Take The Throne Party Game Preview

This is a preview copy sent to us for our early opinions. No money exchanged hands. Some art, rules or components will change in the final game. You can follow the Kickstarter page here.

Take the Throne is a dynamic and strategic card game where each turn involves clever thinking and anticipating your opponents' moves. The challenge is in reading your opponents and determining which card will give you the edge and bring you closer to ruling the realm. As you play you will embody rival houses, all vying for the same objective: to capture the throne and make your mark on the realm. Players compete to be the first to achieve eight victory points. The most effective way to gain these points is by being on the throne at the end of each round, King Of Tokyo style, but only one Monarch can reign at a time.

At the beginning of each turn, every player selects a single card to play. The Monarch aims to maintain power, while the house players seek opportunities to claim the throne for themselves, disrupt other players plans, or work in some sneaky points of their own. Since every card in the game can influence the outcome, choosing the right card at the right moment is essential.

How To Set Up Take the Throne

Start by deciding who will be the Monarch. This player will use the Monarch deck of six cards, Abdicate, Authority, Command, Consolidate, Defend, and Raid. The other players become House players and will use five House cards each, Attack, Charge, Feint, Infiltrate, and Sabotage. Next, place the Victory Point tokens in the centre of the table so everyone can reach them easily. Each player begins the game with one Victory Point. Once this is set up, you are ready to begin.

How To Play Take the Throne

Each round, the House players will try to take the throne from the Monarch, while the Monarch’s goal is to keep control of the throne. At the start of every round, each player chooses one card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. All players do this at the same time. Cards will either have an immediate effect as indicated by a lightning bolt symbol, or end of round effect as indicated by a hour glass icon. Some cards have both icons and effects.

When everyone has placed their card, the Monarch reveals their card first. If their revealed card shows a lightning bolt icon, then the Monarch player immediately performs the action text written on the card. If there is no lightning bolt icon, play simply passes to the next player without taking any action. Play continues to the left in a clockwise order, with each player revealing their card in turn, and playing out any immediate actions.

When this is done and all players have carried out any immediate cation cards they played, all players check their cards for any end of turn effects shown with an hourglass icon and carry out those effects.

After this, everyone checks to see who holds the throne. If the Monarch keeps the throne, they gain two Victory Points. If a House player takes the throne, that player gains one Victory Point. They will also swap their discard pile and hand of cards, with that of the previous Monarch player, and both players will form a new hand of cards with their new decks. This is one way to get your cards back, there are others!

The game continues in this way with new rounds until one player reaches eight Victory Points while sitting on the throne. You do not take back the cards you have played, they stay on the table for all to see, so people will know what you have left in your hand.

If you have eight or more points at the end of the round but do not sit on the throne, you cannot win. But if you have eight points or more and sit on the throne at the end of the round, you win, game over. You could have more points than another player who has eight or more and sits on the throne, but they will still win, as they are on the throne, and you are not. Its not about most points, its about gaining eight or more points, and ending a round on the throne. This is Take The Throne, not gain the victory points!

During the game, you can lie and say whatever you feel is right when playing a card. Deceiving other players about your plans is a huge part of this game. Bluff, double bluff, whatever you feel will get inside your opponents' heads and give you the advantage as you play your cards. But what do all these cards do? Let's take a look. First at the Monarch cards.

Abdicate This card has an instant and end of round effect. The instant effects forces you to give up the throne, but you gain a point. Then at the end of the round, if no house player has taken the throne, you can take it back yourself!

Authority This card has an immediate effect that lets you take a point from another player if they have more points than you.

Command This card has an immediate effect that lets you look at any other players unrevealed card. You can then choose any house player and force them to replace their card with another unplayed card from their hand.

Consolidate This card has an end of round effect that means you will gain an additional point if you retain the throne at the end of this round.

Defend This card has an end of round effect that lets you discard any attack cards played by House players this round.

Raid This card has an immediate effect that lets you choose any House player and force them to discard their played card for this round.

And here are the House cards:

Attack This card has an end of round effect that lets you contend the throne to the strength of one. Other cards also allow you to do this. Each card that has this power has a number on it with a different strength. If more than one card with this power was played, the card with the highest number wins and takes the throne. Although, of course, by the time you come to the end of the round and this effect comes into play, not all cards that had this power that were played will still be there! If there is a tie, the current Monarch chooses between the players with the active played 'take the throne' cards, as to who becomes the new Monarch.

Charge This card has an end of round effect to contend the throne at a strength of three. If there are more than one Charge card sin play though, they are all discarded.

Feint This card has an immediate and end of round effect. The immediate effect lets you spend a point to play any card from your hand or discard pile! The end of round effect lets you gain an additional point if the additional card you played from your immediate effect lets you take the throne. Trickery!

Infiltrate This card has an end of round effect to contest the throne at the strength of two, but if no one else played an Attack card, this card is then discarded.

Sabotage This card has an immediate end of round effect. The immediate effects lets you force another player to replace their played card. The end of round effect gives you an additional point so long as the current Monarch retains their status this round.

Once you have played a few times, you can if you wish swap out some cards for a few new ones. The House player must always have the Attack and Charge cards and the Monarch player must retain the Raid and Defend cards, but you can then shuffle the rest up and take whatever you end up with. Other players can then either match your hand exactly in a mirror variant, or take their own random hand in a more random asymmetric game. Here are the other cards you can use.

Dominate This card has an end of round effect where you can contend the throne, however, you must discard the card unless exactly one Charge card is also in play.

Ally This card has an instant and end of round effect. The instant effect means the Monarch must discard their card. The end of round effect means that if another player takes the throne this round, then they can decide if you will then gain zero, one, or two points! Time to make some deals!

Reinforce This card has an end of round effect that lets you put all your previously played cards back into your hand to be played again, and then if you are not the Monarch, gain a point.

Is It Fun? Take The Throne Party Game Preview

This is a brilliantly simple card game that is full of twists and turns, captivating players from the very first deal. The game is designed to engage participants through its cleverly constructed mechanics and simple rules and turn structure from the very off. But the game, despite its simplicity, still incorporates a variety of elements essential for having fun at the gaming table.

At its core, the game revolves around themes of sabotage, deceit, trickery, and bluffing, making it a perfect choice for those who enjoy strategic thinking and psychological warfare with their friends. Players are encouraged to adopt different plans, crafting elaborate strategies while simultaneously attempting to outsmart their opponents. Remember, its not just about what card you play, but what card you tell everyone you pan to play. What deals you cut. What lies you tell! Each round presents new opportunities for cunning manoeuvres, where a well-timed bluff can turn the tide of the game in an instant.

The beauty of this card game lies in its simplicity. The rules are easy to grasp, allowing newcomers to join in without feeling overwhelmed. Yet, beneath this surface simplicity lies a depth that rewards those who take the time to study their opponents and anticipate their moves. The game encourages players to think several steps ahead, creating a dynamic atmosphere filled with tension and excitement.

As the game progresses, players must navigate a landscape of shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals. The twists and turns keep everyone on their toes, as one moment a player may seem to be an ally, and the next, they could be plotting your downfall. This unpredictability is what makes the game so utterly absorbing; as only one player can win after all! Managing your hand of cards is crucial. Knowing when to play each one, and planning when to strike. When to hold back, and when to make your move for victory.

The design of the cards themselves adds to the overall experience. Each card is thoughtfully illustrated, enhancing the thematic elements of deception and strategy. The artwork not only captivates the eye but also serves as a visual cue that helps players immerse themselves in the game’s narrative. I am not saying you really do feel like you are attacking when you play the attack card, but at least you can see a huge knight with a giant sword about to attack another person! You can pretend a little!

I feel the other thing that holds this game back, and suggests why it has not picked up more following in its crowdfunding attempts, is the box art. It is a little dreary and generic, which is a huge shame, as what lies inside is a box of tricks ready to delight you and your friends. It feels like Coup on steroids. And I love Coup.