Secrets

Secrets is the second co-design between Eric Lang and Bruno Faidutti (after HMS Dolores).

Players are assigned a hidden team, the CIA and KGB, trying to collect the most points for their side. In addition, one or two players are secretly anti-establishment Hippies who are working for nobody. Their goal is to fight the Man and have the fewest points.

On your turn, offer one of two possible agent cards to another player. These cards are worth points and have varying good or bad abilities. That player either accepts the agent, in which case they score it. Or they refuse, in which case the card returns to you, and you score it.

Game ends when a player has 5 cards. When the teams are revealed, the highest combined score wins, unless a Hippie has the single lowest score (they win).

The interactions between the character cards are the spice of the game. But since the abilities are discoverable, it’s a 3 minute teach.