The Feds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Object
• Terms
• Playing the Game
  • Step 1: Choose Agent (simultaneous)
  • Step 2: Take Turns (in turn order)
    • Phase A: Deploy Agent
    • Phase B: Activate Special Agent
  • Step 3: Close Location (if required)
  • Step 4: Pass Badge
• Arresting Criminals
• Scoring
• Two-Player Game
  • Setup
  • Playing the Game
• New Orleans Variant

Components

• 4 Offices/Jails
• 4 Locations
• Agent cards (7 per player color)
• 3 Stop Signs
• 1 Badge
• 4 Utility Tokens
• 1 Die
• 32 Criminals (9 pink; 8 blue; 7 lime; 6 orange; 2 gray)
• 4 Siren Tokens (see the New Orleans Variant)
• 1 Car (for 2 players)

Note: The rules first describe the game for 3-4 players. See the Two-Player Game section for 2 player rule changes.

Setup

1. Place the locations in a column in alphabetical order.
2. Place the criminals in the bag.
3. Draw and place 8 criminals onto each location.
4. Each player takes the player components in one color: 7 agent cards and 1 office.
5. Choose a city card to use for the game and place it above the locations. Return the unused city cards to the box.*
6. Set up the utility tokens based on the rules for the chosen city card. Look at the backside of the city card for instructions.
7. Place the die and the stop tokens off to the side.
8. Choose a starting player by any agreed upon method and give that player the badge.

* City Cards: Each game provides a different experience through the use of various city cards, which represent FBI divisions whose agents have unique powers.

Sirens: Sirens are used in the New Orleans Variant.

Object

As the leader of an FBI unit, send your agents to gather intel, infiltrate different mobs, and arrest wanted criminals. Take turns deploying agents to locations and performing special actions. At game end, arrest criminals to score victory points. The player with the most victory points wins.

Terms

• A "field" is the area to the right of a location.
• A "field agent" is any card in a field.
• A "rookie" is the most recently played card at a location, which will be the card furthest from the location.
• A "special agent" is an agent card with a special power icon. The special powers are infilitrate, redeploy, and patrol.
• A "mole" is a face-down card on a location in the "hideout" area.
• An agent's "strength" is the number on the card.
• A location is "closed" when its field has 7 or more cards. When a location is closed, place the stop sign to the right of the cards in the field.

Playing the Game

The game lasts 7 rounds. Each round has 4 steps.

• Step 1: Choose Agent (simultaneous)
• Step 2: Take Turns (in turn order)
• Step 3: Close Location (if required)
• Step 4: Pass Badge (clockwise)

Step 1: Choose Agent (simultaneous)

• All players simultaneously choose an agent card to play and a location to play it, as follows: on the count of 3, everyone places their chosen card, face-down, onto 1 of the 4 corners of their office. The chosen corner indicates the location the agent will be deployed in Step 2.
• You may not place your card onto a corner that matches a closed location. See "Close Location" (Step 3).

Step 2: Take Turns (in turn order)

Starting with the player with the badge and moving clockwise, each player takes a turn. Each turn has 2 phases:

• Phase A: Deploy Agent
• Phase B: Activate Special Agent

Phase A: Deploy Agent

• On your turn, place your card chosen in Step 1 into the hideout area of the chosen location:
  • If the location currently has no mole, place your card face-down into the hideout, where it is now a mole.
  • If the location already has a mole, turn the mole face-up and move it to the field at the same location, where it is now a field agent, then place your card face-down into the hideout as the new mole.
• Cards in the field must be placed in an overlapping row, with the most recently moved card furthest away from the location.
• Make sure the numbers of the face-up cards are visible.

Phase B: Activate Special Agent

• When a special agent card (i.e., a card with an action icon) is revealed and moved from the hideout to the field, the owning player may "activate the agent" (one time and immediately) by performing the card's specified action(s).
• The agent's actions are determined by the city card being used.
• All actions on a card are optional, unless the city card specifies otherwise.
• Point of Emphasis: the player currently taking a turn is often not the player activating the agent, though it might be.

IMPORTANT: Activating Agent. The only time a special agent is activated is when it is revealed and moved from the hideout to the field. Due to the city cards, some actions may be lost. See the backside of the city cards for more details.

Example: Deploy and Activate Agent. Green deploys a mole to the Warehouse. She moves Blue's mole from the location to the field, turning it face-up, and placing it furthest from the location. Then, she places her card face-down into the location. Since Blue's card is a special agent, Blue activates the agent's power and performs its special action, even though it is Green's turn.

TIP: Keeping Track of Turn Order. If you've lost track of turn order after Phase B, it is easy to determine whose turn it is. Look at the players' offices to see who still has an agent card on one of its corners. The player with an agent card on their office who is closest clockwise to the player with the badge is the next player to take a turn.

Step 3: Close Location (if required)

• If a field has 7 or more agent cards, its location is "closed" and you place a stop sign next to its row of field agents.
• If a location is closed, you are not allowed in Step 1 to choose that location.
• As a result of special agent actions, a closed location may be re-opened. If this happens, just return the stop sign to the supply.

Step 4: Pass Badge

Pass the badge clockwise and start a new round, unless 7 rounds have been played (at which time, no one has any cards in hand).

Arresting Criminals

After the final turn, it is time to "arrest" criminals. Players flip their offices to the jail side and then "bust" each location to arrest criminals, from the top location to the bottom. For each location, do the following:

1. Flip the mole at the location and move it to the field, as normal. Flip only the mole at the location presently being busted; do not flip all moles at all locations.
2. Each player calculates their total strength by summing all the numbers on their own agent cards. A player with no cards at a location will not make an arrest there. In case of ties, the player with an agent card closer to the location is considered to have more strength.
3. Then, in turn order from most to least strength, each player chooses to take all the criminals of 1 color.
4. Players continue taking criminals in order of strength until all criminals at the location are arrested. It is possible that the same player may have more than 1 turn arresting criminals from the same location.
5. Place arrested criminals in the jail spaces matching their colors, from left to right. Exception: Put the gray criminals to the side of one's jail until scoring takes place (see Scoring).

NOTE: For many (but not all) city cards, the player with the most strength takes the utility token at the location, if any, at the start of step 3.

Example: Arresting Criminals. Blue has a strength of 7, Green and Red have a strength of 3. Red is closer to the location than Green, so Red wins the tie. The order of strength is: Blue, Red, Green. Blue chooses to arrest the 2 lime criminals. Red arrests the 2 blue criminals. Green arrests 1 gray. Blue then arrests the 3 pink criminals. All criminals at this location have now been arrested.

Scoring

After busting all locations, scoring occurs. Gray criminals may now be placed in one's jail as any color (i.e., as "wild"). For each color of criminal, score the points shown at the top of the column for the number of criminals of that color. A player's final score is the total. In case of ties, the player who has the highest utility token (if used) wins the tie. If still tied, the player with the total number of criminals wins the tie. If still tied, players share the tied position.

Example: Scoring. Blue has 4 pink for 6 points, 1 lime for 3 points, 2 orange (and 1 gray) for 14 points. Blue also has a utility token worth 3 points. Blue's total is 26 points.

Two-Player Game

In 2-player games, there is an imaginary third player (called the Officer) who takes turns, according to rules described below. Set up and play the game as normal, with the exceptions described below.

Setup

• Shuffle a set of agent cards of an unused color (i.e., the "officer's deck") and place it face-down within reach of both players.
• Place the police car on the Club.

Playing the Game

During the game, the officer will deploy agents, but will not perform any special actions. The officer only takes a turn during Step 2, after both players have taken their turns.

• In Step 2, after both players have taken turns, draw the top card of the officer's deck and turn it face-up to reveal its strength number.
• Next, move the police car down the number of locations equal to the strength of the revealed card. When the police car reaches the Warehouse, its next move is to go back to the top location (i.e., the Club). In other words, the police car moves through the locations from top to bottom.
• Place the revealed agent card, face-up, into the hideout at the location where the police car stops. If there is a mole there, move it as usual, then place the officer's card face-up. Even though the card is face-up, it is considered a "mole."
• When an officer's mole is moved to the field, just keep it face-up.
• The officer will never perform any special powers (i.e., Step B).
• When arresting criminals, the officer (on her turn) will always choose to take criminals in the color order from the bottom of the jail up (i.e., orange, lime, blue, pink) and will take grey last.
• The officer's score is not calculated, so arrested criminals may just be returned to the box.

New Orleans Variant

To add variety to the game, you may wish to try this variant (unless already using the New Orleans city card).

• At game start, place 1 random siren token on each location.
• During Step 2, if the Redeploy special agent is activated, the owning player may swap any 2 siren tokens.
• After Step 2, if a location has a number of field agents equal to or higher than the number on the siren token, a mini-bust occurs. The player with the most strength arrests any 2 different criminals, the second most arrests 1 criminal. Ties broken as normal.
• After a mini-bust, remove the siren token.