Overview

You are trying to expand your kingdom while making sure everyone else loses their kingdom. The last player with any subjects in their kingdom gets to sit on the Throne as the winner. Each card in your hand represents a person in your kingdom. Grow your kingdom at any cost.

Setup

• Start with a standard 52-card deck, and remove all the cards 2-6. They are not used in the game at all.

• Add two Jokers into the deck. They will be used.

• Deal 5 cards to each player. The rest form a draw pile.

Card Powers

• Peasant (7–10) → No power. Discard and draw nothing.

• Jack → Peek at 1 subject (card) of your choice from one rival’s hand.

• Queen → Force one rival to randomly reveal 1 subject (card) to the table that you choose (kept face-up until played).

• King → Force one rival to kill one 1 random subject (card) from their hand that you choose.

• Ace → Draw 2 new subjects (cards) after play (instead of 1), expanding your kingdom.

• Joker → Any action taken against you can be evaded.

Turn Sequence

1. Declare

• Announce you are playing a Jack, Queen, King, Ace, or Peasant (7–10).

• Place one card face down into the discard pile.

• If it’s a Jack, Queen, or King, choose a rival.

• You might be playing the card you said, or you can bluff in an attempt to grow your kingdom.

• After each turn you draw a card to replenish your subjects (unless you played a peasant which draws 0 cards, or you draw 2 cards if you successfully play an Ace), unless someone successfully calls you a Liar. In that case you do not draw any cards to end your play.

2. The rival you target can challenge you by saying “Liar!”

• Jack / Queen / King → Only the targeted player may call “Liar!”

• Ace → Any player at the table may call “Liar!”

• If not challenged, the declared action goes through.

• If challenged: Reveal the card.

  • Jack / Queen / King

    Truth → the action of the card goes through, and the challenger loses 1 random card chosen by the one they accused as a Liar.

    Lie → discard that card and draw nothing.

  • Ace (High Stakes)

    Truth → draw 2 cards, and the challenger who called “Liar!” discards 1 random card, chosen by the Ace holder.

    Lie → discard the fake Ace plus 1 random card from your hand, chosen at random by the accuser.

• If the rival has a Joker they can also play that instead of letting the action go through, and instead of calling Liar. In that case the Joker is played and the action is evaded, but there are no penalties, and the player who’s turn it was still draws a single card to end their turn.

3. Resolve & Draw

• If not successfully challenged, the declared action goes through.

• End of turn draw:

• Jack / Queen / King → draw 1 card.

• Ace → draw 2 cards.

• Peasant → draw nothing.

Elimination & Victory

• When there are no cards available to draw the discard pile is used as the draw pile, and a new discard pile is started. Shuffle the discard pile before using it as the new draw pile.

• If you run out of cards you have no subjects, and you’re eliminated.

• Last player with cards (subjects) wins the round.

• Multi-round play: each win = 1 point; first to 3 points takes the Throne.