Games / Palace Intrigue
Play Palace Intrigue, the bluffing card game
Claim any role you like. Just hope nobody calls your bluff.
- 2 to 8 players
- 10 to 25 minutes
- Bluffing and deduction
- Bots with bluffing styles
Palace Intrigue is a short bluffing card game for 2 to 8 players. You hold two face-down role cards and a couple of coins. On your turn you take coins, pay to knock a card out of someone's hand, or claim a role and use its power. You never have to hold the role you claim. Anyone can challenge, and whoever is wrong loses a card.
Lose both cards and you are out. The last player with a face-down card wins, which usually takes 10 to 25 minutes. It is a good fit for groups who like reading faces and keeping a straight one. Here every player answers claims at the same time, bots have their own bluffing styles, and a mask on your buttons warns you when an action would be a bluff.
Why play Palace Intrigue here
- Five roles: Magnate, Poisoner, Corsair, Envoy and Bodyguard
- Every player answers a claim at once: allow, challenge or block
- Bots play honest, cunning, reckless or a mix of all three
- Optional Interrogator role, rival factions and secret coin purses
- Head-to-head handicap for 2-player games
- Claimed roles show as badges on each seat, so you can track who said what
How to play Palace Intrigue
Take your seat
Open Palace Intrigue and host a table for 2 to 8 players, or practise with bots. Everyone gets two face-down role cards and 2 coins.
Pick one action
Take 1 coin as income, take 2 as aid, pay 7 to overthrow a player, or claim a role and use its power. You may claim a role you do not hold.
Use a role
The Magnate takes 3 coins, the Poisoner pays 3 to remove a card, the Corsair steals 2 coins and the Envoy swaps cards with the deck. The Bodyguard blocks poison.
Answer claims
When someone claims a role, everyone else chooses Allow, Challenge or Block at the same time.
Settle a challenge
If the claim was true, the challenger loses a card. If it was a bluff, the bluffer loses a card and the action fails.
Be the last one standing
With 10 or more coins you must overthrow. Lose both cards and you are out. The last player with a face-down card wins.
Tips
- Count the face-up cards. If most copies of a role are already out, a new claim of that role is often a bluff.
- A wrong challenge costs you a card, so save challenges for claims that would really hurt you.
- Once you reach 7 coins, everyone starts aiming at you. Spend them before they gang up.
Screenshots
Palace Intrigue questions
How do you play Palace Intrigue?
Each player has two secret role cards and some coins. On your turn you take one action: collect coins, pay 7 to overthrow someone, or claim a role and use its power. You can claim roles you do not have. Other players can challenge or block. Lose both cards and you are out, and the last player standing wins.
Is there a free bluffing card game I can play online with friends?
Yes. Palace Intrigue is free on Deal & Roll. Host a table, share the code or invite link, and friends join from any browser. You do not need an account or a download. Bots can fill empty seats so you can play with just two or three people.
What do the roles do?
The Magnate takes 3 coins and blocks aid. The Poisoner pays 3 coins to make a player lose a card. The Corsair steals up to 2 coins and blocks stealing. The Envoy draws 2 cards, keeps what it likes and blocks stealing. The Bodyguard blocks a poisoning aimed at you.
What happens when someone challenges?
If the claim was true, the card is shown, shuffled back and replaced, and the challenger loses a card. If it was a bluff, the bluffer loses a card and the action fails. Losing a card means turning one of yours face up, and it stays on the table for everyone to see.
Can I play with 2 players?
Yes. Palace Intrigue works from 2 to 8 players. In a 2-player game, the head-to-head handicap (on by default) gives the first player one coin less. With 7 or 8 players the deck grows to five copies of each role and the treasury gets bigger.
Do the bots bluff?
Yes. The table can choose honest bots that rarely lie, cunning bots that bluff when the odds look good, reckless bots that bluff and challenge freely, or a mix. They also challenge claims that look unlikely given the cards already face up.
What variants can I turn on?
You can change the starting coins, add the Interrogator in place of the Envoy, play with rival factions who cannot attack their own side, hide exact coin counts with secret purses, use a grand court with 25 cards, and decide whether the Poisoner's fee comes back when a poisoning fails.