How to Play Queen of Spies

Objective of the Game

Queen of Spies is a solo game set in occupied Belgium during World War I. You play as Alice, a journalist turned resistance leader, managing a covert network of spies in the town of Saint-François de Sales. Your goal is to earn the highest score possible across three dynamic chapters of a story by recruiting Operatives, deciphering secret messages, thwarting enemy plans, and completing risky assignments.

You lose the game immediately if: Alice is lost to despair or death while in Jail; you end a chapter or story with Alice in Jail; you run out of Despair Markers due to excessive interrogations; or you need to add an Alert Token or Troop Token to the Success Bag when none are available.

Setup

1. Town Setup: Arrange the nine basic Location Cards in a 3x3 grid. Place specific Item Cards (like the Bomb or Disguise) next to their corresponding Country House training locations.
2. Success Bag: Place all starting tokens into the Success Bag.
3. Operative Setup: Set Alice aside. Separate remaining Operative Cards by cell, shuffle them, and draw one from each of the four decks to form your starting hand.
4. Markers and Supplies: Place Alert Tokens, Troop Tokens, and Progress Markers in a reachable supply. Place Interrogation and Despair Markers near the Jail.
5. Time Markers: Create a pool of Time Markers based on the specific chapter requirements (e.g., 20, 25, or 30 markers).
6. Story-Specific Setup: Consult the specific story section (e.g., "Introduction," "News on the Wing") to add unique locations, items, or tokens required for that scenario.

Flow of Play

The game is played over a series of rounds until the chapter ends (typically when you run out of Time Markers). Each round consists of four phases:

1. Assign Operatives: Send Operatives to available Locations to perform tasks. If you do not use an Operative, you must discard one Time Marker. Add the required Time Markers to the chosen Location Cards.
2. Remove Time: Remove one Time Marker from each Location and place it in the discard pile.
3. Resolve Assignments: Perform success checks for Operatives at locations where the final Time Marker has been removed.
4. Resolve Interrogation: Perform an Interrogation Check for each Operative currently in Jail.

Actions and How to Play

Assigning Operatives: You may only send Operatives to Locations that are not currently occupied by other Operatives. If you assign Operatives from different cells to the same task, add one Alert Token to the Success Bag (unless Alice is present to coordinate).

Success Checks: When resolving an assignment, draw tokens from the Success Bag. Untrained Operatives draw 2 tokens; Trained Operatives draw 0–3 tokens. Progress Markers are placed on the location based on the icons drawn. If you accumulate enough Progress Markers, the assignment is complete.

Skills: Operatives possess skills (Manipulation, Tech, Insight) required for specific tasks. Stealth is a special skill that allows you to cancel one Alert Token during an Alert Check.

Items: To build an Item, you must first complete the training task at the Country House. Once learned, you can build the Item at the Workshop by assigning Operatives and spending the required Time Markers.

Going to Jail: If you draw a Troop Token during a check, the Operative is sent to Jail, and all Progress on that assignment is lost.

End of Game and Scoring

A chapter ends when you run out of Time Markers or choose to end it after the Interrogation phase. To reset for the next chapter, clear Progress Markers, reset the Success Bag (removing Alert and Troop Tokens), and recall Operatives to your hand.

Scoring: Scoring criteria are specific to each story. For example, in "News on the Wing," you score based on the number of pigeons successfully sent to specific locations. In "Rescue the Prisoners of War," you score based on the number of POWs who successfully escape. After the final chapter, compare your total points against the story's result table to determine your level of success (e.g., Loss, Draw, Minor Victory, Victory, or Epic Victory).

Dicas para Vencer

• Coordinate with Alice: Use Alice to coordinate assignments at locations where you need to send Operatives from different cells. This prevents the addition of Alert Tokens to the Success Bag.
• Manage Trained Operatives: Remember that Trained Operatives can choose to draw 0 tokens. This is a powerful way to avoid drawing Troop Tokens or Alert Tokens when you have already made sufficient Progress or want to play it safe.
• Prioritize Stealth: Since Stealth cannot be trained, prioritize using Operatives who already possess this skill when tackling high-risk assignments that are likely to generate Alert Tokens.