Card games
Coup
FertiRikki Tahta2012
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 15
- years
- 10+
In the box
15 Character cards, three of each of the five roles · Coins · Player aid cards
Box details
- Designer
- Rikki Tahta
- Publisher
- Ferti
- Mechanics
- Betting and BluffingHidden RolesPlayer EliminationOnce-Per-Game AbilitiesTake That
- Expansions
- Complots : Saint-Barthélemy · 2013
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Each player hides two character cards, their influence, and wants to be the last one with any left. On your turn, take a single action, Income, Foreign Aid, a Coup for 7 coins or that of a character you may or may not have, which others can block or challenge; whoever loses a challenge, or suffers an assassination or a Coup, turns an influence face up. A player with no influence is eliminated, and the last player in the game wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 hidden influences, 2 coins each, Rest: the Court deck
- The deck contains five characters, three copies of each: Duke, Assassin, Captain, Ambassador and Contessa.
- Each player receives two face-down cards, their influence, and two coins, kept in full view. With two players, the starting player gets only one coin.
- The rest forms the Court deck.
How to play
1 action per turn, True or bluffed, Block or challenge
- On your turn, take a single action; you may not pass. You may claim the action of any character, whether you have it or not.
- Income: take 1 coin. Foreign Aid: take 2 coins. Coup: pay 7 coins to make a player lose an influence.
- Duke: take 3 coins. Assassin: pay 3 coins to make a player lose an influence. Captain: steal 2 coins from a player (only 1 if they have just one). Ambassador: draw two cards from the Court deck, then return two.
- Counteractions: the Duke blocks Foreign Aid (any player may claim it), the Contessa blocks assassination, the Captain and the Ambassador block stealing (only the target may claim these two). A blocked action fails, and whatever it cost stays spent.
- Any character claimed, whether to act or to block, can be challenged by any other player, before play moves on. The challenge is settled before the action.
- Challenge: if the player cannot or will not show the card, they lose an influence and their action fails; any coins paid are returned to them. If they show it, the challenger loses an influence, the card shown is shuffled back into the Court deck and replaced with a new one, then the action goes ahead.
- Losing an influence means turning one of your cards face up, of your choice.
Scoring
No points
- No points. Record a win for the last player with influence left.
End of the game
No influence: out, Last player in wins
- A player with no influence left is eliminated and returns their coins to the Treasury.
- The last player in the game wins.
House rules and pitfalls
Against an assassination, you can lose two influences at once: by wrongly challenging the Assassin…
- Against an assassination, you can lose two influences at once: by wrongly challenging the Assassin, or by claiming a Contessa you do not have and being caught.
- Negotiation is allowed but never binding. You may not show your cards or give coins away.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
Can you hold on to your coins indefinitely?
No. With 10 coins or more at the start of your turn, you must launch a Coup.
Can a Coup be countered?
No, it can be neither blocked nor challenged.