X-Code
X-Code Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Idea of the Game
X-Code is a cooperative game played in real time. Your goal: crack the 12-digit code by swapping Code cards and communicating effectively. You all get to carry out your actions at the same time, instead of taking turns. At the start, you only have three minutes, but playing Time cards can buy you some more time.
If you crack the 12-digit code before the timer runs out, you've won, but the game is far from over! The following pages will teach you the basic rules for the training missions. However, the real challenges remain top secret for now.
Components
- 1 Code board
- 1 Time board
- 6 Wild cards
- 12 Time cards
- 48 Code cards
- 1 timer (a digital timer app is available for download)
- 2 keys
Setup
Before your first game, remove the keys from the Time board. You'll find out how to use them at the end of this rulebook.
Place the Code board and the Time board in the center of the table. Put three Wild cards back in the box, shuffle all of the remaining cards and deal three to each player. Take your three cards in hand and put the remaining cards on the corresponding space of the Time board as a face-down draw pile. Place the timer on the round space of the Time board. Once you're all ready, turn over the timer and start playing.
The Time board also has a space for the discard pile.
Playing the Game
You all play at the same time and you can carry out any of these actions as often as you like:
- Draw one card from the draw pile.
- Discard any three cards from your hand.
- Swap one card with your neighbor to your left or right.
- Play a set of three cards.
Action: Draw One Card From the Draw Pile
Draw a single card from the draw pile and add it to your hand. Be careful about exceeding the hand limit: If you do, you must discard all the cards in your hand to the discard pile, face up, immediately. The hand limit depends on the number of players:
- 2 players: 10 cards
- 3 players: 9 cards
- 4 players: 8 cards
- 5 players: 7 cards
- 6 players: 6 cards
- 7-8 players: 5 cards
If you're at the hand limit, you cannot take this action.
Action: Discard Any Three Cards From Your Hand
If you have cards in your hand that you can't use, or if you're trying not to exceed the hand limit, you may discard exactly three cards to the discard pile, face up.
Example: Morpheus has reached his hand limit and wants to draw more cards. Before he can do that, he has to discard three cards to the discard pile.
Action: Swap One Card With Your Neighbor to Your Left or Right
Offer to swap exactly one card from your hand with one of your neighbors. Take one card from your hand and put it face up on the table between you and your neighbor to the left or to the right. Your neighbor then places a card face up next to it or refuses to trade. You may only swap cards once both of them are on the table. Note the arrows on the cards: Both you and your neighbor may only pass cards in the direction indicated by these arrows.
Note: The arrows have to point in different directions even if there are only two players and you want to swap cards.
Example: Trinity asks Neo if he can give her a 5. Neo confirms and places a 5 with an arrow pointing right face up on the table between them. Trinity in turn places a 2 with an arrow pointing left next to the 5. Then they both take their new cards in hand.
Important: You cannot swap Wild cards (which have no arrows).
Action: Play a Set of Three Cards
You need to create sets of three matching cards in your hand by swapping or drawing cards.
Set of Three Code Cards
Once you have three of the same Code card in your hand, place them on the matching space of the Code board, face up. Congratulations! You have cracked one part of the 12-digit code. Leave the cards there until the end of the game.
Example: Trinity has collected a set of three *-cards in her hand and places them on the * space.
Set of Three Time Cards
If you get a set of three Time cards, you can play them on the Time board. If you do, turn over the timer immediately: you've bought yourself some more time. These cards remain in their space until the end of the game.
Example: Neo has collected a set of three Time cards in his hand and places them on the Time board. Then he immediately turns over the timer.
Wild Cards
You may replace any Code or Time card in a set with a Wild. However, you can't make a set out of three Wild cards.
Examples: A set consisting of two 6-cards and one Wild; a set consisting of one Time card and two Wilds.
If the Draw Pile Runs Out
If the draw pile runs out, take all of the cards in the discard pile and turn them over without shuffling to create a new draw pile.
Communication
At no point during the game are you allowed to show your cards to the other players. However, you may communicate freely about which cards you need or which you can provide. For example, you're allowed to say things like: "I need a #, I've already got two." Or: "Does anyone need a 0? I've got one." Or: "Give me your Time cards, I've just drawn my second one."
The End of the Game
If you manage to place the correct sets of three cards on every space of the Code board before the timer runs out, you win the game together.
If the timer runs out before you've cracked all of the pieces of the code, you've lost. That's not something you're just going to take sitting down, is it? Try again!
Other Training Missions
Once you've completed the first training mission successfully, you're ready to tackle the challenges of the next level:
- For the second level, play without Wilds and with only nine Time cards. The hand limit remains the same.
- For the third level, play without Wilds again, but with only six Time cards. Your hand limit is reduced by one card (for example: only 4 cards if there's 7-8 players).
- For the fourth level, play with six Wilds, but only three Time cards. The hand limit is the same as the second level, BUT you have to create sets of 4 cards in order to crack parts of the code.
Note: When taking Time cards out of the deck, make sure the remaining Time cards have approximately the same number of arrows pointing left and right.
More Missions
Once you've completed the fourth level successfully, you have completed your training. Now, you're ready to face the constant barrage of attacks from the secret hacker group. An informant has procured a key for you, which allows you access to secret information. Take one of the keys from the box (the other one is a spare key, in case you lose one) and open the box containing Mission Blue. Simply slot the key in the lid with the blue mark, turn it, and carefully pull it up. New challenges await! Good luck!