King’s Cards is a drinking card game for 3-8 players. The goal is to earn as many points as possible upon completion of the game – and of course have fun in the process! The game ends once the deck is empty & any player has no card to play. Shuffle & place the deck in the middle of the group. Distribute cards to each player until everyone has 5 cards, you should always draw more cards up to a total of 5 if you ever have less (Unless the deck is empty).

Players will also have a personal discard pile, which starts empty, this is used for point calculation. Any time you use a card, the card should be placed in your personal discard pile, even if targeting another player. Some cards may include specific rules regarding who discards the card.

On your turn you can choose to play any one of your cards in hand. The top right of a card shows both a drink value & a point value. You can choose to target another player, or target yourself (To earn points, or other benefits), following the rules written on each card.

When a card mentions a drink, use the drink value in the top right corner of the card to determine how many ‘Sips’ you should take. The value below the drink value is the point value, it is often 0, but may be -1 or 1 depending on the card.

At the end of the game. Add up each players point values in the discard pile. When the game ends, the current King also gains an extra 3 points. The winner is the person with the most points, and the losers must finish their drink and bow to the winner. If there’s a draw, the King wins, regardless (Even if the current King has the lowest number of points).

Keep in mind, some cards have additional rules, usually at the bottom of the card. These state who can be targeted and sometimes some other specific rules. Sometimes cards may remain active and not require any drinking until certain conditions are met (E.g. Royal Decree or Rule Cards). These specific card-based rules take priority over the general rules.

Be sure to read each card fully. If any cards don’t quite make sense, we have a directory of all cards ever printed, on our website. These usually have further clarification in case of any disputes – Generally though it’s more fun just to figure it out as you go!

A major & fun part of our game is the King. At the start of a game, choose a King. If you can’t decide, the King is whoever sat down first. The King goes first & decides the initial direction of play.

On the start of the King’s turn, they can set a new rule that must be followed. This rule continues until it is the King’s turn again (or another King is decided). At which point, a new rule can be set, replacing the last one. You cannot repeat rules, and rules can’t be created to prevent gameplay features (Such as stopping cards being played, or preventing the King being overthrown). Stuck on rules to come up with? Here’s a list of rules for inspiration.

Additionally, the King is the ultimate decider of rules & disputes. When the group can’t agree on a certain rule, if not explicitly clear in the rule cards or on the website then the King can decide the outcome. Now into our next rule, Overthrowing.

If at any time the group thinks the King is unfair, they can vote to overthrow the current King. If the majority (Greater than 50%) vote against the King, the player who first voted to overthrow the King will then become the new King. This can happen at any time during the game – It does not need to be your turn to vote against the King.

There are also many different cards which allow the King to be overthrown – So don’t worry, if you can’t vote to overthrow them, you can steal the throne by using powerful cards & then make up your own rules.

More questions? Unsure on rules? We’ve tried to make it super simple (especially as you drink more!) – but if you have any questions or need clarification feel free to email us -> info@kingscards.com.au or message us on social media @KingsCardsAU