Shadow
Frontiers
Trust no one. Control the crisis.
A six-player hidden-allegiance geopolitical thriller. An assassin is loose in Arkania, two governments are in crisis — and two of the six officials at the table are secretly serving the other side.
6 players · 8 rounds · ~45 minutes · v0.1.0-prototype
How the game works
The one-minute briefing
A senior politician in Arkania has been assassinated. The assassin is a Belvarian intelligence officer still hiding inside Arkania. Arkania must find and arrest him. Belvaria must get him out. Six government decision-makers control the crisis — but two of them are secretly working for the opposite country. Every round brings one world event, one action per player, optional Wild Cards, and rising pressure. Find the assassin, protect your true allegiance, and do not let the crisis spiral out of control.
- 01
Event
One world event shakes the board: protests, border closures, leaks, alerts.
- 02
Actions
Each official takes exactly one action: move, investigate, search, accuse, negotiate or use a power.
- 03
Wilds
Each official may play one Wild Card — forged intelligence, scandals, bombshells.
- 04
Score
The round is settled. Pressure rises. Eight rounds at most.
Arkania wins
Capture the Assassin with a Search and finish with at least 60 National Score.
Belvaria wins
Extract the Assassin through the Airport or Northern Border and finish with at least 60.
Or nobody does
If Crisis reaches 10 the crisis collapses. If Round 8 ends first, it is a Diplomatic Stalemate.
The six officials
Two cabinets. Six seats.
Arkania
Prime Minister
Executive Order. Cancel one action by an Arkanian official. Costs 1 Influence.
Intelligence Chief
Deep Search. Investigate and draw 3 Intelligence cards instead of 2.
Foreign Minister
Back Channel. Open a private conversation with one Belvarian official.
Belvaria
President
Executive Order. Cancel one action by a Belvarian official. Costs 1 Influence.
Intelligence Chief
Deep Search. Investigate and draw 3 Intelligence cards instead of 2.
Foreign Minister
Back Channel. Open a private conversation with one Arkanian official.
Hidden allegiance
You are not necessarily who you appear to be.
Every official carries four layers of identity. Two are public. Two are secret. A Two-Face keeps their public country and their powers — and uses them to sabotage the government they appear to serve.
Citizenship
The country you officially belong to.
Role
Your institutional position and its power.
Allegiance
The country you actually serve: Loyal or Two-Face.
Objective
A personal goal that earns Influence at the end.
Server-authoritative
Every rule is enforced on the server. Your browser sends orders, never game state, and cannot change scores or cards.
Secrets stay secret
Other players' allegiances, hands and the Assassin's location are never sent to your browser — not hidden, simply absent.
Refresh-proof
No account needed. A private token in this browser holds your seat, so a refresh or dropped connection puts you straight back at the table.