Gamehelpcoupcitystate

In Coup, you head a family vying for control of a corrupt Italian city-state. Through your influence in the court (the character cards in your hand), bluff, steal, and murder your opponents to become the last player standing and rise to power.

The 15-card deck contains 3 copies of 5 different characters (Ambassador, Assassin, Captain, Contessa, Duke). Each player begins with ₤2 (or ₤1 in a two-player game) and 2 cards. Money is public knowledge, but character cards in hand are secret.

On your turn, take any action you can afford:

• General actions (always available):
  • Income: Take ₤1 from the treasury. Cannot be blocked.
  • Foreign Aid: Take ₤2 from the treasury. Any player claiming to be the Duke can block.
  • Coup: Pay ₤7 to the treasury and make another player lose influence (kill a character card). Cannot be blocked. If you start your turn with ₤10, you must choose this action.
• Character actions (must claim to have that character card in hand):
  • Tax (as the Duke): Take ₤3 from the treasury. Cannot be blocked.
  • Steal (as the Captain): Take ₤2 from another player. The targeted player can block by claiming to be the Ambassador or the Captain.
  • Exchange (as the Ambassador): Draw 2 cards from the court deck, then return 2 cards to the deck. Cannot be blocked.
  • Assassinate (as the Assassin): Pay ₤3 to the treasury and make another player lose influence (kill a character card). The targeted player can block by claiming to be the Contessa.

Any player making a character claim can be challenged. The challenged player reveals a card from his/her hand. If bluffing, that card is killed. If truthful, that card is shuffled into the deck, replaced, and the challenger kills a card from his/her hand. Dead character cards remain face-up for all players to see. Their influence can no longer be used. If both of your characters die, you're eliminated. The last player remaining wins! There is no second place.

Game options and variants

• Rounds to win: A standard game of Coup is only one round. As the game is quite short, you may wish to play multiple rounds until one player accumulates a predetermined number of wins (1 - 5). Consider the number of players when selecting this option (e.g., 5 rounds to win means you'll play up to 9 rounds in a two-player game but up to 25 rounds in a six-player game).