Designed by Rikki Tahta, Coup is a dynamic card game of deduction, deception, and secret identities set in a dystopian future, where a corrupt government rules solely for profit. Players must strategically bluff and maneuver, eliminating rivals to be the last influence standing. Coup’s popular expansion, Reformation, further deepens gameplay by introducing factions, shifting allegiances, and adding new actions with the Inquisitor role.
My playgroup loves Coup: Reformation—it’s easily one of the standout titles in our tabletop collection, and was among the first games my wife and I bought as we dove into the hobby. However, after numerous sessions, we felt some characters overshadowed others, limiting strategic diversity.
Driven by this observation, my playgroup and I creatively developed a new set of these Coup Reformation House Rules based on the game Coup: Rebellion G54 and character actions to rebalance gameplay and keep sessions fresh and engaging. Allow me to introduce our very own variant:
Coup: Revolution (House Rules)
This conceptual expansion doesn’t require extra materials beyond the base Coup game and the Reformation expansion.
LEGEND:
- Active Player: Player currently taking their turn.
- Targeted Player: Player targeted by the active player’s action.
- Challenging Player: Player challenging another’s action claim.
- Court Deck: Central face-down card deck.
- Influence: Player’s face-down character cards.
- Treasury: Central coin supply.
- Treasury Reserve: Coin supply used when changing allegiances (from Reformation).
- Successfully Challenged: When a player claiming a certain influence BUT has none of the influence he is claiming to have, and is challenged, then he is successfully challenged. When successfully challenged, aside from losing an influence, may have other consequences due to add-on rules.
- Unsuccessfully Challenged: When a player claiming a certain influence AND has the influence he is claiming to have, and is challenged, then he is unsuccessfully challenged. When unsuccessfully challenged, the challenging player loses an influence, while the active / target player secretly exchanges his card from 1 card in the Court Deck. In cases wherein there are no cards left in the Court Deck, the active / target player takes 5 coins from the Treasury instead.
- Attempted Assassin: An assassin influence that is targeted for an assassination attempt.
- Implicated Influence: An influence who is chosen by an Attempted Assassin to go down with him if an assassination attempt is successful.
Duke
Tax: Collect coins equal to your current coins (max 5) from the Treasury. If successfully challenged, all coins return to Treasury, and the challenger takes the Active Player’s coins.
Bribe: Pay 3 coins to divert an assassination or coup against you to another player.
Blocks Foreign Aid and Fund.
Ambassador
Exchange: Draw 2 cards from Court Deck, optionally swap with your influences, then return 2 cards.
Treaty: Pay 3 coins to the Treasury for a Peace Treaty token. While active, only Coup or Challenge actions can target you until your next turn.
Blocks Steal and Investigate.
Captain
Steal: Take 2 coins from one player or 1 coin each from two players.
Fund: Take 3 coins from any player, then give 1 coin to another player.
Blocks Steal.
Contessa
Restore: Pay 3 coins to revive an influence for a player (must have at least 1 remaining). Draw a random card from Court Deck for them.
Blocks Assassinate and Implicate.
Assassin
Assassinate: Pay 3 coins to eliminate one influence from a player. If this removes their last influence, you take all their coins.
Implicate: When targeted by assassination and claiming Assassin influence, choose another player to lose an influence if you are successfully assassinated. Challenging scenarios apply.
Inquisitor
Investigate: Look at one Court Deck or player’s card and optionally exchange it.
Disorder: Look at one Court Deck and one player’s card, optionally swapping these cards.
Chaos: Secretly swap cards between two other players without looking.
Blocks Disorder.
These customized Coup Reformation House Rules have revitalized our game nights, promoting varied strategies and enhancing character balance. Give them a try, and let me know your thoughts!
Have fun!
