Secret Operation

About this board game

Secret Operation is a semi-cooperative card game for 4–10 players that takes about 25 minutes to play. Engineers must work together to build a state-of-the-art superrobot before the deck runs out, while one or more hidden traitors secretly work against them.

The robot is divided into four parts, each represented by a card board. Players add the pieces needed for each part by placing cards face down. Because the cards remain hidden, the group must depend on one another while trying to determine who can be trusted.

• Build four separate robot parts using face-down cards.
• Reveal the cards when their number matches the required number of items.
• Check whether the revealed items match the requirements exactly.
• Complete the robot before the deck ends to defeat the traitors.

When enough cards have been added to a board, the team flips them over and checks the result. If the items match exactly what that part needs, the task is completed. If they do not, the players must start building that part again from zero.

This creates a tense balance between cooperation and suspicion. Everyone needs the group to succeed, but the hidden traitors make every stage of construction uncertain. Players must unmask them before it is too late, while continuing to contribute toward the shared objective.

If the complete superrobot is built before the deck ends, the players fulfill the mission. If they fail, the traitors win. Released in 2019, Secret Operation combines hidden roles, shared construction, and an exact-match card reveal into a compact team challenge.