
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,369
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Human Punishment: The Beginning
- 3–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2022

2023
Rules assistance for Patriot
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Patriot is a board game released in 2023 for 1–6 players, 30–180 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Anthony Kirkham and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have asked each of you in this room for a purpose. It is with grave urgency, and top secrecy that I request your time, your assistance, and your loyalty. I ask that you save our nation, and in turn save my life…” – The President On the brink of civil war, The President of Karmonia has been given five letters from an assassin, each marked with a day. It has been made clear that if the President does not meet each of the assassin’s demands, there will be dire consequences resulting in the death of The President. Five letters. Five threats. Five days to die. Patriot is a semi-cooperative board game of social deduction, betrayal, strategy and teamwork for 1 to 6 players. Each player is dealt a secret card outlining their allegiance to The President – save, or assassinate. Through the midst of this, the country of Karmonia is in turmoil. It is up to you and your team to find the assassin whilst maintaining the country through a number of difficult missions! However...! If you are the assassin, it is your mission to sabotage, betray and secretly manoeuvre the game in your favour, resulting in the assassination of The President and the destruction of Karmonia. Just don't get caught.
Patriot supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Patriot is 30–180 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Patriot for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Patriot has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Patriot belongs to these categories: Political, Spies / Secret Agents, and Civil War. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Patriot are: Anthony Kirkham. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Patriot as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.