- BGG rank
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- BGG rating
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Thin Ice
- 2–8 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 1997
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- BGG rating
- 5.1
Covert Action
2007
Rules assistance for Covert Action
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–14 players
- 20 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.3/5
Rules assistant for Covert Action
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Covert Action is a board game released in 2007 for 4–14 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Jacob Davenport and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Team-Based Game.
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About the game
From Boardgamenews.com's Eric Martin: Covert Action, which handles 4-18 players, is aimed squarely at the Werewolf crowd. Players are part of a covert team (red, blue, green) that must eliminate one member of an opposing team, but your target is a mystery. At the start of the round, players are randomly dealt a card that depicts one of four characters: sniper, agent, cleaner, mole. The sniper of one team must shoot the sniper of another team to win that round. Problem is, you have to figure out who to shoot without being shot yourself. As for the other characters, the mole is secretly working for one of the other teams, the agent makes the other team lose if he is shot, and the cleaner must make the shot if the sniper isn’t a part of the team. (Two cards are randomly thrown out each round, so a team’s sniper might be out of play. The cleaner needs to figure this out by talking with his teammates, but since all discussion is open, they still need to be covert in their talk.) Members of the winning team (or teams, when three teams are in play) receive a score card, and the first player (or players) to receive four cards wins the game. Teams are randomly determined each round, so your back-up man one round may be your target the next. Covert Action sounds utterly simple, yet is difficult to describe succinctly. I look forward to seeing how Frank makes everything clear in the rules.
Designers
Publishers
- R&R Games
Questions and answers
Covert Action supports 4–14 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Covert Action is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Covert Action for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Covert Action has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Covert Action belongs to these categories: Card Game, Party Game, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Team-Based Game. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Covert Action are: Jacob Davenport. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Covert Action as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.