Setup
Shuffle the character cards and deal 2 to each player facedown. Gather 3-6 people to play a game of Coup and decide who will also be the dealer. Shuffle up the deck of character cards really well and then deal out 2 cards facedown to each player. There are 5 influence cards in Coup: the Duke, the Assassin, the Captain, the Ambassador, and the Contessa. Each has its own special abilities and there are 2 copies in the deck. The dealer can play and deal cards during the game. Each player is allowed to look at their cards once they get them.
Give each player 2 coins. Place the coins in the center of the table to serve as the treasury during the game. Once everyone has received their character cards, allow them to grab 2 coins to add to their own wealth.
Keep your cards hidden and your coins visible at all times. Bluffing is a big part of playing a game of Coup. So it’s super important that you keep your 2 character cards facedown and hidden at all times. Keep your coins on the table near you so other players can see how many you have. If you have a certain number of coins, there are actions you’re required to take, so you can’t hide them from other players.
Give a summary card to each player for reference. Summary cards come with the game and include a brief description of the rules and character actions. Pass out 1 to each player to help them keep track of the rules and everything going on, especially if they’re new to the game.
Actions
Start with the player to the left of the dealer and perform 1 action. Gameplay in Coup moves clockwise around the table. Have the person to the dealer’s left start off the game and choose an action. Each player is allowed to choose 1 action during their turn. Bluffing is a big part of playing Coup. The other players don’t know which character cards you have, so you can bluff and choose a special character action. But be careful! If another player calls your bluff and challenges you, it could cost you 1 of your character cards.
Choose income to take 1 coin from the bank. The income action is the safest choice and can’t be blocked by any of the other characters. Pick up 1 coin from the treasury and add it to your own pile of coins to select the income action. Once your turn is done, the gameplay moves to the person to your left.
Pick foreign aid to take 2 coins from the treasury. Foreign aid is a little riskier than income because it can be blocked by a player who has the Duke character card. If you want to take the chance, choose the foreign aid action and take 2 coins from the treasury to add your own pile. After you choose foreign aid, you have to wait to see if another player wants to challenge it. If they don’t, then you’re good to go! If the Duke blocks you, then you don’t get any coins that turn.
Pay 7 coins to choose coup and take a player’s influence card. Choose an opponent and pay 7 coins to launch a coup against them. Your opponent will be forced to choose 1 of their influence cards to turn face up, which eliminates it from the game. When a player has both of their cards eliminated, then they’re out of the game. If you have 10 or more coins, you must choose the coup action.
Play taxes and take 3 coins if you have the Duke. If you have the Duke character card (or if you’re bluffing that you do) you can choose the taxes action. That allows you to take 3 coins from the treasury. Remember: if you get challenged you could end up losing a card.
Pay 3 coins to eliminate a card from another player if you have the Assassin. The Assassin character card allows you to target an opponent and take away 1 of their influence cards for the rest of the game. Add 3 coins to the treasury and choose your target. Only the Assassin character card is able to eliminate other player’s cards.
Steal 2 coins from another player if you have the Captain. Choose the steal option if you have the Captain card, or if you’re bluffing that you do. Select an opponent and take 2 of their coins from them and add them to your own pile. Only the player with the Captain card can steal.
Draw 2 cards and swap them with your own if you have the Ambassador. The Ambassador card allows you to potentially replace your influence cards. Choose the action and pick up 2 cards from the top of the deck. Take a look at them and decide whether you want to swap them out for your current cards. You can keep 1 or both and place your old cards at the bottom of the deck. You can also choose to keep your current cards if you don’t want the cards you choose from the deck. The only way to swap your influence cards is if you have the Ambassador card.
Counteractions and Challenges
Give other players the opportunity to block an action. After you choose an action, you must allow other players the chance to block your action with their character cards. They can choose to block your action with a character capable of stopping it. The only action that can’t be blocked is income.
Block foreign aid if you have the Duke. If another player chooses the foreign aid action, you can block them if you have the Duke card. You can also bluff that you have the Duke to try to stop them, but you’ll leave yourself open to a potential challenge. If you choose to block an opponent with the Duke, then they won’t collect any coins that turn.
Stop an assassination if you have the Contessa. Contessa is a special character card that has the ability to block assassination attempts. If another player chooses the assassination action, you can stop it with the Contessa card (or bluff that you have it).
Prevent stealing with the Ambassador or the Captain. If another player has the Captain card (or they say they do), they can choose the option to steal and take 2 coins from another player. You can prevent the action with either the Ambassador or the Captain card.
Challenge a player to prove that they have the required influence. If a player chooses a character action, you can challenge them. If you do, they have to show you the card to prove that they do have it. If they do have the card, they can then replace it with another card from the deck. If they don’t, then they have to flip a card face up for the rest of the game. Any player can challenge another player whether or not they’re involved in the action.
Winning
Flip a card face up if you lose influence. If you lose a challenge, or if another player successfully uses coup or assassinate against you, then you lose an influence card. Flip 1 card face up for the remainder of the game. Once an influence card is face-up, it can’t be used. You cannot replace your cards once they’re lost.
Eliminate players by getting them to turn both of their cards face up. Target other players and try to get them to lose influence cards. Once both of their cards are face-up, then they lose and are eliminated from the game. As players get eliminated and their cards are exposed, it gets trickier and trickier to bluff your way through the game.
Continue playing until there’s only 1 player remaining. When a player is eliminated, the game continues with the rest of the players. When every other player is eliminated, the remaining player is the winner!
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