Is your family sick of the classic board games like Monopoly or Clue. Coup is the perfect game to mix it up. in a dystopian future, powerful individuals fight for absolute power to rule the masses. This is an age appropriate game for teenagers that will have them begging to hang out with you and their siblings.
Age
14 years and older (could be okay for younger, at parents discretion)
# of players
2-6 players (plays best with 4-6 in my opinion)
Play time
15 minutes (a little longer when people are still learning)
Game play
Coup is a game of deception. Players are dealt two character cards (called influences) at the beginning of the game. Each influence card has specific actions that it is allows you to complete (i.e. collect coins, assassinate other players etc.). The goal is to be the last player with an unrevealed influence in front of them. The catch is, other players won’t know what influence you have in front of you, so you can play the actions of any influence card. It is the job of other players to figure out if you are telling the truth and, if not, challenge you on your action. It sounds like it can get a bit complicated, but each player has a cheat sheet of actions and I’ve found that people pick up the rules really quickly once game play gets going.
Pros vs. Cons
- Small box is easy to transport/store
- Deceptive nature of the game makes for fun family rivalries
- The more you play, the better you become at deceiving other players
- Games are super quick, so you can play a quick round almost anytime
- This game doesn’t just appeal to “board game nerds,” the deception factor has enthralled friends who really don’t play games at all
- It’s a bit of a learning curve in the beginning. Task your teen with reading the rule book beforehand and have them spearhead explaining the game to other players
- Game play is not as fun with less than four players
- There are only 15 cards so they wear quickly (a scratch on a particular card could reveal what influence it is which impacts game play)
