Coup Rules

Coup: A Strategic, Bluffing Card Game

Game Overview

Coup is set in a not-too-distant future where the government is run for profit by a new royal class of multinational CEOs, whose grip on the economy has pushed almost everyone into poverty. An underground movement called The Resistance has left the political courts weak and full of intrigue — and you, a powerful government official, intend to exploit that chaos.

The box contains 15 character cards (3 Duke, 3 Assassin, 3 Captain, 3 Ambassador and 3 Contessa), 6 summary cards and 50 coins. It plays from two players upwards, with specific adjustments for the two-player game covered further down. You can purchase the game here on Amazon.

Objective

The objective of Coup is to eliminate the influence of all other players and be the last survivor. The face-down cards in front of a player represent who they influence at court, and therefore which abilities they can claim. Every time a player loses an influence they turn over and reveal one of their face-down cards — always their own choice of which one. A revealed card stays face up for everyone to see and no longer provides any influence. Once a player has lost all their influence they are exiled and out of the game. As the rules put it bluntly, there is no second place.

Setup

To set up the game, shuffle all the character cards and deal 2 to each player. Players can always look at their cards but must keep them face down in front of them. Place the remaining cards in the middle of the play area as the Court deck. Give each player 2 coins. Each player's money must be kept visible. Place the remaining coins in the middle of the play area as the Treasury. Give one summary card to each player.

How to Play

The game is played in turns in clockwise order. Each turn, a player chooses one action only. A player may not pass. After the action is chosen, other players have an opportunity to challenge or counteract that action. If an action is not challenged or counteracted, it automatically succeeds. Challenges are resolved first before any action or counteraction is resolved.

To take a Character Action, a player simply claims that the required character is one of their face-down cards. They may be telling the truth or bluffing, and they never have to reveal anything unless someone challenges them. One hard constraint applies: a player who starts their turn with 10 or more coins must launch a Coup that turn, as their only action.

General actions (always available to everyone):

Income — take 1 coin from the Treasury.
Foreign Aid — take 2 coins from the Treasury. Can be blocked by the Duke.
Coup — pay 7 coins to the Treasury and launch a Coup against another player, who immediately loses an influence. A Coup always succeeds.

Character actions (a challenge forces you to show the character):

Duke — Tax: take 3 coins from the Treasury.
Assassin — Assassinate: pay 3 coins and target another player, who immediately loses an influence if it succeeds. Can be blocked by the Contessa.
Captain — Steal: take 2 coins from another player, or just one if that is all they have. Can be blocked by the Ambassador or the Captain.
Ambassador — Exchange: take 2 random cards from the Court deck, choose which, if any, to swap with your face-down cards, then return two cards to the Court deck.

Counteractions work like character actions: any player may claim a character to block, truthfully or not, and only has to show a card if challenged. The Duke blocks Foreign Aid, the Contessa blocks an assassination against its holder, and the Ambassador or Captain blocks a steal. When an action is successfully blocked it fails, but any coins already paid as its cost stay spent.

Challenges can be issued by any player, even one not involved in the action, and must be made immediately — once play has moved on, they cannot be issued retroactively. A challenged player must prove they hold the character by showing it. If they cannot or will not, they lose the challenge; if they can, the challenger loses. Whoever loses a challenge immediately loses an influence. A player who wins a challenge returns the shown card to the Court deck, reshuffles it and draws a random replacement, so they keep their influence and nobody knows their new card. If an action is successfully challenged, the whole action fails and any coins paid for it are returned.

Scoring and End of Game

The game ends when there is only one player left. Players are eliminated when they have lost all their influence, and both their cards are face up in front of them. They leave their cards face up and return all their coins to the Treasury. The last player remaining is the winner.

Common Variants

The rules themselves cover the two-player game: when playing Coup with two players, the starting player receives only 1 coin at the beginning of the game. There is also an official two-player variant that changes the setup instead. Divide the cards into three sets of five, each set holding one of every character. Each player takes one set, secretly chooses one card and discards the rest. The third set is then shuffled, one card is dealt to each player, and the remaining three cards form the Court deck.

Beyond the base game, the publisher has released further editions such as Reformation, Rebellion G54 and Anarchy.

Why This Game Is So Popular

Coup is popular due to its strategic depth, bluffing mechanics, and short playtime. The game allows players to engage in tense negotiations, test their bluffing skills, and outmaneuver their opponents to become the last survivor. The cruellest moment in the game is what the rules call the double danger of assassination: it is possible to lose two influence in a single turn. Challenge an Assassin aimed at you and lose that challenge, and you give up one influence for the failed challenge and a second to the assassination that follows. The same happens if you bluff the Contessa to block an assassination and someone calls you on it. A single turn can therefore take you from comfortable to exiled.

Where to Get the Game

You can purchase the Coup card game on Amazon.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

The first mistake is hoarding coins without watching the ceiling. Start a turn on 10 or more coins and the Coup becomes compulsory: you lose all freedom of action that turn.

The second is misreading what a refund covers. A successfully blocked action still costs you the coins you paid — an assassination stopped by the Contessa burns your 3 coins anyway. Only a successful challenge returns the coins, because the action never happens at all.

The third is challenging on a hunch. Challenges are resolved before the action, and the loser reveals a card straight away, so a challenge with nothing behind it is simply an influence flipped at random.

Finally, remember the social rules: negotiations are allowed but never binding, you may not show your cards to anyone, and coins can never be given or lent to another player.

FAQ

Can I pass my turn? No. Each turn a player must choose exactly one action, and passing is not allowed. If no character action suits you, Income is always available and claims nothing, so it can never be challenged.
Can I challenge a player who has already lost an influence? Yes. Any player may challenge any action or counteraction that uses character influence, whether or not they are involved in it. A player down to one card who loses a challenge reveals that last card and is immediately out of the game.
Can I use more than one character's ability in a single turn? No, you can only use one action per turn. However, you can use a character's ability to counteract another player's action.
Can I see my opponent's cards during the game? No, you can only see your own cards. Other players' cards remain face-down and hidden from view.
Can I negotiate with other players during the game? Yes, negotiations are allowed, but they are not binding. Players are not allowed to reveal any of their cards to other players.

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