GAME MECHANICS

The Panic Meter

The Panic Meter tracks the city's escalating fear and chaos, ranging from 0% to 100%, and is divided into five levels: Low, Elevated, High, Very High, and Severe. Starting at 0%, it reflects a calm population, but various events can rapidly increase panic levels, significantly affecting gameplay dynamics.

Starting the Game

At the beginning of the game, the Panic Meter is set to 0%, indicating that the population is calm and perceives everything as normal. This state is referred to as "business as usual."

Panic Level Descriptions:

Low to Elevated (0-40%): The public pays little attention to the ongoing cyberattack. Daily activities continue normally, and media coverage is minimal. The Blue Team can manage public relations easily, and restoring systems is less challenging.

High (41-60%): The population starts to notice the attacks, leading to increased concern and anxiety. Daily activities are disrupted, and media coverage becomes more frequent. Public reaction to the crisis begins to escalate.

Very High to Severe (61-100%): Public gatherings decrease significantly, and emergency services are more active. News reports escalate public fear, making it challenging for the Blue Team to manage public relations and restore order. The Red Team's actions have a greater impact during this phase.

Tracking Panic Levels

The simulation tracks how long the city remains at each panic level, awarding points based on the teams' ability to manage or exploit the situation:

Red Team: Earns points for pushing the Panic Meter to High, Very High, or Severe levels, highlighting their effectiv-eness in causing disruption and fear.

Blue Team: Earns points for keeping the Panic Meter at Low or Elevated levels, demonstrating their success in maintaining public order and confidence.

Impact of Red Team Actions

Red Team activities are designed to escalate panic levels. Causing catastrophes, large-scale power disruptions, and island-wide communication outages can significantly increase public fear. Even smaller actions, like hijacking vehicles or broadcasting messages over public systems, contribute to the rising panic. The more visibility these actions have, the more they affect the Panic Meter, pushing it higher and creating more chaos.

Impact of Blue Team Actions

The Blue Team works to calm the public and reduce panic levels. Arresting hackers, holding successful major events, and restoring disabled locations are crucial to maintaining order. Actions like increasing visible police presence, holding press conferences, and recovering hijacked vehicles help reassure the public. Each effort by the Blue Team aims to lower the Panic Meter, ensuring that the city remains stable and the population feels safe.

CATASTROPHES

Catastrophes in CyberStrike 24 occur when a location transitions abruptly from "Open" to "Indefinitely Disabled," signifying severe events that disrupt city functions. These can include vehicle accidents, explosions, floods, plane crashes, industrial accidents, fires, helicopter crashes, and subway derailments.

When a catastrophe happens, it triggers significant consequences. The affected location is marked as indefinitely closed, and the Panic Meter spikes due to immediate public fear. Major roads and subway stations in the district close for three hours, and any vehicles at the site are removed from the game. Blue Team members in the affected area must assist as first responders, causing them to miss their next turn. These events also reduce the effectiveness of Blue Team public relations actions, as the public's focus shifts to the emergency.

ARRESTING THE HACKERS

SWAT teams play a crucial role in CyberStrike 24, handling high-risk operations that regular police forces can't manage. Equipped with specialized weaponry and tactical gear, SWAT teams are essential for apprehending hackers.

The Police Deputy can deploy SWAT teams to locations where hackers are attempting to breach sites. Upon arrival, SWAT teams can initiate arrest actions to capture and detain hackers. Successful arrests significantly boost the Blue Team’s score, and any confiscated Crypto Coins are added to the Deputy Mayor’s budget, enhancing the city's resources.

VEHICLE TRANSPORTATION

In CyberStrike 24, players can move between locations using various transportation methods:

Airplane

Planes land and depart every hour at the airport, providing connections to the mainland and other destinations. Players can temporarily leave the game by departing the island.

City Vehicles

City vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances are dispatched to specific locations and can be hijacked by hackers, allowing them to direct or abandon these vehicles. However, police vehicles cannot be hijacked. All city vehicles are equipped with GPS tracking and may set off silent alarms if diverted from their routes.

Ferry

Ferries run three lines: the Blue Line to and from the mainland every hour, the Pink Line to the Volcano District on odd hours, and the Yellow Line to the Remote District on odd hours. The ferry system closes at 11 PM and re-opens at 7 AM.

Helicopters

Helicopters can fly from any location to any other location,including offshore districts if expansions are used.The Police Deputy can use the Police Helicopter to move any of the Defenders.

Hire Car

Players can use hire cars to travel up to two hexes on main roads or one hex on minor roads.

SWAT Vehicles

The SWAT vehicles are equipped with tactical gear and specialized equipment essential for high-stakes operations including advanced navigation and surveillance systems allow the SWAT teams to coordinate their movements precisely. The vehicles are used to transport arrested hackers back to the Police HQ.

Subway

The subway system connects every hex grid and operates from 6 AM to midnight, providing the fastest way to move around the island.

Speedboat

Speedboats can travel between the Boardwalk, Resort Hotel, Casino, Nature Preserve, and the Billionaire’s Home.

Stolen Vehicles

Hijacking a vehicle offers similar mobility to hire cars and are subject to road and traffic conditions.

Construction

Road Closure

Traffic

Crowds

SIMULATION GUIDE

Game Components and Setup:

Includes hex map tiles, vehicles, tokens, hacker and defender cards, panic meter, rulebook, and additional items for game setup and play.

Red Team Attackers:

Describes various hacker personas with unique skills and motivations, focusing on cyber exploits, social engineering, and physical security breaches.

Blue Team Defenders:

Highlights the roles of cybersecurity professionals, law enforcement, and city management experts in defending against attacks, including their skills in patching systems and managing crises.

Smart Island City Locations:

Describes primary and secondary locations across different city districts, providing details on key systems, security ratings, site ratings, and status of locations.

Gameplay Mechanics:

Explains the mechanics for turn-based strategy, resource allocation, crisis management, and winning conditions for both hackers and defenders.