Hostage Trap!

Game Play

3-7 Players

You are the monarch of a kingdom in competition with other players’ kingdoms, and your goal is to take your opposing kingdoms’ princes and princesses as hostages—but you’ll treat them nicely, you promise! Hold on, you didn’t cross your fingers behind your back, did you?

The first player to hold 3 hostage cards in their hand is the winner and the game ends. (Alternate gameplay suggestions below.)

Determines the order for the players however you wish.

Hostage Trap! contains hostage, defense, trap and attack cards. Before the start of the game, remove the hostage cards from the deck and shuffle the remaining cards. Place the remaining cards face down in a draw pile. The hostage cards are shuffled separately and players pick one face down. Players may look at their hostage card as soon as it is in their hands. The hostage card will remain in your hand until it is stolen. You cannot voluntarily discard hostage cards. If you are not playing with seven players, set aside the extra hostage cards.

Everyone draws 5 cards from the face-down draw pile. Every player begins with 5 cards and one hostage card. Only you can see what cards you have.

If the draw pile runs out, reshuffle the discard pile into the draw pile. Card actions may supersede these general rules; instructions on the card have priority. The discard pile is face-up.

So let’s learn how to snag hostages.

How Turns Work

At the start of your turn, you pull from the draw pile until you have 5 cards in your hand. Any hostage cards in your possession do not count toward this total. If you have 5 or more cards in your hand already, and don’t have a card that allows you to draw more, do not draw at the start of your turn. There is no max in-hand limit. You cannot draw when it is not your turn unless allowed by a card.

Next, choose a player and draw one card from their hand (hopefully their hostage card, which you would then put into your hand). If what you draw is an attack or a defense card, you simply take that card into your hand and may play it later. If you draw a trap card, you must reveal it and take the action against you. The player from whom you stole may announce what card you have drawn.

Instead of playing a turn as described above, you may choose to discard 3 cards from your hand to see another player’s hand in private. You cannot communicate what’s in their hand to other players, and they may reshuffle.

Traps

Trap cards can hurt you when you draw them from another player’s hand. Trap cards do not have any effect unless drawn from another player’s hand. If you draw a trap card from an opponent’s hand, take the action against you, and your turn ends unless otherwise specified by the trap card. After the effects of the trap have expired, add that card into your hand.

If the trap card allows the defending player an action, you will draw from their hand before that action.

If a trap card ends more than one turn or has a duration, leave it out in front of you face-up as a reminder until those turns have passed (it does not count toward your hand total), then you may take the trap card into your hand (now it counts into your hand total).

Attacking

You may choose to play an attack card on a player before you draw a card from their hand. You cannot attack one player and then draw from a different player’s hand. If an attack is successful, or if it is not blocked but has no effect, draw from the other player’s hand. Unless otherwise stated, discard both the attack and any defending trap card immediately. If an attack fails, your turn ends and you do not get to draw from the player’s hand.

Defending

Defense cards only are played when another player uses an attack card on you. Defense cards are played automatically; if you have it in your hand, it will work. Both cards are then discarded. Example: you are attacked with the Embedded Spy card and you have Uncover Spy in your hand, the Embedded Spy attack has no effect.

Hostages

If you lose your hostage, you’re not out of the game, you can steal it back or take a different kingdom’s hostage. Continue your turns as normal.

Each hostage comes with an ability per turn. If you have more than one hostage card, you may only use one ability per turn. Hostage abilities do not count as attacks, and you must announce that you are using a hostage ability and what color hostage ability you’re using, “I’m using the Blue Hostage Ability…”. You may use a hostage ability at any point during your turn as long as you are not drawing from or attacking another player (unless allowed by hostage ability).

You do not have to say when you steal another kingdom’s hostage, or when one is stolen from you. You may also enter alliances with other kingdoms and let them indicate which card you should draw to not harm them or you… but can you really trust your fellow players?

Alternate Gameplay

Players may shuffle any unused hostage cards into the draw pile.

Players may draw up to 6 or 7 cards per turn.

Players may make the number of hostages required to win higher.

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