House Of DecksGame rules
Intriga
Be the last player with any influence (face-down card) left.
Deck
15 character cards (three of each of the five) and coins
Players
2 to 6 players
Setup
Every player gets two face-down cards, their influence, and two coins. With two players, whoever starts gets one coin fewer. The rest of the cards form the deck.
When you lose an influence, you pick one of your cards and turn it face up: it no longer counts and everyone sees which character it was. With both face up, you are out.
The actions
On your turn you take a single action. Three are open to anyone: Income (take 1 coin; nobody can stop it), Foreign aid (take 2; anyone claiming Banker can block it) and Coup (pay 7 and the player you choose loses an influence; it cannot be blocked or challenged). If you start your turn with 10 coins or more, the Coup is compulsory.
The others require claiming a character: Tax (Banker: take 3), Assassinate (Assassin: pay 3 and the player you choose loses an influence), Steal (Corsair: take 2 coins from another player) and Exchange (Ambassador: look at two cards from the deck and keep whichever you like, returning the rest).
You do not need to hold a character to use it. You can claim to be the Assassin without having her: that is a bluff, and nothing happens unless someone challenges you.
Blocks
Some actions can be blocked by claiming another character: the Banker blocks Foreign aid (any player can do it), the Lady blocks an assassination, and the Corsair or the Ambassador block a steal (in these two cases, only the player being targeted).
A block can be a bluff too, and it can be challenged too. If the block stands, the action does not happen; the coins paid for a blocked assassination are lost.
Challenges
Whenever someone claims a character (to act or to block), the whole table gets a few seconds to challenge them. In House Of Decks a "Liar!" button and a "Let it pass" button appear; once everyone has let it pass, play continues without waiting.
If the challenged player did not hold that character, they lose an influence and their action (or block) fails. If they did, they show it, shuffle it back into the deck, draw a new card, and the challenger loses an influence instead.
Careful with the Assassin: if you challenge a real Assassin and lose, you lose one influence for the challenge and another to the assassination.
Ending
The last player with any face-down card left wins. Everyone else is ranked by the order in which they lost their last influence.
Tips and strategy
Lying well
The safest bluff is the one nobody has a reason to challenge. Collecting tax as a fake Banker with two coins rarely bothers anyone; bluffing an assassination on a player with a single card is inviting a challenge, because they have nothing to lose.
Be consistent: if you claimed Corsair two turns ago, claiming it again is believable; switching character every turn gives away that you hold none of them.
Watch the face-up cards (the table counts them at the top). If two Ladies have already fallen, claiming to be the third is very risky.
When to challenge
A challenge risks a whole card, so do it when the play really hurts you (you are being assassinated, robbed, or someone is closing in on a Coup) and there is also reason to doubt: copies already face up, or you hold that character yourself.
If you are assassinated with your last card, you have nothing to lose: either block with a Lady (even if you do not hold one) or challenge the Assassin.
Sometimes it is better to let someone else challenge: if another player has reasons too, let them take the risk.
Coins
At seven coins you have a Coup nobody can stop; at ten you are forced to make it. Whoever is approaching seven is the player everyone watches: that is the moment to steal from them or go after them.
Income is slow but cannot be blocked or challenged: when everyone has you figured out, it is the risk-free road to a Coup.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a character I do not hold?
Yes: that is a bluff. You only lose something if someone challenges you and you did not have it.
What happens if I challenge and they were telling the truth?
You lose an influence. They show the card, shuffle it back into the deck and draw a new one, so you do not know what they hold now either.
Who can block?
Foreign aid can be blocked by anyone claiming Banker. An assassination can only be blocked by its target, with the Lady; a steal by its target, with the Corsair or the Ambassador.
When is the Coup compulsory?
If you start your turn with 10 coins or more, your action has to be a Coup.
Where do the paintings on the cards come from?
They are public-domain paintings photographed on Wikimedia Commons: The Moneylender and His Wife (Massys), Judith and Her Maidservant (Artemisia Gentileschi), an anonymous portrait of Barbarossa, Isabella d'Este (Titian) and Lady with an Ermine (Leonardo).
Intriga, against the computer
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