A board game where having the highest card wins - most of the time.

1. Matthew
Burkett
0004665928
Game
Design
1
November
6th
2015
Privacy
TRADE
SECRETS
A
GAME
OF
INTRIGUE.
Gain
points
by
infiltrating
your
opponents
with
your
mole
and
stealing
their
information
in
a
board
game
where
having
the
highest
card
wins…
most
of
the
time.

2. TRADE
SECRETS:
SUMMARY
PHASE
1:
SETUP
Items:
• 2-­‐4
players.
• 2
decks
of
standard
playing
cards
with
the
jokers
removed.
• A
large
custom
game
board.
• 4
small
custom
player
boards.
Players:
Player
identification:
• Each
suit
in
a
standard
deck
of
cards
represents
1
player
in
the
game
(spades,
hearts,
clubs
and
diamonds).
• Player
suits
are
determined
by
all
players
drawing
a
card
from
the
top
of
a
standard
deck
of
shuffled
playing
cards
with
the
jokers
removed
in
whatever
order
they
choose.
o The
player
with
the
highest
card
is
1st
to
pick
their
suit.
§ If
2
or
more
players
draw
a
card
of
the
same
value,
those
players
draw
again
for
a
tie-­‐breaker
in
whatever
order
they
choose
where
highest
card
wins.
§ Repeat
until
the
tie
is
broken.
§ When
picking
a
suit,
the
player
receives
the
corresponding
player
board.
o If
2
or
more
players
draw
a
card
of
the
same
value,
those
players
draw
again
for
a
tie-­‐
breaker
in
whatever
order
they
choose
where
highest
card
wins.
§ Repeat
until
the
tie
is
broken.
o Repeat
until
all
players
have
a
suit.
Player
order:
• Player
order
is
determined
by
player
suit.
The
order
of
players
as
determined
by
their
suits
is
as
follows:
o Spades
=
1st
player
o Hearts
=
2nd
player
o Clubs
=
3rd
player
o Diamonds
=
4th
player
Cards:
Decks:
• The
two
standard
decks
of
cards
with
their
jokers
removed
represent
two
different
game
decks:
battle
cards
and
information
cards.

3. Battle
cards:
• Battle
cards
are
shuffled
as
is
and
dealt
evenly
amongst
players.
Information
cards:
• If
there
is
no
player
present
to
represent
a
suit
on
the
game
board,
the
corresponding
information
cards
for
that
suit
are
removed
from
the
deck
and
set
aside
from
the
game.
• The
remaining
aces
from
the
information
card
deck
are
removed
and
set
aside
from
the
game.
• The
remaining
face
cards
from
the
information
card
deck
(kings,
queens
and
jacks)
are
removed,
shuffled,
and
dealt
evenly
amongst
players.
o Players
place
these
cards
face
down
in
their
designated
‘secret’
information
space
on
their
player
board.
• The
remaining
information
cards
that
have
not
been
removed
or
dealt
to
players
are
placed
face
up
on
the
game
board
in
their
corresponding
space.
Boards:
Game
board:
• This
game
requires
a
large
custom
game
board
charting
the
four
suits
of
a
standard
deck
of
playing
cards
and
their
corresponding
values
in
descending
order
excluding
all
aces
and
starting
with
kings
such
as
follows:
Spades
Hearts
Clubs
Diamonds
King
King
King
King
Queen
Queen
Queen
Queen
Jack
Jack
Jack
Jack
10
10
10
10
9
9
9
9
8
8
8
8
7
7
7
7
6
6
6
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2

4.
Player
boards:
• This
game
requires
4
small
player
game
boards,
1
for
each
suit
(spades,
hearts,
clubs
and
diamonds)
such
as
follows:
Player
suit
Play
Battle
Card
‘Secret’
information
Card
Battle
Card
Discard
(Note:
the
game
does
not
actually
require
custom
game
boards.
Cards
may
simply
be
placed
on
a
flat
surface
in
a
similar
fashion.
I
found
that
while
testing
my
first
prototypes,
the
boards
helped
to
enhance
player
understanding
of
the
game.
Hopefully
the
diagrams
of
the
board
will
allow
you
to
replicate
the
game
without
having
to
make
the
boards
for
the
sake
of
expediency.)

5. PHASE
2:
GAMEPLAY
Earning
points:
• Players
gain
points
by
gathering
their
opponent’s
information
cards
either
from
the
game
board
or
from
their
opponent’s
‘secret’
information
cards.
o When
a
player
gains
an
opponent’s
information
card
from
the
board,
or
from
an
opponent’s
‘secret’
information
card
pile,
that
player
places
that
information
card
face
down
in
their
designated
‘secret’
information
card
space
on
their
player
board.
o Players
may
not
ask
their
opponent’s
what
‘secret’
information
cards
they
have
unless
it
is
their
turn
and
they
are
attempting
to
steal
that
information
card
from
that
player.
o Players
may
reference
their
own
‘secret’
information
cards
at
any
time.
Player
actions:
• When
it
is
their
turn,
a
player
may
steal
one
of
their
opponent’s
information
cards,
or
they
may
retrieve
one
of
their
own
information
cards
from
an
opponent
and
place
it
back
on
the
board.
o If
a
player
is
attempting
to
steal
an
information
card
and
that
card
is
not
on
the
board,
that
player
must
guess
which
player
has
it.
§ If
the
player
guesses
right,
then
all
players
compete
for
that
card.
§ If
the
player
guesses
wrong,
that
player’s
turn
ends
and
it
is
the
next
player’s
turn.
§ A
player
may
only
steal
once
per
turn.
o If
a
player
is
attempting
a
retrieval,
that
player
does
not
have
to
guess
who
has
the
information
card
in
question.
§ If
a
player
succeeds
at
a
retrieval,
that
player
may
perform
another
retrieval
or
decide
to
steal
another
player’s
information
card.
§ A
player
may
only
have
3
retrievals
in
one
turn.
Playing
with
the
battle
cards:
• Players
use
their
battle
cards
to
steal
information
cards.
o Players
take
turns
laying
down
their
battle
cards
in
order
starting
with
the
player
whose
turn
it
is
and
moving
clockwise
around
the
board.
§ All
players
must
place
a
battle
card
when
battling.
§ Players
place
their
battle
cards
face
up
in
their
designated
‘battle
card’
space.
§ The
player
with
the
highest
card
wins
the
information
card
in
question.
§ Aces
are
high.
o If
a
player
uses
a
battle
card
that
matches
the
information
card
being
stolen,
that
player
wins
no
matter
what
battle
cards
have
been
or
will
be
played,
including
aces.
o After
each
battle,
all
of
the
battle
cards
are
collected
by
the
victor
and
placed
face
down
in
that
player’s
designated
‘Discard’
spot.
o If
two
or
more
players
lay
down
a
card
of
the
same
value
and
a
player
has
not
matched
a
battle
card
to
an
information
card
to
win,
then
those
players
are
locked
in
a
draw
and
must
perform
a
tie-­‐breaker.
o In
a
tie
breaker,
players
must
lay
down
cards
according
to
player
order.
If
a
player
runs
out
of
battle
cards
during
a
tie-­‐breaker,
that
player
loses.
Highest
card
wins.

6. PHASE
3:
END
GAME
PROCEDURES
Player
loses
all
information
cards
from
the
board:
• When
any
player
runs
out
of
information
cards
on
the
board,
the
game
stops
and
all
points
are
tallied
to
determine
the
winner.
o If
a
player
fails
to
keep
information
cards
on
the
board,
that
player
gains
-­‐10
(negative)
points
to
their
final
score.
Player
runs
out
of
battle
cards:
• When
any
player
runs
out
of
battle
cards
and
the
game
has
not
yet
stopped,
that
round
is
finished.
o At
the
end
of
each
round
all
players
remove
the
aces
from
their
hand
and
their
battle
card
discard
pile.
o If
it
is
not
the
end
of
the
4th
round,
after
the
aces
are
removed,
the
remaining
cards
from
all
players
are
combined,
shuffled
together
and
re-­‐dealt
evenly
amongst
the
players
and
the
next
round
begins.
o There
are
only
4
rounds
in
a
game.
§ After
the
4th
round,
all
points
are
tallied
to
determine
the
winner.
Tallying
points
at
the
end
of
the
game:
• Any
ace
from
an
opponent’s
suit
that
a
player
has
in
their
battle
card
hand
or
their
battle
card
discard
pile
at
the
end
of
the
game
is
called
a
‘mole’
and
is
worth
-­‐5
points.
o If
a
player
has
their
own
ace/’mole’,
it
is
worth
0
points.
• Each
information
card
that
a
player
has
of
their
opponent’s
is
worth
+1
point.
• The
player
with
the
highest
score
wins.
• In
the
event
of
a
draw,
players
play
the
highest
card
in
their
‘secret’
information
card
pile
belonging
to
their
opponent’s
suit
to
determine
victory.
o The
player
with
the
highest
card
wins.
o In
the
event
of
a
draw
if
a
player
does
not
have
a
card
belonging
to
their
opponent’s
suit
in
their
‘secret’
information
card
pile
to
play,
that
player
loses.

7. TRADE
SECRETS:
GRATIS
OUTLINE
GOAL
• The
goal
of
Trade
Secrets
is
to
collect
as
many
points
from
your
opponents
as
possible
by
stealing
their
information
cards
while
avoiding
their
aces
or
running
out
of
your
own
information
cards
on
the
board
before
the
game
ends.
RULES:
• There
are
4
rounds
to
a
game.
• Each
round
is
started
by
the
first
player.
o Players
determine
player
order
by
picking
suits
from
a
standard
deck
of
cards.
§ Spades
=
1st
§ Hearts
=
2nd
§ Clubs
=
3rd
§ Diamonds
=
4th
o Players
draw
cards
from
the
top
of
a
shuffled
deck
of
standard
playing
cards
placed
face
down.
o The
player
with
the
highest
card
may
pick
a
suit.
o If
two
or
more
player
draw
a
card
of
the
same
value,
those
players
are
in
a
draw.
§ The
players
locked
in
a
draw
perform
a
tie-­‐breaker.
§ The
players
locked
in
a
draw
pull
another
card
from
the
top
of
the
deck.
§ The
player
with
the
highest
card
wins.
§ Players
repeat
this
process
until
the
tie
is
broken.
o Players
repeat
this
process
until
all
players
have
a
suit.
• During
a
player’s
turn,
that
player
may
choose
to
steal
one
of
their
opponent’s
information
cards
to
gain
points
or
to
retrieve
their
own
information
cards.
o A
player
may
only
steal
1
information
card
during
their
turn.
§ If
the
information
card
is
on
the
board,
all
players
battle
for
that
card.
§ If
the
card
is
not
on
the
board,
that
player
must
guess
which
player
has
it.
• If
the
player
guesses
wrong,
their
turn
ends.
• If
the
player
guesses
correctly,
all
players
battle
for
that
card.
o A
player
may
choose
to
retrieve
one
of
their
own
information
cards
from
an
opponent
and
place
it
back
on
the
board
in
that
card’s
designated
space.
§ The
player
does
not
have
to
know
who
has
their
information
and
all
players
battle
for
that
card.
§ If
a
player
succeeds
at
a
retrieval
and
that
player
has
not
yet
performed
3
retrievals,
that
player
may
choose
to
make
another
retrieval
or
to
steal
an
information
card
from
an
opponent.
§ A
player
may
only
perform
up
to
3
retrievals
in
1
turn.
• Players
battle
using
their
battle
cards.
o In
a
battle,
the
player
with
the
highest
card
wins
and
aces
are
high.

8. o If
two
or
more
players
lay
down
cards
of
the
same
value,
those
players
are
locked
in
a
draw.
§ The
players
locked
in
a
draw
play
another
battle
card
to
break
the
tie.
§ In
a
tie-­‐break,
the
highest
card
wins.
§ Players
repeat
this
process
until
the
tie
is
broken.
o In
a
battle,
if
a
player
places
a
battle
card
that
matches
the
information
card
being
stolen,
that
player
wins
no
matter
what
card
has
been
or
will
be
placed.
o The
winner
of
each
battle
collects
the
information
card
being
stolen
and
every
battle
card
played
by
all
players.
§ The
winner
places
all
collected
battle
cards
face
down
in
their
battle
card
discard
space.
§ If
the
information
card
belongs
to
that
player,
that
player
places
it
face
up
on
the
board
in
its
space.
§ If
the
information
card
does
not
belong
to
that
player,
the
player
places
it
face
down
in
their
‘secret’
information
card
space.
• At
the
end
of
each
battle,
players
check
to
see
if
they
have
any
information
cards
remaining
on
the
board,
or
if
they
have
any
battle
cards
remaining
in
their
hand.
o If
a
player
no
longer
has
any
information
cards
on
the
game
board,
the
game
ends
and
player
points
are
tallied.
o If
a
player
no
longer
has
any
battle
cards
in
their
hand,
the
round
has
ended
and
all
players
remove
the
aces
from
their
battle
card
discard
pile
and
their
battle
card
hands
and
place
them
face
down,
keeping
them
secret.
§ The
remaining
cards
for
all
players
are
shuffled
and
re-­‐dealt
even
amongst
players.
§ Players
add
their
aces
back
to
their
battle
card
hands.
§ If
it
is
not
the
end
of
the
4th
round,
the
1st
player
starts
the
next
round.
§ If
it
is
the
end
of
the
4th
round,
the
game
ends
and
player
points
are
tallied.
• At
the
end
of
the
game,
player’s
points
are
tallied
to
determine
a
winner.
o Each
information
card
that
a
player
has
in
their
‘secret’
information
card
pile
is
worth
1
point
each.
o If
a
player
has
an
opponent’s
ace
in
their
battle
card
hand
or
discard
pile,
those
aces
are
worth
-­‐5
points
each.
o If
a
player
has
their
own
ace,
it
is
worth
0
points.
o If
a
player
ended
the
game
by
running
out
of
information
cards
on
the
game
board,
that
player
gains
-­‐10
points.
o The
player
with
the
highest
score
wins.
ACTIONS:
• Choose
–
a
player
may
choose
steal
another
player’s
card
or
retrieve
one
of
their
own
cards
when
it
is
their
turn.
• Guess
–
when
a
player
does
not
know
what
player
has
the
card
they
are
stealing,
that
player
must
guess
which
opponent
has
that
card.
• Plan
–
players
must
plan
what
actions
they
will
use
and
what
cards
they
will
take
when
it
is
their
turn.

9. • Count
–
players
must
keep
track
of
how
many
rounds
they
have
played
–
up
to
4
rounds.
• Remember
–
players
must
try
and
remember
what
players
have
aces
in
their
battle
cards,
and
which
information
cards
their
opponent’s
posses.
• Take
–
players
take
their
opponent’s
information
cards
and
battle
cards
when
they
win
a
battle.
• Give
–
players
give
lost
secret
information
cards
and
lost
battle
cards
to
opponents.
• Add
–
players
add
points
for
each
‘secret’
information
card
they
have
in
their
pile.
• Subtract
–
players
subtract
points
for
each
of
their
opponent’s
aces
they
have
in
the
hand
or
their
discard
pile.
• Compare
–
players
compare
their
final
scores
to
determine
a
winner.
• Anticipate
–
players
must
anticipate
what
cards
other
players
are
going
to
place
after
them,
or
if
their
opponents
have
aces
in
their
battle
card
hands
when
matching
a
battle
card
to
an
information
card
to
win
a
battle.
TRANSITIONS:
• After
the
game
is
set
up,
players
may
determine
player
order
by
picking
suits.
• Once
players
finish
picking
suits,
the
player
order
is
determined
and
the
first
player
may
start
a
round.
• Once
a
round
has
started,
players
may
battle
for
information
cards
using
their
battle
cards
in
order
to
gain
points.
• If
a
player
runs
out
of
information
cards
on
the
board,
the
game
ends
and
player
points
are
tallied
to
determine
a
winner.
• If
a
player
runs
out
of
battle
cards
in
their
hand
after
a
battle,
the
round
ends
and
the
next
round
is
started.
• If
it
is
the
end
of
the
4th
round,
the
game
ends
and
the
player
points
are
tallied
to
determine
a
winner.
ITEMS:
• This
game
requires
at
least
2
players.
• This
game
requires
2
decks
of
standard
playing
cards.
• This
game
requires
a
large
custom
game
board.
• This
game
requires
4
small
custom
game
boards.
• This
game
requires
a
clutter-­‐free,
flat
surface
large
enough
to
play
on.
SETUP:
• The
game
requires
2-­‐4
players.
• Players
require
2
decks
of
cards.
• Players
require
a
large
custom
game
board.
• Players
require
4
small
custom
game
boards.
• Players
will
need
to
clear
a
flat
surface
in
a
medium
play
area
large
enough
set
up
the
game
boards.
• Players
will
need
to
shuffle,
deal
and
place
cards
on
the
boards.

10. • Players
will
need
to
remove
cards
from
the
two
decks
of
cards.
• Players
will
need
to
choose
suits
by
drawing
cards
from
a
deck
of
cards
to
determine
player
order
and
start
a
round
of
the
game.
TRADE
SECRETS:
MEANINGFUL
ACTION
ANALYSIS
GAME
PLAY
ACTIONS:
• Choose
(VOL)
–
a
player
may
choose
steal
another
player’s
card
or
retrieve
one
of
their
own
cards
when
it
is
their
turn.
The
player
must
decide
if
it
is
more
important
to
retrieve
a
card
or
to
attempt
to
steal
and
gain
a
point.
The
player
must
also
decide
what
card
they
want
to
steal
or
retrieve.
A
player’s
who
plans
their
choices
and
anticipates
the
outcomes
to
those
choices
increases
their
chances
to
win.
This
has
the
potential
to
be
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Guess
(INV)
–
when
a
player
does
not
know
what
player
has
the
card
they
are
stealing,
that
player
must
guess
which
opponent
has
that
card.
If
a
player
does
not
keep
track
of
‘secret’
cards,
that
player
is
more
likely
to
be
wrong
when
guessing
which
player
is
holding
the
card
they
want.
This
has
the
potential
to
be
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Plan
(VOL)
–
players
must
plan
what
actions
they
will
use
and
what
cards
they
will
take
when
it
is
their
turn.
This
game
may
still
be
played
simply
by
following
the
rules,
but
it
will
likely
result
in
player
loss
if
they
do
not
plan
how
their
actions
are
going
to
assist
them
in
winning.
This
is
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Count
–
players
must
keep
track
of
how
many
rounds
they
have
played
–
up
to
4
rounds.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Remember
–
players
must
try
and
remember
what
players
have
aces
in
their
battle
cards,
and
which
‘secret’
information
cards
their
opponent’s
posses.
A
player’s
memory
will
affect
that
player’s
chances
of
winning
greatly
and
reduce
the
difficulty
of
the
game
for
that
player.
This
is
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Take
–
players
take
their
opponent’s
information
cards
and
battle
cards
when
they
win
a
battle.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Give
–
players
give
lost
secret
information
cards
and
lost
battle
cards
to
opponents.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Add
–
players
add
points
for
each
‘secret’
information
card
they
have
in
their
pile.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Subtract
–
players
subtract
points
for
each
of
their
opponent’s
aces
they
have
in
the
hand
or
their
discard
pile.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Compare
–
players
compare
their
final
scores
to
determine
a
winner.
This
action
is
required
by
the
game
and
is
not
a
meaningful
choice
action.
• Anticipate
–
players
must
anticipate
what
cards
other
players
are
going
to
place
after
them,
or
if
their
opponents
have
aces
in
their
battle
card
hands
when
matching
a
battle
card
to
an
information
card
to
win
a
battle.
Player’s
that
anticipate
what
their
opponent’s
could
do
to
win
a
card
battle
based
off
of
what
cards
have
already
been
played
and
what
cards
are
not
in
their
hand
are
more
likely
to
win
battles.
This
is
a
meaningful
choice
action.

11. TRADE
SECRETS:
FLOW
CHART
PHASE
1:
SETUP

12. PHASE
2:
START
ROUND

13. PHASE
3:
END
ROUND