Animals in War: Bolts, Newspapers & Special Operations
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
You play a card. He plays one. You decide whether to press on or retreat. He does the same. And in the end, someone has bluffed brilliantly.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Spies, newspapers, and secret operations: war is also fought far from the front lines
Jon Perry returns with a standalone expansion that moves the conflict away from classic battlefields. No longer just Air, Land, and Sea: now war is won in ministries, newsrooms, and secret service bunkers. Valerio Buonfantino, Jose Angel Trancón Fernández, Derek Laufman, and Damien Mammoliti dress it all up with anthropomorphic animals in a 1940s cartoon-military style, featuring fox spies and boar diplomats.
At the table, you play cards across three (or five) parallel theaters, trying to gain the majority in at least two. Each card has a value and a power. You can play them face-up or face-down. You can retreat from a battle to limit damage. And every time your opponent plays a card, you have to decide: press on or give up? Bluffing is mandatory, because often you don't have enough strength to truly win.
What they say abroad
If you thought the original was just a filler, this expansion will make you reconsider. Five theaters simultaneously is a different game.
— FroGames
The new theaters add layers of complexity without weighing it down. Diplomacy and Economy completely change the pace.
— FroGames
Animals at War: Bolts, Newspapers & Special Operations (Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies)
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and game sessionsThe new fronts
Three new theaters (plus the three classics if you want to mix them)
Intelligence
The spies' theater. Face-down cards, hidden information, powers that reveal or confuse. Bluffing is structural here.
Diplomacy
The propaganda theater. Cards influence not only their own theater but also others. Win here and you dictate all other battles.
Economy
The resources theater. Permanent powers, constructions, cards that remain on the table. It's the slowest but most devastating theater.
Epic Mode
Choose 5 theaters out of the 6 available (3 new + 3 from the base game). The game becomes a puzzle of priorities. You can't win them all.
Recommended sleeves 67 cards in 2 sizes ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with clear sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 64 |
| 89 × 127 mm | 3 |
| Total cards | 67 |
In half an hour, someone will have won by making the other believe they've already lost. And the other will still believe it.
A game in five acts
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The first cards are honest
Choose the three (or five) theaters. Shuffle the decks. First cards in hand. You play your first card face-up, strong, to take a position. He responds with a 4. You with a 5. All clear. For now.
The first face-down card
He plays face-down on Intelligence. It could be a 6 or a 1. You weigh your options: persist and risk wasting strong cards, or fold and concede the theater to him? You decide to persist. You play a face-up 5. He retreats. He had bluffed.
You're losing on two theaters
He is winning Diplomacy and Economy. You have Intelligence, but it's not enough. You must retreat from one of the two to limit the damage. You choose Economy. He wins 6 points. But you saved cards for the last theater.
The last hand is pure bluff
Cards are gone. Final hand. He plays face-down on Diplomacy. You don't know if he has strength or is bluffing to make you waste your last strong card. You play face-up. He turns over a 2. He had bluffed again. But you won the theater that mattered.
Score counting (with regrets)
Add up points for each theater won. Subtract points from theaters you retreated from. Someone wins by 2-3 points. The other thinks about that face-down card from round 3. Immediate rematch.
How to play
The flow of each round
Alternatively, play a card. When one player retreats, the other wins the theater.
Draw up to 6 cards into your hand. Look at the three open theaters. Decide which one you want to win and which one you can afford to lose.
Choose a theater. Play a card face-up (value visible) or face-down (value hidden). Activate any powers.
He does the same: plays a card on the same theater or another. Or he retreats from a theater, conceding it to you but limiting the points you win.
Whoever retreats only takes their face-down cards (to avoid revealing information). The other wins the theater and scores points. A new theater starts.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Face-down cards are a language
They're not just for hiding strength. They're for sending false messages. You play a strong card face-down to appear weak. You play a weak card face-down to appear strong. Your opponent must interpret.
Retreating isn't losing
It's limiting damage. If you retreat early, your opponent wins few points. If you wait too long and then retreat, he has already invested strong cards and wins a lot. The timing of surrender is tactical.
New theaters change everything
Intelligence rewards structural bluffing. Diplomacy influences other theaters. Economy builds permanent powers. These aren't just three new decks: they are three different game philosophies.
Epic mode: five theaters simultaneously
Choose 5 theaters from the 6 available (base + expansion). You must win three. But you don't have enough cards to dominate them all. Every choice is a sacrifice. Every retreat is a calculation.
It's standalone but integrates
You can play only with the three new theaters (15-minute games). You can mix them with Sky, Land, Sea from the base game (infinite combinations). You can play epic mode. Three games in one box.
No downtime
When you play a card, your opponent must respond immediately. There's no planning phase, no waiting. The pace is relentless. A game lasts as long as a Pink Floyd song (the long one).
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The player who captures at least two out of three theaters (or three out of five in epic mode) wins. But total points decide in case of a tie.
Victory
- Win two (or three) theaters out of those in play
- Accumulate more total points than your opponent by summing the values of cards played in won theaters
- Force your opponent to retreat from key theaters, limiting their final options
Defeat (or surrender)
- You retreat from too many theaters and concede a tactical victory
- You bluff poorly and waste strong cards on theaters you then lose
- Your opponent reads your face-down moves and anticipates your every final choice
It's a game where losing gracefully is more important than winning poorly. Because every retreat is a promise: the next game will be different.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Animali in Guerra: Bulloni, Giornali & Operazioni Speciali (Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies)
Do I need the base game to play this expansion?
No. It's standalone: the three new theaters (Intelligence, Diplomacy, Economy) are enough for complete 15-30 minute games. But if you own the base game, you can mix them with Sky, Land, and Sea for infinite combinations, or play epic mode with 5 theaters simultaneously.
Is the 5-theater epic mode actually playable, or is it too long?
It is absolutely playable. The game lasts 25-30 minutes because you don't have enough cards to fight everywhere: you have to choose which theaters to win and which to sacrifice immediately. Your brain works harder, but the time remains under control.
Can it be played with 3 or 4 players? How does it work?
Yes. With 3-4 players, you form teams (2v2) or play free elimination with adapted rules. The game was designed for 1v1 duels (where it performs best), but with 4 players, it becomes a fast tactical party game. Variant rules are included.
Are the new theaters more complex than Sky, Land, and Sea?
Intelligence is slightly more brainy (mandatory face-down cards, powers that reveal information). Diplomacy and Economy add interactions between theaters. But the basic rules remain identical: play cards, seek majority, retreat when needed. The complexity lies in bluffing, not in the rules.
Is it available in Italian?
Yes. This Studio Supernova edition is completely in Italian: rulebook, cards, and references. The Italian title is Animali in Guerra: Bulloni, Giornali & Operazioni Speciali.
Animali in Guerra: Bulloni, Giornali & Operazioni Speciali (original title: Air, Land, & Sea: Spies, Lies, & Supplies) is a competitive card game for 2-4 players, duration 15-30 minutes, recommended age 14+. Standalone expansion designed by Jon Perry, published by Studio Supernova. Three new theaters of war (Intelligence, Diplomacy, Economy) join the classic Sky, Land, and Sea, with mechanics of area majority, tactical bluffing, and hand management. Epic mode with 5 theaters included. Available on FroGames.it.
Animals in War: Bolts, Newspapers & Special Operations
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