Hidden Agenda icon –
Cards with this icon represent secret objectives or other clandestine strategies. When you seed or play such a card, announce it as a hidden agenda card and place it face down on the table, normally without showing it to your opponent (if downloaded or played for free, e.g., using Q the Referee, the card must be shown for verification purposes). This counts as your turn during that seed phase, or as your normal card play, as appropriate. While face down, it is not in play, its identity is concealed, and it is immune to general-use cards (e.g., Kevin Uxbridge).
You may activate a hidden agenda card by turning it face up at any time, between other actions or as a valid response to another action (see actions – step 2: responses).
Activating a hidden agenda does not suspend play. (A seeded hidden agenda may not be activated until after the play phase begins.) This immediately activates the card’s game text. If there are any conditions specified by the card, you must meet them at this time (if you cannot, you must immediately turn the card face down again). Once activated, the card remains face up.
When you use a special download icon to download a hidden agenda card, you must play that card to the table, then immediately activate it and follow its game text (targeting something at the location of the special download icon if applicable). If you seed or play a card as a hidden agenda when it does not bear a hidden agenda icon, you lose the game. Upon request, you must show any such cards at the end of the game to verify their status.
If a card such as The Line Must Be Drawn Here or Mirror Image is activated in response to the play of one of the cards affected by it, it takes effect immediately in reference to that card play.
For example, if you activate The Line Must Be Drawn Here in response to your opponent playing Kevin Uxbridge, he loses 5 points for playing that card (even if is then nullified).