Masquerade is part of the new trend of minimalistic card games in terms of material, rules and game duration, a bit like Love Letter.
Masquerade is a game by Bruno Faidutti, the game designer of Citadelles. And even if the games are very different, we feel that we are in a familiar universe. For the old Citadelles fans like me, it's an attractive one!
The objective of the game is to be the first player to either get 13 gold coins or to alternatively to be the richest when a player is ruined.
At the beginning of the game, each player receives a character card and shows it to everyone. Then each player places his card face down. From this point on, all identities remain secret, even to their owner!
On his turn, each player has the choice between 3 actions:
- Swap or not swap their card with another player's card. The player takes their card and another player's card, swaps the two cards (or not) under the table, and then returns both cards. Only the player knows if they have made the swap, not their opponents!
- Checking your card. Sometimes you do not know who you are anymore, but the problem is that it costs one turn to check your card.
- Assert your identity. The player must do this without being able to see their card and without having to reveal it. This is a necessary action to win gold coins or disrupt your opponents' game.
When a player asserts their identity (e.g. "I am the King"), two cases can occur:
- No one disputes it. In this case, the player applies the power of the announced character, without having to prove their identity. For example, the King wins 3 gold coins.
- One or more opponents dispute this (e.g., "No, I'm the King!"). In this case, the active player and all challengers reveal their cards. The liars must pay 1 gold coin to the court. If one of the players has the announced character, either the active player or a challenger, they applies their power.
That's it. The game is not more complicated than that. Its richness comes from the great interaction generated by the characters. Here are some quick examples:
The King and the Queen earn gold coins.
The bishop takes 2 gold coins from the richest player.
The judge takes all the gold coins paid in court.
The witch exchanges their fortune with an opponent of their choice.
The spy can look at an opponent's card before swapping it with their own card or not.
The fool swaps or not the cards of 2 other players.
The cheat wins if they have at least 10 gold coins (normally you need 13 to win).
etc.
Masquerade is a treat for fans of fun role games, interaction and bluffing. Very psychological but also very tactical, it is not as chaotic as it might seem at first glance. There are also many good tactical choices to be made, good permutations, good announcements, and necessary sacrifices to counter an opponent to end the game.
Curious? Have a look at the game here on BGA:
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=mascarade
The Board Game Arena team would like to thank Repos Prod, the publisher, for the superb realization and their authorization bringing the game to your beloved platform.
Also, you would probably like to know that Hebraz did the adaptation, and we want you to send him your warmest thanks. It's free!
That's it for this Monday release!
If you are going to Cannes International Games fair, being held this week, let us know: we might be there too!
See you on Wednesday for another release!
