(recreated from the original 1997 USPC website FAQ's)
1. Who is manufacturing the game?
A. United States Playing Cards of Cincinnati Ohio, will manufacture and distribute the game worldwide. USPC has been manufacturing playing cards since 1880. Bee, Bicycle and Aviator are all brands of playing cards that USPC manufactures. Based on a March 1996 TRUST Report, USPC is the number one playing card company in the world selling cards in over 70 different countries.
2. How many cards are in the set and how will the cards be sold?
A. There are 354 cards in the set including promotional cards. They will be available in 60 card starter decks and 15 card booster packs. The suggested retail price is 9.50 for Starters and 2.99 for Boosters.
3. What are the rarities of the cards?
A. There will be common, uncommon, rare and ultra-rare cards in the card set. The rarity breakdown for a 60-card Starter Set are as follows: 25 Common, 12 Uncommon, 3 Rare, and 20 Fixed cards. The rarities for a 15-card Booster Pack are as follows: 9 Common, 4 Uncommon, 2 Rare (Note: in every 1 in 18 Booster, instead of 2 Rares, there will be 1 Rare and 1 Ultra Rare)
4. I heard that you have created promotional cards for this card set. Can you tell me how these cards will (be) distributed?
A. Currently, there are 4 promotional cards that will be distributed mostly through game magazines. These cards, created exclusively for the following parties, will be included in upcoming issues of SCRYE, DUELIST, GAMER, and INQUEST magazines, as well as AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT, an online game retailer. Additionally, we have created a promotional card that was only available to people who attended this year's GENCON. All of these cards can be used to play the X-IFILES CCG and have very powerful game effects. To find out which magazine issues these promotional cards will be inserted in and to see a scanned image of the GENCON "No One So Paranoid" Promotional card, jump on over to the X-FILES CCG Promotional Card Page.
5. What are the rarities of the Fox Mulder and Dana Scully cards?
A. There are both common and ultra-rare versions of the Fox and Dana cards. The common versions will allow you to collect them easily. After all, we figure that a game without Fox and Dana just wouldn't be The X-Files. For the collector, there are ultra-rare versions. This will enhance the collectability of your X-Files cards.
6. How can I tell if I have a Common or an Ultra Rare card?
A. Ultra Rare cards can only be found in Booster Packs, and they will have a different image and serial number that sets them apart from their Common or 'Fixed' counterparts.
7. Did NXT Games use every X-FILES episode to create this card set?
A. No. We only used the first two X-FILES seasons to create this first card set. An expansion set, due out later this year, will be based on the third season.
8. Why has it taken so long for the game to come out?
A. It has been a challenging task to say the least, to coordinate all the design, manufacturing, and proprietary aspects between all the parties involved (FOX, USPC, NXT, NLS) in bringing the game to life. Collectively, we all wanted to make sure that in the end, we had created the best possible game between all of us.
9. What are 'fixed' cards?
A. 'Fixed' cards are cards that will be available only in Starter Decks. The reason for this is because we wanted the game (to be) able to be played right out of the box, thus all the cards in a given deck are designed to work with each other. There will be 5 different Starter Decks, and you may find a 'fixed' card crossover in 2-3 of the decks, but not in all of them.
10. The Adversary card "Squeeze" has a listed LRC value of N / A. The Adversary card "Living Machine" has a listed LRC value of zero. Both say that the LRC round of combat is skipped, what is the difference?
A. There is no difference, the 0 is a typo that will be fixed in later editions. Normally there would not be an LRC round in either case. There are combat cards that add a round of LRC combat prior to the normal round of LRC combat. If one of these were used, the Adversaries' LRC value would be 0, and could be modified with other combat cards. If a card which added a round of LRC were played, the Agents would get to use their LRC against the Adversary.
11. What does the green X in the left hand corner mean?
A. Answer: The X denotes that this is an advanced game card and is not used in the basic game. If you are playing the basic game, remove all cards with this green X from your Bureau Deck.
12. Agent Skinner gives me 3 RP When in the Bureau so it is advantageous to keep him there. Can he also add his Bureaucracy skill to Site skill checks in the Field?
A. No, only the Agents that were sent there in the beginning of the Investigation Phase may add their skills. This also means that Agents who are in the Field, but not sent to a particular Site, cannot add their skills to any skill checks at that Site.
13. Why would you ever play a Bluff face up on a Site?
A. When you play a Bluff face down on a Site, the Investigating player now has the option to put-off investigating that Site (the Site remains in the Field with the attached Bluffs). When you play Bluffs face up on a Site, the Investigating Team cannot decide to put-off the investigation (since they have already started it). The downside is that Bluffs played in this way cost more. On(e) other thing that may not be apparent is that Bluffs played face up like this must still be attached to a Site, with all that that entails.
14. How big are the print runs?
A. We will be running print runs of 80 million cards per expansion--with no 'Unlimited' runs.
15. How does damage work?
A. An Agent cannot be reduced to below 0 Health. If an Agent took 8 damage and only had 5 Health, they would go to the Hospital with 0 Health. Cards that reduce damage would reduce the damage before it was applied (i.e. a Kevlar vest could reduce the 8 points to 5 points, still sending the Agent to the Hospital). A card that Heals damage is used after damage is applied, and that is why it would keep you from going to the Hospital. Note that Agents going to the Hospital cannot contribute their skills to a subsequent skill check, therefore if the healing card requires a skill check to use, the Agent going to the Hospital cannot contribute skills, someone else in the Team will have to do it.
16. Who's Mulder can Phoebe Green bring to help her at a location?
A. Phoebe Green can only affect Mulder if he is in one of your own Teams, you cannot steal your opponents' Mulder!
17. Are Agents (that start in the field) played or not? Is "played" considered to be a card taken from hand or just any card in play?
A. Starting Agents are not 'played'. 'Played' cards come from your hand via the Bureau Deck.
18. Are the resource and conspiracy pools cumulative? (do they carry over into next turn)?
A. The RP and CP pools are present and constant for the whole game. Players are never subject to penalty because they have RP/CP left at the end of the turn. In fact, strategy dictates that you save up RP/CP so you can get a certain card (or) card combination.
19. If a card says to put it under a card as a reminder, can I put it in the discard pile and use other ways to remind me of the change? For example, training cards are not resources so they are supposed to go to the discard pile but on the card it's said to put it under the agent cards as a reminder.
A. No, the card remains in the field because it has become a 'part' of the Agent.
20. Should it have exactly 60 cards or 60 cards is the minimum?
A. 60 cards is the minimum, although we wouldn't recommend having 1,000 cards in your deck.
21. Where can I get a copy of the card on page 15 of the advanced rule book? (Card name Agent Fox Mulder, picture of Scully.)
A. That's (a) graphic boo-boo that occurred on some of the rule books. You could call it the 'Sex Change' card if you wanted to.
22. My wife and I have been having a debate over the interpretation of the Smoke Screen card. Can you have the agents all in the bureau (in the basic game), make the 4+ bureaucracy skill check, then move the agents to the field and designate them to have the modifier of having no gov't adversaries affect the team? Or do you have to have one team in the bureau and one in the field for this card to work?
A. For this card to work, you must have at least one team of Agents in the Bureau, and one team in the Field at the time the card is played. This card is probably most useful if your Agent Team contains Skinner, who has a Bureaucracy skill of 4. In this instance, Skinner could make the skill check alone in the Bureau while the rest of your Agents are a Team in the Field. This card is a little more useful in the Advanced Game, because players are allowed to investigate more than 1 Site in the Investigation Phase.
23. Let us say I’m playing a(n) Advanced 2-player game with Torn. It's Tom's Case Assignment Phase, and he plays the 'Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA' site which has the keyword 'Criminal Investigation'. That is the only site he plays so the Bluff Phase begins. I decide to play the Bluff card 'Claude Peterson' under the Broad St. Site. Earlier in the game I had brought into play the Resource Witness 'Dr. Osborne', which allows me to add 1 resource token to my resource pool every time a keyword Government or Medical card is played. My question is: do I add the resource token to my resource pool now or when the Bluff is revealed?
A. You add the resource token when the Bluff is revealed.
[NOTE: see question 31 from 2021 below for updated answer.]
24. If an agent is abducted and the bureau pile is less than 10 cards, what do you do?
A. First you would set aside the remaining cards in your Bureau Deck, then reshuffle your Discard Pile into a new Bureau Deck--then you set on top of the Bureau Deck the cards which you set aside---and finally, you set your abducted Agent.
25. Can I still get Promo cards, and if so where?
A. You can find a list of where to find the promos on our web page: www.nxtgames.com---some of the magazines are kind of dated, but maybe you could contact them and see if they have some back issues in stock--you can find their phone numbers on our page as well. Usually, if a promo card is gone--it's gone. However, don't despair if you can't get a particular card this time around--more promos are on the way!
26. Some of the cards I got are messed up, or have a bad rarity distribution.
A. We had collating problems with some of the cards during the early part of production, so some of the sets floating around out there are less than perfect--we have jumped on this to fix the problem. If you feel that your cards are not up to standards contact uspcgames@aol.com to voice your concern--there is a good chance they'll be able to help you out.
27. I sent away for my Alien Technology (#PR96-0003-GAM) a while back and I still haven't gotten it... what's up?
A. That particular card is being distributed solely by American Entertainment--we don't have any ties to them other than they're passing out one of our cards. Here's their e-mail address if you would like to contact them personally: aecustserv@cs.com
28. When a card says to shuffle the Bureau Deck, do (I) shuffle it together with the discard pile or just the cards that are left in the Bureau Deck?
A. Just the cards left in the Bureau Deck.
29. When Samuel Hartley (#308) is used to prevent an Agent from being removed from the game, is the Agent fully healed or must the Agent still go to the Hospital and regain Health as usual?
A. The Agent is fully healed, and remains in the current section.
30. If Trap (#292) is used to force combat between an Adversary and a single Agent and the Agent ends up going to the Hospital before the Adversary is killed, is the Adversary discarded or does it stay at the site and fight the remaining Agents?
A. The Adversary is discarded.
31. Can TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS (#300) be used to let an Agent investigate more than one site per turn?
A. No, the Agent must move to a different table section.
32. On my Deep Throat (#222) UR card it says it can be used to ask one question about the opponents X-File. Afterwards it says discard. Does this mean put (it) in the discard pile or remove it permanently from the game?
A. He gets removed from the game.
33. When I am the conspiracy player and it is time to discard for conspiracy points, how many points do you get for cards like "Relentless Pursuit" (#283) that have an X as the "casting cost"?
A. Nada...zilch...zero.
34. My question is, if you only have one agent investigating a site and you play 'Run for it!' (#34) in response to your opponent playing an adversary card, does the adversary get discarded since there are no active agents in combat? Furthermore, does your agent then get to continue investigating the site?
A. The Adversary gets discarded, and the Agent continues to Investigate the Site (even though he/she is a big sissy for running).
35. If I play The Cigarette Smoking Man Strikes (#230) and change the keyword on an agent to 'event' and then play Alien Experimentation (#290) can l negate the agent to the discard pile?
A. It's a good theory, but no. The reason being that 'The Smoking Man Strikes!' card can only change the keyword of cards that are temporary in the game--Agents are permanent.
36. Can players look at each others X-file notebook?
A. Yes--except that it might be bad strategy to do that during multi-player (games) (unless you tackle the other player and look through his notes).
36a. Let's say two people are playing and they've both revealed that their X-file's motive is ideology. The non-active player has an adversary with Result Site as an activator. The active player plays a site but it doesn't have result as a keyword. The non-active player uses his ideology to change one of the keywords on the site to result so he can play his adversary. Can the active player use his ideology to change the keyword back to normal?
A. Sure--both players will "burn th(r)ough" the added benefit and cancel each other out.
37. Mulder (#163/#169) gets two resource points for the buying of cards only. Does he have to use those points that turn?
A. You betcha.
38. Core Training (#307) takes an agent out of play for one full turn. Does that Mean like in a two player game, My agent gets Core Training, is out for the 2nd players turn, then comes in my very next turn? or would I have to wait til the turn after?
A. Your Agent misses your next turn, and returns the turn after.
39. When the active player plays a site, can someone else play a 'negate keyword' card to cancel that site? This could be important in the basic game, where removing a site from play virtually ends the active player's turn.
A. Yes sir, you can.
40. Frohike (#304) states that he negates an event played against a team. In a Game, I tried to use Eve 7 (#231) to shift a bluff, and my opponent countered with Frohike. Is this legal?
A. Yes.
41. The Lt. Brian Tillman (#164) agent card has a game effect that reads "place 1 RP on this card. This RP rnay be used to pay for any keyword equipment or combat card. If you use this RP, replace it during your briefing phase." My question is, does this 1 RP (pay) for any equipment or combat card in its entirety, independent of the total cost, or is it just 1 RP towards whatever the card costs to deploy?
A. Yes, the latter--1 RP towards whatever the card costs to deploy.
42. Do cards like Dr. Nollette (#210) (Adds 1 RES to pool every time a Keyword SCIENCES and OBSERVATION card is played) stay in play?
A. Yes, because of the Keyword 'Resource'--defined in the rules.
43. It was her turn and she played a site card. I played the Holtzman D.S.A. (#97) bluff card. She played the Detective Frank Briggs (#192) card, at which point I commented that I thought she couldn't play that particular card since the Activators for it were "Active" and "Criminal Investigation." Her FIRST Activator was valid (it was her turn), but the second Activator, "Criminal Investigation," was not a keyword on any of MY played cards. It was, however, a keyword on HER site card. Question: Was her play of the Det. Frank Briggs card within the rules?
A. Yes, because for Witnesses, they can be on your own card in play--they contribute to a Site skill check.
44. In what order are Bluffs resolved, with reference to those cards that are face (up) and face down? This does become a problem in multi-player games.
A. Bluffs are resolved in the order that the player who played them chooses--because it is assumed that this is how he would play in a last played, first resolved scenario. Players need to work this out with each other for the common good of the multiplayer game.
45. In multi-player games, why would any player want to investigate more than 1 other player's X-File? This would require more than 1 X-File sheet, and you win the game when you reveal any other opponent's X-File, not every player's.
A. They probably wouldn't, unless the person they first choose to go after has a deck that completely shuts them down.
46. Is it possible to play a conspiracy card (specifically something like Unexplainable Time Loss (#257)) before the investigating player draws his free card (technically the first action of the turn)?
A. If playing the Advanced game, yes, but you've got to be quick and do it before the other player draws their card. If playing the Basic game, no.
47. On cards like "EXPERT BRIEFING" (#280) and "SWAT TRAINING" (#235), when you play it on an agent in the bureau and take them out of play, will they be back on your next turn, or will it be the turn after your next turn?
A. Your turn after next.
48. On the card "Overwhelming Force" (#244) it says you can play three adversaries simultaneously. Does that mean you can just play that card and don't have to pay for them?
A. No, it means you fight 1 combat which all 3 Adversaries attack, instead of 3 separate combat turns.
49. On Krycek's (#162/#170) card, it says you may add to the conspiracy pool instead. Does this mean just his RES points or everyone's, and can you add some to the conspiracy pool and some to the resource pool?
A. Yes you can split Krycek's point contribution. In addition, this effect is not passed on to the other members of the team--this effect works only with Krycek.
50. Though you may start the game with four agents, can you add more to the bureau deck and can they come into play later on even though you still have four agents in play?
A. Yes, they act like Agents, except they go away at the end of the turn.
51. If you have an agent in the hospital and they have healed at least one (they went in w/ max damage), can you use "Travel Arrangements" (#300) to yank them out of the hospital for a skill check or something. And, since they're out of the hospital and have at least one health, can they stay active in the field or bureau?
A. Nope... if your Agent gets hurt, he/she needs to heal, no matter what.
52. The adversary "Crew Cut Man" (#336) enter(s) in a duel with one of my opponent(s). If he wins and still has lives left, can he enter combat with another agent?
A. No, he's basically designed to take out one agent.
53. What are the letters "hidden" in some (of) the cards stand for?
A. That's a surprise….
54. Is there any agent in Boosters or only in Starters?
A. You can find agents in Boosters--however as is known already, there was a glitch in the collating of some of the cards during part of the production phase (see #26 above)
55. Can you play Event cards that DO NOT negate an adversary once an adversary has been played? (eg. I play an adversary and you can't negate it, however, you have a Grid Pattern Search. (#286)) Can you play the Grid Pattern Search (which does not negate the adversary) to get another event to negate the adversary? Can you only play combat cards once combat is started?
A. Once all players involved have mutually agreed that combat has begun, no you cannot. The investigating player should be able to play a card such as Grid Pattern Search, BEFORE the actual combat phase has taken place.
56. Can you guess your opponent's X-File at any time? Can you guess it as many times as you wish per turn? (I understand that if you guess wrong, your opponent gets to ask you a question).
A. You can only guess your opponent's X-File ONCE per turn, and only AFTER a site has been guessed successfully.
57. The multi site card is played in the field. For example Baltimore, MD (#86) which enables me, as an investigator, to ask one METHOD or RESULT question. I will announce (that) I'm going to ask (a) METHOD question. Is my opponent allowed to play an Adversary with the keyword RESULT to prevent my asking?
A. Yes, your opponent can place down that Adversary, since it matches the Keyword of the card--regardless as to what you announced you were going to investigate.
58. The Manitou Stalks His Prey (#352) card states that the damage that the manitou inflict(s) on an agent cannot be healed until a healing card is played on him. But what about agents with healing skill? Can they be used to heal the damage(d) agent (i.e. the damaged agent was sent to the hospital, an agent with healing skill(s) goes to the hospital during the deployment phase to heal the damaged agent)?
A. In this particular instance, you may only use a healing card, or any card that has "Healing" as a Keyword.
59. The game effect on the card "Overwhelming Force" (#244) reads as follows: You may now play up to three Adversary cards simultaneously. All cards played using this card count as one Adversary card for game purposes (e.g. the "Overwhelming Force" card and all Adversaries can be negated as one card). The Adversaries all deal damage and take damage separately. Does this mean that the Adversaries' Activators all have to match my opponent's Site keywords or can they all be played off of the O.F. keywords? In other words could I play Result, Motive, and Affiliation Adversaries of one Keyword Result Site?????
A. In order to be able to party together, all the Adversaries need to match the Keyword of the Site.
60. Last night my son used Phoebe Green (#168) to pull Mulder out of the hospital for a site check. He said it was legal because her card says "from any section". I thought that an agent cannot be pulled out of the hospital until fully healed. Please give a decision on this.
A. Mulder has to be healthy, in order for this effect to work (i.e. he has to be out of the hospital or filling out any kind of Workers' Comp forms).
61. The card "Relentless Pursuit" (#283) can be played by the active player to prevent the opposing player from drawing cards. Looking at the rules, the opposing player can only draw during the Briefing Phase, but playing event cards is only possible during the Investigation Phase. So what's the use of this card?
A. If an event card does not specify that it can only be played in the investigation phase (i.e. investigation activator) you may play it at any point in the turn.
62. Can you use bluff cards to minus ONE agent's skill? For ex., if I played an adversary on Hosteen (#161), but then the opponent played Hide (#10), BUT then could I use a bluff to minus Hosteen's subterfuge to 0, so that Hide would have no effect?
A. Yes, but you have to do it BEFORE combat begins (only combat cards are allowed during combat).
63. You answered me recently that adversaries are played one at a time. Yet on some combat cards, ex,- Watch out (#30), say that "You now choose which of the Agents or ADVERSARIES under your control take the damage." If you play only one adversary at a time, then why does this combat card say that you may choose which adversaries take the damage?
A. Some Adversaries create other Adversaries, such as "Kiss of the Vampire" (#354)--'Overwhelming Force' (#244) is a card that allows you to attack with more than one Adversary on one site---so 'Watch Out' is designed to counter these kinds of circumstances.
64. The card "Krycek, the Double Agent" (#265) states that if you play it on an investigating team containing Alex Krycek (#162/170), Krycek fights against the Agents (something like that...). Who are these agents ? The Agents that belong to the player who played "Krycek, the Double Agent" or the Agents that are part of the Investigating team that has Krycek ?
A. The latter--Krycek fights his own Agents (or in other words, the Investigative player's Agents). You would treat Krycek as a sort of Adversary, and engage in combat (LRC, and CRC).
(created to support the first XFCCG virtual tournament)
1. Does the Bluff card have to be face down in order to have "Langly" (#254) discard it? Explain the card text "attached to a Site".
A. No, Langly can be used against a Bluff that is either face up or face down. Bluffs can only be played when a Site is also being played, so "attached" is just reinforcing that rule. The Activator of "Site" is missing on premiere printed cards but is found on newer cards. Also, see question #48 below.
2. Certain Agents have a Game Effect of a Resource token getting replenished during the Briefing phase. Does this token come from your Resource pool total or is it free? Does this Resource token pay for the whole card or just 1 Resource point toward the total cost of that card?
A. This Resource point is free and does not come from your Resource pool. It pays for just 1 RP towards the card's total cost, see question 41 from 1997 above.
3. A site has 2 or more Bluffs face down under it and the first one stops a successful Site investigation; can the other ones also be played?
A. Yes, as long as the owning player can still pay for them and they are actual Keyword Bluff cards.
4. Does the 60 card minimum deck include your Agents and X-File in the total ( e.g. 4 Agents, 1 X-File, plus 55 or 60 deck cards )?
A. No, the 60 card minimum does not include your starting Agents or X-file card, so you should have 60+ deck cards - see page 5 of the Advanced rulebook.
5. Were there no new Adversary, Equipment or Combat cards to be released in the 22364 set? Prototypes show a range of card numbers 520 - 645.
A. ???
6. Can "Teamwork" (#7-SUR) be played when only one Agent is on the team?
A. Yes, however there is no "I" in "Teamwork".
7. Since the Game Effect of "Agent Janus" (#177) states "In addition", does "Agent Janus" have to use his Resource token first before he can heal one point of damage on another Agent?
A. Yes
8. Was there going to be a "field office crime lab" as listed on some Equipment cards from the premier set?
A. ???
9. Can you take a guess at your opponent's X-File if you received a "no" answer to the Characteristic question on the Site? The Rule Book makes it seem like you can.
A. Yes, but if you are wrong your opponent gets a free penalty question.
10. Since "Ceremony" (#456) is played in the field, can the damaged Agent still contribute skills since he/she is still in the field?
A. No, the Agent can not contribute to any skill checks until he/she is fully healed, similar to as if they were in the hospital.
11. Which team does "Assassinated" (#373) give "a permanent skill increase of +1" since it is a Conspiracy card? Is this an alternate function of the card instead of playing it on a Witness?
A. The Conspiracy player can choose to not negate a Witness and place this card beneath his/her own Agent (though not currently investigating), however a Witness must currently be in play.
12. Five cards give Training to an Agent in the Bureau. Does the increased ability stay in effect for only the next turn, once only when needed, or like a resource the ability stays?
A. The new ability stays like a resource.
13. "Evidence Overlooked" (#246) is a Resource card and it states "to the site skill check". Can this be interpreted as "to a site skill check" and use at a later time?
A. No, this is to be played on the current site.
14. Are Adversaries still affected by Long Range Combat if they have "N/A" for their LRC?
A. It depends on the game text on the Adversary card if the LRC round is skipped or not. If the LRC round is not skipped, then the Adversary has zero for LRC and will be injured by the Agents LRC. Combat of "0" does not always equal "N/A". Also, see question 10 from 1997 above.
15. Can an Agent choose to go to the Hospital during a Site investigation if he/she gets injured during Combat at that site (not enough to be automatically sent there) or does he/she need to wait for the Deployment phase?
A. If an Agent is not fully damaged sending him/her to the Hospital, then the Agent will have to wait until the Deployment phase to go voluntarily.
16. Does "Cellular Phone" (#326) allow a damaged Agent in the Hospital contribute skills to a skill check?
A. No, Agents in the Hospital may not contribute their skills to any skill checks, see Advanced and Basic rulebooks page 20. Cell phones being turned off in a hospital used to be a common courtesy.
17. Can "Travel Arrangements" (#300) move a damaged Agent from the Hospital to the field to contribute skills or must he/she reach their Health level high enough to leave the Hospital?
A. The Agent must be well enough to leave the Hospital first, see Advanced and Basic rulebooks page 20.
18. Must you be the Active player in order to use the Game Effects of your Agents (an Agent card does not have any Activators)? Must your Agents be in the field or have full health in order to use their Game Effects?
A. ??? You must be the Active player in order to use the Game Effects of your starting Agents. The Agent can be in any section of the game in order to use his/her Game Effect. THIS MAY NOT BE CORRECT AS AGENT PATTERSON'S GAME EFFECT IS PLAYED AS A CONSPIRACY CARD.
19. If you use the Game Effect of "Albert Hosteen" (#161) and the opponent has two of the targeted card in their deck, does the effect hold true for only the first time either one is played?
A. Yes, just the first time either one of them is played.
20. One of the USPC marketing employees mentioned a Japanese promo card - any details on that?
A. ???
21. Can "Unexplainable Time Loss" (#257) be negated? If the team does not make the skill check, does the player's turn end immediately even if they have sites unresolved, therefore they can not play cards like "No One So Paranoid" (#4-GCon) or "Frohike" (#304) either?
A. Even though "immediately" is such a strong word, "Unexplainable Time Loss" can be countered - a Skill Check Subroutine is initiated. If it is not countered, any Sites played without Bluffs underneath are discarded. Also see question 46 from 1997 above.
22. When could an Active player use the card "Mrs. Mulder" (#382)? Since the card has two seperate Activators (Alien Investigation and Behavioral), there are no sites that have both of those as Keywords.
A. This card should have had a "/" instead of a "," between those 2 Activator words - meaning it is either Alien Investigation or Behavioral, but not both. Usually the comma does mean that all of the Activator words need to be in effect. Cards with Activators of "Active, Conspiracy" are also an example of when a slash should have been used instead of a comma.
23. When using "Hack Into Government Files" (#278), the selected card must only come from your Bureau deck or discard pile, correct? No where else?
A. The selected card may come from your Bureau deck or Discard pile, but it may NOT be a card already removed from the game or NOT a card from outside of your 60+ starting deck.
24. What happens to Equipment when an Agent is forced to go to the Hospital from damage? What ways can an Agent lose equipment?
A. The Equipment goes with the Agent. There are counter cards such as Events & Adversaries that can remove Equipment cards, specifically written in the card text. Discarding Equipment when an Agent is forced into the Hospital was an early unofficial gameplay, it is not part of the official rules.
25. On page 29 of the Advanced Rule Book, it states in the Note that "two of the same card can't be used for the same Skill Check Subroutine". Does that also mean two of the same Event card or two of the same Equipment card can not be used, even if those cards are attached to two separate Agents?
A. Correct, only one of each card can be played. Two different Agents can have the same Equipment card but if both are on the same team, only one of those Equipments can be used on the same Skill Check. However, in a Combat situation, the Agents may carry & use the same Equipment card, as long as each Agent is only utilizing one Equipment card to support his/her Combat skills.
26. After using "Surfing the Net" (#240), even though this is an Active card, can the player use the facedown card during the Conspiracy Phase, since Event and Resource are the only Keywords added?
A. Correct, you have to be the Active player to "steal" the card but can play it when appropriate: either Active or Conspiracy.
27. On the text of "Mostow's Sketches" (#455), "his opponent's Investigation Phase" makes it seem like the chosen attacking Agent may be an Agent owned by the Conspiracy player. Who is the owner of the attacking Agent?
A. With the lack of Killer being a keyword on this card and the words "his opponent's Investigation Phase" point to the attacking Agent being one of the Conspiracy player's own Agents. This is the only card that has the activators "Conspiracy, Field" and it only has a cost of 4 - if this card was intended to be played using only the Active player's Agents, it would be too powerful, giving the Conspiracy player a guarantee of sending an Agent to the Hospital or an Agent out of the game or both, for only 4 Conspiracy.
28. Is "Poltergeist Attack" (#353) attackable? Or must you use some special card that will alow you to attack it? Can Combat cards like "First Aid" (#2) be played on it?
A. There may be some cards that can help you attack it. Combat cards can still be played, but as long as they are allowable.
29. When a Healing card is needed to be played to negate an effect by another card [e.g. "Infected that you Might Believe" (#2-BBB)], must you still follow all of the Healing card's requirements/play text? For example, can "First Aid" (#2) be used though it is a Combat card? Or "Medical Treatment" (#228) as the card text specifies it is to be played "on an Agent in the Hospital"?
A. There are 5 Conspiracy cards that a Healing card is needed to remove an effect. These Conspiracy cards can initially be negated by the typical "negate" cards, but once attached, they are not as easily removed. All appropriate Activator words must be in effect to benefit from the Healing card. So "Medical Treatment" would need the infected Agent to get to the Hospital first; a card like "First Aid" would need the infected Agent to be in a Combat situation first. Agent Janus (#177) can remove the Conspiracy card as he is a card with a "heal" game effect. "Medi-Kit" (#315) can be used by another Agent to help the infected Agent or obtained by the infected Agent in the Bureau; "Hospital Crash Cart" (#325) can be used if the infected Agent gets to the Hospital; "Ceremony" (#456) & "Dried Frog" (#430) can help infected Believer Agents. The infected Agent can not use the Healing phase by itself to counter the Conspiracy card. There are 8 Resource cards with Healing as a Keyword. If none of these strategies work for you, try keyword changes or a combination of cards. Also see question 58 from 1997 above.
30. Does the "Women's Health Clinic" Site (#380) have a typo in the Keywords? The question is MOTIVE but the Keyword RESULT is listed.
A. The Keyword should probably be MOTIVE but since it is not, follow the correct protocol with the Keyword RESULT.
31. The premiere Witness cards that allow you to gain Resource points when certain Keyword cards are played, do they only gain Resource when you are the Active player since only Active is listed in the Activators, not Conspiracy?
A. Correct, the cards are Active only, so you do not build Resource points when you are the Conspiracy player. However, when you are the Active player, you do build RP when your opponent plays the specific keyword cards against you as well as the cards you play with that keyword. I believe the answer for question 23 from 1997 above is incorrect.
32. "Unexplainable Time Loss" (#257), if "the current player's turn ends immediately", does the Conspiracy player also have to end his/her turn and miss any of the remaining phases such as debriefing?
A. Yes, the turn is completely over, no Debriefing at all. Also see question 21 above.
33. When can Adversaries "John Mostow" (#387) and "Puppet" (#389) ever be free & have the Activator requirements ignored if no cards have "Insanity" as a Keyword?
A. Sounds like you need to find a way of having Insanity as a Keyword ...
34. Question #61 from 1997, is the answer based on Advanced Rules? The question may have been about Basic Rules.
A. The answer to that question is for the Advanced rules. For Basic rules, Activators are used in the Requisition and Investigation phases only, see Basic rulebook page 18, and can only be played during other phases if the card text states so. Also for Basic rules, "Relentless Pursuit" (#283) can not be played since an "X" is in the top left corner anyway.
35. Using "The Manitou Stalks His Prey" (#352), an Agent is wounded by the Manitou and moved to the hospital. This Agent doesn't heal in the Hospital in the very next turn until you play a healing card?
A. Correct, the card text states you must play a Healing card to even start healing, ouch!
36a. Can the card "Hack Into Government Files" (#278) be used to pull a card from your discard pile? The card says the card you pull cannot exceed the 2 cards per deck but if it comes from your discard pile it wouldn't exceed 2 per deck correct?
A. Yes it can pull from your discard pile; also see question 23 above. You should never have more than 2 of the same card in your starting deck - that note is an extra reminder.
36b. Also what happens if you run out of cards in your bureau deck? Do you reshuffle your discard pile or is it game over and you lose?
A. Reshuffle your discard pile.
37. Question #55 from 1997 and the Advanced rulebook page 31 make it seem like there is no limit to the amount of cards played by the Active player to try to negate an Adversary, is that correct? Combat starts once the Adversary can not be negated, right?
A. Non-Combat cards can be played after the Adversary is played and before the Combat rounds start, giving the Active player a chance to negate it. Once Combat begins, only Combat cards can be played until the Combat ends.
38. The Equipment card "Ambulance" (#425) says, "Discard the card to add +3 to medical skill". Does this mean if my Agent doesn't have medical skill, they gain medical skill at 3 or does it mean I can only play the equipment card on someone with Medical skill in the first place?
A. The Agent who has Ambulance attached will gain +3 to that Agent's Medical skill, regardless if he/she has any. So Scully (#172/173) has Medical of 4 but when this Equipment of hers is discarded, she now has 7. If Krycek (#162/170) discards this Equipment attached to him, he now has Medical of 3 since beforehand his Medical was 0.
39a. Can I have two copies of "Kevin Morris, a.k.a. The Conduit" (#194) in play? And he counts for cards with the Keyword that would play my opponent and for my own cards?
A. ??? If this Witness is played during a Skill Check, then, only one copy can be in play, see the Advanced rulebook page 51 or the Note on page 29. On building RP from this card, see question 31 above. HOWEVER, THE RULEBOOK ONLY STATES DURING A SKILL CHECK, NOT OTHER SITUATIONS.
39b. Can I have (from each card) only one copy in play or can I have two (of) Laptop Computer (#311) in play on different Agents?
A. See question 25 above.
40a. If I play a second training card on an agent, what happens with the first one? Is it discarded or it stays in play?
A. You can play more than one training card on the same agent, but not in the same turn. Each training card stays with the agent.
40b. Can I play the same agent in different turns? I play Danny Pendrell (#397) in my first turn. In a later turn I draw a second copy of it. Can I play it again?
A. You can play Danny Pendrell only if you don't have him in your team already. You can play 1 Danny Pendrell card per turn. See Advanced rulebook page 15.
40c. Does the Bluff "Pete Calcagni" (#96) force my opponent to discard a witness resource from hand or from in play?
A. The card text does not state "from his hand" so it would be be a card that is in play.
41. The rules state that all activators must be met to play a card. This makes cards like Mrs. Mulder (#382) near impossible to play, or Blue Plate Special (#9‐GMR) completely impossible to play. So do they just look pretty in my binder or do they need an errata of some sort? 101361 puts a “/“ instead of a “,” in for cards like this.
A. The Activators are to be "Alien Investigation" or "Behavioral" on Mrs. Mulder, just like Mulligan (#5‐INQ) should be "Active" or "Conspiracy". I think "Hell Money" proves it was realized a little too late that Activators as "Active/Conspiracy" are not interpreted the same as "Active, Conspiracy". See question 22 above.
42a. Where are the Agent at the beginning of the game? I can't find something about that in the rules. I think they start the game in the bureau.
A. The Agents start in the Bureau - Basic rulebook page 12 and Advanced rulebook page 6.
42b. I hope I can use the "Cellular Phone" (#326) more the once per turn?
A. The answer is not easy. Advanced rulebook: page 21 "an Agent may only use one piece of Equipment to modify a single Skill Check" and page 29 "two of the same card can't be used for the same Skill Check Subroutine". The word "single" causes some confusion - as long as the team only uses one Equipment (which is Cellular Phone in your case), it can be used in more than one skill check. The card itself states "add his skills to a skill check" and that also can make a player question if "a" only means "one".
42c. For example: Scully and Mulder call Skinner for a Road Trip. After thay arrive Los Angles, they called him again for more Evidence Collections.
A. Cellular Phone can still be used, since the skill checks are different. Skinner being kept in the Bureau is a decent strategy.
43a. In the Debriefing Phase of my opponent, do I have to discard to seven even if I have Improved Channels (#263) in play?
A. Yes. "Improved Channels" only allows you to have 10 when it is your Active Debriefing Phase, as the card has an Activator of Active. Normally, your hand size must be seven cards or less in the Debriefing Phase, whether you are the Active or Conspiracy player, see Advanced rulebook page 38.
43b. Do I have to discard only in my debriefing phase or in every debriefing phase?
A. During the Debriefing phase regardless of who's turn it is, you will have to discard if you have more than 7 cards in your hand. Unless you have "Improved Channels" in play, then you will have to discard if you have more than 10 cards in your hand when you are the Active player.
44. Can 2 of the same events be in play at the same time? Like Rejuvenating Caves (#289)?
A. Yes, both can be played at the same time, except if they are part of a skill check subroutine (page 29 Note in Advanced rulebook) then only one.
45. Can you have Agents in your starting Bureau deck in the Basic version of the game?
A. No, only in the Advanced version.
46. So I play a bluff on my opponent's site. He can't go to it. When it's my turn...can't he play Eve 7 (#231), and move the bluff I played to one of my own sites and play it?
A. Yes but he will have to pay for it. He is going to use your Bluff against you. Dastardly!
47. Agent Jerry Lamana's (#182) Game Effect allows you to steal a card which can be used during the current Site investigation. "You must still pay for the card." Does this mean you have to pay for the card even if you do not play it? Can the stolen card be a Conspiracy card?
A. The "must still pay" sentence probably should have been attached to the previous sentence "may use it immediately"; nonetheless, if you steal it, you pay for it. The Active player will not have access to the Conspiracy pool, so a Conspiracy card can not be stolen.
48. When can I play a Bluff?
A. For Advanced rules, Bluffs can be played faceup in the case assignment & investigation phases. Also, they can be played facedown if placed under a Site during the case assignment phase but not resolved & paid for until the investigation phase (Advanced rulebook pages 9, 25, 29 & 52). I think the lack of phases listed in paragraph #2 on page 25 and the wording on page 52 are going to continue to make players question this. Page 52 mentions only playing bluffs during the investigation phase in the Basic game. Then mentions only one addition to the advanced rules, placing bluffs beneath sites during the case assignment phase, leaving the player to wonder if playing them faceup during this phase is allowed or not. Activators of "Site" are missing on premiere Bluff cards but are on the newer released Bluffs.
49a. Two agents are in the hospital, one of them has a Medi-Kit (#315). Can I use a Medi-Kit card in the hospital to heal 1 additional wound from the agent?
A. No, the Medi-Kit card text specifies that the agent would need to use his/her Medical skill in order to use the card - the rulebooks address that agents may not contribute their skills in the hospital, doctors do not want anyone interfering with their work. Also, see questions 16 & 24 above.
49b. Dried Frog (#430). Does it add to permanent HEALTH of agent's? For example, an agent with permanent (printed on card) has 3 health. When I add Dried Frog, now it has 4, so during each healing phase can I remove 2 damage points instead of 1?
A. The Dried Frog does add 1 to the permanent health of the owning agent. If this increases the agent's health from 3 to 4, the agent benefits and will now heal 2 during the healing phase.
50. Activator question about "Simon Gates aka Ferreau" (#391). It just has Agent, so I can play him against any team with an agent in, right?
A. It also has Believer as an Activator. If the team has at least one believer agent, then the adversary can attack the team.
51. Several cards have a game effect sentence starting with "In addition," - please explain when & how this is handled in gameplay?
A. The sentences before the words "in addition" must happen first. And only then can the "in addition" sentence be initiated. A good example is "Message from the Stars" (#247); you must negate an Alien Adversary first before you can try the next sentence. Also see question #7 above.
52a. Does Skinner's Wedding Ring (#458) bypass the timing restrictions on Skinner Chooses a Side (#243)? Do I still need to know the Affiliation of my opponent's X-File and have Skinner in the bureau, or does the Ring allow the card to come directly into play bypassing those play restrictions?
A. You can use "Skinner's Wedding Ring" to find & play "Skinner Chooses a Side" for free; as long as you meet the requirements on the pulled card (i.e. the first sentence), Skinner will become a bigger asset. "Skinner's Wedding Ring" does not let you bypass those requirements.
52b. Any ideas for “keyword active” cards to play Skinner’s Wedding Ring (#458) with?
A. The "keyword active" thing is surely a mistake. Skinner's Wedding Ring & Flesh Sculpting (#411) are the only cards that have "active" anywhere on a card besides in the Activators. These two cards will be played as if the card text "Keyword ACTIVE" was replaced with "Activator ACTIVE". This does go against the typical keyword play, however, this was an unfortunate mistake.
53. What is the best way to shuffle your cards for randomness?
A. Using the common riffle method, 7 times should get your cards well spaced apart.
54. What are the differences between the Basic rules and the Advanced rules?
A. There are many differences, but the main ones for the basic game are:
(a) it was meant to be played starter deck versus starter deck,
(b) any 4 starting agents and no agents in the bureau deck (the Basic rulebook on page 13 shows an example of a team of Agents that their total cost is higher than the 20 point limit as in the Advanced rulebook),
(c) cards are not paid for, ignoring card cost and no resource/conspiracy pools are used,
(d) certain card types can only be played during certain phases,
(e) combat & health values are ignored,
(f) adversary & agent game effects are ignored,
(g) only one site per turn with only 3 cards (by each player) to be played during a skill check subroutine,
(h) both players draw back to 10 in the briefing phase.
55. Once Oubliette (#417) is played, whose Debriefing Phase is it when a token is removed?
A. Since every player gets to participate in the Debriefing Phase, a token will be removed every turn by the owner of the Oubliette card.
56. If I get to choose the team, what’s to stop me from playing "Unexplainable Time Loss" (#257) on an agent in the hospital? Then the opponent can’t do anything about it still and it is still a huge negative play experience.
A. The rulebooks (Advanced and Basic rulebooks page 20) are specific that Agents in the Hospital can not contribute to any skill checks, plus Agents in the hospital are not considered to be part of a team.
57. Other than Frohike (#304), what other cards can be used to negate your opponent's Event cards?
A. No One So Paranoid (#4-GCon) is specific on negating an event. Also, you can get crafty by using a combination of cards, like changing keywords. Tong Lottery Jar (#461), The Erlenmeyer Flask (#264), Skinner Chooses a Side (#243), Spying Mission (#266), and others can work but these may be limited.
58. My opponent plays Government Mindwipe Serum (#299). I have Max Fenig (#204) and Blackmail (#276) both in my hand. Do I have to discard both of them, or just one?
A. Both.
59. Does Detective Miles (#115) require you to pay two total conspiracy points or one to activate its effect?
A. 1 CP to play the card (0 CP if under a Site), and another 1 CP to move the opponent's RP per the game text.
60a. "But cost wise you pay 1CP to attach the bluff to the site per bluff cost rules "... I've also seen people in playthroughs pay 1 CP to play a bluff under a site BUT that's not what the rules say. The (advanced) rulebook says "Bluff cards played beneath a site may be purchased for 1 CP less than the bluff cards stated cost. The cost is paid when the site investigation is attempted." This means (to me) that there is no cost when placing a bluff it is only paid if the site the bluff is attached to is attempted and then at printed cost -1 CP. (Full price is paid if bluffs are played as normal conspiracy cards).
A. You are right; if the Bluff is played directly then you pay full Conspiracy cost, under the Site it is one less than the Conspiracy cost. Bluffs are not paid for until they are revealed, so it costs nothing to put cards under a Site. However, if a Site is not investigated because the Bluffs are "scary", the Site stays in the Field with any attached Bluffs.
60b. So I guess the question I have is "when is the site discarded? Agent's choice?"
A. Per the rulebook, the player who own's the Site chooses when to investigate it - uninvestigated Sites without Bluffs will be discarded. If I get scared and see a bunch of Bluffs, I might hold off on investigating Sites until later - there is a strategy to that: wait until the opponent is out of CP, I gain a card to negate a Bluff, I want my opponent to not get that card back, ... oops, I've said too much.
61. How do I know which Agent is targeted by an Adversary?
A. The Adversary player chooses and announces which Agent to target.
62. If I decide to not investigate a Site that has a Bluff under it, will the Bluff owner be able to add more Bluffs to it during my next Case Assignment phase?
A. Yes.
63. What happens to cards played against & attached to the stolen Agent once Application for FBI Resources Approved (#279) is played? Can the stolen Agent come from any area of the game?
A. Any "baggage" cards go with him/her when they return to their rightful owner. It may be counter productive for someone to play a devistating Conspiracy card on their own Agent, however that may be an issue to be dealt with, especially if it prevents a Site from being successful. As listed on the card, too much damage then the Agent returns to its owner's Hospital. The stolen Agent can come from any section, except if he/she already had substantial injuries in the Hospital.
64. Can you really have as many Samantha Mulders (#203) as you want?
A. Contrary to my initial belief, you are limited to only having 2 of any card in your deck per the rulebook. However, if you plan on "stealing" your opponent's Samanthas, then you could have more than 2 in play at the same time.
65. Can you explain how the card Men in Black (#459) works? Do the Bluffs get played during the Case Assignment Phase or the Investigation Phase?
A. Men in Black (MIB) allows you to pay 2 less for Bluffs similar to how you would pay 1 less for Bluffs when facedown. Any Bluffs placed under MIB stay facedown. During the Case Assignment Phase is when Bluffs under MIB can be moved under Sites. Only during the Investigation Phase are the Bluffs revealed then paid for. The Bluffs will still follow the rules on pages 24 & 25.
66. Foo Fighter (#444) is a resource that stays in play and during the briefing phase of the active player you may take a second conspiracy discard. When they say take a first conspiracy discard you discard resources and then buy cards. In Foo Fighter, you get a second discard after your first. My question is do you get to sell and buy again or just sell a second time? Page 18 says clearly “purchasing cards is done after (R) cards have been sold.” This statement clearly suggests you buy cards after discarding. And Foo Fighter adds a second discard after the first.
A. Foo Fighter mentions discard but not drawing more cards, so you would get to sell twice but only buy once. The book even mentions to look at page 12, which breaks down the conspiracy pool process into 2 separate actions: discarding for points and buying cards with points.
67. How do you interpret the card Unexplainable Time Loss (#257)? When I can play it (really AT ANY TIME), only on 1 team or all Agents in the field?
A. Unexplainable Time Loss states an "opponent team". So chose that word "team" wisely to be effective. If an agent(s) is in the bureau, that is a "team". All the agents in the field together (before or after sites are played) is a "team". Agents at multiple sites are seperated "teams", so it should be played on just one investigation "team". It can not be played on agents in the hospital, as agents can not contribute to skill checks while there, healthy or not. When you play it is up to you - beginning of the round, before Sites played, after Sites investigated, ... just leave those healing Agents alone.
68. Could you help explain what happens in this scenario with combat: the adversaries played are Terri Roberts (#392) and Margi Kleinjan (#388)?
A. So when it comes to the girl duo, you have to choose which one to play first and follow that activator. Then the second girl can tag along ignoring her specific activator. Then it is a full on brawl. If it is NOT an occult investigation site, each girl is 4 4 4 - so together they do 8 LRC, 8 CRC. If it is occ. inv., they are each 6 6 6, LOL! - then together they do 12 LRC, 12 CRC.
69. The card The Stupendous Yappi (#507) states "If the revealed card has the Keyword Conspiracy" in the text. Which cards could that be?
A. This was an obvious mistake - there are no cards with Conspiracy as a Keyword. It should have been the word "Activator" instead of "Keyword".
