In the wake of the queen’s arrest, all the eligible young men of Tempest (and many not so young) seek to woo Princess Annette. Unfortunately, she has locked herself in the palace, and everyone must rely on those within the palace to bring their romantic letters to her. Will yours reach her first?
Love Letter is a 2 - 4 player card game which was published by AEG in 2012. It consists of 16 cards, some affection tokens (standard red cubes, the most romantic shape and colour) and a red (possibly velvet) bag. At this point I'm sure you are now looking at the picture of said bag posted at the top of this review. This bags hold everything you need while being able to easily fit in your pocket. It is also rather fetching.
The Story
The aim of the game is simple; to successfully court the princess. As the princess is currently a bit sad (her mother is on trial for high treason) you must court the depressed princess by successfully sending her Love Letters while trying your best to stop her other suitors from sending her their own letters. If that sounds a bit sleazy it would be because this is a sleazy game. At its core it is about being an immoral backstabber willing to do anything to ensure that the princess gets only your precious letters. Unfortunately, as the princess is effectively in mourning and not seeing suitors, you must instead trust your letter to someone else and hope that they are able to get it to the Princess.
Personally I find the theme to be the weakest part of the game. While the cards are very thematic and tie in very well with the overall story of the game I find that my biggest difficulty in getting people to try this game is convincing them that game is far better than the theme suggests.
The Rules
The game consists of a total of only 16 cards. At the start of the game these cards are shuffled and a card is dealt to each player. A number of cards are then set aside face down (based on the number of players) which makes it impossible for players to figure out what you might have in your hand for certain. The cards, along with their rank and the number of each card in the game, are listed below
- Guard (5)
- Priest (2)
- Baron (2)
- Handmaid (2)
- Prince (2)
- King (1)
- Countess (1)
- Princess (1)
The player who was latest on a date goes first, something which can lead to some very awkward conversations. On a player's turn they draw a new card from the deck and then discard one of the two cards they now have. At the end of the round (when the deck is empty) the player with the card of highest rank wins. Therefore, in general, players will discard the card of lower rank on their turns. Every card has an ability which occurs once they are discarded. These abilities are listed below.
1. Guard
Name a non Guard and choose a player. If that player has that card, he or she is out of the round.
2. Priest
Look at another player's hand.
Look at another player's hand.
3. Baron
You and another player secretly compare hands. The player with the lower value is out of the round.
You and another player secretly compare hands. The player with the lower value is out of the round.
4. Handmaid
Until your next turn, ignore all effects from other player's cards.
Until your next turn, ignore all effects from other player's cards.
5. Prince
Choose any player (including yourself) to discard his or her hand and draw a new card.
Choose any player (including yourself) to discard his or her hand and draw a new card.
6. King
Trade hands with another player of your choice.
Trade hands with another player of your choice.
7. Countess
If you have this card and the King or Prince in your hand, you must discard this card.
8. Princess
If anything forces you to discard this card you are out of the round.
When a player discards a card they place it in front of themselves. It is now visible to everyone else. This allows each player to estimate which cards the other players may have in hand and to make better and better estimates as the game progresses.
The player with the highest rank card at the end of the round gains an affection token. Once a player gain enough affections tokens, again determined by the number of players in the game, that player wins.
Example Round
Eoin, Fergal, Karen and Stephen are playing Love Letter. Eoin, the most dashing, goes first and has a Priest (2) in his hand. He draws the King (6) and discards his priest. He chooses to look at Fergal's hand and sees that Fergal has a Prince. Fergal then takes his turn. He draws a card and discards a Prince (5), choosing himself as the target. Due to the Prince's ability, Fergal discards his card, a Guard (1), and draws a new card. Eoin guesses Fergal did so to ensure that Eoin would have no knowledge of what Fergal has in hand. Karen draws a card and discards a Guard (1). She picks Fergal and asks him if he has the Princess. Fergal curses loudly and throws the Princess (8) down on the table. He is out of this round. Karen looks extra smug because her complete guess was accurate. Next Stephen draws a card and discards the Countess (7).
It is Eoin's turn again and he draws a Guard (1). Eoin has no knowledge about what Karen has in her hand. However, he does know that Stephen discarded the Countess (7) on his turn. With the Princess (8) out of the round, the Countess (7) is the highest ranked card in the round. The only reason Stephen would have discarded her (other than some strange mind game) is because he has either the King (6) or a Prince (5) in hand. As Eoin has the King (6) and Fergal previously discarded a Prince, Eoin guesses that Stephen has the second Prince (5). He discards the Guard (1) he just drew and asks Stephen if he has a Prince (5). Stephen reveals a Prince and is out of this round. Karen draws a card, discards a Priest (2) and looks at Eoin's hand. This is not good for Eoin.
On his turn, Eoin draws a Baron (3). Looking at all the discarded cards Eoin realises the King (5) is the highest ranked card left in the game. He discards his Baron (3) and Karen and Eoin secretly show one another their hands. Eoin's King (5) is ranked higher than Karen's Handmaid (4) so Karen is out of the round. As the only player left in the round Eoin's letter successfully gets to the Princess and he gains an Affection token. If get's lucky he might see the Princess' bare ankle soon!
When a player discards a card they place it in front of themselves. It is now visible to everyone else. This allows each player to estimate which cards the other players may have in hand and to make better and better estimates as the game progresses.
The player with the highest rank card at the end of the round gains an affection token. Once a player gain enough affections tokens, again determined by the number of players in the game, that player wins.
Example Round
Eoin, Fergal, Karen and Stephen are playing Love Letter. Eoin, the most dashing, goes first and has a Priest (2) in his hand. He draws the King (6) and discards his priest. He chooses to look at Fergal's hand and sees that Fergal has a Prince. Fergal then takes his turn. He draws a card and discards a Prince (5), choosing himself as the target. Due to the Prince's ability, Fergal discards his card, a Guard (1), and draws a new card. Eoin guesses Fergal did so to ensure that Eoin would have no knowledge of what Fergal has in hand. Karen draws a card and discards a Guard (1). She picks Fergal and asks him if he has the Princess. Fergal curses loudly and throws the Princess (8) down on the table. He is out of this round. Karen looks extra smug because her complete guess was accurate. Next Stephen draws a card and discards the Countess (7).
It is Eoin's turn again and he draws a Guard (1). Eoin has no knowledge about what Karen has in her hand. However, he does know that Stephen discarded the Countess (7) on his turn. With the Princess (8) out of the round, the Countess (7) is the highest ranked card in the round. The only reason Stephen would have discarded her (other than some strange mind game) is because he has either the King (6) or a Prince (5) in hand. As Eoin has the King (6) and Fergal previously discarded a Prince, Eoin guesses that Stephen has the second Prince (5). He discards the Guard (1) he just drew and asks Stephen if he has a Prince (5). Stephen reveals a Prince and is out of this round. Karen draws a card, discards a Priest (2) and looks at Eoin's hand. This is not good for Eoin.
On his turn, Eoin draws a Baron (3). Looking at all the discarded cards Eoin realises the King (5) is the highest ranked card left in the game. He discards his Baron (3) and Karen and Eoin secretly show one another their hands. Eoin's King (5) is ranked higher than Karen's Handmaid (4) so Karen is out of the round. As the only player left in the round Eoin's letter successfully gets to the Princess and he gains an Affection token. If get's lucky he might see the Princess' bare ankle soon!
Verdict
Love Letter is a fantastic game. It can be explained in minutes but offers hours of enjoyment. Due to its small size, it can easily be carried in your pocket and played anywhere. I've had a huge amount of fun playing this in the local pub with friends. It can be bought for around €10 at most hobby stores and is, in my opinion, one of the best values games available today. The theme can potentially be a hard sell but once you first get a few friends to play it 'word of mouth' will ensure this is no longer an issue. I carry this game in my backpack wherever I go now. It is easily the best game I have purchased in the past few months and I cannot recommend it enough.
In other words, buy this game!
4/5 Cunning Foxes.
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