Top Secret (1985)

About this game

Players distribute "bags" that hold secrets and bombs across an abstract representation of the world (there really is nothing remotely resembling a map, but placenames are present connected by a series of paths). Players must move their agents about the board (die rolls determine the number of spaces) collecting these bags (briefcases) and returning them to their home-headquarters (corner spaces). The object is to bring 10 secrets back to your headquarters and at least one of the first three bags you bring back must belong to an enemy. Bombs force you to remove 1/2 of the number of agent pawns you have on the board, thus reducing your chances of recovering secrets. Was rethemed and slightly altered later by the author as Spion & Spion and In Teufels Küche.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 1.5/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 10 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.