The Networks: Executives
The Networks: Executives Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
During setup, leave the base game player boards in the box and instead give each player 2 random executive boards to choose from. Each player may use any color of marker cubes and either side of their board (only the artwork is different on front and back). Return unused executives to the box.
Executive Setup
Executives that aren't listed below don't have any extra setup.
- BEEB: Place a marker cube on the START circle in the center of your rondel.
- GENERIC: Place a marker cube on the START space on of your bonus track.
- STARRYEYE: Stack your 2 superstar tokens on your board.
- CABLE: You get the 1st player token (instead of choosing a 1st player normally). Take $20M starting cash instead of the normal amount for 1st player.
- PROCRASTINATOR: Stack your 12 genre tokens on your board. Take half the normal amount of starting cash for your turn order position.
- CONTINUUM: Place a marker cube above the ∞ symbol on your time machine track.
Executives
BEEB
Complexity: 3
You're used to working within the system. You can take unique bonus actions, but your rondel limits what you can do each turn.
Abilities
At the start of your first turn each round, move your marker from the START space in the middle of your rondel to any of the 5 surrounding spaces. You may then take the action and/or bonus action on that space, in any order.
At the start of each following turn for the rest of the round, you must move your marker 1-2 spaces clockwise (or pay cash to move further; see Drawback below). You may then take the action and/or bonus action where you land, in any order.
Both the action and bonus action on each space on your rondel are optional, meaning you may choose to take only one of them, or you may take neither of them (i.e. move and end your turn without taking an action).
In order to pass, you must land on the space with a pass icon (bottom right of your rondel). If you can't reach this space, you must spend a turn moving toward it, even if you can't take the action you land on. When you pass, move your rondel marker back to START so you may again move to any space on your first turn next round.
Drawback
You must move at least 1 space on your rondel each turn. To move more than 2 spaces, you must pay $1M per additional space, up to a total of 5 spaces (returning to where you started to repeat your last action).
Rondel Spaces
| Action | Bonus Action |
|---|---|
| Sign a Star | Pay $1M to add 1 new star from the deck to the display. You may do this even if there are no stars in the display. |
| Sign an Ad | Discard 1 ad of your choice from your lineup or green room to immediately get cash equal to its income. |
| Produce a Show | Pass and move your marker back to START. Gain bonus cash or viewers as normal. |
| Take a Network Card | Add 1 network card from the deck to the display, then discard 1 network card from the display. You can only do this if there is at least 1 network card in the display. |
| Add or Replace a Star or Ad | Take another Add or Replace action. |
Example Turns
A. Dr. Carla moves 2 spaces to sign a star. She first pays $1M to add a star to the display. She decides she likes the new one better than the others, so she signs it.
B. On her next turn, Dr. Carla pays $1M to move 3 spaces, so she can take another network card. She likes what's in the display, so she doesn't use her bonus action.
Clarifications
- Talent Agency (network card) / Continuum (Anomaly): When you gain an extra action during your turn, you may use it to take any normal action, regardless of which space you occupy. Do not take an extra bonus action.
- On-Set Accommodation (network card) / Page to Screen (Mogul): You may use these effects while in any space on your rondel.
BUTCHER
Complexity: 3
You understand the importance of quantity. You excel at pumping out new shows, but your viewership declines a lot faster after the first season.
Abilities
When you produce a show, you may pay $3M to treat all of its attachment slots as optional. Recall that if all of a show's slots are optional, you don't have to attach any cards when you produce it.
During end-game scoring, score 2 bonus viewers for each rerun in your reruns pile, including your starter shows.
Drawback
When scoring your lineup at the end of each round, each of your shows that is not in its 1st season suffers a viewer penalty based on how far down the season track its season marker is. Shows with a timeslot penalty count as starting in their "3rd" season for the purposes of your drawback.
| Season Row | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 1st | None |
| 2nd | -2 viewers |
| 3rd | -4 viewers |
| 4th | -6 viewers |
Clarifications
- Writeoff (network card) / Surpriser (Star) / Blockbuster Director (Mogul): Apply your viewer penalty when calculating the show's score.
- If a show's viewer value is negative (after counting stars and bonus viewers), subtract its value from your score for the round. Your total score for the round can't be less than 0.
CABLE
Complexity: 1
You've been at this while, and you're used to being on top. You start with full coffers, but you can't take bonus cash when you pass at the end of the round.
Abilities
You start the game with the 1st player marker and you get $20M starting cash instead of the amount printed on the setup board. At the end of the first round, pass the 1st player marker to another player normally.
After taking an action on your turn, you may immediately pass. This does not count as an action.
Drawback
When you pass, you may only choose bonus viewers, not bonus cash. If you pass last, you get no bonus from the pass track.
Clarifications
- Preempted Timeslot (network card): If you pass last, this has no effect.
- Telly Time: Start with $30M instead of $20M. In addition to your normal drawback, you do not get cash from empty spaces on the genre grid (regardless of the pass track bonus you choose).
CHEAPO
Complexity: 1
You specialize in making a little go a long way. You score bonus viewers for shows and stars that don't have expenses, but you pay more for those that do.
Abilities
When scoring your lineup at the end of the round, score 2 bonus viewers for each show card with no expenses and 1 bonus viewer for each attached star with no expenses.
A card has no expenses if it does not have an expenses icon (a red dot) visible in the top right. This includes stars that have been attached upside down. (Note: If a star's condition is fulfilled, you must attach them rightside up, even if you don't want to.)
Drawback
When paying your upkeep at the end of each round, you must pay an extra $1M for each show and star in your lineup with at least $1M expenses.
Example: During upkeep, Virginia must spend $2M to pay for this show's star. When scoring her lineup, she scores 15 viewers for the show (12 printed + 3 from her bonus).
Clarifications
- Writeoff (network card) / Surpriser (Star) / Blockbuster Director (Mogul): Count bonus viewers from your ability.
- Penny Pincher (Mogul) / Voice of a Generation (Mogul): See Mogul Clarifications (pg. 4).
FLIX
Complexity: 1
On the Internet, no one cares what time it is! You get to ignore preferred timeslots, but you need more variety in your lineup to hold viewers' attention.
Abilities
When you produce a show, you may place it in any timeslot without suffering a timeslot penalty. When you attach an ad with a timeslot condition, it always counts as being in the correct timeslot.
Note: Your Flix token is only used with Telly Time (see Clarifications below).
Drawback
When you produce a show that has the same genre as another show in your lineup, you must either pay an extra $3M, or suffer a timeslot penalty (place the show's season marker on the X in the 3rd row).
Clarifications
- When you produce a show with "ANY" as its preferred timeslot, ignore your drawback (the show cannot suffer a timeslot penalty).
- Flexible Schedule (network card): You may use this to ignore your drawback.
- Telly Time: Use your Flix token to cover the weekend icon on your genre grid. Treat your weekend timeslot like your other timeslots. You may place Kids shows in any timeslot.
GENERIC
Complexity: 3
You're not especially good at anything, but you're a little good at everything. You get bonuses for making sets of shows of different genres, but you don't advance on the genre tracks.
Abilities
When you produce a show, if the matching genre on your executive board is not covered with a marker cube, place a marker on it and advance 1 space on your bonus track. If you land on a bonus icon, gain the bonus immediately.
When your bonus marker reaches the topmost empty space on your track, clear all genre markers from your board and return them to your supply. Leave your bonus marker at the top of the track and place a new bonus marker on START. The next time you produce a show, cover its genre as before and advance your new marker. The empty space below your previous marker is now the "top" of your track.
When scoring your lineup at the end of the round, add the bonus viewers beside each marker on your bonus track to your viewer score.
Drawback
You never advance on the genre tracks, and you don't earn any bonuses or end-game viewers from them.
Generic Bonuses
- Mogul icon: Draw 3 mogul cards and take 1. Place the other 2 on the bottom of the deck. If playing without moguls, treat this as a 3-color genre bonus, like the one on space 4 of each genre track.
- Network card icon: Draw 2 network cards and take 1. Discard the other.
- Star and ad icon: Draw 1 star and 1 ad. Either sign the star for free or sign the ad and get its cash bonus. Discard the other card.
Example
A. Jerome covers a 5th genre and reaches the top of his track. He gets his mogul bonus immediately.
B. He then clears all 5 genres and adds a new marker at the bottom of his track.
C. He makes 2 more shows before the end of the round (Reality and Sci-Fi). During scoring, he gets +7 viewers from his bonus track.
Clarifications
- Market Research (network card) / Waterbug / Reboot-o-mancer (Mogul): Instead of advancing on the indicated genre track, cover that genre on your board. If that genre is already covered, this has no effect.
- Telly Time: Do not place any markers on your genre grid during the game. When you pass, instead of getting +$1M per empty space on your grid, you get a fixed +$5M. When you produce a Kids, Chat, or Quiz show, you may cover any genre on your executive board.
PROCRASTINATOR
Complexity: 2
You're a creative spirit who struggles with punctuality. You can permanently change the genres of shows, but you missed the budget meeting, so you start with half the normal cash.
Abilities
When you produce a show, you may use an available genre token to permanently change its genre. Place the token in the top left, covering the show's genre icon. The token stays on the show for the rest of the game (even if the show is canceled).
You must decide whether to change the genre of a show before attaching stars or ads. Use only the new genre to determine whether to rotate the stars and ads you attach, and which genre track you advance on.
You can only use each of your 12 genre tokens once per game. If you run out of tokens for a genre, you can no longer change shows to that genre.
Drawback
During setup, take half the amount of starting cash for your position in turn order, rounded down.
Example
Jessica changes Dextrous to sports and attaches a sports ad to it. She advances in Sports instead of Action.
Clarifications
- Telly Time: You can't change shows to Kids, Chat, or Quiz genres. You may change Kids, Chat, or Quiz shows to genres you have tokens for.
RICH
Complexity: 1
You're a self-made executive who just happens to come from money. You get a windfall at the start of each round, but you can't score end-game network cards.
Abilities
At the start of each round, draw 1 star, 1 ad, and 1 network card. Either sign the star for free, sign the ad and get its cash bonus, or take the network card. Discard the others.
You may see the display before deciding, but you must do so before the 1st player takes their turn.
Drawback
During end-game scoring, all network cards with "Game End" effects in your green room score 0 viewers. You may score moguls normally. You may still draft "Game End" network cards, even though you can't score them.
Clarifications
- Bollywood Star (Star) / Tech Pioneer (Mogul): Count "Game End" network cards in your green room.
- Gorilla: Resolve your start-of-round ability before Gorilla.
SPECIALIST
Complexity: 2
You're the fixer they bring in to handle tricky situations. You can recruit 2 moguls to create unique combos, but you get fewer normal genre bonuses.
Abilities
Note: This Executive requires the Moguls module.
You can gain up to 2 moguls during the game:
- 1st Mogul: The first time during the game you reach space 2 on any genre track, instead of gaining the printed genre bonus, draw 2 moguls and choose 1 to keep. Place the other on the bottom of the deck.
- 2nd Mogul: The first time during the game you reach space 4 on any genre track, instead of gaining the printed genre bonus, draw 4 moguls and choose 1 to keep. Place the others on the bottom of the deck.
You may gain both bonuses from the same genre track, or from different tracks. When you reach space 2 on any genre track after the first, you get the normal printed genre bonus. Likewise, when you reach space 4 on any track after the first, you get the normal printed genre bonus.
Drawback
When you land on space 3 of any genre track, if there is a mogul token there, you must treat it as an empty space. Do not remove the token or gain the network card bonus underneath it.
If you land on space 3 after another player removes the mogul token, you gain the the network card bonus there as normal.
Clarifications
- Telly Time: Gain your 2 moguls as follows:
- The first time you complete a line of 3 squares, gain your 1st mogul (draw 2 and take 1).
- The second time you complete a line, gain no bonus.
- The third time you complete a line, gain your 2nd mogul (draw 4 and take 1).
STARRYEYE
Complexity: 2
TV isn't just about eyeballs – it's about glamor and fame! You can make stars into superstars, letting you ignore their conditions and expenses, but you get less income from ads.
Abilities
Whenever you attach a star to a show, you may use an available superstar token to make them into a superstar. Place the token in the top right of their card, covering any expenses they have.
When you make a star into a superstar, you may ignore any condition or effect that would force you to rotate them upside down and attach them rightside up instead. While in your lineup, they generate $2M income each round.
When you discard a superstar from a show for any reason, remove their superstar token and return it to your executive board. You may use it again to make a new superstar. You must have at least 1 superstar token on your board to make a new superstar.
Drawback
When you attach an ad with a condition of any kind, you must rotate it upside down, even if the condition is met.
Example: Hawkini attaches the Cheeky Friend to a new show and makes her a superstar, baby! She stays rightside up even though there's no other star on the show.
Clarifications
- Big Game (network card) / Monday Night Foosball: Do not count superstar income as ad income.
- Reinfeld: Count superstars as stars with "no expenses."
- Industry Veteran (network card) / Versatile Actor (Star): You must choose to rotate these stars to use their effects.
- Redemption Arc (network card) / Cross-Promoting Star (Star): You may use these effects to rotate ads rightside up. If you rotate a superstar, move their token to the top right after rotating them.
- Spinoff (network card) / Rerun Guy (Star): When you return a superstar to your green room, they keep the token (only remove it when they are discarded).
UNDERGROUND
Complexity: 1
No one knows where you came from or what you're all about, but that just makes you cooler. Stars flock to your network, but you lose viewers if you can't get them in your lineup.
Abilities
When you use an action to sign a star, you may sign any number of stars, instead of just 1. If you sign at least 2 stars, replace all but 1 star you took with new stars from the deck.
You get a $1M discount on every star you sign. You may sign stars that cost $1M for free.
Drawback
When scoring your lineup at the end of each round, you suffer a viewer penalty of -2 viewers per star in your green room.
Example
A. Tiradonna signs 3 stars from the display, paying a total of $6M. She then adds 2 new stars to the display.
B. At the end of the round, Tiradonna has only attached 1 of the 3 stars she signed. She gets -4 viewers for the 2 in her green room.
Clarifications
- Continuum (Anomaly): You may use an action to either sign 1 anomaly or sign any number of stars, but not both at the same time. Anomalies in your green room count as stars for your drawback.
GORILLA
Complexity: 2
You're a 500-pound gorilla. Each round, you get to either take a turn ahead of the 1st player, or skip your first turn to get a cash bonus. Everyone else can deal with it.
Abilities
At the start of each round, after the display is dealt, you must decide whether to take an extra turn or get extra cash. Place a marker cube on the left or right space on your executive board to show your choice, then resolve the chosen ability. You may choose the same ability as last round.
- Extra Turn: Immediately take 1 extra full turn, before the 1st player. After you finish, the 1st player takes their turn, then players continue in normal turn order. You take all your following turns in normal turn order. If you are the 1st player, you take 2 turns in a row.
- Extra Cash: Immediately get $2M per opponent in the game, not counting yourself.
Drawback
Your drawback depends on which ability you choose:
- Extra Turn: When you pass this round, you get no bonus cash or viewers from the pass track.
- Extra Cash: You must skip your first turn this round. Take your next turn in normal turn order.
Example: Jane is 2nd player in a 3-player game. She decides to take $4M and skip her first turn. Although it isn't much cash, she doesn't want to forfeit her passing bonus and be broke next round.
A. The 1st player takes their first turn, then Jane's turn is skipped, and the 3rd player takes their first turn.
B. The 1st player then takes their second turn, and finally Jane can take her first turn.
Clarifications
- Solo Mode: When you choose extra cash, get $2M total.
- Rich: Resolve your start-of-round ability after Rich.
- Telly Time: When you take an extra turn, you get a pass track bonus of your choice, but you get no cash or viewers from your genre grid (pg. 18).
CONTINUUM
Complexity: 2
You invented time travel for one reason: so you could go back to the '90s and make TV. Unfortunately, using your machine creates anomalies in the timeline.
Abilities
At the start of your turn, advance the marker on your time machine track 1 space to decrease its cost. If it is already at $1M, it does not advance.
At any time on your turn, you may pay the cost on your track and place an anomaly card on top of the star deck to use your time machine. You may then take an extra action of your choice. Afterward, reset your machine to "∞" (you can't use it again until it advances next turn).
Drawback
Anomalies act like stars with no signing cost. Any player (including you) may use an action to sign an anomaly from the display for free. If a player draws an anomaly while resolving a genre bonus (or similar effect), they may choose the anomaly as the card they keep.
Anomalies can't be attached to shows. Instead, a player may discard an anomaly from their green room at any time on their turn to take an extra action of their choice. Discarded anomalies return to your supply.
Example
A. Mikey decreases his time machine's cost at the start of his turn, then decides to use it. He pays $3M and adds an anomaly to the star deck.
B. He uses his 2 actions to take an ad AND a network card from the display. He then resets his time machine.
C. When the display is refreshed at the end of the round, Mikey's anomaly is dealt as 1 of 4 new stars.
Clarifications
- Underground: See pg. 14 for Underground's unique interaction with anomalies.
- Awards Show (network card): Count anomalies in your green room as stars.
- If you have no anomalies in your supply, you may use your machine without adding one to the star deck.