Sanguosha (Legends of the Three Kingdoms)
三国杀
The lord is known; loyalists, rebels and the traitor are not. Play a Strike and see who has a Dodge.
- 4–10 players
- about 45 min
- Easy to pick up
- Cards
- Bluffing
- Party
- History
The goal
The Lord and Loyalists must kill every Rebel and the Traitor. The Rebels must kill the Lord. The Traitor must outlast everyone else and then kill the Lord alone.
How it plays
- 1Deal identity cards face down; only the Lord reveals. Everyone chooses a general and takes health equal to that general's maximum (the Lord has 1 more), and starts with 4 cards.
- 2A turn runs in order: judgement (resolve delayed tactics in front of you), draw 2 cards, play cards, then discard down to your current health.
- 3In the play phase you may play any number of cards, but normally only one Strike a turn. Strike a character within your attack range: they avoid it by playing a Dodge, or lose 1 health. A Peach restores 1 health.
- 4Equipment stays in front of you: weapons extend your range, armour and horses help defend or change distances. Tactics cards have one-off effects, and every general has abilities of their own.
- 5At 0 health a character is dying and is saved if they or anyone else plays a Peach; otherwise they die and reveal their identity. Whoever kills a Rebel draws 3 cards; a Lord who kills a Loyalist discards their whole hand and equipment.
How you win
The game ends when the Lord dies: the Traitor wins if they are the only one left alive, otherwise the Rebels win. If every Rebel and the Traitor are dead, the Lord and Loyalists win.
First time?
- The house copy is Yoka's tin edition; go by its own cards and rulebook for general abilities and extra cards.
- Loyalists should show whose side they are on early, before the Lord hits them by mistake.
- The Traitor keeps the two sides level, helping whichever is weaker.