Climbing the social ladder in the Venetian court is no easy task, so get an edge on your rivals by downloading the rules for Masques , now available on our support page ! In the game of Masques , a rerelease of the game Intrigo , two to four players take on the roles of the heads of one of Venice’s most influential families. The most important members of the powerful guilds of Venice are all attending the Doge’s masquerade ball, and this night is your best chance to get into the favor of these influential paragons of commerce.

The Doge’s palace features valuable ducats and tokens of guild favor distributed throughout the building’s rooms, and players complete for these resources by manipulating the influential guests at the party. Each player has a hand of cards that feature guests from rival families as well as from their own. Pit your competitors’ guests against one another and frustrate their attempts to earn ducats and guild favor as you deftly position your own guests to garner rewards for your family.

While the strategic use of the party’s attendees is the best way to go about winning ducats and gaining the attention of the guilds, every now and then you may need to get a bit of an edge. A couple of ducats can go a long way to securing a few friends of a more mercenary inclination, and there are a host of nefarious agents willing to accept a little coin in exchange for some dirty deeds. Will you hire an Assassin to “remove” a troublesome guest? Perhaps you will take a more subtle route and lead someone astray with the wiles of an alluring Courtesan? These agents can make all the difference in your play for power, so use them wisely.

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The Doge’s palace is a hotbed of intrigue, and you can’t win this game of powerful plots without staying one step ahead of your competition. Get to know the ambitious agents and plan your approach to power by downloading the rules (pdf, 2.7 MB) for Masques from our support page . Curry favor, spend your ducats wisely, and watch your back as you vie for the Doge’s attention in Masques !

A new Doge has come to power and is throwing a masquerade ball for the nobility of Venice! Masques is a card game in which two to four players take on the roles of influential families as they plot, scheme, and outmaneuver their opponents for the favor of powerful Venetian guilds. Hire agents to carry out your dirty work assassinating, stealing, and wooing the members of the court as you work to become the secret power behind the throne!

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