Coup – a fun, quick, bluffing game

A new game has hit the top of Trevor’s favorite games list – Coup.

But Trevor isn’t the only one. Brooke loves Coup too!

I think it’s because it has such a similar feel to The Resistance – another one of Brooke’s favorite games. It’s also published by the same company, Indie Boards and Cards, and references The Resistance in the flavor text of the game rules.

It’s a game full of bluffing, guessing, eliminating other players, trying to be the last one standing, and it can be played in under 10 minutes – leaving plenty of time for multiple rematches.

Because you’ll definitely want to play again.

Brooke tells you all about it in her video review of Coup.

Can the whole family enjoy Coup?

No, not everyone in the family will enjoy playing Coup.

For starters, it’s best for ages 10 and up. By age 10, kids can have a handle on understanding to nuances of the different roles in the game. While there are only 5 roles players can claim, knowing when to claim certain roles, knowing who might be bluffing, and when to call the bluff, can be tricky situations.

The great thing about the game though is how light it is. Sure bluffing is involved. But it’s not in a super serious way. It’s all just a quick, light game.

Coup can also be played by up to 6 players and we thinks it’s definitely a game of “the more, the merrier”. However, it’s not a game that interest mom at all.

She’s not a fan of bluffing games. She’d much rather watch us play games like The Resistance and Coup instead of participating in them.

So we’ve had plenty of 5-player games because the rest of us enjoy the intrigue, the guessing, and trying to call each other’s bluff to knock them out.

What’s our favorite role in Coup?
That’s a hard question to answer. Like with most things game related, it all depends. Our games typically start with a number of people claiming the Duke role so they can get three coins while a couple others will claim the Captain and steal two coins away.

That leads to a blocked steal or two by claiming the Ambassador as well as switching out their cards (or pretending to switch out their cards).

The aggressive players will start trying to Assassinate others as soon as they can while more reserved (less confrontational) will slowly try to build up their coin stack to stage a coup of their own.

The tough choice is choosing which card to flip over when you lose your first influence. It’s a tricky balance. But then again, the game will end soon enough and you’ll be at it again, so it’s not worth too much stress in the choice.

How does Coup score on the “Lets Play Again” game meter?
As mentioned previously, Coup is the type of game that you can’t just stop at one play. Since it plays so quickly, involves knocking people out (and getting knocked out), and is full of bluffing, things change over several plays.

Watching how a player plays in one game will affect how you approach that player in a subsequent game. And they’ll do the same for you. They’ll be second-guessing every time – which heightens the fun.

In addition to playing multiple times in a row, Coup has a premier spot in our game closet just inside the door – since that’s such an easy spot to grab a quick and fun game.

The Board Game Family Game Ratings
	Caleb
	Brooke
	Jaden
	Trevor
Has not played	Mom
	Dad
	Average