The game takes place over several rounds, and in the course of a round, players begin with the action phase, which is followed by the takeover phase. Those two phases repeat, then at the end of the round comes the treaty phase.
During the action phase, each player performs one action, the most important of which is to send your agents to infiltrate political, financial, and research institutions represented by objective cards in the Infiltration Zone. You must race for objective cards as other players can send more agents to intercept the card they need. Players can also advance toward World Domination projects, including Comintern, Unified Nations, Spyware, and Deep State itself, which gives players tangible advantages in the game. They may also choose to carry out covert operations that provide a lot of influence while requiring the sacrifice of agents.
During the takeover phase, players take their captured cards and return some of their agents from them.
The treaty phase begins when all objective cards in the Infiltration Zone have been captured. Each player can then make one treaty that gets them working with mighty organizations, some known the world over, while others hide in secret.
At the end of the game, players calculate their influence (victory points) that are generated by their objective cards, by participation in global projects, and by their treaty cards. Many cards interact with each other, generating even more influence. The player with the most influence wins the game, becoming master of the world we know.
