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Rules and Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Rules:

  1. Your deck must be selected before your roles are assigned.
  2. All decks should be of same type/game (It is best to not mix deck or game types)
  3. A player should be selected to shuffle and distribute the roles. After shuffling the roles, roll a 6 sided dice. The player shuffling the roles will be player 1 for this step. The first role is assigned to the number that was rolled on the dice. Then roles are randomly handed out to all players in a clockwise fashion.
  4. All roles are assigned to players face down. Once all roles have been assigned, players may look at the role that was assigned to them. Keep your assigned role secret from all other players.
  5. The player assigned the role “King” will reveal their role to all the players and turn their role card face up.
  6. Gameplay starts with the King as player 1. Then gameplay continues in a clockwise fashion and moves to the the next player on the left.
  7. Players life totals are determined by the underlying game they are playing.
  8. Players should be eliminated through direct player elimination, or combat damage. Gameplay ends when one of the win conditions is met by a player, or by a team of players.
 
Win Conditions:
 
  • The “King“: You play as a team with the King’s Bannerman. Your win condition is to eliminate all other players except the King’s Bannerman. If you are the last player remaining, or if you and the King’s Bannerman are the last remaining players, you and the King’s Bannerman win as a team.
  • The “King’s Bannerman“: You play as a team with the King. Your win condition is to prevent the King from being eliminated. Even if you are eliminated, if the King wins – you and the King win as a team!
  • The “Usurper“: You play as a team with the Usurper’s Man. Your win condition is to eliminate the King as quickly as possible. Even if you are eliminated, if the Usurper’s Man wins – you and the Usurper’s Man win as a team!
  • The “Usurper’s Man“: You play as a team with the Usurper. Your win condition is to eliminate the King as quickly as possible. Even if you are eliminated, if the Usurper wins – you and the Usurper win as a team!
  • The “Goblin“: Your win condition is to be the first player eliminated. If you are not the first player eliminated; you must defeat all other players and then defeat the King last. You can not eliminate yourself.
  • The “Dragon“: Your win condition is to eliminate all other players, defeating the King last. If you are the player who eliminates the Goblin and the Goblin is the first player eliminated – you win and the Goblin loses.

How to play with 4 or 5 players

For a 5 player game, the Dragon is not used. For a 4 player game, use the King, Usurper, Goblin, and then randomly select either the King’s Bannerman or the Dragon. Keep the randomized role hidden from all players. The Usurper’s Man is not used.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because of the spirit of the game, decks should be built to be played by any character. The deck you choose to play with must be selected before your role is assigned. This also helps to keep your role identity from being known by players who know you built a specific deck for a specific role. Mid-range combat driven decks are good. Preconstructed packaged decks do very well.

This question comes up occasionally. Let’s look at a possible scenario. The last three players are the King, Goblin, and Dragon. During combat, the King is accidentally eliminated, leaving both the Goblin and the Dragon. In this situation, neither the Goblin nor the Dragon meet either of their win conditions. Even though the Usurper and Usurper’s Man have been eliminated, the Usurper and the Usurper’s Man win by default.

Another situation may arise where it is just the King and either the Goblin or the Dragon are remaining. The King accidentally eliminates himself or an effect he controls causes him to be eliminated and leaves the opponent still in the game. This results in the remaining player being victorious, even though this player was not the cause of the King being eliminated.

The Goblins primary win condition states that he has to be the first player eliminated. If you suspect a player is the Goblin, a safe alternative would be to eliminate the Goblin and another player at the same time. By the Goblin being eliminated at the same time as another player, the Goblin fails to meet his primary win condition and loses the game.

If you are the Dragon and eliminate the Goblin and another player at the same time, the same is True. The Dragon fails to meet his secondary win condition and must eliminate all other players and then defeat the King last.

The Dragon’s Primary win condition states that he must eliminate all other players and the King last. If the Dragon eliminates any other player or players at the same time as the King, and this results in the Dragon being the last remaining player, the Dragon loses and the Usurper and the Usurper’s Man win by default.

Similarly, if the Goblin eliminates the King and any other player of players at the same time, resulting in the Goblin being the last remaining player, the Goblin loses and the Usurper and the Usurper’s Man win by default.