How to Play

Love Letter: Premium Edition

2-8 players 20-30 min 7.4 Board Game Geek Rating

Love Letter Premium expands the classic deduction game to eight players with premium components including oversized cards and wooden hearts. Players secretly hold cards representing palace residents, using their abilities to deliver letters to the princess while eliminating opponents. Win by being the last player standing or holding the highest-value card when the deck runs out.

Published 2016

Get Ready

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

Prepare the deck

Shuffle all 32 cards together into one deck for 5-8 player games

Place the deck

Put the shuffled deck face-down on the table

Set aside one card

Draw the top card from the deck without looking at it and set it aside

Deal starting hands

Each player draws one card from the deck

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Draw a card

Take one card from the deck into your hand

Play a card

Choose one of your cards to play and resolve its effect

Guard (1)

Name a player and guess a card value (except 1); if correct, that player is eliminated from the round

Cardinal (2)

Choose exactly two players (you may include yourself) who swap their hand cards; you may then look at one of their cards but cannot reveal which card it was

Baroness (3)

Look at the hand card of one or two players; you cannot tell others what you saw

Courtier (4)

Choose a player (including yourself); the next card you play must target at least that player if it requires targets

Count (5)

At round end during comparison, add 1 to your card value; this stacks if you have both Count cards in your discard pile (adds 2 total)

Constable (6)

This card has no effect when played; if it is in your discard pile when you are eliminated, you receive one Love Token

Dowager Queen (7)

Choose another player still in the round; secretly compare hands, and the player with the higher value is eliminated

Bishop (9)

Name a number and choose a player; if that player has a card of that value, you receive a Love Token

Jester (0)

Choose another player you predict will win the round; place the Jester token next to them

Assassin (0)

This card only activates when in your hand; if another player plays the Guard against you, regardless of what number they guess (even 0), the Guard player is eliminated but you are not