Pyramid Review
Spy Card Game
Published by Kosmos/Uberplay
Designed by Reiner W. Knizia
For 2-4 players; $17
Spy is a game of espionage. Players take the role of a spymasters, dispatching their spies on secret but rather abstract missions. The winner is the first player to send off all their spies.
The play area is a row of continents and a row of hiding places. There are six continents: North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and Eurasia. The "hiding places" are bits of iconic spy gear: a camera, a timepiece, a hat, dark glasses, a lighter, and a pen. Each continent and bit of gear starts with one spy counter on it, and the remaining spies are divided evenly among the players. Every player starts with three cards and draws one additional card each turn.
The game deck consists of cards depicting one of the continents and one of the pieces of spy gear. So each card represents two possible missions, and you send spies on a mission by playing cards that depict it. For instance: You send spies on the African mission by playing several cards that have Africa on them. You send a number of spies equal to the number of matching cards you play minus the number of spies already on that mission. So if you play four Africa cards when there are already three spies on Africa, your play only lets you send one additional spy.
If you have three cards in your hand at the beginning of your turn, you have to put one of them face up in front you. You can play face up cards in the same . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 3, 2004
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