I was hoping someone could clarify the rules surrounding the sympathy card in the Sleeper Agent Phase.

I wanted to walk through the following scenarios to see if my understanding of the rules are correct.

1. I am a revealed cylon player prior to the sleeper agent phase:

• I have the choice of keeping the sympathizer card or I may give the card to another player;
• If I choose to keep the sympathezier card, the following happens:
• I side with the humans for the rest of the game;
• If a resource is in the red, I will not be moved to the Brig because I'm already in the cylon area; and
• If no resources are red, then nothing really happens as I am already a revealed cylon.

2. I am an unrevealed cylon player prior to the sleeper agent phase:

• I side with humans for the rest of the game;
• If a resource is in the red, I am moved to the Brig; and
• If no resources are in the red, then I become a revealed cylon player with the limitation that I cannot activate the cylon fleet nor can I use super crisis cards. (Question: Can I still reveal myself as a cylon at a later time to give myself the ability to activate the cylon fleet and maybe get a super crisis card? If I'm siding with humans, I probably would not want to do this anyway, but just a question)

3. I am a human player prior to the sleeper agent phase:

• I side with cylons for the rest of the game;
• If a resource is in the red, I am moved to the Brig; and
• If no resources are in the red, then I become a revealed cylon player with the limitation that I cannot activate the cylon fleet nor can I use super crisis cards.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Very interesting questions. I hadn't realy thought about some of the situations you mention. My thoughts though...

If you are human (have no I'm a cylon cards) and get the sympathiser card:

Resource in the red: You are a cylon but side with the humans (you win and lose with the humna side). You are sent to the brig as humans don't trust cylons right away.

One (or more) resource in the red: You are human but side with the cylons (you win or lose with the cylons).

Unrevealed cylon + sympathiser card? Revealed cylon + decide to keep the sympathiser card? I got no idea on either one of thouse.

I was thinking about these very questions earlier today. They seem tough to answer with what knowledge of the game I currently have.

As I understand it, the very point of the sympathizer cards are to help out which ever side is loseing (any resource in red or not) at roughly the midle through the game (the sleeper agent phase). Keeping that in mind we might be able to answere the questions.

1a. Pure human + sympathizer + red resource

1b. Pure human + sympathizer + no red resource

2a. Hidden cylon + sympathizer + red resource

2b. Hidden cylon + sympathizer + no red resource

3a. Revealed cylon + give away sympathizer + red resource

3b. Revealed cylon + give away sympathizer + no red resource

4a. Revealed cylon + keep sympathizer + red resource

4b. Revealed cylon + keep sympathizer + no red resource

1a. Humans need a helping hand so sypathizer is a sleeper agent who decides to help the humans (he plays for the human team, but story vise he is a cylon). He is sent to the brig as to not give the humans to much help (humnas don't trust even friendly toasters).

1b. Cylons need help. The sympathizer is a human story vise but plays for the cylon team. As he is not actualy cylon his cylon actions are restricted (to not help the cylons to much).

2a. Needs to play the same as 1a to not give away the identity of the hiden cylon... But the the question remains, can he then reveal him self later? Kind of like a dubbel agent. I guess the answere is yes, even though the help for the humans is then thrown out the window... Strickly going by the rules it should work like this. The sympathizer card, once resolved is treated like a "You are not a cylon" card. And the remaining cylon card override all your not a cylon cards leaving you a cylon playing for the cylon team. And as such you are free to revela or stay hiden as you see fitt.

2b. Allso needs to play as 1b to protect the identity of the hidden cylon. So the player is a cylon possing as a human who sides with the cylons. He is then restricted in his cylon actions. He should then be able to use the resurectionship to give his unrevealed cylon card to an other player, or reveal him self to regain his full cylon powers.

3a and 3b. Nothing odd here. The person receiving the sympathizer card will be in situation 1ab or 2ab. The revealed cylon stays a revealed cylon.

4a. The rulez specificly says the card must be resolved right away. And they allso state that you "may choose" to give away the card. So keeping it is clearly an option... But now it gets contradictory. The rules say you are sent to the brig, but revealed cylons can't be sent to the brig right? The card is then treated as a you are not a cylon card, but you still have your revealed cylon card so you are still on the cylon team... The most logical thing to me would be to ignore the effects of the card should you keep it. So the only reason to keep it would be if you think you might risk sending an unrevealed cylon to the brig.

4b. Allso a bit contradictory. Does the effect of the card strip you of your full cylon powers? Seems odd... But then again, why the frak would you keep the card in this situation? Is there any enterpretation of the rulez that would give this option any valide strategic use?

To me it seems like the chooise to keep the sympathizer card as a revealed cylon is a bit of a mistake in the rules? Mabye the intent is that you must give it away?

I read the rules in the same way as smuggler. I have yet to run into a case when a cylon would choose to keep the symapthizer card. Under no circumstances should someone with a "you are a cylon" card share victory conditions with the human players.

Hello to everyone.

I just bought the game, and i was reading the rulez, and i dont understand what a Sympathizer will do the rest of the game.

If he is in the humans side, he will play like a normal human after he can get out from brig? Or he ill stall all game in Brig?

And if it is at the cylons side, he just can move?

Thanks for any reply to me.

Justito said:

He can get out of the brig by passing the skill check just as any other person that is sent to the brig for any reason. When he is out he continue to play as normal.

Thanks Smuggler.

Now it is clear, but what if he it is in cylons side? in his next turn he will play as a normal cylon or just fcan use 3 of the 4 locations?

.

Smuggler said:

I think this is definately the case. If you're a revealed Cylon who drew the sympathizer card I'm pretty sure you're just supposed to automatically assign it to someone else.

Justito said:

The sympathizer can just use 3 of the 4 locations for the rest of the game (and has no super crisis)

Thanks to all of you for your help.

Sumpathizer card it seems to be not so fun, today i will have my first game. I hope i will dont get this card, or the wrose thing, i am cylong and give this card to other player.

So this is a fairly old thread but I just played my first game and forums are timeless.

Our first game was played with 4 players and I was the cylon from the start. In the middle of the game I became sympathizer.

I revealed my sympathizer card, went to the brig and convinced the other players to let me out again.

Then I revealed my cylon card, past on the sympathizer card to the only girl who doubted my humaneness and put her in the brig.

Did we do everything right?

It has previously been reported that FFG has said it should be worded that they MUST give the card away.

The process itself is either if you ignore the word "sympathizer" and try to apply it to game play. It's a game balancing mechanic for even numbered players. If the humans are ahead, the cylons get a slightly lamed helped. If the cylons are ahead, the human retain the person but are penalized with them sent to the brig. When the sympathizer is "human", we call them humans. When they are cylons, we call them "lame" cylons (or such). Lame cylons do not get a super crisis card and can not use the cylon fleet location.

If you are a revealed cylon, you hand the card off to any human (aka un-revealed cylon) player. Even if the rules do read that you can keep it, you are ruining the game if you don't. (Can't think of a legitimate case to keep it, even if you end up giving it to the other cylon who is unrevealed. They can always tell you they are the other cylon).

If no resources are in the red:

You become the lame cylon. If you are an unrevealed cylon, you may hand off your unrevealed card as/if allowed by rules (in base game, an action space on ressurection ship). This can actually be a pretty strong play.

Otherwise:

You are sent to the brig. This does not effect which side you are on. Humans still human team, unrevealed cylons still cylon team.