machine if the attempt is successful. If there is a draw for the position, the First Player decides who becomes the HACKER.
- Response. Go from left to right on the Firewall Track. If the space has a Firewall Token already go to step 4. Otherwise, draw a random FIREWALL and place it face-up on the empty space on the Track. Check the top half of the FIREWALL if the Machine's Response Card is in ROUTINE mode, and the lower half if it's in ALERT mode. Use the Hack Token to keep track of which FIREWALL is currently being targeted, and if it is the ROUTINE or ALERT half.
- Actions. The color on the FIREWALL indicates what action needs to be taken. The TEST is made just like any other, and participating Kids can HELP, use ITEMS and COMBOS. The TEST can be a single color, or two that both need to be completed (from top to bottom) before being successful. Some FIREWALLS also have a special Firewall Effect that needs to be resolved before making any tests (see Firewall Effects).
- Success. With a successful TEST the Kids move the Hack Token to the next position on the Firewall Track. See step 3 above. If there are no more FIREWALL positions left the Kids have successfully HACKED the Machine.
- Routine Failure. With a failed TEST the Machine's Response Card becomes ALERT and the Hack Token is moved down to the lower half of the same Firewall Token. The Kids now have to take that TEST instead before they can continue, and the Hack Token now stays on the ALERT side of the Firewall Track.
- Alert Failure. If the Machine is already in ALERT mode, the Kids have failed the HACK attempt. Check the Response Card to see how the Machine reacts, as if having failed an AVOID TEST (see Avoiding Machines), affecting all Characters who participated in the HACK. Each participating Kid is also moved to an adjacent Location (individual Kid's choice), going to OPEN Locations if possible.
Hack Token: if the HACK fails and the Machine is in ALERT Mode, take the Hack Token and place it on top of the Response Card. This will indicate that the Machine will not go back to ROUTINE Mode at the start of next Round (see Machine Actions).
Stay in place: if a Machine is ever moved away from its current Sector during HACKING, the attempt fails and is automatically cut short. However, the Kids do not suffer the effect of failure specified on the Machine's Response Card and stay in their current Location.
Hacked Machines: after successfully HACKING a Machine, the Kid with the most invested Time becomes the HACKER who controls it. Move the Machine's miniature to the same Location as the HACKER. It will now go with that Kid, using Locations instead of the grid Sectors. The HACKER can only control one Machine at a time and may use its COMBO freely when taking a TEST, or can take the MACHINE RIDE movement ACTION. Some Machines also have an ability that can be used as an ACTION by SPENDING Time.
Firewall Effects
Repel Attempt. This triggers the AVOID response of the Machine. Treat it as a regular AVOID check (see Avoiding Machines). This means that in some circumstances no ROLL is required and the HACKER can move to the next FIREWALL.
Default Firewall. This triggers the DEFAULT FIREWALL of the Machine. Refer to the DEFAULT FIREWALL section of the Response Card to see what kind of effects this has.
Alert! The Machine becomes ALERT. Flip its Response Card to the ALERT side and move the Hack Token down to the lower part of the Firewall Track. Use the ALERT section of each FIREWALL as long as the Machine remains ALERT.
2.4. Special Actions
Rest — 1 Time. Each turn, a Kid can SPEND 1 Time to remove one CONDITION, or move the INJURED Time Cube one step to the right. When Time is removed from a CONDITION it is instead placed in the action space.
Home for Dinner — 0–2 Time. It's important to be home in time for dinner and homework! A Kid needs to SPEND Time to get to their HOME Location, or risk angering their parents in the End Phase.
Home for Dinner: when a player has taken all the actions they can, or decides they don't want to do anything else, during a Round, they can either go HOME FOR DINNER, or BE LATE. If there is enough Time left to go home, place the Time in the action space, move the Kid standee to their HOME Location and place it in a lying down position to indicate they're busy with dinner, homework or simply going to bed. The Kid cannot HELP or participate in any further actions. If the player doesn't have enough Time Cubes to go home, let the Kid standee stay at its current Location, standing up. It can still HELP other Kids with tests at that Location. A Kid at their HOME Location can choose not to go HOME FOR DINNER if they want.
| Kid's Location | Cost |
|---|---|
| OPEN Location to HOME | 1 |
| RESTRICTED Location to HOME | 2 |
| If already at your HOME Location | 0 |
| Controlling a HACKED Machine | −1 to cost |
3. End Phase
Once the Adventure Phase is over, the First Player verifies the following steps. These steps can also be referred to as "Cleanup". Once that is done, the First Player Token moves to the next player (to the left).
Discard Excess Items. All Kids discard ITEMS down to the limit of four. The ICONIC ITEM may not be discarded.
Good and Bad Favor. Kid standees that are lying down are HOME FOR DINNER and they gain one FAVOR (move the token left one step on the FAVOR track). Standees that are standing up didn't make it home in time and instead move their FAVOR one step to the right.
Grounded: when FAVOR is reduced to its lowest step the Kid is immediately GROUNDED. Move 2 Time from the pool to the two GROUNDED slots with house icons, on the Character Board. They will remain locked until the Kid's FAVOR reaches either the middle or highest step. If there is not enough Time in the pool, use Time from the action space. Do not remove any Time locked by CONDITIONS.
Healing Injury. If a Kid is INJURED, move the locked Time one step to the right. If it then leaves the last box, place it in the action space. This happens whether or not they made it HOME FOR DINNER.
Resolve Chores. Verify if any of the current CHORES have been fulfilled. Kids with successfully completed CHORES get the reward immediately, or can choose to take it in a later turn, but not later than the Chore Deadline (marked on the Calendar). Any ITEMS received as a reward for completing CHORES may exceed the ITEM limit until the End Phase of the next turn.
Chore deadline: end of Friday week 1 and Thursday week 2 are deadlines for active CHORES. New CHORES are always drawn during Preparation in the School Phase.
Check Diary Cards. Some Diary Cards may refer to "cleanup" or "End Phase". Those texts trigger now. After this, a new Round begins.
Variant Rules
Feel free to try out these optional rules when playing the game. They will adjust difficulty or reduce complexity, but may therefore remove some strategic choices.
Caring Parents (easier). When Healing Injury in the End Phase, each player may also Relieve the least severe (top) CONDITION they're suffering from, in addition to moving the Time Cube for INJURED.
This Might Help (easier). Whenever a Kid HELPS they can add an additional die if they have one or more ITEMS of the relevant TRAIT.
It's Just a Bruise (easier). To reduce play time, ignore the status effect on the more severe CONDITIONS, like reduced dice pool, cannot HELP, or cannot use STRENGTH. CONDITIONS can still be Relieved normally, as stated on the Character Board, but are mainly used to lock down Time Cubes.
Go Home Together (easier). All Kids, not just the HACKER, that end their Round on a Location with a HACKED Machine, may use its −1 Time cost to get HOME FOR DINNER. This means that if multiple Kids and the HACKED Machine end their Round on an OPEN Location, they all get HOME for free.
Sucks to Be You (easier). Only the Kid rolling for a TEST is affected. Regardless of the Failure text on any Rumor Card, it should only be applied to the Kid making the TEST, not any of the HELPERS.
Gradually Getting Worse (variant). Instead of selecting a CONDITION, or locking a CONDITION stated in a card's text, the Kids always lock the next one in order of severity. Always start with EXHAUSTED, then UPSET, SCARED and finally, INJURED. Any card text stating a specific CONDITION should instead be read as "Take a CONDITION".
They Are Just Machines (variant). To reduce complexity, ignore the Machine abilities present on the Machine Sheets (described below each Machine's portrait).
That Was My Favorite Lighter! (harder). If games with 4–5 Kids feel a bit too easy, use this variant. The player making a TEST is forced to discard one of the ITEM cards used for bonuses (but not an ICONIC ITEM). More Kids means more ITEMS in play and more possible COMBOS. Therefore, removing ITEMS and forcing the Kids to find new ones will help balance a game with a large group. This rule can also be applied during a 2–3 Kids game, to make things more difficult.
Investigate All Rumors (harder). To increase the difficulty, you can let Rumor Cards that are discarded by being pushed off the board raise the ENIGMA meter with one or even two more than default. In most Scenarios, the default is 2. For a real challenge, you can even decide that no Rumor Cards may be pushed off the board, or you lose the game.
Done by Monday (harder). For Scenarios that are played over two weeks, the player group can take on the challenge of completing it before the School Phase on Monday, week 2.
Erratic Firmware (harder). Make all Machines in the Scenario use the ERRATIC Response Card to challenge the Kids' movement across the islands.