The King’s Last Hour

A Social Deduction Card Game for 6-16 Players.

Game Overview

Two rival factions - Red (Assassin’s Crew) and Blue (Royal Guard) - compete in a deadly game of deception and deduction. The Red team aims to kill the King by the game’s end, while the Blue team must protect him. Meanwhile, neutral characters have their bizarre win conditions!

The Aim for Blue Team: KING MUST SURVIVE - Assassin and Seductress must not share a room with the King at the end of the game - Blue Wins.

The Aim for Red Team: KING MUST FALL - Assassin or Seductress must share a room with the King at the end of the game - Red Wins

Setup

Select Two Teams & Captains:

1. Before dealing cards, divide the players into two teams (physically or by volunteering).

2. Each team picks a Captain (leader). The Captains help organize discussions but have no special powers.

3. Deal Roles Randomly:

Shuffle the role cards and deal one face-down to each player.

Keep roles secret! (Peek at your card but don’t show it to others.)

Role Distribution:

The King and the Assassin must always be in the game. +2 Knights +2 Thugs. (6 players)
Add the Seductress and the Healer if there are 8+ players.

Add The Raven and Infiltrator if there are 10+ players.

For bigger groups, add extra Thugs or Knights as needed.

How to Play: (3 or 5 Rounds)

• Players go to separate rooms to discuss their actions.

The Gameplay

1. Discussion Phase (2-3 min per round)

Players (and Captains) debate, lie, or share hints to uncover roles.

After the round timer ends, both teams MUST give up one of their players, who will switch rooms with the other team. The swap needs to happen at the same time after the rounds end.

2. Room Assignment

Teams split into two rooms (by group vote or the Captain’s choice).

Strategy: Protect the King or hide the Assassin!

3. Resolution

After Round 3 or 5, check endgame conditions:

Winning Conditions

Red Team Wins if:

Assassin + King in the same room (unless Healer is there).

Or...

Seductress + King (overrides Assassin’s failure).

Blue Team Wins if:

The King survives (not killed by the above).

Neutral Roles win by meeting their goal (e.g., Monk stays unasked).

Key Notes

Captains help organize but don’t have special powers. (But their role card might have powers!)

Roles are random, but the King/Assassin must be in play.

Special Powers:

Infiltrator (Red) fools the Raven by appearing as Blue. (So if the Raven asks Infiltrator their color, they can say blue and it will not count as a lie!) The answer to The Raven is verbally communicated to The Raven only. (whisper)

Healer (Blue): Nullifies the Assassin’s kill if in the same room as the King at the end.

The Raven (Blue) may secretly check one player’s team color (and color only! Not the role) once per game. (communicated verbally) Both players at this point must not lie. (Unless answered by Infiltrator) The answer can be whispered - The information can be shared with everyone by The Raven when and if needed.

Neutral roles don’t care about Red/Blue—only their own goals!

Tips for First-Time Players

Bluff! Claim you’re the King (even if you’re not).

Watch reactions - nervous laughter? Might be the Drunkard!

Raven’s power is key - use it wisely!

Quick Reference