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A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition)
- 3–6 players
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- Complexity 3.7/5
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Royal Secrets
2021
Rules assistance for Royal Secrets
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 35–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for Royal Secrets
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Royal Secrets is a board game released in 2021 for 3–5 players, 35–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Vincent Bernet and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
In Royal Secrets, you play as a spy of a foreign power in the French court. Your goal is to cunningly influence the decisions of the realm in favor of your country. For that purpose, you will have to send your team of allied courtiers to audiences with the king and queen where only the most influential will be heard. You will be forced to bluff but also to pool resources with your opponents. But only the most cunning will win. The game is played in 7 rounds corresponding to the 7 audiences to which players will send Courtiers and Valets (cards in their hands) in order to influence the king and queen and gain their favor. Players will have to pool resources with their opponents to gather enough influence to succeed in the audiences and gain. The player who has gathered the most after 7 rounds wins the game.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Funnyfox
Questions and answers
Royal Secrets supports 3–5 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 Royal Secrets is 35–60 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 Royal Secrets for ages 10 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.
Royal Secrets has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light 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.
Royal Secrets belongs to these categories: Deduction, Bluffing, and Negotiation. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Royal Secrets are: Vincent Bernet. 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 Royal Secrets 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.