Tales From the Loop

The Board Game (Print & Play version 2.0)

Welcome to the Loop 2

Introduction 2

Components 3

Setting Up the Game 7

Playing the Game 8

How to Win 9

Basic Rules Concepts 9

Your Character 9
The Machines 11
Rolling Dice 13

How to Play 15
1. School Phase 16
2. Adventure Phase 18
3. End Phase 26

Conditions 28

Variant Rules 29

Active Locations 29

Scenarios 30

Welcome to the Loop

The landscape was full of machines and scrap metal connected to the facility in one way or
another. Always present on the horizon were the colossal cooling towers of the Bona Reactor,
with their green obstruction lights. If you put your ear to the ground, you could hear the
heartbeat of the Loop – the purring of the Gravitron, the central piece of engineering magic that
was the focus of the Loop’s experiments.

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Introduction
In ​Tales From the Loop - The Board Game​ players take the role of kids living on Mälar Islands in
Sweden during the 1980s. They are both discovering the strange world brought on by the
construction of the particle accelerator called the Loop, and also simply living 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, as dictated by
the chosen scenario, and the kids trying to figure it out while at the same time keeping their
mundane lives going in a more or less normal fashion.

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 Board Game​ has no default win or lose
condition - these are determined by the Diary cards in play.

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. Insight (<insight>) and Enigma (<enigma>),
that are tracked with the two dials on the board, will be a part of most scenarios. Insight
normally being something that benefits the players and Enigma 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 how to deal with it to win the game. Of course, they also have
to deal with their personal life of being kids and going to school!

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Components
The Game board

A. Calendar.​ A two week calendar to keep track of game turns.

B. Enigma Meter.​ Tracks how much <enigma> (Enigma) accumulates when the
Characters fail or bad things happen.
C. Insight Meter.​ Tracks how much <insight> (Insight) the Characters have accumulated.
D. Restricted Location.​ Orange Locations are RESTRICTED and usually slightly more
dangerous, but with potentially better rewards.

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 E. Bus Stop.​ Locations marked with the bus sign can be used when taking the bus.
F. Open Location.​ White Locations are OPEN and less dangerous for kids.
G. Sea Sector.​ Machines won’t enter sea Sectors.
H. Rumor Display.​ Where Rumors are placed and shifted during the game.
I. Sector.​ The square Sectors are used for machine movement.
J. School Location.​ The school in Stenhamra (M) where the Characters meet up every
morning.
K. School Cards.​ Draw and discard piles.
L. Rumor Display.​ Where Rumor cards are placed.

PLAYING PIECES

First Player token

Standees Location Tokens

<time> (Time) Cubes

Favor Cubes​ (one per character)

Machine figures

Counters/Chore Tokens ​(any kind of cubes

or tokens would do)

Explored Tokens

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Firewall Tokens

Machinesheet
Hack Attack token​ (double sided green/red)

CARDS
Generic Scenario tokens

Anomaly cards
Six-sided Dice

Firewall bag

Sheets

Chore Cards

Character Board

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Diary Cards

Rumor Cards

Item Cards

School Cards

Response Cards

Setting Up the Game

<graphics and example with Diary card>

1. Set up the board in the middle of the play area. Set the <insight> and <enigma> dials in
the top right corner to 0.
2. Each player chooses a Character they want to play and takes their Character Board.
Everyone should also take their standee and 6 <time> (Time) Cubes. Also take a
FAVOR cube and place it at <happy face> on the FAVOR TRACK.
3. Each player checks their ICONIC ITEM and removes it from the ITEM deck. Then shuffle
the deck and place it near the board.

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 4. 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:
a. Place the indicated machine figures and Location Tokens on the board. The
machines use the underlying grid, not the Locations characters use.
b. Take the corresponding machine sheets and place them near the board and
place each machine’s standard Response Card with the ROUTINE side up on
the designated space on the sheet. Also place a Hack Attack token with the
green side up on the sheet.
c. Take out the Diary Cards with the numbers indicated in the Scenario and place
them near the board with the A side facing up (don’t read the backside!). Put the
deck of Diary cards nearby.
d. Take the Rumor Card set or sets that are indicated on the Scenario Card. Each
set is identified by the circled icon in the middle of the Rumor Card. Take these
and shuffle the sets together. Place the Rumor Cards in the indicated draw space
on the Rumor Track.
e. Any Rumor and School card sets not mentioned in the scenario setup are
returned to the box.
5. Put all the FIREWALL Tokens in the cloth bag.
6. One at the 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 of a Rumor
already on the Track, put it aside and continue dealing out cards. When all four spaces
have Rumor Cards on them, shuffle any cards you put aside back into the deck.
7. Each player draws a week 1 CHORE.
8. Shuffle and place the week 2 CHORES and ANOMALY decks near the board. Keep a
pile of Counters/Chore tokens near the board and the Rumor Tokens near the Rumor
Track.
9. Place all Character standees at the school (M).
10. Place other tokens and card piles within easy reach around the board.
11. The player who last saw an 80s movie is designated as the FIRST PLAYER.
12. You’re ready to experience the 80s that never was!

Playing the Game

Tales From the Loop - The Board Game​ is played in a series of turns, each of which consists of
the following phases:

1. School Phase​: The Characters all start at School and the first player draws a School
card to establish what new events transpire at the start of the turn.

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 2. Adventure Phase:​ The meat of the game is spent in the Adventure Phase where
Characters spend their <time> (Time) to investigate Rumors, take care of Chores and
follow up the clues on the Diary cards.
3. Home Phase:​ It’s important for the Characters to be home on time, to have dinner and
do homework. Any bookkeeping needed is also taken care of in this phase, such as
resetting the Time Pool, checking Diary Card triggers etc.

After the Home Phase the turn marker is moved to the next day of the week and another School
Phase begins.

How to Win
Tales From the Loop - The Board
Game i​ s unusual in that the
players often don’t know the win or
lose conditions of the game as
they sit down to play. The
scenarios are meant to create an
evolving narrative with twists and
turns that takes the story in new
directions. Knowing the win
condition ahead of time would
render these twists and turns a lot
less impactful.
What the players have to do is
focus on the Diary Cards that are
in play, as these contain the
critical information needed to succeed in the game.

Insight and Enigma

While the exact way to win the game is unknown when a new scenario starts, there are two
indicators that more broadly tell you how well (or badly!) you are doing. The two dials at the top
right of the board tracks <insight> (Insight) and <enigma> (Enigma).
The ways to accumulate <insight> and <enigma> are determined by the Diary cards, but the
general rule is that <insight> represents how much the Characters have managed to find out
about the mystery of the scenario and is always beneficial. While <enigma> represents the
unknown and dangerous, meaning it is always detrimental to winning the game. Even when the
path to winning is unclear, striving to accumulate <insight> and avoid <enigma> is normally a
sound strategy.

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Basic Rules Concepts
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the game turn it’s important to understand the basic
concepts of the rules.

Your Character
Each player takes control of a Character, made up of a Character board, an ICONIC ITEM, 6
<time> and whatever else the current Scenario dictates. The Character board collects all the
important information about the Character.

A. Home and Iconic Item

Each Character has their HOME location listed together with their ICONIC ITEM. At most a
Character can carry four different ITEMS at once, including their ICONIC ITEM. If any more are
acquired, the player immediately has to discard down to four.

B. Favor Track
FAVOR is used to track the current mood of the Character’s parents or guardians. It has three
steps and goes from <happy face> to <neutral face> to <angry face>. The FAVOR token
normally starts the game at <happy face>. If it reaches the <angry face> step the Character
becomes GROUNDED and penalized by immediately having to lock two <time> in the boxes
with the house icon.

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C. Action Slots
These are slots where you place <time> to perform Actions during the turn. See page XX for
how this works.

D. Conditions
There are four negative CONDITIONS that can afflict Characters in the game. They make it
harder for the Character to act by using up <time>, and have other detrimental effects as well.
The order the Conditions are listed correspond to their severity, with Exhausted being the least
severe and Injured the most.

E. Spent Space
Whenever <time> is SPENT, put them on the Character portrait.

F. Character Tags
The most important Character attributes are the two Character TAGS, the top one being the
Character’s STRENGTH and the lower one their WEAKNESS. CHARACTER TAGS are used to
add or subtract dice when rolling a test. TAGS are coded with a color and a symbol to easily
reference them during the game. Note that the entire Character board has the same color as the
Character’s STRENGTH.

G. Time Pool (not pictured, below the board)

The TIME Pool is made up of six <time> cubes
that are stored below the Character board.
These cubes are then used during the
Adventure Phase to take action with your
Character. The more <time> you have in your
pool the more you can do during the turn.

Items and Chores

ITEMS: ​Characters start with their ICONIC
ITEM but will find more as the game
proceeds. The color of the card indicates its
ITEM TAG and it will give a bonus when
attempting tests of that type. ITEMS can also
be used to create COMBOS and bypass tests
altogether. More on that on page XX.

CHORES: ​These are something Characters

want to accomplish but which doesn’t
necessarily align with the overall goal of the
Scenario. They are very important for the
Characters on a personal level and not doing

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them can incur various negative penalties, making it harder to complete the main objective of
the Scenario.
The top half of the card describes what the Character needs to do to complete their CHORE.
The bottom half shows what happens if the Character succeeds or fails.
See page XX for how to resolve CHORES.

The Machines
There are a number of different machines in use on the islands. Some are simply docile workers
while others function as proactive security measures. For the characters machines can often
present an obstacle to movement, especially when moving into Restricted locations.
Similarly to the Character boards for players, machines come with their own Machine Sheet. It
shows an image of the machine in question and lists relevant game information. It is used
together with a Response Card.

A. Designation
For identification purposes.
B. Class icon
Machines belong to one of four different Classes: Worker (<tool icon>), Warden (<shield
icon>), Watcher (<eye icon>) and Warrior (<crossed swords icon>).
C. Response Card
A space for the machine’s Response Card.

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 D. Machine COMBO
If the machine is HACKED the Hacker gets access to this COMBO.
E. Special rules and abilities
If the machine has any special rules or abilities they are listed here.
F. Movement and Transport values
Used when the machine has been HACKED to see how fast the machine can move and
how many Characters can ride on it.
G. Firewall track
FIREWALL Tokens are placed on the track as the game progresses. The track always
consists of four spaces, usually split between STOCK and BACKUP FIREWALLS. Note
that BACKUP FIREWALL icons have a hollow outline.

Alert Level
Autonomous machines (and some other creatures!) can be in either ROUTINE or ALERT mode.
Machines are in ROUTINE mode when NEARBY OPEN locations and ALERT mode when
NEARBY RESTRICTED locations. If a machine is NEARBY both kinds of locations, it is in
ROUTINE mode.
An ALERT machine nearby an OPEN location will go back to ROUTINE mode during the
Clean-Up Step, if it hasn’t been the target of a HACKING action this turn. See page XX for more
on machine movement.

Response Card
Each machine comes with a Response Card. This card shows how the machine reacts when a
Character enters a NEARBY location, and if an AVOID roll is necessary, as well as what its
DEFAULT FIREWALL is. When the machine becomes ALERT, flip this card to show how its
responses change.

RESPONSE CARDS
A. Card title.​ Which machine the card belongs to. Also
contains any subtypes, like Erratic. Yellow is the
ROUTINE side of the card.
B. Avoid section.​ Shows what kind, if any, test is
required to AVOID the machine and consequences of
failure.
C. Firewall Section.​ Contains the machine’s
DEFAULT FIREWALL.
D. Default Firewall.​ What kind of roll is called for and
any other effects.
E. Failure Box​. What happens if the roll to hack the
DEFAULT FIREWALL fails.
F. Alert Side.​ Contains the same information as ROUTINE side.

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Rolling Dice
During the game players will be asked to roll dice to see if they fail or succeed doing certain
actions. The basic resolution mechanic, called a test or a roll, is to make a pool of three dice
and roll it. If using the Character’s strength tag make a pool of five dice instead, and only one
die if using the Character’s weakness tag. If the test comes up with one or more sixes, it’s
successful. If no sixes are rolled the test fails.
When there are modifications to the dice pool, they always refer to the ​number o ​ f dice being
rolled, never the number you have to roll on the dice (which is always six). The maximum
number of dice in a pool is eight, and the minimum is one.

Items
ITEMS add one die to the pool if the ITEM TAG matches. Several ITEMS can be used at the
same time to give more dice.

Anomalies
ANOMALIES or ANOMALY Cards are different
artifacts with some kind of connection to the
Loop. An ANOMALY usually has two
functions:

1. An ITEM TAG that can be used to

create COMBOS as normal, or an
actual COMBO TAG.
2. A special effect that’s detailed on the
card and unique to it.

When using the card for either function take a

Counter and place it on the card. When the card has as many Counters as Uses it is discarded.

Helping
When there are several Characters in the same location during a test, they can help each other.
Up to two Characters can help the Character rolling the dice which gives the testing Character
an extra die for each helper. Or they could help by creating a COMBO (see below). Characters
who do this are bound by the result of the test - a failed test will indicate, in parenthesis, how

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helpers are affected. If no parenthesis are present it means helpers suffer the same result as
the roller.

Pushing
If a test does not​ s​ ucceed, the player can choose to take a condition to reroll ​all​ the dice in the
test. This is called pushing the roll, or simply to push. The condition received must be more
severe than any conditions already suffered by the Characters. A
Character can only push a roll once.

Combos
At times there’s a way to avoid rolling dice altogether. Several cards
and effects have a COMBO option. This means that when the card is
resolved, if the Characters in the location can produce the COMBO in
question it counts as a successful roll.
The most common way to create COMBOS is by combining ITEMS.
The lower half of the ITEM Card shows which COMBOS can be
created and which other ITEM is required. The Character taking the
action and any Characters who are HELPING, can pool their cards to create a COMBO,
however both cards are discarded in the process (with the exception of ICONIC ITEMS).
It is also possible to get access to COMBOS through Anomalies and hacked machines.

[TABLE: Dice Pool Mechanic summary]

Starting pool and Modifiers Number of Dice

Regular Dice pool 3

Using Strength TAG 5

Using Weakness TAG 1

Items with the right TAG +1 per item

Help from other Characters +1 per Character (max +2)

Correct Combo Automatic Success!

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How to Play
Tales From the Loop: The Board Game​ is played during a two week period (although some
Scenarios are shorter than this) where each school day is represented by one game round and
weekends become a special round. The game round is further split into three distinct phases:

1. School phase:​ where the characters gather at school and talk about rumours they’ve
heard.
2. Adventure:​ the main phase of the game where characters move around the board and
take action.
3. End Phase:​ used to check who is home on time and take care of CONDITIONS.

1. School Phase
Each turn starts with the School Phase. All Character pawns are placed at school (M) and the
FIRST PLAYER goes over the Diary
Cards in play to make sure all players are
aware of any changes or developments in
the story. It’s vital the players read and
understand the Diary Cards to be able to
advance the story in the game.
Once this is done, the FIRST PLAYER
draws a school card and resolves it from
top to bottom according to the steps
below.

Note: during the first turn of the game,

skip steps 1 and 4 below. During the
weekend, skip step 2.

1. Rumor (not on the first turn)

Start by checking the Rumor icon in the
top left corner. A number indicates how
many Rumor cards should be drawn and
added to the board on the Rumor Track.
An X means you should add a number of
Rumor cards to the track equal to one
less than the number of Characters (not
players) in the game.

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Start by drawing the top Rumor card and, without looking at it, place it face-down on the top
space on the Rumor Track (space 1). Also place a Rumor Token on the location corresponding
to the back of the Rumor card and remove any EXPLORED Token in the location. For the next
card place it in space 2, and the next in space 3 and so on, until as many cards as indicated on
the School card have been placed.

If the back of the Rumor card just drawn shows a Rumor location that is a duplicate of a card
already on the track, discard the card on the track before adding the newly drawn card. If there
aren’t enough empty spaces on the track, push the line of cards further along the track until
there is a space to place the new card. Any cards that are pushed off the track are discarded.
Any cards that were discarded because they were duplicates or pushed off the track ​counts as if
they were failed during an ​INVESTIGATION​ action​. This often affects the Scenario in different
ways.

2. Event (not on the Weekend)

Read and resolve the main event of the card. If there is a test to be made, the icon by the title of
the event indicates who will roll the actual test. These tests are mandatory unless indicated
otherwise by the word ‘may’.

Single: only the FIRST PLAYER rolls, and ​cannot​ receive any help.

Group: the FIRST PLAYER rolls and up to two other players can help as normal.

Individual: each player rolls individually, and no one can help.

3. Firmware upgrades
If there is a FIRMWARE UPGRADE icon <circuit board icon> at the bottom left of
the card check the top of the school discard pile. If there is a card there that also
has the FIRMWARE UPGRADE icon an upgrade takes effect.
When this happens discard the rightmost FIREWALL Token
from each machine into the bag.
In addition all HACKED machines RESET and are no longer
HACKED (see Machine Reset on page XX).

4. Machine movement (not on first turn)

Machines don’t necessarily move along the paths and roads
humans use. Instead they wander about the map using the
underlying grid where they move between sectors. There are
icons on the bottom of the School card showing some or all of
the four different machine classes - Worker, Warden, Watcher
and Warrior. Each machine sheet has a corresponding icon so
it is easy to see which machine belongs to which class.

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For machine movement, line up the top of the currently drawn card with the bottom of the card
on top of the School discard pile. Any machines with a class icon corresponding to the card on
the discard pile will move one sector in the direction of the matching arrow, in order of left to
right.
If there is a <double move arrow> any machines of that class will make an additional move after
having completed the first move. This second move will be in the direction of the top left arrow
on the card on top of the discard pile. Some machines may have special movement rules or
restrictions as indicated on their data sheet or in the Diary.

In the image above any workers and watchers will move. The watchers will move twice, first one
sector north, then one sector west.

Machines will not enter sectors with a <water icon>. There can never be more than one
machine in a sector ​at the end​ of the resolve machine movement phase. Ignore any movement
that would make this occur.

2. Adventure Phase
This is the meat of the game where the Characters move around the board to investigate and
overcome obstacles. There is no strict turn order during the Adventure phase. Players can use
their <time> (Time Cubes) whenever and however they want, as long as another player isn’t in
the middle of resolving an action.

Taking Action
Whenever a player wants their character to take action they use <time> from the pool beneath
their Character board. Put the <time> in the slot on the Character board corresponding to the
action you want to take. Normally an action takes one <time> to perform. Each action has a
limited number of slots and when these are full that action can’t be taken again this turn.

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The actions available in the game are summarised below. See their respective entries in the
Glossary for detailed explanations on how they work.

Spending <time>
Card effects often tell the player to SPEND <time>. This is different from taking actions. To
SPEND <time> take the number of <time> indicated from your pool and put it on the Character
portrait on the sheet. Spent <time> is unavailable and can’t be used for actions.

Movement Actions
There are four different types of movement actions, detailed below. When moving the
Characters also have to take into account any machines that might be in their path.

Walk
Characters can WALK between adjacent locations connected by a white line. To move
this way the player put <time> into the WALK action slot. Moving into an OPEN
location costs 1 <time> while moving into a RESTRICTED location costs 2 <time>. If a
RESTRICTED location has an EXPLORED Token on it, it only costs 1 <time> to move into it.

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 Bus Ride
Characters in a location with a Bus Stop can use the BUS RIDE action for 1 <time> to
move to any other location with a Bus Stop. When moving by Bus ignore any machines
passed on the way to the destination. AVOID any machine NEARBY the destination location as
normal.

Car Ride
This is a special action that is only available when FAVOR is at <happy face>. To use
it put 1 <time> into the CAR RIDE action slot ​and​ move FAVOR to <neutral face>. This
allows the player to place the Character in any OPEN location on the board.

Machine Ride
When a machine becomes HACKED (see HACKING on page XX) it can be used by
the characters as a mount. To use this action place 1 <time> into the WALK action slot
(it just happens that it’s the machine doing the walking!).
Machines don’t move along the white lines but instead orthogonally a number of sectors up to
the machine’s listed Movement value. The machine’s Transport value determines how many
Characters (including the Hacker) can hitch a ride with the machine. To transport other
Characters they need to be in the same location as the Hacker and get to ride for free.

Other machines can be moved through without having to roll to AVOID. However it is not
permitted to end the movement in the same sector as another machine or into a <water icon>
sector.

At the end of the MACHINE RIDE the Hacker decides which NEARBY location the Characters
will end their movement at and places standees there.

BOXED TEXT: Avoiding Machines when Moving

When entering a location (by whatever means) with a machine
NEARBY, 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 TAG listed at the top of the card.
A successful test means that the Character 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.

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 Ignore​ - the machine doesn’t care about NEARBY Characters at all. No
test is required.

Block​ - the machine is actively forcing NEARBY Characters back. A test is

required to AVOID the machine. If the test fails, the Character has to move
back to the adjacent location they came from and any other effects on the
Response Card trigger as well.
If the location the Character moved from is not adjacent (if they got a Car Ride, for
example) they still have to move to another adjacent location, if possible into an OPEN
location.

Special Response​ - the machine has a special Response of some kind. A

test is required to AVOID the machine. A failed test triggers the effect on
the Response Card.

Scout
The SCOUT action is used to find out what lies behind a Rumor or learning the
behaviour of machines in the area. For 1 <time> the character can perform one of the
following actions:

Scout Rumor: ​A Character in or adjacent to a location with a Rumor Token can use SCOUT to
flip the corresponding card and read its details. The card stays on the Rumor Track, face-up.

Scout Machine: ​A Character can SCOUT a machine that is NEARBY, to learn of its behaviour.
When this action is taken, draw and place two FIREWALLS one at the time. Go left to right and
place each face-up on the first empty STOCK FIREWALL space on the FIREWALL Track.
Note that BACKUP FIREWALLS can never be revealed in this way and needs to be dealt with
during an actual hack (see page XX for more information on FIREWALLs).

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 Investigate
INVESTIGATE is used to find out
the source of the Rumors on the
islands and figure out what they actually
are. When in a location with Rumor Token
put 1 <time> in the INVESTIGATE slot to
resolve the corresponding card. If not
already face-up, flip the card and read it to
see what kind of test or choice is required
to resolve the Rumor card.
The top half of the card (C) presents the
source of the Rumour and how the
Characters can deal with it. The lower half
(F) explains what happens on a successful
or failed roll. As usual two other
Characters at the same location can HELP
and most Rumors also have COMBO
option (D) that can be used to
automatically succeed (see page XX).

If the card was in a RESTRICTED Location, and the test was a success, put an EXPLORED
Token there. EXPLORED Tokens make it easier to move into the location and makes it easier
to get HOME FOR DINNER. However, it is removed if another Rumor Token is placed at the
location. Regardless of if it was a success or a failure, the Rumor card is discarded, and the
Rumor token is removed from the board.

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 Rest
A Character can put 1 <time> into the REST slot, to relieve a condition. Only one
condition can be relieved this way. Remove the <time> in the slot of the relieved
condition and put it into the spent box on the Character board (Character portrait).
Note that when relieving the INJURED condition the <time> cube moves one step to the right on
the track. It’s only when it’s on the last space of the track that it can be completely relieved.

Home for Dinner

It’s important to be home in time for dinner and homework! It normally requires 1
<time> in a HOME FOR DINNER slot to make it home but this number can change
depending on circumstances, as detailed below.
If a Character is in control of a HACKED machine, it takes 1 <time> less to make it HOME FOR
DINNER. At the end of the Adventure phase any other characters in the same location as the
hacker can gain the same benefit as long as there is enough Transport capacity. If not the
Hacker decides who gets left behind.

[Info box: Home for Dinner cost]

Character Circumstances Home for Dinner cost

OPEN location 1 <time>

RESTRICTED location 2 <time>

RESTRICTED location with an EXPLORED Token 1 <time>

If at your HOME location in the end phase 0 <time>

Having access to a HACKED machine -1 <time>

Hack
This action is used to take control of the machines roaming the board. It is different
from the other actions in the game in that it is a​ group action​, meaning several
Characters can participate by ​each​ putting <time> into the HACK action slot.

Firewalls
Each machine has a number of FIREWALLS that work like obstacles the Hacker must
overcome to take control of the machine. On the machine sheet there are four FIREWALL
spaces, split between stock (filled) and backup (hollowed) FIREWALLS - together these make
up the FIREWALL track. The stock spaces are the FIREWALLS the machine will always have,
while the backup spaces are FIREWALLS that may activate during a HACK.

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In the beginning of the game these are all
empty, but as the game progresses
FIREWALL Tokens drawn from the bag will
be added to them. Each machine also has a
default FIREWALL on its Response card.
This triggers through a certain FIREWALL
effect, as detailed below.

A FIREWALL is made up of a routine (left)

section used when the machine is in
ROUTINE mode and an alert (right, with
hazard stripes) section used when the
machine is in ALERT mode. Each section
shows what the Hacker needs to roll to
advance to the next FIREWALL and any
FIREWALL effects that trigger. The colour
and icon indicates which the TAG is used to
make a roll.​ (Note that the PnP Firewalls lack the TAG icon and are only color coded)

BOXED TEXT: What are Firewalls?

We’ve decided to use the term FIREWALLS to represent the challenges of taking control of a
machine. However, it should be noted they don’t necessarily correspond to the modern digital
usage of the word, but is instead dependent on the TAG the Character has to use. For
example, while a <clever> FIREWALL usually does represent actual computer HACKING, a
<tough> FIREWALL would be something like an access panel that needs to be forcibly
removed. Or <charm> might be tricking the remote operator or convincing the AI to help.

Firewall Effects
When resolving a new FIREWALL, first check its effect (if any), then roll to try to HACK it. There
are four FIREWALL effects:

● AUTOMATIC BYPASS​ - The current FIREWALL is BYPASSED automatically.

Don’t make any rolls and proceed to the next FIREWALL.

● BACKUP FIREWALL​ - Add one FIREWALL Token face-up to the first empty
backup space on the FIREWALL track. If a FIREWALL is added, one participating
Character must put one more <time> into the HACK action slot or abort the hacking
attempt. If the FIREWALL track is already full, ignore this effect.

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 ● DEFAULT FIREWALL​ - This triggers the default FIREWALL of the machine
being HACKED. Refer to the default FIREWALL section of the response card to see
what kind of test needs to be roll and if there’s any additional effects if the roll is failed.

● ALERT​ - The machine becomes ALERT ​after​ this current FIREWALL has been
resolved, but before moving on to the next FIREWALL. If the machine is already ALERT,
ignore this effect.

Hacking Process
When one or more Characters are in a location with a machine NEARBY they can try to take
control of that machine. To do this the participating Characters must, as a group, invest <time>
at least equal to the number of active FIREWALLS currently on the machine sheet, ​or​ its
number of STOCK FIREWALL spaces, whichever is higher. Each participating character must
put at least 1 <time> into the HACK action slot. The character who invests the most amount of
<time> becomes the HACKER and is the one who takes control of the machine if the action
succeeds. If two or more characters invest the same amount of <time> they can decide among
themselves, with the First Player breaking any ties.
NOTE: Any number of characters can participate in a Hacking action as long as they invest 1
<time>. But only two at a time can HELP with a roll.

[BOXED TEXT: Hacking Breakdown]

1. Decide who will participate and who will be the Hacker.
2. Each participant must put a minimum of 1 <time> into the HACK action. A total
<time> equal to, or more than, the target machine’s active FIREWALLS or
STOCK FIREWALLS must be invested in the action.
3. Going from left to right resolve the FIREWALLS on the machine. First resolve
the FIREWALL effect, then try to hack it. Any of the participants can make the
roll and two others can Help. It’s also possible to BYPASS a FIREWALL by
using a COMBO.
4. If successful choose to either continue the hack, going to the next FIREWALL,
or BREAK the FIREWALL to do a single MACHINE RIDE action.
If unsuccessful the HACK attempt is aborted and all participants suffer the
consequences as if having failed an AVOID test.
5. If all active FIREWALLS are HACKED the machine itself is HACKED and
comes under the control of the Hacker.

If the Hack Attack token is on its green side, flip it to its red side. Going from left to right, start
with the first space on the FIREWALL track. If it’s empty, draw a FIREWALL Token from the bag
and place it face-up on the space to make it an active FIREWALL.

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If there’s already an active FIREWALL Token on the space, check the relevant section to see if
there is a FIREWALL effect and what kind of test is required. If the machine is in ROUTINE
mode use the left section and if it is in ALERT mode use the right section of the FIREWALL. If
there’s a broken (face down) FIREWALL Token in the space, simply skip past it and go to the
next space. Use the Hack Attack token to keep track of how far on the FIREWALL Track the
hack has progressed.

After any FIREWALL effect has been resolved, if a test is required any participant can make the
roll with up to two of the others helping. Tests can also be BYPASSED by the participants using
their ITEMS or other abilities to create the correct COMBO. Each TAG has a corresponding
COMBO that can be used to bypass it as can be seen in the table below.
If the roll is successful or if it is BYPASSED the FIREWALL is HACKED and the Hacker, or any
other participating character, can choose to either continue the hack, or BREAK the FIREWALL
(see BREAKING a FIREWALL on page XX).

[Table: Firewall Combos]

Tough Hit n Run

Clever Interface

Quick Decoy

Brave Reach

Charm Knockout

Repeat this process as long as there are FIREWALLS left to HACK (keeping in mind the
Backup Firewall effect). If all FIREWALLs are HACKED or BYPASSED, the HACKING action is
successful and the machine becomes HACKED (see page XX). If any test is failed during the
attempt immediately check the response card to see how the machine reacts, as if having failed
an AVOID test (see page XX), affecting ​all​ Characters who participated in the HACK. Note that
some docile machines do not react to a failed HACK at all.
Place the Hack Attack token back in its space with the red side up, indicating the machine has
been the subject of a HACKING action this round.

Breaking a Firewall
After successfully HACKING a FIREWALL, instead of moving past it to the next, the Character
who made the roll can elect to BREAK it instead. This allows the Hacker to control the machine
for a short amount of time and makes it easier to HACK in the future.

BREAK a FIREWALL by flipping the HACKED FIREWALL face-down to align it with the line on
the Firewall track.

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The Hacker also has the option to immediately take a single Machine Ride action using the
machine (see page XX). After taking the action the HACK ends, the machine goes back to
normal in its current sector (except with one broken FIREWALL).

Hacked Machines
As soon as a machine is HACKED place the Hacker next to the machine. For all intents and
purposes they act as one unit until the machine RESET. This includes going to school and
going home to sleep (it presumably stays outside in the woods?). Whenever the Hacker moves
simply place the HACKED machine in a NEARBY sector of their choice. Disregard machine
movement unless taking the MACHINE RIDE action (see page XX).

A Character with a HACKED machine gets access to the special COMBO TAG detailed on the
machine sheet. If there are several models of the same machine type on the board, the Hacker
only takes control of one of them. More could be HACKED, but that would constitute a separate
HACKING attempt.

Machine Reset
Machines don’t stay HACKED forever. Whenever there’s a FIRMWARE
UPGRADE icon on the school card drawn during the School Phase check the top
card of the school card discard pile. If that card also features a FIRMWARE
UPGRADE icon the upgrades take effect and any HACKED machines are reset,
returning to their starting location detailed on the Scenario card (closest one if there’s a choice).
Any machines that reset in this way also remove all FIREWALL Tokens on the FIREWALL track,
including broken FIREWALLS.

3. End Phase
In this phase the Characters return home. Hopefully on time.

Getting Home on Time

Characters with enough <time> in the HOME FOR DINNER slots makes it back as they should
and can move one step up the FAVOR track. To get back in time they need either one <time> if
the Character is at an Open location or two <time> if in a Restricted location. If there isn’t
enough <time>, instead move one step down on the FAVOR track.
Should the marker reach <angry face> the Character becomes GROUNDED and has to lock
<time> in the two Grounded slots. These don’t come back until FAVOR reaches <neutral face>
or above (usually by getting HOME FOR DINNER during a following turn).

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Resolve Chores
On Friday the first week, and Thursday the second week all players resolve their CHORES.
Starting with the FIRST PLAYER and going clockwise, each player checks if they have
completed or failed doing their CHORE. Normally a CHORE is completed by having enough
tokens on the card.
Resolve the results of completed or failed CHORES in order. Then, if this was during the first
week, draw a new week two CHORE ​(just a few week 2 chores are available in the PnP.Use
week 1 chores)​. Note, some CHORES stretch over both weeks and some lead to specific
CHORES during week two, as detailed on the card.

Clean-Up and Rumor Display Adjustment

At this time any other board effects that might take place occurs. Perform the following steps in
order:

1. Check for Diary effects. Any Diary Card effects that specify the End Phase occur now.
2. Machines removing their ALERT state if they have not been the subject of a HACKING
action and place any WRECKED machines on its starting Sector (according to the
scenario).
3. Turn over any Hack attack tokens on the machine sheets to show their green side.
4. Slide all the cards remaining in the Rumor display as far down the track as possible,
making space for new Rumors to be added.

Pass First Player Token, advance Day marker and Time Pool Reset.
The FIRST PLAYER passes the FIRST PLAYER Token to the player on their left and advances
the Day marker one step. Should it reach the end of week 2 and the players still hasn’t won the
game it is an automatic loss (unless the scenario says otherwise).
All <time> in action slots and on the Character portrait go back into the pool. Note that <time>
locked by becoming GROUNDED or in conditions are ​not​ returned to the pool at this time.

Conditions
Conditions impact Characters in negative ways, usually affecting how tests are resolved. Each
can be relieved in a different way as detailed below, as well as by taking the REST action.
Conditions have a hierarchy with EXHAUSTED being the least severe, followed by UPSET,
then SCARED and finally INJURED. Whenever you want to push your roll by taking a condition
you have to SPEND a <time> from the pool into a condition that is ​worse​ than any you already
have. This means, if you are already INJURED you can’t push rolls.

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If you already suffer from a condition and get the same one again, take a more severe condition
instead.

1 Exhausted
This condition doesn’t have any other effect besides the <time> it locks.

Relieved by the REST action.

2 Upset
The Character is UPSET and can’t HELP other Characters.

Relieved by getting HELP from another Character during a test, or the REST action.

3 Scared
The Character is SCARED and can’t use their STRENGTH for positive modifiers during tests.

Relieved by succeeding at a test, or the REST action.

4 Injured
-2 to all tests (to a minimum of 1).

Relieved by waiting it out and the REST action. When receiving the condition place the <time>
in the box furthest to the left in the INJURED section. Move it one space to the right every
Clean-Up Step. Once it moves off the third space the Character is no longer INJURED. When
using the REST action move the <time> an additional step to the right.

Variant Rules
Feel free to try out these optional rules when playing the game.

Less Severe Conditions

During step 4 of the End Phase, each player can Relieve the least severe (top) Condition
they’re suffering from.

Easier Restricted Locations

The cost for moving into RESTRICTED Locations are the same as moving into an OPEN
Location.

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Helping with Items
Whenever a Character HELPS they can add an additional die if they have one or more ITEMS
with the relevant TAG.

Active Locations
B. Spånviken
(no effect currently)

F. Machine Graveyard
Once per turn, ​SPEND 1 <time> to go through the ITEM discard pile and retrieve a card with the
CABLE, BATTERY or COMPUTER tag.

G. The Sätuna Spiders

SPEND 1 <time>​ to see if you can get one of the spiders running.
Roll a die:
1: You shock yourself. Become UPSET.
2-5: You get one to move, slowly. Immediately move as if using a machine with Transport (1)
and movement 1, starting from D5.
6: A sudden burst of speed! As 3-5 but with movement 2.

J. The Videostore
SPEND 1 <time> ​here to take the top card of the Rumor deck and put it on the bottom.

M. The School Library

Once per turn one Character can ​SPEND 1 <time>​ and roll <clever> to raise <insight> by 1.
Failure means becoming EXHAUSTED.

N. Recharge Station
SPEND 1 <time>​ to force a machine to move one sector closer to the recharge station.

Scenarios
When preparing the game and setting up a scenario follow the directions below. When creating
the School and Rumor decks take the card sets indicated and shuffle them together. ​(This will
all be on cards in the finished game)

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Bot Amok!
There have been reports of machines behaving erratically. Just walking in circles, or simply
disappearing into the woods. There's even been a couple of dangerous incidents!
(Note that if the Kids hasn’t won by the end of week 2, it is an automatic loss).

Scenario Rumor Set:​ <robot>

Starting Diary: ​2, 30.

Starting Machines:​ Paarhufer at F8, Fireguard at C7, Watchdog at A4.

Locations:​ Sätuna Spiders (G)

Rumor Cards:​ <video tape>, <robot>.

School Cards:​ <video tape>.

Index
<tbd>

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