Y'know when you have that "damn, I wish I'd found this ages ago" moment? Yeah, I just got that with Coup – and it's instantly shot to the top of my card game recommendations list.
Imagine Dune crossed with Game of Thrones, and you're basically there. In this fast-paced yet easy-to-understand card game, you play as a noble wheeling and dealing their way into power by any means necessary (as the name suggests, you're staging a "Coup" to take over). The gloves are well and truly off; unlike so many of the best card games, nice guys finish dead last. Sometimes literally, because there's an option to assassinate rivals before they become a problem. When you throw in plenty of laugh-out-loud "gotcha" moments, bluffing aplenty that'll keep you guessing, and a speedy run-time of around 15 minutes, this is the formula for a great game night or a good intro to the best board games.
I've always heard very good things about this one; it's something of a cult classic. I never had time to try Coup until now, though, and boy, do I regret that. After just a couple of games, I'm already hooked. Despite a simple premise, there's a mind-boggling array of ways a session might go. As a case in point, you can take coins to fund later actions each turn or use the ability of the nobles you influence at court. These powers range from assassinating rivals to stealing money from others, and they can also block another player's action in a rock-paper-scissors Uno reverse.
But here's the catch: nobody knows for sure which nobles you influence. That's because they're represented by a pair of cards laid face down in front of you, meaning only you are privy to what they are. In other words, you can tell bare-faced lies about what you have, and it's up to opponents to call you out. (Just make sure you keep track of these fibs, or you're liable to be discovered.) Seeing as certain cards let you swap out your nobles, clever players can keep their foes guessing.
I don't know about you, but this is right up my street – bluffing and trying to catch each other in a lie is beyond satisfying. Seeing as calling out a rival and getting it wrong means you might lose a life, it's also a tense juggling act. If you're already on the ropes, do you risk challenging an opponent in case it backfires? There's a lot to consider, particularly when more players are involved.
Honestly, I can't wait to play more… and if you've not tried it yet, I can't recommend the experience enough.
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For more tabletop recommendations, why not check out the best family board games or the best tabletop RPGs?
