Coup Trivia Quiz

Answer: Two

All players begin the game with two cards drawn at random from the Court deck. Since there are five different characters to play in the game, it's completely possible to draw two of the same character from the get-go. How you decide to play the cards (or not) is completely up to you, but getting called out for playing a role you don't possess means you lose influence.

The goal is to be the last remaining player, or the only one with any influence (ie. cards).

Answer: Tax

The Duke is one of the most powerful with coins in the game since his ability to Tax allows him to take three coins on his turn if he so chooses (pulling from the Treasury pot). In addition, Dukes are able to block other characters from seeking Foreign Aid on their turn (which allows them to take two coins from the Treasury)...but he needs to block successfully to do so.

The Duke's ability to Tax makes it viable to get an early Coup on an enemy, but it could also paint a target on a player's back.

Answer: Three coins

The Assassin is a sneaky card because while other players can get an assured Coup at seven coins, this character can remove influence with a minimum three coins...but only if their plans aren't foiled. This does, of course, mean that players can bluff their way through the game, assassinating players at low cost if their influence goes unchecked.

While the Assassin is one of the strongest offensive cards in the game for this reason, it holds no defensive capabilities.

Answer: True

The Ambassador's powers are two-fold. Firstly, the Ambassador is one of two characters who can block theft (as performed by a Captain...or someone pretending to be a Captain). Secondly, the Ambassador can look at the top two cards of the Court deck and swap for whatever ones they want provided they end the turn with the same amount of cards in their hand.

This allows for another level of difficulty as it can quickly create a sense of unease and unknowing. In the expansion, "Coup: Reformation", the Ambassador card is replaced by the Inquisitor card.

Answer: Two

The Captain character is less-than-savory; his main ability is to Steal from other players instead of taking from the Treasury, effectively marring their ability to accrue enough for a Coup. That being said, Captains (like Ambassadors) are also able to block stealing, so if a Captain steals from another Captain they can effectively be blocked. Stealing is a risky venture since 40% of the cards in play are able to block.

Answer: Contessa

The Contessa is a strictly-defensive card as her only skill is to block assassination attempts. If she succeeds in blocking the attack, the Assassin's coins are given back to the Treasury and no influence is lost on the side of the defending player. While the Contessa may be seen as weak compared to other cards, it also affords the highest possibility of bluffing; if players believe you have anything besides the Contessa, it can provide for an extremely beneficial counter-play in the end of a game.

Answer: Income

Income is the most basic of actions, being usable by any character without risk or penalty. The action allows players to claim one coin from the Treasury, and while this doesn't amount to too much in the grand scheme of things, it does prevent players from getting insight into your influence and allows for slow and steady buildup of funds. If a Duke is blocking your Foreign Aid attempts, and you don't feel comfortable stealing or bluffing, this is the only go-to.

Answer: Two

The two coins at the start of the game are significant as it means that Assassins are only one coin away from being able to assassinate another player character while Captains are able to begin stealing from others right away. Coins should be visible to all players, for the sake of fairness, at all times, as knowledge of a player's stockpile could determine significant moves in the game.

Answer: Seven

As soon as you reach seven coins you can give them back to the Treasury as an action and immediately Coup another player, removing one influence and either halving their card count or removing them from the game entirely. Coups can not be blocked whatsoever, so many games can be won or lost simply due to numbers. How you get to a Coup isn't important when it's already done; you can bluff your way to victory or get your coins the old-fashioned way.

Answer: True

This is correct. Since the game only contains fifty coins, this high mark ensures that the Treasury doesn't empty out completely. As soon as you have ten coins, you must perform a Coup on another player as your next action. This may, of course, backfire on you if you decide to hold onto your coins and are forced to spend (having ten would bring you down to three), but such is the game. Awareness is key!