How to Play Regicida

Objective of the Game

In Regicida, each player secretly represents a House and tries to place their Ally Tokens on the board without raising suspicion. The game ends after four phases: Expansion, Intrigue, Coronation, and Assassination. The winner is either:

• The player representing the Regent House (highest-scoring House) if they avoid assassination, or
• The player from the House with the most points among those who correctly identified the Regent House during the assassination.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Place all Score Tokens randomly in a row at the score value “0” to form the Line of Succession (tiebreaker).
2. Shuffle the Identity Tokens and give one secretly to each player. Players must not reveal their token but can discuss (or lie about) their House. Return unused tokens to the box unseen.
3. Shuffle all Ally Tokens into three equal piles, all facing the light side up.
4. Choose a starting player and begin with the Expansion Phase.

Game Flow

The game progresses through four phases in order:

1. Expansion Phase: Players take turns placing Ally Tokens to form a 6×6 grid.
2. Intrigue Phase: Players swap and flip adjacent Ally Tokens over three turns per player.
3. Coronation Phase: Scores are tallied to determine the Regent House (no player turns).
4. Assassination Phase: Players secretly vote to eliminate the Regent House player.

Actions and How to Play

Expansion Phase

On your turn, choose one of the three top Ally Tokens from the piles and place it adjacent to any token on the board (diagonals don’t count). Respect the 6×6 grid limits. If a pile runs out, split another to maintain three piles.

Intrigue Phase

On your turn:

1. Choose two adjacent Ally Tokens (not diagonal).
2. Swap their positions.
3. Flip exactly one to its dark side (making it immune to future swaps).

Each player takes three turns.

Coronation Phase

Score Houses from left to right in the Line of Succession. Break ties by:

1. Comparing light-side Ally Tokens matching the Objective.
2. Favoring the House that reached the score first (Line of Succession).

Assassination Phase

All players close their eyes and point to who they believe is the Regent House player. Reveal votes and identities:

• If the Regent House player receives ≤1 vote, they win.
• Otherwise, the player with the most points among correct guessers wins.

Special cases:

• With 2–3 players: One vote suffices for assassination.
• With ≤5 players: Vote upward for a Neutral Player (non-present Houses). If the Neutral Player is Regent and unassassinated, everyone loses.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the Assassination Phase. Victory depends on:

• The Regent House surviving the vote, or
• The highest-scoring player among correct assassins.

Objectives (score criteria):

• United we are strong: 1 point per token in your largest cluster.
• Divide to conquer: 1 point per distinct cluster.
• Central concentration: 1 point per token in the inner 4×4 grid.
• Control of the borders: 1 point per token on the outer border.

Tips to Win

1. During Intrigue, flip tokens strategically to protect high-value clusters while disrupting opponents.
2. In larger games, bluff about your House to divert suspicion during Assassination.
3. Prioritize the Objective early—ties are broken by light-side tokens matching it.