November Game of the Month
Join the fun and strategy of "Rebel Princess," where you outsmart princes and avoid unwanted points!
This one is for all you card game lovers who also enjoy a twist on the prince charming fairytale. In Rebel Princess you are trying to get rid of those pesky prince cards that will stick you with unwanted points at the end of each round. Be clever though because every round has it’s own set of rules and you could easily be stuck with some proposals…yuck! Watch out for the frog, also no good!
This game was a gift from my art and game loving sidekick Julian. I was immediately hooked. Dare I use the word “strategy” and scare all the classic card players away…well, this game does get the brain neurons firing, but once you get a taste of kicking those princes to the curb, you’ll be coming back for more. This is a trick taking game for 3-6 players. Sometimes you want to take the tricks and sometimes you don’t. The strategy of the game is to know when you want to lead or when you want someone else to decide the suit. You have to follow suit (Princess, Fairy, Animal, Prince).
Here’s a nice little video for a quick game instruction if that is more your style of learning. 🤓
Game Setup:
Determine how many rounds you’d like to play and select your ruleset cards. Make sure the black card is last as it is more difficult and ends the party. Place them facedown.
Pass 2 Princess cards to each player and they can choose between the 2 to determine which princess they will be for the game. They can use their special ability once per round.
Setup the deck with the number of cards that will be used based on the number of players. Some cards are removed when there are less players. For example, if you play with 3, the 1,11, and 12 cards of each suit are removed from the deck.
Game Play:
Flip over the first ruleset card for the round and observe the rule. Most of the cards also prompt you to pass some of your starting hand to another player.
The player to the left of the dealer plays the first card. A Prince cannot be lead until a Prince has been played in a trick. All players need to play a card of the suit that was led. The player with the highest value card of the led suit wins the trick.
At anytime before a trick is played, a princess card special ability can be activated for that hand and that round.
The player who wins the trick, collects the cards, and then leads the next card. The only time you can throw a card not of the suit that was led, is if you have none in your hand.
Play continues until all the cards in your hand are played (unless the ruleset indicates otherwise).
When the round is over, count up your princes. 1 proposal point for each prince in your hand and the total is your round score. If the frog hopped into one of the tricks you have taken, that proposal is worth 5 points. Gross.
The deal goes to the left and the next round starts with the next ruleset card turned over. You can now use your princess’s special ability again for the new round.
Play continues until all rounds have been played. The player that has acquired the least amount of proposals (points) is declared the Rebel Princess!!
If you are in danger of accepting all of the prince proposals, you can make a play to snag that nasty frog! If you manage to collect all the princes and the frog, your point total for the round is -10! It’s a dangerous play. I have seen it done masterfully with stealth and secrecy (Shawn) and also end tragically (Shonk) when someone purposefully kept a prince to prevent this from being achieved.
Card games are high up there on the list of preferred games! Add some sneaky twists and an good story to move to the top of the list of favorites. Rebel Princess quicky made it to the “games I carry everywhere” bag. If you are going to be a Princess, be a Rebel Princess 👑
