{{Short description|German-style board game}} thumbnail|right|Heimlich & Co {{Italic title}} '''''Top Secret Spies''''' (German: '''''Heimlich & Co.''''') is a spy-themed German-style board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and published in 1984 by Ravensburger. The game, also known as ''Under Cover'' or ''Detective & Co'', won the Spiel des Jahres award in 1986.
== Gameplay == The object of the game is to score the most points, while not revealing which colour you are until the end. It requires good bluffing and analytical skills. 7 colours are used, and there can be up to 4 "robot" colours moving around. On their turn a player rolls a die and can move any number of pieces a total number of spaces that adds up to the number on the die. This can result in a score, and the game continues until one player reaches 129+ points. At this time all players make secret guesses as to which player is which colour (gaining +5 points at the end of the game for each correct answer). The game ends when a spy reaches 142+ points, and then a winner is determined after guess points are added.
== Reception == Upon its release the game won the Spiel des Jahres award in 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Heimlich & Co. |url=https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/en/spiele/heimlich-co/}}</ref> It is remembered in part as the first game to feature a score track encircling the board, now a common feature in many games, as well as the game that introduced thin wooden human-shaped gaming pieces (meeples).<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Wallis |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ueWtEAAAQBAJ&dq=Meeple&pg=PT59 |title=Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made |date=2023-03-14 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-83908-191-0 |language=en}}</ref> In a 1990 interview, Kramer revealed that ''Heimlich & Co.'' was not one of his personal favourites.<ref name="gi">{{cite magazine|last=Walker|first=Brian| date=February–March 1990|title=The GI Interview: Wolfgang Kramer|journal=Games International| issue=13|pages=19–20}}</ref>
==Reviews== *''Games'' #76 (as "Under Cover")<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/games761986june/page/50/mode/2up | title=GAMES Magazine #76 | date=June 1986 }}</ref> *1986 Games 100 (as "Under Cover")<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/games811986november/page/n45/mode/2up | title=GAMES Magazine #81 | date=November 1986 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{bgg|382|''Top Secret Spies''}}
{{Spiel des Jahres}}
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Category:Board games introduced in 1984 Category:Murder and mystery board games Category:Spiel des Jahres winners Category:Wolfgang Kramer games Category:Ravensburger games Category:Rio Grande Games games