Game Review: Coup · Rating: 7.5/10 Specs: 2-6 Players · 5-15 Minutes · Ages 12+ When playing Coup, each player’s cards represent who they influence in a dystopian future government. The purpose of the game is to eliminate the influences of your opponents to gain absolute power; it’s a rapid game of deduction and player elimination. At the beginning of the game, the deck is shuffled, and each player is dealt two cards. The cards are a slightly different size than traditional cards, measuring in at 2.5”x3.75”, providing a little extra height. These cards are intended to remain face down in front of each player (peeking as needed), but the game has the same effect if players want to hold them in their hand. Players also start off with two coin tokens. The coins are powerful as essentially all actions revolve around their use. Any player can use the basic action Income to earn a single coin. This process is slow, so often the Duke is utilized, whether players have the card or not, to earn three coins in one turn. Anyone could use Foreign Aid to earn two coins, but the Duke can block that through counteraction. The Duke is valuable. All players can also initiate a Coup, which costs seven coins, to eliminate a player’s influence (and it cannot be blocked). While the Assassin’s action to Assassinate is far less expensive, a player can claim to have the Contessa and block it. However, this is tricky because it can result in losing both your influences if someone challenges your bluff. If you aren’t bluffing, and your opponent’s challenge is unsuccessful, then they lose an influence, and you swap out the contested Contessa card for a new one. Players are free to negotiate and create alliances, but nothing is binding. Plus, you can’t give away coins or reveal cards. You can offer to avoid one another, block as needed, and unite to target someone else. But, be careful; the winner is the last survivor. There is no second place, so alliances can only last so long. The same goes for the length of the game. Games can last anywhere from mere moments to 10 minutes or more, making Coup a great game to play at any get-together with minimal commitment and rules to learn. https://www.instagram.com/p/CP0iIMPh9iE/?utm_medium=tumblr