Courtisans

Courtisans takes place at Her Majesty's annual royal banquet. Do you have the charm, wit, and cunning to flatter, deceive, and manipulate others to your advantage? Then Courtisans might just be your game.
But beware, your fellow players may just lure you into a trap.

Whoever wins Her Majesty's favour the most will be crowned the ultimate bootlicker at the table.

Courtisans is a strategic card game that combines set collection with take-that mechanics. Suitable for ages 8 and up, it can be played with 2 to 5 players.

Rating

The story

Courtisans takes you to the banquet table of Her Majesty. To govern her kingdom wisely, the Queen relies on six prominent families. Each isrepresented by its coat of arms: The Carps; The Hares; The Deer; The Nightingales; The Toads and The Butterflies.

Tension runs high among the noble houses, and trust is in short supply. Each family strives to earn the Queen's highest favour while driving the others into disgrace. For only one family can become the Queen's right hand.

Game Rules

Depending on the number of players, several courtier cards are removed from the game to form the draw stack, which is placed beside the royal banquet mat.

• Each player starts with 3 cards from the draw stack and 2 secret mission cards
• The mission cards are placed face down.

Talents of the types of cards

• Nobels: Marked with a +2 icon at the top of the card. These cards score +2 or -2 points depending on whether their family is in favour or out of favour.
• Spies: Marked with a mask symbol. Must always be placed face down, keeping their family affiliation secret. When played at the banquet table, they're placed face down either above or below the Queen.
• Assassins: Marked with a dagger symbol. If played in your own area: remove one of your cards. If played in another player's area: eliminate one of their cards. If played at the banquet table: all courtiers at the table (face up or down) are "killed."
• Guards: Marked with a shield symbol. These cards cannot be eliminated, neither by others, nor by yourself.

Turn structure

At the start of each turn, draw 3 cards from your draw stack.
If your stack is empty, reshuffle your discard pile to draw again. You may play your cards in any order you choose, but you can't repeat the same action in a single turn. Each round, you must perform all different available actions:

• Playing a card to the banquet table: Play a card above the mat to bring that family into favour with the Queen. Play a card below the mat to drive that family into disgrace.
• Playing a card in your own area: Families in royal favour will earn you points at the end of the game. Families in disgrace will cost you points.
• Giving a card to another player: Some cards allow or encourage gifting a handy strategic option.

The game ends when a player draws and plays the final card from the draw stack.

Design & art

The artwork on the cards is beautiful, clearly showing the talent of Noëmie Chevalier. The design is rich and detailed, perfectly fitting the game's courtly theme.

The playmat is made of fabric, which feels pleasant to the touch, though the colours and coat of arms are slightly less sharp because of the material. If the fabric choice was an ecological decision, it's certainly appreciated, though a higher-quality print would help. Especially for colourblind players, who may find it harder to distinguish between houses.

Box contents

• 1x playmat
• 1x rulebook
• 20x mission cards (10 white, 10 blue)
• 90x courtier cards (15 per family)

Conclusion

Courtisans is a compact family game that doesn't take too long. It's perfect for younger players or for game nights when time is limited.
The rules are simple, allowing everyone to jump in after just a brief explanation. The hidden spy cards add an exciting layer of tension and surprise to every round.

A delightful and cleverly designed game that balances accessibility with strategy — and looks gorgeous while doing so.

Text en photografy: Esmeralda Wolf