Watergate

To set up Watergate, place the main game board in the center of the table. Decide who will play as the Washington Post journalists and who will play as the Nixon administration. Take the respective player decks, initiative card, reference guide, and momentum tokens. Place the initiative token on the zero space of the research track alongside a new momentum token. The seven informant photos and all colored evidence markers are placed near the board, with specific evidence tokens drawn randomly and placed face down on the zero space for Nixon to inspect secretly.

The overarching goal depends on your chosen faction. The journalists aim to expose the scandal by creating two uninterrupted connections between Nixon and the informants on the board. Conversely, the Nixon administration tries to run out the clock by gathering five momentum tokens or blocking the journalists' progress.

The game is played over multiple rounds, each divided into phases. During the action phase, players alternate playing cards from their hands. Every card features a movement value and a specific action text. If you use the value, you can move evidence, momentum, or initiative tokens on the board, adhering to color matching rules. If you use the action, you execute events, conspirators, or journalists' abilities as dictated by the card.

Scoring and evaluation happen once both players run out of cards. Tokens that reached space five on the research track are claimed by their respective owners. Initiative is reassigned based on the initiative token's position, and new momentum tokens are prepared for the next round on the research track.

The game concludes immediately under specific victory conditions. The journalists win if they successfully form two chains of evidence connecting Nixon to two different informants. The Nixon administration wins instantly if they successfully accumulate five momentum tokens on their player card or if the general supply of momentum tokens runs out entirely.