Evil Schemes

New World Order Cards

The New World Order cards are a special kind of Plot card. They can be played at any time except during a privileged attack. When a NWO card is played, it goes to the center of the table and affects all players. It is no longer considered part of the hand of the person who played it.

A NWO card represents a basic shift in the world power balance. For instance, in 1985, Communism was a fundamental force. In 1995, it's on the fringes. There's a new world order now!

If there is any potential ambiguity in the effect of a combination of NWO cards, assess their effects, one at a time, in the order they were played.

Once a NWO is played, it stays in force until removed, in one of two ways:

(1) Through play of a Plot card that specifically negates it.

(2) Through play of another NWO card of the same color. There are three colors . . . red, blue and yellow. Only one card of each color can be in play. If a NWO is in play, and a new NWO of the same color is played, the old one is discarded. Thus, there can never be more than three NWO cards in effect at once!

A card can be played to replace an identical NWO. The new card would then be the last NWO played, which might make a difference . . .

Duplicate Cards

Because this is a trading card game, duplicates of any cards -- even multiple duplicates -- can appear. The effect of a duplicate depends on the type of card:

Plot Cards: Duplicates may be played freely, as long as no one player uses duplicate cards in the same action, either for attack or for defense.

Illuminati Cards: When the game starts, more than one player may choose to be the Illuminati -- factions of the same conspiracy. They are mortal foes! You have a +5 on any attack against a Group owned by a rival who is the "same" Illuminati you are. If you destroy them, by stealing or destroying their last group, you get all their Resources. And you cannot share a victory with them.

You may also put Illuminati cards in your Plots deck. If you draw a Plot that duplicates a rival Illuminati, you can play it at any time. The cost: you must discard your top undrawn Plot and Group cards!

The duplicate Illuminati card goes with your Resources, but it is not a Resource. It is an agent within the enemy Illuminati group. It gives you a +3 for attack or defense against that whole Power Structure! If you have a Zurich agent, for instance, you have a +3 on any attack or defense against any group owned by the "real" Gnomes of Zurich.

You may only have one agent for each type of Illuminati, but if there are multiple Zurich players, one Zurich agent can spy on them all! However, you can't have an agent for your own type of Illuminati.

Note: If a given Illuminati group is not in play when the game starts, it cannot come into play unless a Plot card specifically allows it. Otherwise, it's useless.

Group Cards: While a given Group is in your Power Structure, a duplicate of that card does you no good. But having duplicate Groups in your deck can be good insurance, in case your first attempt at control is a failure, or someone takes it from you.

If you have a card that duplicates a group controlled by a rival, you can use it as an "agents" card to aid an attack against that group, or to defend it, as described on p. 10. You cannot try to control your own card, because the group it represents is already in play!

If you have a card that duplicates a group that was in play, but was destroyed, you may not activate that card unless a Plot card lets you do so.

Resource Cards: If a Resource is Unique, only one can be in play. Whoever plays it first, has it. You may not play a duplicate. Even if the original is destroyed, a duplicate may not be put into play unless a Plot card allows it!

If you play a Unique Resource in a way that hides it (e.g., Warehouse 23), you must expose it as soon as a duplicate comes into play. If you fail to do this, the other card is the original and yours is useless.

If a Resource is not unique, any number may be in play. They don't affect each other in any way.

Links

A link is a connection between two cards. To show that cards are linked, put identical tokens (like buttons) on both.

Examples of Linked cards include:

A Personality linked to a Place, to show he's staying there (this is only worthwhile if either the Personality or the Place card specifies a reason to do it).

A Resource linked to some group other than your Illuminati. This means the Resource belongs to that group.

A Plot that changes the abilities of one specific group, linked to that group to show the connection.

Moving Links

When a linked Plot changes the alignment, Power, Global Power or resistance of a specific group, the link is permanent -- no one may move or remove it without using another Plot card. (A permanent link is removed if it becomes permanently illegal . . . see below).

Other Links can be changed from card to card, but you may move or remove such a Link only on your own turn, and only once per turn. If you give a Resource to another player, it becomes the property of his Illuminati; he may not link it to another group until his turn. If a link provides a bonus Action token, card, etc., it may not be moved (or the card given away) after it gives its bonus that turn.

Canceled Actions, Alignment Changes and Other Surprises

Many Plots and special abilities can work only with a Group of a certain alignment, attribute, power level, etc. Other cards can change a group's alignment, etc., or cancel an action after it's announced. This can lead to interesting situations . . . for instance, when one player announces an action, and a foe changes an alignment to make that action illegal or take away a bonus.

Many Plot cards and special abilities cannot be used in the middle of an attack! But some can. Read the cards.

If a permanent Link to a Plot or Resource becomes temporarily illegal (due to an alignment change, for instance, or because the Group has been returned to a player's hand), the Plot or Resource is not lost, but it has no effect until it becomes legal again. It may not be linked elsewhere in the meantime! It will apply to the Group again when the Group is again controlled, no matter who controls it.

If a permanent Link to a Plot becomes permanently illegal, the Plot is discarded. This can happen, for instance, if a group changes ownership and the new owner already has an identical Plot in play.

If a Link to a Resource becomes permanently illegal, the link is lost. The Resource can be linked elsewhere on its owner's next turn.

If a group's announced use of a Plot becomes illegal before the dice are rolled, the Plot returns to the owner's hand and is Exposed.

If the action of the attacking group is canceled or made illegal, the attack does not happen. Plots used by the attacking group are lost, and its token is spent. Any groups which aided either side get their tokens back. Agents duplicating the target group return to their owner's hand.

If the action of an aiding group is canceled, the attack goes on, even if it is now doomed to failure.

If an action is used to "power" a Plot card, and the action is canceled, the Plot is lost . . . discard it. Exception: If several actions are used together to power a Plot, and one is canceled, another group's action may be used to replace the lost Power. If this can't be done, the Plot is lost and the other actions are wasted.

If a special ability is used, and that use is then made illegal or impossible, the token(s) used to power the special ability are lost.

If a Plot is canceled, any Actions used to power it are lost.

Some specific examples:

A Straight group tries to control another Straight group (+4 bonus). Before the dice are rolled, the Orbital Mind Control Lasers reverse the alignment of the target, making it Weird (-4 penalty). Heh, heh, heh.

A Violent group makes an attack, using the Terrorist Nuke Plot (+10 bonus). Before the dice are rolled, a rival uses the Kinder and Gentler card (and a lot of Power) to make the attacker Peaceful. It is now ineligible to use that Plot. No link was involved, though -- the plot is Exposed, but not lost.

A Straight group has received Grassroots Support, raising its Power to 6. It makes an attack. Before the dice are rolled, a rival uses the Jake Day card (and a lot of Power) to make the attackers Weird. This is a permanent alignment change, so the linked Grassroots Support card must be discarded.

A Peaceful group has been given the Nobel Peace Prize, raising its Power to 6. The Gay Activists reverse its alignment, making it temporarily Violent. Its Power returns to its original level for that turn, but the Peace Prize is not lost, and will be effective again when the group's alignment returns to normal.

A Violent group attacks a power structure which includes the Vatican. The Gay Activists strike again, turning the attacker Peaceful. Its attack is now illegal; Peaceful groups can't attack the Vatican's power structure. This cancels the attack completely.

The Cards Remember . . .

A permanent Link to a group is not lost just because the Group leaves a Power Structure. If the card goes to another player, the link goes with it (unless it's illegal there).

If the card goes back to someone's hand, or is neutralized in some way, the Link will be activated again if the group is controlled again.

In general, cards "remember" any changes in their status, until something explicitly changes them back. A Devastated group does not get Relief just by going back into its owner's hand. If a Personality has been controlled by the Vampires, it remains a Vampire forever. (But if a group is actually destroyed, it loses any special status it had, and will have only its printed values if something returns it to play.)

These things will rarely happen often enough to cause arguments, but keep notes if necessary!