These are the rules of Mascarade (new version 2021)

Goal

Be the first to gain 13 Coins and win the game! If a player loses all of their wealth, the game ends and the player with the most Coins wins!

Initial turns

Starting with the first player and going clockwise, take your card and another player’s card (or, if applicable, a card in the middle of the table), without looking at them. Then, still without looking at them, hold both cards under the table and exchange or pretend to exchange them before putting them back on the table. Only the first four players must take this initial turn. Then gameplay continues following the normal rules.

Player turn

After the initial turns, play continues clockwise and follows these rules. On your turn, take a single action from these three options:

• A. Look at your card
• B. Exchange your card
• C. Announce your Mask

Then the next player takes their turn.

A. Look at your card

Secretly look at the Mask card in front of you.

B. Exchange your card

Take your Mask card and another player’s Mask card, then without looking, hold them under the table and exchange or pretend to exchange them.

Note: With 4 and 5 players, you can take this action with a card in the middle of the table.

C. Announce your Mask

Announcing your Mask lets you activate its power. If you were forced to reveal your Mask card during the previous player’s turn, you cannot take this action this turn. To take this action, announce the name of the Mask you have (or think you have) in front of you, without revealing the card. Then, starting with the player to your left and going clockwise, other players have the chance to challenge your announcement by claiming that they also have the Mask you announced. These two outcomes can happen

1. No challenge

If no other player claims to have the announced Mask, apply its power without revealing your card.

Note: Bluffing is an important part of the game. You can announce that you have any of the Masks in play without necessarily having it in front of you. You don’t even have to know which Mask you have.

Example: You announce “I’m the King.” No other player claims to have the King Mask; you immediately apply its power, without revealing your card, and take 2 Coins from the Bank.

2. One or more challenges

If one or more other players claim to also have the announced Mask, all concerned players (including you) reveal their cards.

• The player who actually has the announced Mask immediately applies its effect.
• All other players who wrongfully claimed to have the announced Mask pay a fine of 1 Coin and place it on the Justice board.

Note: It’s possible that no players reveal the announced Mask. In this case, all concerned players pay a fine of 1 Coin.

Finally, all players turn their cards back face down.

End of the game

The game can end in one of two ways:

• As soon as a player has 13 Coins, they are immediately declared the winner.
• As soon as a player loses their last Coin, the richest player is declared the winner.

In case of tie, all tied players share the victory.

Mask powers

Beggar

Starting with the player to your left then going clockwise, hold out your hands to each player. If they are strictly richer than you in this moment, they must give you 1 Coin.

Cheater

If you have 10 or more Coins, you immediately win the game.

Empress

Take 3 Coins from the Bank.

Fool

Take 1 Coin from the Bank. Then take Mask cards from two other players, without looking at them, and exchange them (or pretend to exchange them) under the table.

Guru

Choose another player. This player must announce their Mask, then reveal their card. If it does not match the announced Mask, they must give you 4 Coins, then turn their card back face down. Otherwise, nothing happens and they turn their card back face down.

Note: If the player has fewer than 4 Coins, they must give you as much as they can and the game immediately ends.

Judge

Take all the Coins on the Justice board.

Note: If players wrongfully claimed to have the Judge Mask and must pay a fine of 1 Coin, they pay after the Judge’s power is used, so this fine is not taken by the Judge this turn.

King

Take 2 Coins from the Bank.

Patron

Take 3 Coins from the Bank. The players to your left and right also take 1 Coin from the Bank.

Peasant (x2)

If there are one or more challenges and two Peasant Masks are revealed, you and the second Peasant each take 2 Coins from the Bank. Otherwise, take 1 Coin from the Bank.

Princess

Take 2 Coins from the Bank. Then choose another player who must reveal their Mask card to everyone, but without looking at it themself.

Puppeteer

Choose two other players and take 1 Coin from each of them. The two chosen players then stand up and physically switch seats at the table. Their Mask cards and wealth remain at their original seats.

Sorceress

You can exchange all of your wealth with another player of your choice.

Note: If players wrongfully claimed to have the Sorceress Mask and must pay a fine of 1 Coin, the fine is paid after the Sorceress’s power is used.

Spy

Choose another player. Secretly look at both your and their Mask cards. Then, exchange them (or pretend to exchange them) under the table.

Thief

Take 1 Coin from the players to your left and right.

Trickster

Take 2 Coins from the richest player (excluding you). In case of tie, choose just one of the richest players to take Coins from.

Widow

Take Coins from the Bank until you have exactly 10 total.

Note: If you already have 10 or more Coins when using

the Widow’s power, this power has no effect.

Gamer

Take 3 Coins from the Bank and hide 1, 2, or 3 of them in your hand. Then choose another player who must guess how many Coins are in your hand. If the player guesses correctly, they gain those Coins. If their guess is wrong, add these Coins to your wealth. Any remaining Coins (that you didn’t hide in your hand) are put back in the Bank.

Note: this mask is available in custom scenario only.

BGA Game configuration options

Scenarios

This option defines the masks in game according to number of players and their level.

The possible choices are

• Standard : this is the basic scenario, recommended to beginners
• Advanced : this is a more difficult scenario, recommended to advanced players
• Custom : if you choose this option, first player will have to select masks that will be in game

Default value is "Standard"

Log masks

This option defines whether the masks revealed during the game are written into the log or not. It is recommended to set this option to "On" when playing in turn based mode

The possible choices are

• On : revealed masks are logged
• Off : revealed masks are not logged

Default value is "Off"