RULES MANUAL: BETA VERSION

COPYRIGHT ICONIQ STUDIOS 2019

THEY LIVE: ASSAULT ON CABLE 54 BETA EDITION RULEBOOK
NOTE: ALL CONTENT WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT IS IN DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 2

Components List 3

Gameplay Overview 3

Core Mechanics 4

Character Cards And Skills 5

The Resistance Stash 6

Layout Of A Resistance Card 6

Tokens 7

Injury Cards 7

Enemy Tiles 8

Skill And Combat Rolls 8

Setting Up The Game 9

The Action Phase 12

The Response Phase 13

Basic Enemy Encounter 13

Persuade 15
Team Effort 15
Player Vs Player (PVP) 16

The Location Phase 20

Interact With The Space 20

Resistance Supply 21
Recover 21
Trigger The Final Assault 21

The Propaganda Phase 23

The Final Assault Phase 25

Prepare Your Resources 25

Final Assault Cards 26
Invader Intervention 26
The Enemy Revealed 28

Ending the Game 30

Our lives have been stolen from us. It’s time to wake up...

Poverty and misery run rampant on the streets. People are living in campsites, working most hours of the day earning enough just to survive.
Police brutality is at an all-time high and the general public live in fear of what the next day may bring. There is no end in sight.
That was until a discovery was made…

Using specially engineered sunglasses, known as ‘Hoffman Lenses’, Humans are able to SEE the terrifying truth of our reality. We are being
manipulated through our television sets, newspapers, billboards, and even our own government. These subliminal messages are designed to
subdue us, keep us spending money, breeding, and make us accept the status quo.

The most shocking discovery of all, the social elite, those who boast wealth and status beyond the dreams of most of the city, are in fact a race
of skull-faced Invaders bent on world domination. Their ability to hide among us is our enemy’s greatest defense, and they use signals broadcast
across the whole of Los Angeles to keep everyone blind to the truth. Humanity has been enslaved by these beings and we never even realized it
had happened.

But there is hope. Resistance teams are popping up all over LA, preparing to fight back. Their goal is simple; if they can stop the signal, then
they can expose the unearthly Invaders hiding among us, and finally give humanity a real shot at taking back control.

Somehow, through your own suspicions, happenstance or sheer dumb luck, you’ve managed to obtain a pair of Hoffman lenses, the special
glasses that have opened your eyes and allowed you to see the truth.

People need to know! You have to wake them up and set them free. They’re going to think you’re crazy and they will try to resist, but you can’t
do this alone. You must find others, help them see, and build the Resistance together.

But beware, the Invaders are cunning… They could be the old lady at the grocery store, the man buying a newspaper, or even the person
beside you at this very table. Once they know you can see, they won’t stop until the threat to their dominance is eliminated.
As the Resistance grows, so do the raids across the city. They are trying to suffocate the last flames of hope. But the Resistance have an ace up
their sleeve. They have pinpointed the location of the Invader signal, the one that is keeping us all blind to the truth. It’s being broadcast from
the ominous tower that is the Cable 54 TV studio. This is the source of their camouflage.
We need to grow the Resistance and take the fight to THEM before time runs out. Kill the signal and kill the lie.

In THEY LIVE: ASSAULT ON CABLE 54, you will be part of a group of 4 to 6 players representing a member of the Resistance.

Each character has their own unique back story which explains how they came to wake up and realize the horrifying truth that surrounds us.

Explore the sprawling city of LA, arm yourselves and gain new allies to strengthen the resistance while solving your own personal mysteries to
get the answers you need before time runs out.
Gather your forces and work together to build a successful Resistance and take down Cable 54.

But trust no one, they have eyes everywhere, even among us. The player beside you could be one of them and you need to stay alert and
expose them for what they are. Use the prototype Hoffman lenses and confront those you suspect.
They will use their knowledge of the Resistance to sabotage your efforts.

We need to stop them before time runs out. If the clock hits 00:00 THEY win and humanity loses!
 COMPONENTS LIST

1. Game Board and Clock Tiles 8. Case File Card Decks

2. Character Cards 9. Enemy Tiles
3. Player Pieces 10. Billboard Tiles
4. Character Card Overlays 11. Location Card Decks
5. Custom ‘Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum’ Dice 12. Breaking News Card Deck
6. Hoffman Lenses 13. Final Assault Card Deck
7. Resistance Stash Card Deck 14. Scrap, Damage, Wanted & Resistance Leader Tokens

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW
The game operates in phases in the following order:

Action Phase – Players take turns to move and perform 2 additional actions from those
available. Moving around the board and positioning themselves for the Location phase.
(more on page 12).

Response Phase – Enemies move, responding to player infamy and then attack. Players can
also engage in direct combat with each other, using the Hoffman lenses to see their true
identity. (more on page 13).

Location Phase – Players can either draw a location card, resolve one of their personal story
cards or they can deposit resources in order to strengthen the Resistance for the final assault.
(more on page 17).

Propaganda Phase – The next card in the breaking news deck is revealed. This has many
potential resolutions, including advancing the game clock and creating events that force
enemies and players to react. (more on page 19).

Final Assault Phase - When the time is right, players trigger the final battle and raid Cable
54 to destroy the signal. This can only be triggered once per game and results in either success
or failure for the Humans in the party. Failure means the end of the Resistance.
(more on page 21).
 CORE MECHANICS
DICE ROLLS

They Live uses conventional six-sided dice for play. However, replacing
conventional faces, you will see the words ’KICK ASS’ and ’CHEW
BUBBLEGUM’.

A success is made by rolling a ’KICK ASS’ , and a failure by rolling ’CHEW

BUBBLEGUM’.

You’ll also notice that ‘KICK ASS’ appears on the dice in two different colors.
When performing a skill or combat test, rolling 3 matching ‘KICK ASS’ will
count as a critical result. There are some instances where a critical roll applies
additional effects.

HOFFMAN LENSES
The glasses that come in the game box are a key mechanic of the game.
It is essential they are only used under the right circumstances, as outlined in the
rulebook for solving puzzles. Using the glasses out of context can result in the
game experience being spoiled.

Over the course of the game, you will have the opportunity to wear the glasses,
revealing secrets on the board and allowing you to uncover the truth about
other players.
Feel free to disclose your findings to the group, especially if you find an
Invader in your midst.
However, as an Invader, you may wish to provide false information about your
findings, using your lies to cast doubt on other players.

THE GAME BOARD

The game board is divided into 4 sectors: Tax Exempt Area, Downtown, Downtown Redevelopment and Resettlement Area.
Any game mechanics that refer to an ‘area,’ are referencing one of the 4 sectors on the board.

Within each area are spaces, some named with photographs and others just red markers. All of the points on the board with a red marker are an
individual space.

Any mechanics referring to a ‘space’ are referencing either a location or one of the red markers.

For example; The ‘Construction Site’ space is within the ‘Downtown Redevelopment’ area.
 CHARACTER CARDS AND SKILLS

Œ


Ž 


‘ ’
1. The Character’s name and a brief bio. 5. Unique action. A characters special ability that they may perform during
the action phase.
2. Personal inventory. The character’s starting resources when the
game begins. 6. Character starting health.
3. Abilities. Passive abilities and bonuses a character gains when 7. Character profile picture. This is where you will see the Human or
taking particular tests. Invader hidden image when using the Hoffman Lenses on a
board overlay.
4. Character starting stats. Left to right: stealth, combat, negotiation,
engineering, tech, intelligence.

When making a test or engaging in a fight you’ll need to perform a skill based dice roll. Characters begin the game with
starting skills as per their character card. Over the course of the game these skills can increase and even be reduced.
Each skill is outlined below:

STEALTH ENGINEERING

Not just simply sneaking up on an enemy. Stealth is a There are some occasions where you’ll need to do a little
character’s ability to perceive the world around them. The “on the fly” repair. Put those hands to use.
awareness of their surroundings and their ability to use the
city and its people to their advantage.

COMBAT TECH

Represents a character’s unarmed prowess in a fight, (their Your understanding of science and technology. From being
ability to take and receive a hit). It’s their strength, toughness and able to power up a computer to hacking an entire
physical presence. A decent weapon can change the odds if you’re mainframe.
not particularly tough.

INTELLIGENCE
INFLUENCE
Representing your ability to comprehend and understand
Not all confrontations need to result in a fight. Sometimes your place in things. For some, this is their ability to think
you’ll need to use your words to talk your way out of a sticky before they act, for others this is their conscience.
situation. If you’re good, you may even sway a few Human enemies to
join your cause.
 THE RESISTANCE STASH
The Resistance deck is an assortment of cards that sits at the bottom right of
the board. It contains 3 different types of cards- these are Weapons, Items
and Allies.

· Weapons include firearms and other offensive objects that can be

used to help you in combat.

· Items are a variety of useful bits of equipment.

· Allies represent other characters that you have recruited to assist

you.

Although you can carry multiple cards, only 1 Weapon and 1 Item may be
equipped at any one time. These are equipped to a player’s individual
board. Weapons are equipped to the ‘Weapon slot’, and Items are
equipped to the ‘Off hand slot’.

Note: Some larger weapons may require the use of both slots to be
equipped, meaning you will be unable to equip an item at the same time.
Ally cards do not need to be equipped to a slot. A player can have as
many allies as they like, however, you can only use 1 ally ability per
phase.
In order to change what weapon and/or item you have equipped, you must
perform the REORGANISE action during your action phase (details on turn DRAWING A RESISTANCE CARD
order and the various phases are on page 12).
This will then allow you to switch your weapons and items as required. There are many scenarios throughout the game that will allow you to pick
up Resistance cards. Often this will be at random and you’ll simply draw
In addition to the card type, each Resistance card has keywords written in the top card off the deck and add it to your hand.
bold to denote additional rules and abilities. These are:
Should a story or location card specifically say to draw an ITEM, WEAPON
Action - Gives you a new action ability. or ALLY, just turn the top card of the Resistance deck over until you find the
Two Handed – The weapon must be equipped to both the ‘weapon’ and first card that matches the criteria. Shuffle any unwanted cards back into
‘off-hand’ slots. the deck.

Single Use – The item must be discarded after use.

Passive - While equipped, this item gives you additional bonuses.

LAYOUT OF A RESISTANCE CARD

Œ

1. Item Card Allegiance.
Denotes who can use this card in the Final Assault phase (more on page 21). This symbol will
only be revealed when wearing the Hoffman Lenses.

2. The Assault Value.

This shows what skill and how beneficial this card will be if it is deposited and used to assist in
the final assault phase.

Ž 3. Item Card Name and Flavour Text.

The strip of tape also identifies if the card is a weapon, item or ally.

4. Skill Test Modifiers.

The additional number of dice added (green) and any penalties (red) to dice reduced when
making skill tests using the card.

5. Additional Rules and Item Abilities.

y
 TOKENS
DAMAGE TOKENS
There are various scenarios and interactions that may result in you taking damage
tokens. These reduce your health until you remove them. Each character has a different
starting health amount, as detailed on their individual player board. There are ways PLAYER DEATH
to heal damage. The easiest of these is to perform the ‘lay low’ action (more on page 12), but
there may be other instances that result in you removing damage. When the amount of damage tokens a
In addition, some enemies may take damage from combat encounters. Use these tokens to mark player has is equal to, or exceeds their
an enemy that has taken damage from player attacks. health total, they are ‘killed’ and must be
removed from the game.
Any weapons, items and allies are left on
the space where the player was killed,
SCRAP TOKENS
ready to be picked up.
The player may then pick one of the two
In a world where the very money in our pocket is a lie, those who know the truth can remaining player boards set aside at the
find value in other things. Useful items, such as old tools, weapon parts or even bits of beginning of the game, and then play as
an old watch; this is the currency of the resistance. Over the course of the game, this character instead.
players will need to exchange scrap for items and tests.
Alternatively you can discard unwanted items to gain more scrap tokens. Your scrap is kept Once all extra characters have been used
beside your player board, and you can hold up to 5 pieces at once. a further death will result in the party
failing and the game ending. The
resistance will be over.
WANTED TOKENS
As you progress through the city, you have to be careful not to draw too much
attention to yourself. The more you become known, the more the Invaders will hunt you
down. Wanted tokens are placed by the side of your player board, and they
represent the level at which the Invaders will be trying to take you out. Keeping this under
control is essential in remaining hidden and staying alive.

GLASSES TOKENS

Hoffman Lenses are humanity’s way of seeing the true world before them. Naturally,
these aren’t always easy to come by. Glasses tokens can be spent during phases of the
game which allow a player to put on the Hoffman Lenses.
Tokens can be gained numerous ways, from performing ‘Craft’ actions to create glasses to
gaining tokens on story cards and locations. Once a glasses token is spent, it is discarded.

THE RESISTANCE LEADER TOKEN

Each turn your group will need to appoint a Resistance leader. It is from this
player that the turn cycle begins clockwise. Collectively decide on who takes the
first action each turn, but be careful, this responsibility can come at a price. The
Resistance leader can often be the target of unwanted consequences.
Should players be unable to decide at the end of a turn on the new Resistance leader, it is
automatically passed clockwise from the player who currently holds the token.

INJURY CARDS

Injury cards represent a more severe level of physical harm incurred.

The card will determine how much of a negative impact it has on your character. Some injuries,
for example, may only cause a minor effect that lasts for a single turn. However, more serious
injuries could hinder your ability to perform certain actions, and will need a bit more time and
attention to address.

The effects of the injury card apply when the player has the card beside their character board.
Some cards may cause an effect and immediately be discarded, while others may remain until a
Insert combat icon after –2 to player performs an action.
____and ….
The box at the bottom of the card will show any penalties and how to resolve the injury.

There are certain enemies and scenarios throughout the game that may result in you taking an
injury card.
In addition, when a player engages in combat with another player, they take an injury card for
every 2 damage taken.
 ENEMY TILES

On the front of the token you can see the enemy name, as well as some other icons.

The turn over icon indicates that this tile should be inspected as soon as it is placed on the
board. Any effects should be performed immediately.

An influence icon on the front of the enemy tile indicates that the enemy is Human and
therefore capable of being converted to join the Resistance.

Should an enemy have ‘RAID SUPPORT’ written on their token, this indicates that the enemy
behaves differently when a breaking news card is revealed featuring a raid icon. Like the
turn over icon above, resolve any effects as soon as a raid occurs.

On the back of the token you can see the enemies proficiency in combat.

The top bar shows stealth, combat and possibly influence (if you’re dealing with a convertible Human
enemy).

The box then details any additional rules associated with the enemy.

The number in the bottom right represents the enemies health value.

If the enemy is Human and able to be influenced to join the Resistance, there’ll be an additional ’final
assault value’ in the bottom left box.

Simply put, a SKILL TEST is a basic test of the abilities that define your character.
Character Case File cards, Location cards and Breaking News cards will often request
you to perform a test and will display the symbol of what skill is tested.

For example: TEST (engineering) Indicates that an engineering test is required. Roll the
number of dice based on the skill value on your character card. If you roll any KICK ASS
symbols, you pass the skill test.
You can further increase the amount of dice you roll, with item and ally cards found in the
resistance deck.
However, weapons cannot assist you. This is a test of your own personal skills and
abilities, not the sharpness of a knife.

A COMBAT ROLL operates in a very similar way to a SKILL TEST, however, these only
take place when engaging in combat versus an enemy tile or another player.
Dice are rolled in the exact same way as above, although usually only based on your
stealth and combat skills.
In the case of a COMBAT ROLL, you’ll often need multiple success rolls in order to
maximise the damage you cause on enemies and other players.
As well as Items and Allies, Weapons can also assist you with additional bonuses to
combat and stealth, by increasing the amount of die you can roll.
 SETTING UP THE GAME

STEP 1.
First, set up the game board and arrange all 11 clock tiles in ascending order. The
card marked 12:00 should be facing on top. When turned, further cards should show
13:00, 14:00 and so on to finally reveal the space marked 00:00 on the board.

STEP 2.
The Cable 54 logo on the back of each Final Assault card is colour coordinated representing the
difficulty of each scenario.
Green is Easy, Blue is Medium and Red is hard.

Determine the Final Assault difficulty using the table opposite and prepare the Assault Phase
scenarios.
Difficulty Green Cards Blue Cards Red Cards

Very Easy (Beginner) 2 1 X

After determining the difficulty, randomly select a
Final Assault card numbered 1, 2 and 3. Easy 1 2 X
Place them’ face down in ascending order with the
Normal 1 1 1
top card being number 1.
Each card number indicates the sequence they are Advanced X 2 1
revealed during the Final Assault phase.
Expert X X 3

Top with the ‘Assault Introduction’ card and place them at the ‘Cable 54’ space. This will form the Final Assault deck.

Top of deck Intro Card

If it’s your first time playing, we recommend choosing cards for either very easy
Card 1
or easy difficulty.
The table opposite shows an example of how this would look for an Easy game: Card 2

Bottom of deck Card 3

STEP 3.
Separate Unique items and enemies. Any cards from the Resistance Resources deck with a Red
border must be kept aside from the normal deck. These items are unique items which aren’t
randomly gained from drawing from the deck itself. Instead, there will be special encounters or
Personal Story cards which grant players these items.

The same also applies to any enemy tiles with a Red border. These too represent unique enemies
which are only played onto the board under specific scenarios. These enemies tend to be harder
to defeat and have their own conditions or effects.

Now that the tokens are separated, keep enemies with a Green border in a bag or suitable
container, ready to be drawn at random throughout the game.

STEP 4.
Place billboards at key locations. Randomly select one of each billboard and place them at
the billboard space on the board ensuring that there is a different image on each space.
Set the unused billboards aside to be used later during the Propaganda phase.
(more on page 19).
 SETTING UP THE GAME
STEP 5.
Arrange the Breaking News, Injury and Location decks.
Divide the Breaking News cards into colours based on the surrounding strip (Green, Blue and Red).
Shuffle each individual pile of cards and then deal them accordingly:

Breaking News card colour Green Blue Red

Number required 7 5 3

This totals 15 cards which are placed face down beside the main board to form the Breaking News
deck. Return the rest to the game box.

You then need to create the Area Location, Generic Location and Injury card decks.

Shuffle these decks separately and place each of them beside the main board.

STEP 6.
Number Of Players Human Overlays Invader Overlays Total Overlays
Next, prepare the game boards based on the number of players.
Use the glasses to inspect all of the overlay boards for Human and 4 4 2 6
Invader identities.
5 5 2 7
Select a number of overlays depending the number of players as per
the table opposite. 6 5 2 7

This creates a player overlay for each player and additional pre determined extra lives in the result of player death.
Without using the Hoffman Lenses any further, randomly give each player an overlay, keeping the spares aside for the moment.
· A 4-5 player game should leave 2 extra lives remaining.
· A 6 player game will only have 1 extra life remaining.

Then, each player randomly selects a character card and the matching Player piece.
Place it at the starting location determined on their character card.

Players then collect any assets as detailed on their character card. You can find these
assets within the Resistance resources deck.

Arrange the dials on the overlay to match those printed on the character card and then
place your player overlay over your character card to create your player board.

Build each players’ Personal Story card deck.

Each player must take the case file deck that corresponds to their character. Set aside
the intro and ending cards, then shuffle the rest of the deck. Place the intro card to the
top of the deck and the ending at the bottom. Keep them by the side of your character
board. This forms your deck of Personal Story cards for the game.

Using the remaining overlays and Character cards, set up the extra lives in the same way as the players, along with their Character piece, story
deck and any assets they come with.

Keep them close by, but make sure the photo is hidden as well as possible.

These are extra Characters to be used in the event that one of your Characters dies, you can switch them for one of the spares.
If all of the Characters die, including the extra lives, the game is over and the Humans lose.

Once all players have their assets, the deck must be shuffled, then placed on the Resistance stash space at the bottom right of the board.
 SETTING UP THE GAME

STEP 7.
Collectively decide on which player will be the Resistance Leader.
This player takes the Resistance leader token and begins the game.

As the Resistance Leader, you are the first player in each phase of the game turn, in addition to being
impacted by other effects and scenarios.

At the end of each turn, players will choose a new player to assume the role of the leader.

STEP 8.
Determine if you’re a Human or an Invader.
To do this, each player privately uses the glasses to inspect their own player board.

If your character is wearing sunglasses, then you are Human. Your objective is to play the game as normal,
cooperate with your teammates in order to build a successful resistance and storm Cable 54.

However, if your Characters face changes, then you are an Invader, be careful not to give it away!

As an Invader, your objective is to stop the Resistance movement by posing as one of them and prevent them
from destroying the signal coming from Cable 54!

Your greatest defence is in your ability to look and act Human… this is your key to victory!
It is essential that your behavior isn’t suspicious. If you give yourself away, you could find yourself being
confronted by the other players, and they won’t stop until you are eliminated.
Your best plan of attack is to act like one of them, whilst secretly working to sabotage their Resistance from
within.
To do this, you need to send resources to the Resistance final assault stash that will impede their success.

When they decide to mount their final stand, you can reveal yourself, use your sabotaged stash and crush
them!

IMPORTANT NOTE
It’s important that each player inspects their board as discreetly as possible, and you must ensure that other players don’t see your board when
using the glasses. Once all players have checked, set the glasses off to one side for later use.

STEP 9.
Begin the game.

Starting with the Action Phase, each phase begins with the current Resistance
Leader taking a turn.

After the leader has taken their turn each phase, gameplay moves in a
clockwise direction to the next player until all players have taken their actions
for that phase.

Once each player has taken a turn for that particular phase (e.g. the action
phase) move onto the next phase etc.
 THE ACTION PHASE
During the action phase, players can move 1 space and then perform 2 actions from the list below. You can’t perform the same action twice, with the ex-
ception of making an additional move.
For example, you could move one space, and then perform 2 of the other actions. Or, you could move 2 spaces, and only perform 1 of the other actions.
Once a player has completed their actions, the game moves to the next player in a clockwise direction.
Once all players have completed their actions, the game moves on to the Response phase.

These are the actions that can be taken during the action phase:
MOVE
The player advances to the next space following the lines on the map.
A player can make a free move at the beginning of their action phase,
and as an additional move as an action (a player cannot perform 3 move
actions in one action phase).

LAY LOW
Performing a ‘lay low’ action will allow your character to rest. This allows
you to remove 1 wanted token and 1 damage token. Whist laying low,
you can also remove additional wanted or damage tokens at a cost of 1
scrap per token. Updated board with
The Lay Low cannot be performed if the space you are on is shared with named billboards
an enemy. Performing the Lay Low action will end your action phase, and
play will move to the next player.

TRADE
Players can give a single Resistance card to another player on the same
space. The other player may give a Resistance card in return.

REORGANIZE
Swap any weapons/items in your bag with those equipped.

DISTRACT THE AUTHORITIES

The player gains 1 wanted token and the closest enemy tile is moved one
space closer to the player.

INSPECT
A player may spend a glasses token to put on the Hoffman lenses, and
use them to inspect their own items and check if any of them are
sabotaged (i.e. to check if they carry the Invader symbol).

Alternatively, a player can spend a glasses token to put on the Hoffman

lenses and inspect the board, revealing all the hidden billboard messages.

You do not need to keep the information you have seen a secret.
In fact, this may be useful in helping other resistance members move USE AN ITEM OR CHARACTER ACTION
towards the right locations. Some item and character cards have special actions that can be made as
As an Invader player, you can also opt to provide incorrect information to actions indicated by the ACTION keyword. Performing this action will
the rest of the group. allow you to use those special abilities.

CRAFT SPECIAL MOVEMENT

A player can discard any item or weapon Resistance card and gain a Travel using the freeway.
scrap token for each card discarded. Freeway spaces are defined by the alternating black and red arrows that
Alternatively, a player can exchange 3 scrap for a single-use glasses run across the width of the board.
token. Any spaces along this path are considered freeway spaces.
Players can use the freeway to move between as many freeway spaces
as they wish. However, you will suffer +1 wanted token for each space
you move.
 THE RESPONSE PHASE

In this phase, the ‘game’ takes its turn by reacting to the current state of play.

At the start of the response phase, enemy tokens move 1 space closer to the player in their current area with the highest wanted level (i.e. the one
with the most wanted tokens).

NOTE: If none of the players in an area have wanted tokens, then the enemies there do not move. An enemy will also not
move if they begin the response phase already sharing a space with a player that has 1 or more wanted tokens (if that player
has no wanted tokens, then the enemy may move away from them).

To do this, first check which player in each sector has the most amount of
wanted tokens. Then, move each enemy tile in that sector 1 space closer to
that player. EXAMPLE

Andrew has a stealth score of 5 but 2 wanted tokens, this

means he subtracts 2 dice from his total pool, resulting in
him rolling 3 dice instead of 5.

He rolls 3 successes, beating the enemy tiles stealth value

of 1.

After performing a successful stealth test against an

Invader civilian enemy tile, Andrew rolls combat against it.

His combat score is 4, plus he gains an additional 2

combat dice for the weapon he’s carrying.
This means he rolls a total of 6 combat dice.

From looking at the enemy tile, their combat value means

Once the tiles have been moved, enemies will then attack any players that Andrew will need to score 2 successes to kill them.
share the same space as them. This includes enemies that didn’t move during
the response phase. The encounter is resolved in the following ways: Andrew rolls 3 ’KICK ASS’ symbols, easily defeating the
enemy tile.

BASIC ENEMY COMBAT ENCOUNTER With no more enemy tiles on his current space, this ends the
As soon as the enemy attacks a player, that enemy tile must be turned over. response phase for Andrew.
On the reverse side of the tile there will be either 3 or 5 values (depending
on if they are Human or Invader). Enemy tiles with a green border are
standard enemies and shouldn’t be too much of a match for a single player.
The first step in an enemy encounter is for the player to Roll Stealth. To do
this, you must roll 1 dice for every point that your character has on their
Stealth skill, subtracting 1 dice for every Wanted token that they have (to a
minimum of 1).

Players also gain bonuses or suffer penalties for any Item, Weapon or Ally
resistance cards they have equipped.

If you roll LESS successes than the enemies stealth value, then you lose 1
combat dice for the next step of the enemy interaction.

The next step is to Roll Combat. If you roll MORE successes than the enemies'
health value (the number in the bottom right of the enemy card, minus any
damage they have from previous encounters) then the enemy is killed, and the
interaction has ended.

If you roll LESS successes than the enemy health value, then the enemy takes 1
damage token for each success you rolled. However, in this case you may also
take damage. If your Combat successes are MORE than or equal to the
enemy Combat value, then you are safe. If they are LESS, then you must
subtract your successes from the enemy combat value, and the number left is
how many damage tokens you take in return.

If the enemy has survived the interaction, then they remain on the same space
for the next phase.
A player engages in this way with each enemy tile on their current space.
Should any enemies remain, this will have additional consequences for the
next phase.

The next page features a flowchart that shows how this works.
THE RESPONSE PHASE
 THE RESPONSE PHASE
PERSUADE
Some Human enemies are just doing their job and are blissfully unaware of the evil in our midst. You might be able to take a more diplomatic
approach, and appeal to their sensibilities.

A Human enemy is capable of being persuaded if they show the INFLUENCE symbol on the front of their tile.

To persuade an enemy, first declare this right at the start of the enemy encounter, before rolling stealth. By rolling to persuade a Human enemy
tile, the player forfeits their chance to attack normally.

After declaring it, the player then needs to perform an INFLUENCE roll.
The influence icon on the back of the enemy tile will indicate how many successes are needed in order to convert this enemy into a member of
the Resistance.

If the player rolls equal to or higher than the enemy influence value, then the enemy is not killed. Instead they are recruited into the Resistance!
To do this, remove the enemy tile and place it next to the assault resources at the top of the board. These will come in use later when you assault
Cable 54.

If the player fails, then the enemy tile retaliates and deals damage to the player equal to their COMBAT value on the rear of the tile, then the
encounter ends. Since the player didn't roll any combat dice, the enemy does not take any damage when using Persuade.

TEAM EFFORT
Some enemies are too tough for a single player to tackle alone.
Imagine trying to take down a riot squad all by yourself!
RED ENEMY TOKENS Fortunately, all players that occupy the same space can join
forces in combat against an enemy tile, (note: you can’t join
There are some enemy tokens which are set aside at the beginning of together for persuade, nor can you team up in a player vs
the game. player encounter. (more on page 15).

These aren’t usually ‘spawned’ at random locations on the board like To do this, each player must first agree that this is the approach
normal enemies and instead tend to come with their own unique they want to take.
scenario as part of a breaking news card being revealed.
It’s harder to stay hidden as a group, so sneaking up on an
Enemies with a red border either have their own unique means of enemy collectively works a little differently. First, each player
being dealt with or are simply too tough to take on alone. You may must complete a stealth roll against the enemy tiles stealth value,
need to coordinate with your team mates to bring such an enemy the same as if they were attacking the enemy alone. If any
down. player performing the team effort attack fails their stealth check,
you ALL suffer -1 to your combat rolls.
It’s worth double checking the breaking news card for any hints on
how to dispatch these foes and exercising more caution than usual Each player then rolls their combat tests (taking into account
around them. weapons and wanted levels, as per the previous page).
The successes of each player are then combined, and this equates
to how much damage the enemy takes. If this is more than the
enemies health, then they are defeated.

If the enemy isn’t defeated, then damage is dealt in the same

way that it is for a 1v1 enemy encounter, however, the damage
impacts ALL players that are fighting it.
 THE RESPONSE PHASE
PLAYER VS PLAYER CONFRONTATION (PVP)
Over the course of the game, you may become suspicious of another players behavior. Alternatively, as an Invader player, you may wish to cast
doubt on an innocent Human player.

If a player has ended their action phase on the same space as another player, they can confront the other player. This begins the PVP
Confrontation scenario. Team Effort attack rolls may not be made when confronting another player. These fights are strictly 1 vs 1.

After all enemies have moved and encountered any players in the response phase, check to see if there are any two (or more) players
occupying the same space on the board.

NOTE: A player cannot participate (attack or be attacked) in a PVP Confrontation if either player has already engaged with
any enemy tiles this response phase.
Both players are assumed to be too distracted battling, avoiding or persuading the enemy to engage in a street fight.

If so, working by turn order, check to see if any players wish to confront the other
player.
The next step is for the attacking player to decide if they wish to spend a glasses ROLLING CRITICALS
token or not.
If the attacking player rolls a critical (3 or more
Spending the glasses token means that after the fight they will be able to put on the Kick Ass of the same color) on the Stealth check
Hoffman Lenses and check the other players’ game board and determine if the regardless of how many successes the defending
opponent is an Invader or not. If the attacker doesn’t win the fight, the glasses are player rolled, the attacking player is considered to
considered lost in the scuffle. have taken the defender by surprise.
To use a glasses token, the player must declare and spend the token before the If the attacker spent a glasses token prior to
engagement begins. If the attacking player does not wish to use a token, then rolling, they can immediately inspect the defenders’
instead it just becomes a standard engagement scenario. card using the Hoffman lenses, then the attacker
can choose to let the encounter end without a fight
PVP Engagement works in a similar way to an enemy encounter in the response or proceed to Combat.
phase. The player instigating the combat will be referred to as the attacker. The
other player will be referred to as the defender. If the defending player rolls a critical (3 or more
Kick Ass of the same color) on the Stealth check
To begin, both players must roll Stealth against each other. As before, gaining regardless of how many successes the attacking
bonuses or suffering penalties for any item, weapon or ally resistance cards they player rolled, the defending player is considered
have equipped. As well as subtracting any dice based on how many wanted tokens to be alert and can take this opportunity to avoid
each player has. the attacker.
The victor is the player who rolled more successes than their opponent. The loser The defender can choose to flee the scene, moving
suffers –1 to their combat rolls for the engagement. directly to any adjacent space and let the
encounter end without a fight or proceed to
If players roll equal successes, then the fight proceeds as normal without either Combat.
player suffering a combat penalty for the engagement.
Should both players roll critical on the Stealth
check, neither player claims an advantage and the
confrontation proceeds as normal.
The next pages features a flowchart that shows how the first part of PVP
engagement works.
THE RESPONSE PHASE
 THE RESPONSE PHASE
PLAYER VS PLAYER CONFRONTATION (PVP) CONTINUED

Should players progress from taking a Stealth Check to engage in combat, the next step is for both players to fight and deal damage to one
another.

THE DANGERS OF PVP

PVP combat situations are high risk, with the possibility of

either player walking away with an injury.

The purpose of these encounters is to give you an

opportunity to inspect the other players board using the
Hoffman Lenses.
This is the only way to uncover who among you are secretly
Invaders!
It is advised that, to get the most from the game, PVP
encounters are primarily used for this purpose.

Do you suspect one of the team of being an Invader? Track

them down, fight them, and take a look at their board.
Both players must roll Combat - including any modifiers for equipped
weapons, allies and item Resistance cards.
For every success that either player rolls, the opposing player takes
damage tokens, and vice versa.

If either player takes 2 or more damage, then they must also draw an Injury
Card.

Finally, if the attacker is still alive (i.e. they have LESS damage tokens than
their health value) then what happens next depends on if they spent a
glasses token at the start of the engagement or not.

If they did spend a token, AND if their successes in the Combat roll was
GREATER THAN or EQUAL TO the Defenders combat roll, then they may
inspect the Defenders character card using the glasses.

A player wearing the glasses is free to disclose what they saw to the rest
of the group.
Highlighting an Invader to the rest of the group could help put a stop to
them before they cause further sabotage.

However, this also leaves an opportunity for the Invader player to wear
the glasses and cast doubt on a perfectly innocent player.

However, if they either didn’t spend a token before the confrontation or

their Combat roll was LESS than the Defenders, then the interaction ends.

When the confrontation has ended, the player who took the most damage
is considered the loser of the engagement, and therefore must flee to an
adjacent space of their choosing. The loser may not perform any steps as
part of the upcoming Location Phase.

Proceed to go around the board in the same manner, to determine if any

players can/wish to participate in a PVP encounter, starting with the
current Resistance leader. Remember, that each player may only engage
in a confrontation with another player ONCE per response phase and they
can only do so if they haven’t encountered any enemy tokens this phase.

Players sharing the same space don’t have to confront each other in this
way. There are often times where players wish to come together for a
cooperative reason.

The next pages features a flowchart that shows how the second part of
PVP engagement works.
 THE RESPONSE PHASE

Once each player has completed their Response Phase, play then moves onto the Location Phase.
 THE LOCATION PHASE
In this phase each player resolves one of multiple possible scenarios based on the current space they are on.

Each player will need to choose, (depending on their present location), from depositing resources to build the resistance, investigating a place of
interest or resolving one of their own personal case file cards to advance their character's personal story.

If any players begin their location phase on the same space as an enemy tile or if they engaged in combat with another player (PVP) and lost,
their only option is to recover and pass this phase. Battling enemies and brawling with each other in the street leaves little opportunity for
sightseeing.
Should a player have no enemies on their space or have not engaged with another player, then depending on their location a player can perform
other options from the list below.

INTERACT WITH THE SPACE

This applies to both: Named and unnamed spaces on the board
(NOT billboards)

There are 2 ways that you can interact with a specific space.

EITHER

Encounter the location: This is likely to be the most frequent thing that
will happen during the location phase.

If you are on a ‘named’ space (one with a picture and a title) then you
may draw a location card for the corresponding area.

The card is split into 3 sections. One for each of the named spaces in
that area. The text will often contain a narrative followed by a skill test
that needs to be resolved.

If, however, you are not on a named space, then you need to draw a
generic location card. These are split into 2 sections. One for rich OR
(covering Tax Exempt Area and Downtown) and one for poor (covering
Downtown Redevelopment and Resettlement Area). As before, each will
feature a skill test to complete.

If you are successful, as well as being rewarded with whatever the card
says, you will also be able to collect any tokens or Resistance cards that
are on the current space.

Personal story card: Each character begins the game with a deck of
personal story cards.

On the back of the next card of your deck, an image will show a
location. This is where you need to be on the board in order to resolve
the story card.

During the location phase, if you find yourself on a space that

corresponds to your next story card and it is clear of enemy tiles or
players you’ve engaged with, then you can choose to play that story
card instead of drawing a location card.
The card will feature a more personal experience based around the
character you’re playing, indicating what has happened and what you
need to do to succeed.

Upon completing 4 or more of a character’s personal story cards, a

player can claim their story ending.
This is the card added to the bottom on their personal case file deck.
The story ending card will reveal two possible endings, one for a Human
and one for an Invader along with an item gained for completing the
story.
Search the Red bordered items set aside at the beginning of the game
for the item but don’t reveal the ending of your story.
Keep this hidden until the end of the game. If you’re an Invader player,
you need to keep your identity secret.
 THE LOCATION PHASE
RESISTANCE SUPPLY
This applies to: Billboards
RECOVER
The billboard spaces on the board act as safe houses for the Resistance. This applies to: Any location you share with an enemy tile, or if you lost a
They are essential in managing and preparing your items ready for the confrontation with another player (during the previous response phase) and
final assault. fled to an adjacent space.

During the Location phase, players on a billboard can do ONE of the Your only option for the location phase will be to ‘recover’ by skipping
following: the location phase.

Build the Resistance: You can deposit 1-3 weapons, items or ally
Resistance cards from your hand onto the billboard you’re currently on.
Place them face down to form a deck. These cards remain here until The next page features a flowchart that shows how this works.
they are deployed.

Warning! During the propaganda phase, billboards can be raided and

the cards on them may be confiscated by the Invaders.

Gather resources: Stationed at each billboard is a Resistance broker

who you can barter with to gain additional resources. Roll an Influence
test.
For each pass, you draw a card from the resistance stash deck and add
those cards to your hand. The deck is located in the bottom right corner
of the game board.

Check and deploy resources: Deploying resources moves the cards

from the billboard to the Resistance resources space at the top of the
board, ready for your assault on Cable 54. Building up a deck ready
for the end game is essential in preparing yourselves for the final
challenge.

However, some weapons and items may be sabotaged, and it is your

job to view and discard any cards that carry an Invader symbol. You
will need to spend a glasses token to allow you to put on the Hoffman
Lenses and detect the Invader interference, allowing you to send vital
resources to the resistance resource deck. Choose which cards at the
current billboard to send to the Resistance resources space and which
cards to discard.

Alternatively, if you are playing as one of the Invaders. You may

want to discreetly do the opposite… Discard the useful cards,
and only deploy the sabotaged resource cards.

EXAMPLE
TRIGGER THE FINAL ASSAULT
Matt has the Resistance leader token and takes his location This applies to: The Cable 54 space when the game clock is showing RED
phase first. In the action phase, Matt scrapped a weapon numbering.
and chose to move onto a billboard location.
Players don’t encounter the Cable 54 space like conventional locations.
There are no enemies here and he chooses to build the Instead, the current Resistance leader may trigger the final assault if
Resistance and hand in some of his resources into the they are on the space.
billboard stash. He hands in 2 cards.
When the Final Assault is triggered and after the location phase ends,
the game moves onto the Final Assault phase. Skip the Propaganda
On the next round, Kevin has moved onto the same billboard
Phase.
with a view to check and deploy the resources there.
The location phase ends after all players have performed one of the
Kevin spends a glasses token to check and deploy the above steps, starting with the Resistance leader, working clockwise
resources. around the group.

He notices 2 of the 3 cards are showing an Invader assault Gameplay then changes to the final phase of the game round, the
icon and discards them. The other useful card is sent to the Propaganda phase.
resistance resources space.

He knows that prior to Matt’s action there was only 1 card in

the pile, and begins to suspect Matt may be up to no good.
 THE LOCATION PHASE

Once each player has completed their Response Phase, play then moves onto the Propaganda Phase.
 THE PROPAGANDA PHASE
The Propaganda phase is the last phase and marks the end of the current game turn. This phase creates some changes around the board before
the next turn cycle begins.

First, turn over a new card from the Breaking News deck and follow the instructions.

BREAKING NEWS CARDS RAIDS

(OBEY, CONSUME or MARRY AND REPRODUCE)
Breaking news cards represent the “real world” stories and events that The game confiscates and discards any resources left at
are being broadcast via the Cable 54 News station. Each card is specific billboard spaces.
broken into 2 sections, the propaganda bar and a news story.

The propaganda bar shows any game clock advances, billboard

raids, billboard swaps, enemy placements and scrap placements.
This should be read and applied first, working left to right in order.

Most propaganda cards don’t usually apply all 5 effects and some
symbols on a propaganda card are greyed out when they are not
applying an effect.

If a Breaking News card shows a raid, nominate a player to put on the

Hoffman Lenses and look at the game board. If any billboards match
the hidden message shown on the Breaking News card, all resource
cards at the matching billboards are discarded.

In addition, check all enemies in play for the ‘raid support’ icon. Any
tiles with the corresponding icon will have effects that need to be
resolved immediately.

This may include additional damage, loss of time and further impacts
that will support the Invaders raids.

BILLBOARD SWAPS
Swap a billboard with an identical pictured billboard on the
map.

The billboard swap icon will show which billboard art to remove and
replace with another. It’s important to replace each billboard with
identical artwork from those set aside at the beginning of the game.
Concealed within the art of each billboard token is a hidden message
which can only be revealed using the Hoffman Lenses.
(OBEY, CONSUME or MARRY AND REPRODUCE).

By replacing these cards it changes the type of raids that will affect
that resistance location. Be sure to use your Hoffman Lenses/Inspect
Action to monitor the hidden messages, as locations with duplicate
messages have a higher chance of being raided.

CLOCK ADVANCES ENEMY AND SCRAP PLACEMENTS

The game clock progresses. Spawn enemies and supplies.
The game clock advances by the number of hours highlighted The next two symbols are for enemy tile and scrap
underneath the clock symbol. Should the game run into red numbering, token placement. The numbers under each symbol denote which
players need to be aware that the game is getting closer to ending. locations these should be placed on.
This is the point where players should begin to discuss the most
opportune time to trigger the final assault phase. For enemy tiles, you need to take a random enemy tile from the bag
and place it on each numbered location shown on the ‘watch symbol’.
If the clock hits midnight before any players have triggered the Final When placing enemies, check to see if any carry the ‘turn over’ icon. If
Assault, the game ends and the resistance loses. so they may cause additional effects or need to be moved to specific
locations.

For scrap, simply place a scrap token on the numbered location

indicated on the ‘scrap symbol’.
 THE PROPAGANDA PHASE

BREAKING NEWS STORY

Beneath the propaganda bar is a breaking news story. This should be
read and followed next.
A breaking news story sets the scene with a narrative based on an
event taking place in the city. RUNNING OUT OF BREAKING NEWS CARDS

It is then followed by a game effect. These range from altering enemy If a game runs out of breaking news cards while there is
behaviors, creating conditions for players, spawning red enemy tokens time remaining on the game clock, each following
and potentially remaining in play until a particular scenario is cleared. propaganda phase is slightly different.

Each turn a new breaking news card is revealed at the start of a Should this be the case, automatic clock advances and
propaganda phase, discard the old breaking news card and replace it enemy placements occur.
with a new one unless it is stated that the old card remains in play.
First, place a random enemy tile at each of the 3
billboard spaces on the board.

In addition, the game clock advances automatically by

one hour.

Players now need to be aware that time is running out.

The resistance leader must be at the CABLE 54 spot,
ready to trigger the final assault as soon as possible.

Should the clock be reduced to 00:00, the game ends and

all players reveal their identity. All Human players are
considered to have lost the game, defeated before the
time ran out.

The enemy signal was not destroyed in time and the

Resistance was overpowered. Humanity remains enslaved.

Any Invader players are considered to have won the

game as their efforts to destroy the Resistance have
succeeded and they remain firmly in control of mankind.

ENDING THE GAME TURN

Once all the symbols have been followed and the Breaking News story
resolved, it must remain face up for the next turn.

All players must now collectively decide on who will be the Resistance
leader for the next game turn.

When decided, the new Resistance leader takes the Resistance leader
token. That player goes first on the next turn. (Remember if the group
cannot collectively decide who the resistance leader should be, the
token is passed on to the next player in line).

Play then switches back to the action phase, and the next turn begins.

You must continue to rotate through the Action, Response, Location and
Propaganda phases until you are ready to take on the final phase,
The Assault Phase.
 THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE
THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE
During the last 5 in-game hours, the clock numbers at the top of the board will turn RED. This indicates the players can now trigger the final
assault. In order for this to happen, the current player acting as the resistance leader must reach the Cable 54 space on the board, then choose
to begin the Final Assault during their location phase.

If the clock strikes 00:00 before players have begun the Final Assault phase, then the Human players have lost! They have failed to stop the
signal, and the invasion will continue. Should this happen, all Invader players can then reveal themselves, as they have won the game.

When the Final Assault phase is triggered all players complete their current location phase and instead of progressing to the propaganda
phase, all players are pulled to the Cable 54 space to take part in the Final Assault.

No further game turns are taken and any player deaths that occur from this point are permanent. Do not respawn another character.

This is the attack on Cable 54, where Human players will attempt to stop the signal, and Invaders will attempt to thwart their efforts!

PREPARE YOUR RESOURCES

After triggering the assault phase, the group must check the resources
available.

Any items players don’t have currently equipped are discarded and
any ally cards are also lost.

Remember all those cards you have been sending to the Resistance
resources deck? This is where they come in use.

Players are all now free to use the Hoffman Lenses to inspect the
Resistance deck- you DO NOT need to spend a glasses token to do so.

The first thing you’re going to want to do is to inspect the deck with the
lenses and divide them into 2 piles. Useful cards with a Resistance
‘glasses’ icon in the top right corner and cards with the sabotaged
‘Invader’ icon.

The other resource you will want to prepare is any Human enemy tiles
that were acquired by using the Persuade action through
combat. These display a final assault value in the bottom right corner
of each card converted this way.

By the end of this step, you should have two piles:

· ‘Useful’ Resistance cards and converted enemy tiles: These

are Weapons, Items and Allies that can be used to boost stats
during the final assault.
They can ONLY be used for their relevant stats.
For example, an Item that has an engineering boost can only be
used to help in a scenario that requires engineering.

· ‘Sabotaged’ Invader cards: These are resources that carry

the hidden Invader symbol. These are now completely useless to
Human players.
However, these can be used by Invader players to increase the
difficulty of stat rolls during the final assault. Unlike the ‘useful’
cards, the Invader cards can be used against ANY stat test. For
example, an item that has an engineering boost can be used to
increase the difficulty of any stat check that the Human players
need to pass.
 THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE
FINAL ASSAULT CARDS AND WINNING THE GAME Turn over and read the scenario on the first card. That will tell you
what skill test you need to pass to progress to the next card.
At the start of the game, during set up, 3 assault cards were placed
face down underneath the ‘Assault Introduction card’. If you wish to use a card from the Resistance deck to boost your
The Assault introduction card will set the scene for your group and chances of success, the group must decide what, if any resource cards
explain how you’ve gathered to make a final stand against the are being spent to boost your success.
Invaders. You must do this BEFORE attempting to roll for the test. Pass or fail,
The other cards will put you through a series of tests. From explaining after rolling for the test, those cards are discarded!
how you get into the Cable 54 building and working your way through It is important that you are careful when you spend the resources, as
the building to ultimately stopping the signal. you don’t know what the next card might bring.

These tests are too difficult for one player to take on alone, so a group If you fail the stats roll, then turn the card over and read the fail
effort is essential! section. This will tell you what to do next. You may be given the
opportunity to try or again or perhaps it’s too late…
When this phase begins, players must turn over the first card.
Each card details the scenario, and what test or tests need to be After succeeding the card, you can then move onto the second one, and
completed in order to move onto the next card. so on.
Overcoming tests will require you to work as a group, to each roll for Once all 3 are passed, the Humans have successfully assaulted Cable
the specified stat and to combine your successes to overcome it. 54, and they have won the game!

However… There could be Invaders hiding in your team.

INVADER INTERVENTION

Sabotaged cards within the Resistance supply can be used by Invader

players to help stop the Human players.
These are marked with a hidden Invader icon on the top corner of
Resistance cards (only visible through the Hoffman lenses).

It’s during the Final Assault phase that Invader players can choose to
reveal themselves.
Doing so will then give them access to the sabotaged cards that were
hidden throughout the Resistance deck.
The stats values on these cards are used in the opposite way to the
Human players, instead of reducing the number of successes needed to
pass a test, they increase it.

In addition, sabotaged cards aren’t specific to the test shown on the

EXAMPLE Final Assault card.

Andrew, Matt, Kevin and Luke are taking on the For example; the Human players need to pass an engineering test
Final Assault. requiring 10 successes. An Invader can add ANY additional
sabotaged cards from their deck to increase the difficulty of the
Their first Final Assault card, states that they must engineering test.
pass a combat test with 10 successes to complete
the card. An Invader player may reveal themselves in any of the 3 stages of the
Final Assault. The Invader player must play alongside the Human
Andrew’s Character has a combat score of 5, players as normal, up until the point of revealing themselves. Strategy
Matt’s has 5, Kevin’s has 4, Luke's has 3. and cunning can be used just at the right time to stop the Humans!

Before they roll, the group decides to use a

weapon card from the Resistance resources deck
that grants the group +2 combat. The next page features a flowchart that shows how this works.
Granting the group 2 automatic successes and
effectively making the test require only 8 passes.

The four players make their skill rolls:

Andrew gets 3 successes, Matt gets 3, Kevin gets 1,

Luke gets 1. Together, they got 8 successes,
normally this would mean failure, however, the
weapon the group used adds another +2 making
the result of the test 10.

The weapon card used is discarded, and the group

progress onto the next Final Assault card.
THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE
 THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE

THE ENEMY REVEALED

After an Invader reveals themselves, there is an opportunity for the

Human players to attempt to take them out! EXAMPLE

First, the Invader player must reveal themselves during one of the final The next Final Assault card requires an engineering check
assault cards. needing 10 successes to pass.

During that same card, the Human players must then pass the skill test. Andrew’s character has an engineering score of 3, Matt’s
If they do, then they can decide to fight the Invader. has 4, Kevin’s has 5 and Luke’s has 6.

Each Human player must decide before the fight starts if they want to Before they roll, Luke, knowing he has the highest
take part in the battle or not. Once that has been decided, the players engineering score, reveals that he has been an Invader the
who are fighting must roll Combat. The Invader player must also roll whole time.
Combat.
He takes the pile of sabotaged Resistance cards.
Similar to engaging with another player during the response phase,
players deal damage for each success roll. One of these cards has +2 influence, however, as it is a
However as the fight takes place between players simultaneously, each sabotaged card with an Invader symbol, Luke can use it
success the Human players collectively roll deals 1 damage to the against any test to increase the difficulty.
Invader.
Conversely, for each success, the Invader rolls EACH Human player He plays the card and the group now need 12 engineering
that took part in the battle takes 1 damage token. successes to pass the test.

Anyone with equal or more damage tokens than health is then killed The others must now use whatever resources they have to
and out of the game. try and increase their chances of success.

After the fight, the Humans then continue onto the next card. They also need to be careful, as if they use resources and
still fail, those cards are lost, making it harder to try again.
If the Invader survives the attack, then during the next card they can
either:
· Continue and try to sabotage the next card as well.

· Retreat, and wait for the following Final Assault card to

reveal themselves once more.

For example, if an Invader reveals themselves during Final Assault card

1, and survives the attack, they can choose to hide away for Card 2,
then come back in Card 3 and throw everything they’ve got at trying
to stop the Humans!
The next page features a flowchart that shows how this works.
THE FINAL ASSAULT PHASE
 ENDING THE GAME

HUMANITY FREED HUMANITY ENSLAVED

Should the Human players succeed in completing all 3 Final Assault Should the Invader players succeed in stopping the Resistance, either
cards, they win the game. by the clock counting down or the players failing to complete all 3
Final Assault cards, they win the game.
Humanity has been freed, you’re all heroes.
Humanity remains enslaved!
Each Invader player now reveals their identity and all players can
reveal their completed personal story cards. Each Invader player now reveals their identity and all players can
reveal their completed personal story cards.

COPYRIGHT ICONIQ STUDIOS 2019

THEY LIVE: ASSAULT ON CABLE 54 BETA EDITION RULEBOOK
NOTE: ALL CONTENT WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT IS IN DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS.