- BGG rating
- 9.0
Ultimate Scheme: Plan Number B
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #19,309
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Ultimate Scheme
2016
Rules assistance for Ultimate Scheme
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Ultimate Scheme
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ultimate Scheme is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Richard Baker and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Worker Placement.
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About the game
You're a master villain of a sinister secret society with a plan to take over the world! Send your minions around the globe to execute nefarious plots such as marketing evil soda, hijacking a nuclear submarine, building a time portal, or ruining a beloved movie property. Each turn you’ll send your minions to exotic locales such as London, Cairo, Machu Picchu, or Antarctica to gather the resources you need to carry out your plans: Finance, Occult, Science, and of course Unobtainium. Watch out for your opponents—they’re trying to pull off their own schemes. Each sinister plot you execute is but one small part of your secret Ultimate Scheme! A game turn consists of five steps: draw new schemes, move minions (perform twice), collect resources (perform twice), execute schemes, and the end step. Players perform each step in play order, so if Player 1 collects the resources in Cairo, Player 2 can't get Cairo's resources that turn. During the course of the turn, players move their minions to sites and collect the resources each site provides. Then they pay resources to execute schemes held in their hand, and earn progress points toward victory by doing so. To execute a scheme, a player must meet the scheme resource cost, and have a minion located in the scheme's site (for example, to subvert the U.N., a player must have a minion in New York). Action cards give players special advantages in moving minions, collecting resources, gaining new minions, or destroying enemy minions. The "first player" rotates each turn. Each player begins the game with a secret "Ultimate Scheme" card such as Ruin Christmas or Destroy Rock 'n' Roll. The Ultimate Scheme card dictates how many progress points the player needs to win, and what *kind* of schemes he or she needs to pull off. The game ends at the end of the turn in which the first player to complete his or her Ultimate Scheme does so. If multiple players finish their Ultimate Scheme on the same turn, various tiebreakers determine victory -- but the easiest way to win is to be the first villain to pull off your grand plan.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Sasquatch Game Studio
Questions and answers
Ultimate Scheme supports 2–4 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 Ultimate Scheme is 60–90 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 Ultimate Scheme for ages 13 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.
Ultimate Scheme has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Ultimate Scheme belongs to these categories: Humor and Spies / Secret Agents. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Worker Placement. 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 Ultimate Scheme are: Richard Baker. 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 Ultimate Scheme 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.