Coup

To set up Coup, take three copies of each character card, shuffle them thoroughly into a face-down court deck, and deal two cards face down to every player. Each player also receives two coins from the central treasury to start their personal supply, along with a double-sided reference card summarizing actions and character abilities. The player who won the previous game starts first, or you can choose randomly for a first-time game.

The main objective of Coup is to be the last surviving player in the game. You achieve this by methodically eliminating your opponents' influence, which is represented by their hidden character cards. By using aggressive actions, assassinations, and successful challenges, you force rivals to reveal and discard their cards until no influence remains.

A player's turn requires taking one action; passing is never allowed. Basic actions include Income (taking one coin) and Foreign Aid (taking two coins, which can be blocked by the Duke). Players can also claim character roles to execute specific actions: the Duke takes three coins, the Assassin pays three coins to eliminate influence, the Captain steals two coins, and the Ambassador exchanges cards. Every claimed action or counteraction can be challenged by opponents.

Scoring and progression in Coup are entirely based on maintaining your influence. Every time you lose a challenge or an assassination attempt hits your cards, you must flip one of your face-down influence cards face up. Once both of your influence cards are face up, you have lost all influence and are eliminated from the game.

The game concludes immediately when only one player has active, unrevealed influence cards remaining. That surviving player is declared the winner of Coup.