In this Main Match, players engage in a war of bluffing for influence. (Original design by Rikki Tahta)
| Designer(s): Non-original Game | Match Type: DM (for 2 players) |
| Featured in: The Genius: First Encounter | |
In the not too distant future, the government is run for profit by a new "royal class" of multinational CEOs.
To be successful, you must destroy the influence of your rivals and drive them into exile.
There are five different types of nobles: dukes, captains, assassins, contessas and ambassadors.
Marvin the Paranoid Android and Nomi Marks, you will each be randomly assigned two nobles such that neither player will start with two copies of the same noble.
The starting player will be given 1 coin, and the player who plays second will be given 2 coins.
The eleven players not participating in the Death Match will be randomly assigned one of the remaining nobles.
Nomi Marks, you have more garnets, so you can choose the starting player.
On your turn, you must do an action. You can either do a general action, which are always available to all players, or do a noble-specific action.
Bluffing is encouraged in Coup. If you would like to do a certain action or block your opponent's action, you can, even if you don't have the noble that would allow you to do it.
If you are blocking an opponent's steal, you must state whether you are doing it with the captain or the ambassador.
If you suspect that your opponent does not have the card that they claim they do, you can challenge. If you are correct and your opponent does not have that card, then the action that they were trying to do will fail, and they must pick a noble to discard. If they were trying to block your action, then your action will succeed.
If your opponent does have the card that they claimed, then you lose the challenge and must pick a noble to discard. Your opponent will then discard the noble that they won the challenge with. Then, they will pick one of the players not competing in the Death Match and take their noble. Finally, the action or counteraction that they were attempting to do will succeed.
If a player is assassinated and unsuccessfully challenges the assassination, they will lose both of their nobles: one for the assassination and one for the unsuccessful challenge.
If a player is assassinated, claims a Contessa and the other player successfully challenges their claim, then the assassinated player will also lose both of their nobles: one for the assassination and one for the unsuccessful bluff.
If a player attempts an assassination but their opponent successfully challenges their Assassin, then the assassination will fail and the player that attempted it will lose a noble but will not lose three coins.
Each player will have 2 minutes to make their moves. They will also have three sixty second extensions. If a player runs out of time, they will automatically collect income (launching a coup instead if they have 10 or more coins) and not challenge or block their opponent. If they have to choose a noble to discard, they will choose a noble randomly.
The game ends when one player has lost both of their nobles. That player will lose the Death Match and be eliminated from the game.
Bluffing (The game involves players being able to peform illegal actions and being punished for being called out.)
Cards (The game involves cards of any kind.)
Psych (The game tests the players' psychological & bluffing abilities.)
Social DM (The game is a Death Match that involves players not in the Death Match themselves.)
Turn-based (The game involves players taking turns one after another.)