Regicide
Badgers from Mars · 2020
1–410–30 min10+ yrs2.0/5 complexity7.4 BGG#561 BGG16 KCo-op
⚡ short answer
How do you play Regicide?
The objective of Regicide is for you and your friends, as a party of adventurers, to work cooperatively to defeat all 12 corrupted royals in the Castle Deck. This includes four Jacks, four Queens, and the four big boss Kings. If you successfully defeat the last King, your entire party wins the game. However, if even one player is eliminated, the entire party loses, emphasizing the cooperative nature of the game where it's all for one and one for all.
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the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
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01
Setup
Build the Castle Deck with Jacks, Queens, and Kings, then create the Tavern Deck with numbered cards, Aces, and Jesters, dealing cards to players based on player count.
The rules, step by step
Setup
To set up the game, first create the Castle Deck by shuffling the four Jacks and placing them face down, then shuffling the four Queens and stacking them on top, and finally shuffling the four Kings and placing them on the very top. Next, create the Tavern Deck by shuffling all numbered cards (2s through 10s), the four Aces, and the appropriate number of Jesters for your player count (0 for 1-2 players, 1 for 3 players, 2 for 4 players). Deal cards to each player up to their maximum hand size (8 for 1 player, 7 for 2 players, 6 for 3 players, 5 for 4 players). Finally, flip over the top card of the Castle Deck to reveal the first enemy, which will always be a Jack.
Objective
The objective of Regicide is for you and your friends, as a party of adventurers, to work cooperatively to defeat all 12 corrupted royals in the Castle Deck. This includes four Jacks, four Queens, and the four big boss Kings. If you successfully defeat the last King, your entire party wins the game. However, if even one player is eliminated, the entire party loses, emphasizing the cooperative nature of the game where it's all for one and one for all.
On your turn
Each turn consists of four straightforward steps. First, the active player plays a card from their hand to attack the current enemy. Second, the played card's suit power is activated. Third, damage is dealt to the enemy based on the card's value (Clubs deal double damage). If the enemy's health is reduced to zero or below, it is defeated. Fourth, if the enemy is still standing after your attack, it strikes back. The active player must then suffer damage by discarding cards from their hand equal to the enemy's attack value, after any Spades suit power effects have been applied.
Scoring
You win Regicide by successfully defeating the very last King in the Castle Deck. This signifies that your party has overcome all 12 corrupted royals and restored peace to the land. Conversely, you lose the game if any player cannot discard enough cards from their hand to absorb the damage dealt by an enemy's attack. You also lose if a player has no cards they can legally play on their turn, meaning they cannot contribute to the fight or defend against an attack. The game is an all-or-nothing cooperative challenge.
Game end
The game concludes in one of two ways. The party achieves victory if they successfully defeat the final King in the Castle Deck, having overcome all 12 corrupted royals. This is the ultimate goal of the game. The party suffers defeat if any player is unable to absorb the damage from an enemy's attack by discarding cards from their hand, or if a player finds themselves in a situation where they have no cards that can be legally played on their turn. In Regicide, it's a collective win or a collective loss.
Tips
Remember these key rules to avoid getting caught out. Firstly, Immunity: an enemy is immune to the power of its own suit (e.g., a Queen of Diamonds is immune to a Diamond's draw power). However, Jesters can be played to cancel an enemy's immunity for that turn. Secondly, Combos: you can play multiple cards of the same number as a single attack (e.g., two 4s deal 8 damage). Thirdly, Animal Companions: Aces are your companions; you can pair an Ace with any other numbered card to add one to the attack value and activate the suit powers of both cards. Finally, No Communication: you cannot explicitly reveal what cards are in your hand, though you can discuss strategy in general terms.
🔬 game anatomy
Complexity2.0 / 5
BGG rating7.4 / 10
Vibe
Co-op
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
Play time
10–30 min
Players
1–4
Recommended age
10+ yrs
BGG rank
#561
✨ from Trișache · verified
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is the goal of the game?
The objective of Regicide is for you and your friends, as a party of adventurers, to work cooperatively to defeat all 12 corrupted royals in the Castle Deck. This includes four Jacks, four Queens, and the four big boss Kings. If you successfully defeat the last King, your entire party wins the game. However, if even one player is eliminated, the entire party loses, emphasizing the cooperative nature of the game where it's all for one and one for all.
Q2How do you set up the game?
To set up the game, first create the Castle Deck by shuffling the four Jacks and placing them face down, then shuffling the four Queens and stacking them on top, and finally shuffling the four Kings and placing them on the very top. Next, create the Tavern Deck by shuffling all numbered cards (2s through 10s), the four Aces, and the appropriate number of Jesters for your player count (0 for 1-2 players, 1 for 3 players, 2 for 4 players). Deal cards to each player up to their maximum hand size (8 for 1 player, 7 for 2 players, 6 for 3 players, 5 for 4 players). Finally, flip over the top card of the Castle Deck to reveal the first enemy, which will always be a Jack.
Q3How does a turn work?
Each turn consists of four straightforward steps. First, the active player plays a card from their hand to attack the current enemy. Second, the played card's suit power is activated. Third, damage is dealt to the enemy based on the card's value (Clubs deal double damage). If the enemy's health is reduced to zero or below, it is defeated. Fourth, if the enemy is still standing after your attack, it strikes back. The active player must then suffer damage by discarding cards from their hand equal to the enemy's attack value, after any Spades suit power effects have been applied.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
You win Regicide by successfully defeating the very last King in the Castle Deck. This signifies that your party has overcome all 12 corrupted royals and restored peace to the land. Conversely, you lose the game if any player cannot discard enough cards from their hand to absorb the damage dealt by an enemy's attack. You also lose if a player has no cards they can legally play on their turn, meaning they cannot contribute to the fight or defend against an attack. The game is an all-or-nothing cooperative challenge.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game concludes in one of two ways. The party achieves victory if they successfully defeat the final King in the Castle Deck, having overcome all 12 corrupted royals. This is the ultimate goal of the game. The party suffers defeat if any player is unable to absorb the damage from an enemy's attack by discarding cards from their hand, or if a player finds themselves in a situation where they have no cards that can be legally played on their turn. In Regicide, it's a collective win or a collective loss.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
Remember these key rules to avoid getting caught out. Firstly, Immunity: an enemy is immune to the power of its own suit (e.g., a Queen of Diamonds is immune to a Diamond's draw power). However, Jesters can be played to cancel an enemy's immunity for that turn. Secondly, Combos: you can play multiple cards of the same number as a single attack (e.g., two 4s deal 8 damage). Thirdly, Animal Companions: Aces are your companions; you can pair an Ace with any other numbered card to add one to the attack value and activate the suit powers of both cards. Finally, No Communication: you cannot explicitly reveal what cards are in your hand, though you can discuss strategy in general terms.
Q7How much does Regicide cost?
No store is currently tracking Regicide. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q8Where can I buy Regicide cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q9How do you play Regicide?
Regicide is a card game game, for 1–4 players, taking ~10–30 minutes, featuring card play conflict resolution. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Regicide — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does Regicide support?
Regicide is played by 1–4 players.
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