Published card games
Coup
Be the last player with any influence left, eliminating the other players' characters by force or by bluff.
- players
- 2–6
- minutes
- 15
You’ll need the game box. Marquoir sums up the rules and keeps score.
Setup
- 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.
- The rest forms the Court deck.
How to play
- On your turn, take a single action. 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. Ambassador: draw two cards from the Court deck, then return two.
- Counteractions: the Duke blocks Foreign Aid, the Contessa blocks assassination, the Captain and the Ambassador block stealing.
- Any character claimed, whether to act or to block, can be challenged.
- Challenge: if the player cannot show the card, they lose an influence. If they show it, the challenger loses an influence, and the card shown is shuffled back into the Court deck and replaced with a new one.
- Losing an influence means turning one of your cards face up, of your choice.
Scoring
- No points. Record a win for the last player with influence left.
End of the game
- A player with no influence left is eliminated.
- The last player in the game wins.
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.