A dying king. Five heirs. Three rounds of secret pacts.
The Premise
A dying king has 5 potential heirs. Each heir is competing to be named successor — but the Court (other players) decides. Heirs make secret pacts. The Court has hidden preferences. The King's Will may overrule everything.
Court members must back their secret Heir without revealing it — or risk being targeted by rival Heirs in the next round.
The Roles
Heir
×5Competing for the throne. Makes promises, pays favors, leverages secret will.
Courtier
×3-5Has a Loyalty card to one specific Heir. Votes secretly each round.
How a Round Plays
Petitions Round 1
Each Heir presents a policy promise. Court members vote support/oppose secretly.
Private deals
Heirs offer Favors to specific Court members. Side-channel negotiation.
Petitions Round 2 & 3
Repeat with shifting alliances.
The Will
King's secret Will revealed. Names ONE Heir as auto-winner UNLESS Court has voted them down 3+ times.
Win Conditions
Named Heir (if not vetoed)
The Heir named in the Will, if Court allowed.
Most-supported Heir
Otherwise, Heir with most Court support.
Loyal Courtier
Court members win individually if their secretly-loyal Heir wins.
Designer Notes
It's a negotiation game where the "judges" have private agendas. Heirs don't know which Court members are secretly loyal to whom. Court members must vote in ways that don't expose their loyalty too early.
Strategy Tips
- Heirs: don't over-promiseA promise you can't keep is a Loyalty card transferred away.
- Courtiers: vote against your favorite occasionallyCamouflage. A 100% support pattern is a tell.
- Watch the veto countA 2-veto Heir is dangerous; if they have the Will, the Court must veto once more.