How to Play

Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game.”

1-5 players 60-60 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

In this hidden movement game, one player secretly controls the corrupt Mind MGMT organization, moving invisibly across a city to recruit psychic agents at specific locations. Other players are rogue agents tracking Mind MGMT through deductive questioning and note-taking. Mind MGMT wins by gathering twelve recruits or surviving sixteen turns; rogues win by successfully locating and capturing the recruiter.

Published 2021

Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game.”

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Select the Recruiter

One player volunteers or is randomly selected to play as the MIND MGMT Recruiter; all other players are Rogue Agents

Place the game board

Position face-up on the table with the Recruiter's side closest to the Recruiter player

Place Mayhem tokens (Full Game)

Add 5 Mayhem tokens between any 2 locations; no token may touch another token; Recruiter places first, then clockwise until all placed

Position Time Token

Place next to "01:00-05:00" on the Time Track

Arrange Action cards

Place Rogue Agent Action cards under appropriate labels on their side; do same for Recruiter Action cards

Prepare supply tokens

Place Mental Note tokens, STEP tokens, and Recruit tokens off to the side

Cover time spaces (Training Mission)

Use 1 Recruit token to cover "15:00" and "16:00" spaces on Time Track

Confirm Recruit supply

Training Mission uses 9 Recruits; Full Game uses 12 Recruits

Take hidden components

Recruiter takes Secret Map, Mental Screen, and 1 dry-erase marker; place Secret Map behind screen matching board orientation

Mark Mayhem locations

Before choosing starting location, mark all Mayhem token positions on Secret Map

Take MIND SLIP token

Place 1 MIND SLIP token in front of Mental Screen visible to Rogue Agents

Select Recruiter card

Choose or randomly draw 1 Recruiter card, secretly view it, place behind screen; return unselected card to box

Choose starting location

Write "1" on any location on Secret Map (avoid outside edges)

Reveal starting location (Training Mission)

Place Confirmed (green) Mental Note with "1" on matching board location

Hide starting location (Full Game)

Do not reveal starting location to Rogue Agents

Draw Feature cards

Shuffle Feature deck, draw 3 cards, place face-up behind screen; circle every matching Feature on Secret Map

Perform initial STEPs

Take 4 STEP actions, marking locations as "2," "3," "4," and "5" on Secret Map; cannot revisit locations or pass through Mayhem

Collect starting Recruits

Count circled Features on locations 1-5; place that many Recruit tokens next to "01:00-05:00" space

Place Immortals (Full Game)

Place 4 Immortal figures on different locations, not on outside edges

Take shared marker

Rogue Agents share 1 dry-erase marker

Distribute Agent cards

2-player: 1 agent controls all 4; 3-player: each controls 2; 4-player: each controls 1, 4th shared; 5-player: each controls 1

Orient Agent cards

Training Mission: ability side down; Full Game: ability side face-up

Place Agent figures

Position matching figures in any locations on outside edge of game board

Display Potential Recruiter cards

Place both under POTENTIAL label so Agents know possible Recruiter abilities

Place Ally card

Place available Ally cards face-up under ALLIES label

Position 2nd MIND SLIP (Full Game)

Choose location orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to a Temple; place Recruiter's 2nd MIND SLIP token there

Recruiter draws Immortal cards (Full Game)

Draw 2 additional Feature cards, place face-up under IMMORTAL RECRUITING label

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Follow turn order

1st: Recruiter takes action and advances Time; 2nd: Rogue Agents activate 2 Agents; 3rd: Recruiter takes action, advances Time, resolves Alert; 4th: Rogue Agents activate remaining 2 Agents; 5th: Stand all Agent figures and begin next round

Take 1 action

Perform either STEP or MIND SLIP action

Advance Time Token

Move token one space forward on Time Track

Take 1 action

Perform either STEP or MIND SLIP action

Move 1 Immortal

Move any Immortal orthogonally or diagonally to adjacent location

Optional extra Immortal move

Place 1 STEP token on previously visited location to move an Immortal again

Draw Immortal Feature cards

Refill to 2 Feature cards under IMMORTAL RECRUITING

Advance Time Token

Move token forward; on Alert icons, reveal Recruit count for round

STEP action

Move to orthogonally adjacent location on Secret Map; write next number; cannot revisit locations or move through Mayhem

MIND SLIP action

Discard MIND SLIP token to use special movement on Recruiter card; jump over intervening locations; place token on Time Track to show when used

Contact Recruits

When visiting location with circled Feature matching your 3 cards, automatically contact 1 Recruit per matching Feature

Block Agent actions

Immortal presence prevents Agents from using ASK, REVEAL, or CAPTURE at that location

Move Immortals

Move orthogonally or diagonally adjacent; may move to Agent locations; cannot move through Mayhem or to other Immortal locations

Immortal Recruiting

When 2 Immortals occupy different locations with same Feature shown on IMMORTAL RECRUITING cards, immediately reveal and place 1 Recruit; discard that Feature card

Activate 2 Agents per turn

Choose any 2 Agents not yet activated this round

Move up to 2 spaces

Each move must be orthogonally adjacent; may change direction; cannot move through Mayhem (Full Game)

Take 1 action

Choose from ASK, REVEAL, CAPTURE, or SHAKEDOWN (Full Game)

Use free action ability (Full Game)

If Agent has free action, use before or after move/action

Use Ally card (Full Game)

Optionally discard Ally card for its one-time effect

Knock figure over

After activation, tip Agent figure to show they cannot act again this round

ASK action

Choose Feature at your location; ask if Recruiter visited any location with that Feature; Recruiter must place STEP token on one such location if possible

REVEAL action

At location with STEP token, discard token to learn exact Time Recruiter visited; Recruiter places Confirmed Mental Note with Time number

CAPTURE action

Attempt to capture Recruiter at your location; if Recruiter is there, it's a HIT and Agents win; otherwise it's a MISS

SHAKEDOWN action (Full Game)

At Immortal location, guess any Feature to check against Recruiter's 3 cards; if correct, Recruiter reveals that card and cannot use it for future Recruits; may push Immortal 1 space orthogonally

Place Unconfirmed Notes

Rogue Agents may place, move, or remove white-side Mental Notes anywhere to track suspicions

Place Confirmed Notes

Recruiter places green-side Mental Notes when revealing exact Times through REVEAL action; cannot be changed or removed

Winning

How to claim victory.

Contact required Recruits (Training Mission)

Reveal 9th Recruit token to win immediately

Contact required Recruits (Full Game)

Reveal 12th Recruit token to win immediately

Run out the clock (Training Mission)

If Time Token reaches 14:00 without capture, Recruiter wins

Run out the clock (Full Game)

If Time Token reaches 16:00 without capture, Recruiter wins

Note on timing

Rogue Agents do not get a turn after Time Token reaches final space

Capture the Recruiter

Successfully perform CAPTURE action while in same location as Recruiter; Recruiter declares HIT and Agents win immediately

Box in the Recruiter

If Recruiter becomes completely surrounded by visited locations with no legal moves, Rogue Agents win immediately

Open SHIFT package

Losing side opens their next numbered SHIFT package (1-7) for new abilities

Choose Modules

Before next game, losing side chooses any number of their opened Modules; winning side chooses fewer based on win streak (1 fewer for 1 win, 2 fewer for 2 wins, 3 fewer for 3+ wins)

Track campaigns

Record wins/losses on rulebook back page for multiple game groups