HOW TO PLAY
HOW TO PLAY
Nowadays, you get rich with digital data, rather than real estate and oil. Collect as many Dataset-Cards as possible, but watch out for fines and cyber attacks
Hit opponents with rules and complaints, defend yourself against penalties
Make money and create an empire with sensitive data and Data-Treasures
RULES
One of the players shuffles well the deck of all 120 cards (or less, if playing without certain Special Cards) and puts it on the table, covered. 5 cards are placed on the table, uncovered (if some cards, put on the table, are Special Cards, they will remain there until the end of the game). Each player draws 3 cards from the covered deck, keeping them covered. The player to the left to the one who shuffled the deck starts the game with the first move. Play clockwise.
Game actions
1. With the cards drawn from the deck, collect Dataset-Cards of the same sign or color from the table
2. If you draw a Purpose-Card from the deck, immediately say out loud “DATA!” and start creating a Data-Treasure
3. Attack your opponents with a Sanction-Card or defend yourself with a Lawyer-Card
4. Win with more Data-Treasures and Sensitive Dataset Cards, and become a Data-Tycoon!
On their turn, each player...
One of the players shuffles well the deck of all 120 cards (or less, if playing without certain Special Cards) and puts it on the table, covered. 5 cards are placed on the table, uncovered (if some cards, put on the table, are Special Cards, they will remain there until the end of the game). Each player draws 3 cards from the covered deck, keeping them covered. The player to the left to the one who shuffled the deck starts the game with the first move. Play clockwise.
On his/her turn, each player:
1. may pick up from the table a Sensitive Dataset-Card of the same symbol (e.g., Sensitive Health Dataset-Card) or color as the one being played (both Sensitive or simple Dataset-Cards), and place both in one's deck on the side near him/her, to accumulate Dataset-Cards, including for the purpose of constituting Data-Treasures. For example, with a green simple Dataset-Card you can collect a green Sensitive Dataset-Card, and vice versa; or, with a red Sensitive Health (stethoscope) Dataset-Card you can collect a green Sensitive Health (stethoscope) Dataset-Card. Each player keeps all the cards collected close to him, visible to the opponents;
2. when, among other cards, a Purpose-Card is drawn, the player – after having said DATA! out loud – can place it on the side of the deck (to constitute a treasure immediately or in subsequent turns) or, alternatively, he or she can play it against the opponent, throwing it on the table;
Please note:
- a Data-Treasure consists of at least 6 Dataset-Cards of the same type (i.e. Sensitive Dataset) and/or color + 1 purpose-card (also a purpose-card collected in previous turns);
- Data-Treasures should be placed in separate and distinct bundles next to the player, with the purpose-card visible to opponents;
- it is not mandatory to create Data-Treasures by assigning Dataset Cards to them: the choice is a tactical one for the player (but be careful of attacks with Minimization Cards and Complaint Cards, which hit Dataset Cards not yet assigned to Data-Treasures).
3. may use a special card, a sanction-card or a lawyer-card according to the rules, throwing it on the table (where it will remain until the end of the game: it is recommended to stack the special cards played one on top of the other at the side of the general table, so as not to take up playing space);
4. if the player cannot pick up cards from the table or use special cards, he/she can throw a card on the table.
Tip: to learn early you can play in a simpler way, using only the Purpose-Cards, without the other special cards. Then, slowly, you can complicate the game! As a first extension, it is recommended to add only the Lawyer-Cards and the Sanction-Cards. Then, you can also add the Cybersecurity-Cards and the Databreach-Cards. If you are already expert, you can raise the level by adding other optional special cards…
Who wins
The one who made up the most Data-Treasures, doing the best lawful business with the collected datasets, wins and becomes Data-Tycoon. For the same number of Data-Treasures, the person who has the most sensitive Dataset-Cards (health, love, biometric data, genetic data, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, judicial) wins. With the same number of sensitive dataset cards, the person who has the most dataset cards in general wins. The game ends when there are no more cards to deal and the players have run out of cards to play: the last 3 cards (or 2 or 1 depending on the remaining ones) are dealt to the player whose turn it is. Warning: once the game is over, you can no longer create Data-Treasures (if a player, although he/she could do it, has not assigned his/her Dataset-Cards to one or more Data-Treasures, he/she can no longer do it once the game is over).
DATASET-CARDS
The 85 Dataset-Cards consist of 35 simple Dataset-Cards and 50 Sensitive Dataset-Cards (7 health cards, 8 love cards, 8 biometric data cards, 8 genetic data cards, 7 political opinion cards, 7 religious or philosophical beliefs cards, 5 judicial data cards). The Dataset-Cards are divided into 5 distinct colors: red, blue, yellow, green, fuchsia. Sensitive Dataset-Cards have these icons: health cards (stethoscope), love cards (pierced heart), biometric data cards (fingerprint), genetic data cards (DNA helix like a candy), political opinion cards (left/right flags), beliefs cards (lotus flower), judicial data cards (Judge’s hammer).
SPECIAL CARDS
The 35 special cards consist of the following 25 basic and 10 optional:
- 9 Purpose-Cards: whoever draws one from the general deck must, on his/her turn, immediately say DATA! out loud. If he or she says what he or she has to say, this type of card enables the person who draws it to allocate one of 9 predetermined purposes of data valorisation to their datasets (direct marketing, smart services, profiling, international export, scientific research, Artificial Intelligence training, geolocation, personalized medicine, political propaganda), creating or starting to create 1 Data-Treasure. If he or she doesn't say DATA! right away, he or she loses the opportunity and has to throw the purpose-card on the table. Without at least 1 such purpose-card and 6 datasets-cards of the same color or type, a Data-Treasure cannot be created. The purpose-cards can also alternatively be used against the opponent to prevent the use of 3 opponent's Dataset-Cards for the Data-Treasure (3 opponent's Dataset-Cards, who chooses the latter, hit by the purpose-card, must be "frozen" and only contribute to the tally of Dataset-Cards but cannot constitute part of Data-Treasures).
Let's understand better: how do you play a Purpose-Card to create a Data-Treasure? On your turn, you play a Purpose-Card that you have drawn from the general deck (saying DATA! out loud) and placing it to the side of your deck instead of on the table. The Purpose-Cards, therefore, after saying DATA!, are always placed to the side, separated from the rest of the accumulated Dataset-Cards, as you collect them. You check during the game - even without waiting for your turn - if you already have enough Dataset-Cards of the same type (i.e. Sensitive Dataset, even of different colors) and/or color to create a Data-Treasure: if you do, you can create a Data-Treasure, which will be kept to the side, separate and combined with the dedicated Purpose-Card. If you still don't have enough Dataset-Cards, you continue playing until you manage to create a Data-Treasure, with each Purpose-Card collected. A Data-Treasure could, for example, be composed of 6 Sensitive Dataset Cards (even of different colors) or of 6 Sensitive or simple Dataset Cards, but all of the same color.
- 4 Sanction-Cards can be used against an opponent, throwing one of them on the table: they cause the loss of all Data-Treasures, which must be returned to the general deck.
- 4 Lawyer-Cards can be used, throwing one of them on the table, to neutralize an attack with sanction-cards or complaint-cards. If you draw one from the deck, you can set it aside, to be used in the future to defend yourself against an attack with Sanction Cards.
- 2 Transparency-Cards: can be used against an opponent to force him or her to play open cards for 3 consecutive turns. To play a Transparency-Card, you throw it on the table, where it will remain until the end of the game. This type of card can also be set aside, and used in the future to neutralize a transparency-card attack by throwing it on the table in response to the attack;
- 3 Cybersecurity-Cards: can be used to neutralize a data-breach, preventing its effects, by throwing one of these cards on the table. If you draw one from the deck, you can also set it aside, to be used in the future to neutralize a data-breach;
- 3 Databreach-Cards: the one who draws one of these cards from the covered deck must, on his/her turn, immediately say DATABREACH! out loud. If he or she says what is supposed to say, the player who drew the card skips a turn. If the player who drew the card does not say DATABREACH! and it turns out later that he or she had drawn a databreach-card, he or she loses 6 Dataset-Cards or 1 Data-Treasure of his/her choice, to be returned to the general deck. If he or she does not have enough cards, he or she skips 2 turns. This card is simply thrown onto the table, where it will remain until the end of the game. Warning: if you draw both a Databreach-Card and a Purpose-Card at the same time, the Databreach-Card has priority, and you must say DATABREACH! - Only on the next turn will you say DATA! to use the Purpose-Card.
OPTIONAL SPECIAL CARDS
(if you take them out before you start, the game is simplified but becomes less...crackling):
- 3 Consent-Cards: Whoever possesses one consent-card can double a Data-Treasure, creating two of at least 3 cards each: in this case you play the card by placing it next to your collection of Data-Treasures (or next to your deck if you don't have any Data-Treasures yet, while waiting to build them up). Alternatively, they also can also be set aside, and used in the future to neutralize a complaint-card attack, throwing this card on the table, where it will remain until the end of the game;
- 3 Minimization-Cards: these can be used against an opponent, throwing one of them on the table, to force the return to the general deck of all Dataset-Cards (simple or Sensitive) not yet assigned to Data-Treasures. Alternatively, the minimization-card can also be set aside, and used in the future to neutralize an attack with another minimization-card by throwing one of these cards on the table in response to the attack;
- 2 Time-Cards: these can be used against an opponent, throwing one of them on the table, to force him or her to return 6 Dataset-Cards or a dataset-treasure to the general deck within 10 minutes, if the opponent does not draw a new purpose-card or a new consent-card. This type of card can also be set aside, and used in the future to neutralize a time-card attack by throwing it on the table in response to the attack;
- 2 Complaint-Cards: can be used against an opponent, throwing one of them on the table, to force him to return 3 Dataset-Cards (simple or Sensitive) – not yet assigned to Data-Treasures – to the general deck.