Basic Information
Number of Players: 2-4
Age: 10+
Time: 20 minutes
Price: low
Introduction to Love Letter
Love letter is a beautifully crafted card game where players are tasked with trying to get their love letter to the princess. Each round is pretty fast and a whole game can take only 15-20 minutes. This is the perfect game on the go for people who travel a lot or want something small to give as a gift.
How to Play Love Letter
The cards are first shuffled with one dealt out to each player and one placed inside the love letter bag. The remaining cards are placed in the center and play begins. On a players turn they will pick up a card and then choose which one to play face up. Each card has a different ability and there are also varying amounts of each type. They are as follows:
Value | # of cards | Role | Ability |
1 | 5 | Guard | Accuse another player, if correct they are out of the round (cannot accuse of having another guard) |
2 | 2 | Priest | Look at another person’s card |
3 | 2 | Baron | Challenge another player. Compare hands secretly and the player with the higher hand wins and the other is out of the round. |
4 | 2 | Handmaiden | Protect the player for a turn |
5 | 2 | Prince | Make an opponent discard their hand and pick up another one |
6 | 1 | King | Swap hands with another player |
7 | 1 | Countess | Must be discarded if you pick up the prince or King |
8 | 1 | Princess | If discarded you lose this round |
The card that is left in the players hand is their role and lay moves to the left. Play continues until one person is left and they then win a token of affection. You will need a certain amount of tokens of affection to win based on the number of players.
Notes on Love Letter
This is my favorite travel game and I take it everywhere with me. I took it on a trip to Europe with my partner and we played it on the plane with each other (and the third person in our row joined in too!). This is a wonderful game and, like many other popular games, has other versions. There is also a batman love letter, love letter deluxe, and adventure time love letter, all with their own unique traits but for the most part play the same as the original.