A quick card game of court intrigue
Love Letter is the official adaptation of the renowned card game. You and the other suitors are trying to get your love letter to the princess, who has shut herself inside the palace. Since you cannot go yourself, you use go-betweens to deliver the message. The deck holds 16 cards representing 8 types of characters found at the Court: Guards, Priests, Barons, Handmaidens, Princes, King, Countess and the Princess herself. You only ever have two cards in your hand, so each turn is a simple choice between drawing and playing, and the rules stay quick to follow.
How a group plays together
Love Letter supports 1 to 4 players. You can play single-player mode against the computer, against your friends in private multiplayer, or face suitors from all over the world in online mode. The Steam features list Online PvP, so the online mode is player-versus-player. Everyone plays the same short rounds, taking turns to draw and play cards. When the deck is used up, the card left in your hand is the character holding your letter for the princess. The strongest card, the character closest to the princess, wins the round.
Cards that shape your strategy
Each character at the Court helps in its own way. Guards and princes can help discredit letters from other suitors. Priests give you precious information about your rivals. The handmaiden will protect your letter at any cost. With only two cards in hand, you have to think strategically about which card to keep and which to play. Bluffing and reading your opponents' game matter as much as the cards themselves, so a good liar can do as well as a careful calculator.
Before you start
The game is tagged as Card Game, Tabletop, Board Game, Multiplayer, Casual and Strategy, and it fits groups that want something short and easy to pick up. The rules are simple and the turns are quick, so a table can get through several rounds in one sitting. The available languages are French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and Russian.