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How to Play

Love Letter

2-4 players 20-20 min 7.2 Board Game Geek Rating

Players compete as suitors trying to deliver love letters to a secluded princess through palace intermediaries. This deduction game uses only sixteen cards, with players drawing and playing one card per turn to eliminate opponents while protecting themselves. Victory comes from being the last player standing or having the highest-value card when the deck runs out.

Published 2012

Love Letter

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Shuffle the deck
Shuffle all 16 cards together and place the deck face-down on the table with the reward tokens nearby
2
Remove hidden card
Take the top card and place it face-down into the storage pouch
3
Two-player variant
In a two-player game, additionally take three cards from the deck and place them face-up on the table
4
Deal starting hands
Give each player one card from the deck as their starting hand
5
Determine first player
The player who most recently wrote a letter goes first

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Draw a card
Take one card from the top of the deck into your hand
2
Play a card
Choose one of the two cards in your hand to play and activate its effect
3
Reveal played card
Place the played card face-up in front of you; keep the other card hidden in your hand
4
Guard (1, 5 copies)
Name a character (not Guard) and choose a player; if correct, that player is eliminated
5
Priest (2, 2 copies)
Choose another player and secretly compare hands with them
6
Baron (3, 2 copies)
Choose another player and secretly compare hands; the player with the lower card is eliminated
7
Handmaid (4, 2 copies)
Gain protection from all card effects until your next turn begins
8
Prince (5, 2 copies)
Choose any player (including yourself); that player discards their hand and draws a new card
9
King (6, 1 copy)
Choose another player and swap hands with them
10
Countess (7, 1 copy)
Must be played if you have the King or Prince in hand; no effect when played or discarded
11
Princess (8, 1 copy)
If you play or discard this card for any reason, you are immediately eliminated from the round
12
Handle elimination
When eliminated, place your card face-up without activating its effect; skip future turns until next round
13
Track played cards
Keep all played and discarded cards visible face-up so all players can track which cards remain

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Win by elimination
If all other players are eliminated, the last remaining player wins the round and takes a reward token
2
Win by comparison
If the deck runs out, remaining players compare hands; the highest card wins the round
3
Handle ties
In case of a tie when comparing cards, all tied players receive a reward token
4
Start new round
Shuffle all cards, set up as before, and the previous round's winner goes first
5
Win the game
The first player to collect the required number of reward tokens wins:

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

How to Play Love Letter | Board Game Rules & Instructions

How to Play Love Letter | Board Game Rules & Instructions

Instructional

Love Letter - How to Play in 3 minutes - BoardgameNinja

Love Letter - How to Play in 3 minutes - BoardgameNinja

Instructional

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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