
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,804
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Europe in Turmoil: Prelude to the Great War
- 2 players
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2018

2021
Rules assistance for Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial is a board game released in 2021 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Tom Butler and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Dice Rolling, and Simulation.
"Passion governs, and she never governs wisely." — Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Founding Fathers. Ninety years later, the very government that Franklin helped create disregarded his wisdom and trampled the constitutional rights of its own citizens in order to feed what seemed an insatiable hunger for vengeance. Now you, as the prosecution or defense, must convince a nine-panel jury that Mary Surratt, one of eight people put on trial for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other members of his cabinet, is guilty...or innocent. Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial is a two-player game that takes place during the May 9 - June 28, 1865 trial of the first woman, Mary Surratt, ever to be executed for treason by the United States. The game begins amidst the chaos of Lincoln's assassination as the country struggles to heal over the wreckage of the American Civil War. Each player must persuade the jury to convict or acquit the accused and thereby win the game. To do so, players draft and play cards that help them strengthen their case with the jurors and recruit them to their side, while also finding overwhelming evidence for or against the accused. In one of the most high-profile trials in U.S. history, will Mary Surratt again face the hangman's noose of American justice — or can you stop the trap door from falling?
Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial is 30 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 Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial for ages 13 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.
Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial belongs to these categories: Post-Napoleonic and American Civil War. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Dice Rolling, and Simulation. 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 Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial are: Tom Butler. 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 Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial 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.