Setup for a new game has three easy steps.
Pick a position. This is the “Kingseat”. Whoever sits (or stands) there, is the king.
- Assign one player to keep the pile with votes during the game ( = the Tell).
- Assign another player to keep the discard pile ( = the Discard).
You decide the number of Princes and the Hand size! Some recommendations for a first game:
- Include (slightly) fewer Princes than players.
- A good Hand size is ~8 cards.
- Include equally many cards for each Prince
Shuffle the deck you created. Then deal equally many cards to each player ( = their Hand). Any remaining cards are shown and go into the Tell.
Finally, players exchange some cards to design the Hand they want.
- Each player gives two Hand cards to the player on their right (simultaneously).
- Each player gives one Hand card to the player on their left (simultaneously).
- Each player picks one Hand card and puts it away somewhere safe. This is their secret Loyalty
The game ends when all players are out of cards.
Reveal the Tell and count the votes. (Each card is 1 vote.) The Prince with the most votes wins. All players whose secret Loyalty matches that Prince, win!
Rounds are played simultaneously. All players secretly pick a card from their Hand and stick it out in front.
Once everyone is ready, reveal the cards. Starting from Kingseat, clockwise, check the votes.
The winner of this round is the first Prince with the longest sequence of votes
All cards from that sequence go into the Tell.
Now handle all remaining cards. (The votes that did not go into the Tell.) Starting from Kingseat, clockwise, go around the table until all cards are gone.
Each player has a choice.
- Either execute the action on your card.
- Or swap places with another. (Take all your cards with you.)
Either way, add the card to the Discard.
Bluffing, making deals, lying, it’s all very much allowed. That’s it! Have fun.
The packs below are roughly in the order recommended. Further down the list, Princes are more complicated or less balanced. For your first game(s), pick the first few Princes.
Do not include two Princes of same or similar color in the same game, if possible. Such Princes do similar things and will lead to unbalanced or confusing games if both are included.
Each Prince has two “Dark cards”. Each has a unique action that is often more powerful. They’re important for balancing each Prince, but can be left out if so desired.
The cards explain themselves. The overview below exists to help you make a decision or clarify potential rule misunderstandings.