Let’s build one — and make it the most tactical, stealth-driven, mind-game-focused tabletop card experience on the market.
This isn’t just inspired by Metal Gear. It’s an original IP that captures its essence: espionage, deception, identity, moral ambiguity, and cinematic tension — reimagined as a compact card-based battlefield for 1–4 players.
COLD SIGNAL™ — The Tactical Espionage Card Game
Codename: “Every card is a code. Every move is a message.”
Tagline: “Outthink. Outplay. Outlast.”
CORE IDEA
COLD SIGNAL™ is a stealth-and-deception tabletop card game where players take on roles as elite field agents in a global cold war of black-ops, counter-intelligence, and shadow factions. It blends:
• Tactical card-based action
• Psychological warfare
• Intel collection
• Bluffing + hidden roles
• Modular missions and “signal trees” that evolve session to session
Think: Metal Gear Solid × Netrunner × Love Letter × Specter Ops
HOW IT WORKS
Phase
Action
Briefing Phase
Each player selects a hidden operative + faction card
Deployment Phase
Build your hand from Ops Deck (Movement, Hacking, Cloak, Eliminate, Counter, Extraction, etc.)
Infiltration Phase
Players move on a modular grid of facedown Location Cards (base, tower, jungle, sub, etc.)
Intel Phase
Gather codes, extract targets, or mislead enemy spies
Engagement Phase
Tactical card duels — use stealth or go loud
Signal Phase
Send a “code card” that secretly triggers your true objective
You win by:
• Extracting key intel
• Completing your secret mission
• Or eliminating rival agents before they can finish theirs
COMPONENTS
• OPS DECK (100 cards):
• Movement: Crawl, Sprint, Grapple
• Combat: Knife, Suppress, EMP, Smoke
• Gear: Codec Jammer, Decoy, Sonic Knife
• Signal Cards: Fake Orders, Double Agent, Ghost Data
• Traps + Counters
• AGENT CARDS (12 unique operatives):
• Each with traits, tech, and background (e.g. The Mirror, The Cipher, The Widow, The Burn)
• 3 types: Stealth, Combat, Infiltrator
• MISSION PACKS:
• Modular map tiles (snow base, desert complex, neon slums, freighter ship)
• Objective cards (e.g. “Intercept Transmission,” “Eliminate Ghost Node,” “Rescue Asset”)
• Secret Condition cards: adds wildcard twists mid-match
• INTEL TOKENS:
• Scanned, decrypted, burned or stolen — power your abilities or reveal enemies
• STEALTH CLOCK DIAL:
• Track how much longer you can remain hidden before the mission goes hot
GAME MODES
Mode
Description
1v1 Duel
Spy vs Spy — bluff, ambush, extract
3–4 Player Cold War
Multiple agents with conflicting objectives and secret factions
Solo Ops
AI deck represents enemy base — sneak in, extract intel, escape
Legacy Campaign
Create your own agent. Every success/failure rewrites their future missions
PVP with Betrayal Mode
Hidden traitor mechanic: even your “ally” might flip mid-mission
ART + VIBE
• Ultra-clean noir-meets-future tactical aesthetic
• Black, steel gray, blood red, code blue
• Agent portraits are cinematic, semi-anime, abstracted for drama
• Card backs feature ciphered phrases — you’ll never know what your opponent’s holding
• Voice lines, digital dossier overlays available in the app
COMPANION APP (Optional)
• Secret mission reveals
• Voice-acted agent briefings
• Audio “signal intercepts” you must decode mid-game
• Holo-map mode for solo infiltration with ambient music
• Track your agent’s dossier across campaigns — build a reputation
THEMES & FEEL
• Psychological tension
• Tactical optimization
• Every card play matters
• Deception, sacrifice, improvisation
• “You’re never sure who’s telling the truth — or why they’re really here”
IP POTENTIAL
Expansion Type
Concept
Signal Protocols I–IV
Add new maps, enemy types, signal mechanics
Miniatures Tactical Set
For grid + mission mode play
Cold Signal: Ghost Run
Digital solo stealth RPG version
Animated Shorts
Agent dossiers, betrayals, global shadow wars
Lorebook PDF / Print
Field guide to factions, cybertech, and signal warfare
BUSINESS FORECAST
Stream
Est. Value
Core Box Sales
$39–$59
Expansions
$15–$29
Companion App
Free w/ optional DLC
Mobile Port
Rogue AI campaign deckbuilder
IP Collab / Streaming
Covert ops series potential
Total IP Potential: $100M–$250M+
NEXT:
Want to:
• Create a 1:1 concept image of the COLD SIGNAL agent deck in play?
• Build the first mission scenario (“Operation Phantom Echo”)?
• Or sketch the Agent Roster with code names, bios, and art prompts?
This isn’t a fight.
It’s an operation.
And the signal is live.
MY DIGITAL HOME 