Overview

Android is a thematic board game of noir investigation set in a futuristic city. Players are detectives investigating a murder while managing their personal lives, pursuing conspiracy leads, and navigating the dark side of a cyberpunk world. Each detective has their own storyline, personal demons, and goals. Players score points for advancing the murder case, uncovering conspiracies, achieving personal goals, and resolving their character’s storyline. The player with the most victory points after the investigation period wins.

Components

• 1 Game board (New Angeles and surrounding areas)
• 5 Detective character sheets with unique storylines
• Murder case sheet and suspect cards
• Evidence tokens (light and dark)
• Conspiracy puzzle pieces
• Plot cards (light and dark) for each detective
• Event cards
• Favor tokens
• Time track
• Various tokens and markers

Setup

1. Place game board centrally.
2. Each player selects a detective and takes their character sheet, starting tokens, and plot decks.
3. Set up the murder case: choose a victim, determine suspects.
4. Place evidence tokens in a pool.
5. Prepare conspiracy board.
6. Deal starting plot cards.

Turn Structure

The game plays over a fixed number of days (turns). Each day:

1. Move: Travel to a location on the board.
2. Investigate: At your location, take actions related to the murder investigation, conspiracy, or personal goals.
3. Resolve Plot Cards: Play light (helpful) or dark (harmful) plot cards on yourself or other detectives.
4. Advance Time: Move the time tracker forward.

Actions

Investigation

• Follow leads at locations to gather evidence.
• Place evidence tokens (light = incriminating, dark = exonerating) on suspects.
• The suspect with the most incriminating evidence is found guilty at game end.

Conspiracy

• Collect conspiracy puzzle pieces at various locations.
• Complete sections of the conspiracy board for VP.

Personal Storyline

• Each detective has unique light and dark plot card decks.
• Light cards advance positive story outcomes; dark cards create complications.
• Players play dark cards on opponents to hinder them.
• Resolving your personal storyline positively grants VP; negative outcomes lose VP.

Favors

• Gain favors from NPCs at various locations.
• Favors provide one-time bonuses or ongoing benefits.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

At game end, players score VP from multiple sources:

• Murder Case: Points based on whether the guilty suspect matches your preferred suspect.
• Conspiracy: Points for conspiracy puzzle pieces collected.
• Personal Storyline: Points based on storyline resolution (positive or negative outcomes).
• Evidence Placed: Bonus points for evidence tokens placed during investigation.

The player with the most VP wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Each detective has a unique special ability and starting location.
• Dark plot cards can devastate other players’ storylines – politics and negotiation matter.
• The murder case verdict is determined by evidence: the suspect with the most light evidence is guilty.
• Players can attempt to frame or exonerate suspects based on their personal goals.
• Time is a limited resource – choosing where to spend your actions is crucial.

Player Reference

Daily Turn: Move → Take actions (investigate/conspiracy/personal) → Play plot cards → Advance time

VP Sources: Murder case + Conspiracy puzzle + Personal storyline + Evidence bonuses

Detectives: Each has unique abilities, starting positions, and storyline decks.