Last Updated on May 27, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

In Courtisans, players compete for prestige at the royal court by strategically playing cards to influence noble families. Each turn, players manipulate the Queen’s favor while tactically placing allies in their own domain and rivals’ territories. The goal: end the game with the most prestige points and outmaneuver your opponents through careful courtly strategy. Here’s how to play:

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How to Play Courtisans

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Objective

Your aim in Courtisans is to earn the most points by influencing noble families and completing secret missions. You’ll play cards across three areas each turn, impacting both your own score and your rivals’. Placement matters—choose wisely where your court cards go.

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Components

• 90 Courtier cards (15 for each of 6 noble families)
• 20 Secret Mission cards (10 white, 10 blue)
• 1 Central Game Mat

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Setup

1. Prepare the Game Mat: Place the game mat in the center.
2. Prepare the Deck: Shuffle the entire Courtier card deck. Remove a specific number of cards from play based on the number of players (without looking at them):
   • 2 players: remove 30 cards
   • 3 players: remove 18 cards
   • 4 players: remove 6 cards
   • 5 players: play with the full deck
3. Deal Cards: Each player receives 3 Courtier cards, kept hidden.
4. Form the Draw Pile: Place the remaining cards as a face-down draw pile near the mat.
5. Secret Missions: Give each player 2 Secret Mission cards (1 white, 1 blue). Players look at these but keep them secret until the end of the game. Return unused Mission cards to the box.
6. Choose First Player: Select a starting player randomly.

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Gameplay Overview

The game is played over a series of turns in clockwise order. On each turn, players must play all 3 cards in their hand—placing one card in each of three specific areas:

1. At the Queen’s Table: Place a card above or below the mat in the column matching the card’s family. This affects whether the family ends up esteemed or disgraced at the end.
2. In Your Domain: Cards here count toward your personal score.
3. In an Opponent’s Domain: Cards here impact the scoring of the targeted opponent.

Cards can be placed in any order during your turn, but exactly one card must be played in each of the three zones. After placing all 3 cards, draw 3 new cards from the deck. If the deck is empty, the turn is your last.

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Card Effects and Roles

Some Courtiers have special roles that grant extra powers:

• Assassins: When played, may eliminate any other Courtier in the same zone. This works at the Queen’s table or in any domain. Assassins can even remove Spies (without revealing them).
• Guards: Immune to assassins. Once placed, they remain in play.
• Nobles: Count as two cards instead of one during scoring.
• Spies: Played face down, even at the Queen’s table. Their identity is hidden until the end of the game.

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The Queen’s Table

This area determines which families are esteemed, disgraced, or neutral at the end. A family is:

• Esteemed if it has more cards above the mat than below
• Fallen from grace if it has more below than above
• Neutral if there’s a tie

Cards here influence everyone’s scores depending on their domains.

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Domains

• Your Domain: You gain points for cards from esteemed families and lose points for disgraced ones. Neutral families do not affect your score.
• Opponent’s Domain: Same rule applies, but these cards impact your rival’s score instead.

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End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the draw pile is depleted and no players have cards left in hand. At that point:

1. Reveal all Spies and assign them to their correct family columns at the Queen’s table, keeping them in the same row (above or below).
2. Determine each family’s status (esteemed, disgraced, or neutral).
3. Score each player:
   • +1 point for each card from an esteemed family in their domain
   • -1 point for each card from a disgraced family
   • 0 points for cards from neutral families
   • Nobles count as two cards for scoring
4. Check Secret Missions:
   • Each fulfilled Secret Mission adds +3 points.
   • Failed missions add no points.

The player with the highest total score is the winner. In case of a tie, the victory is shared.

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Video Tutorial