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Love Letter
Twenty-one cards create a remarkably compact game of deduction: guide your letter toward the Princess while holding only one Character at a time. The 2019 revision adds Spy and Chancellor for up to six players and also supports the 16-card classic setup.
Rules
Draw one card and play one while tracking visible values, aiming to finish with the highest Character or become the round's sole survivor.
Separate winning a round from winning the game
Each round is a contest to deliver your letter to the Princess. Gain one Favor token by holding the highest card when the deck empties or by becoming the sole survivor. Win the game by reaching the Favor target for the player count.
Set up the 21-card deck
The player who most recently hand-wrote a letter starts. The previous round's winner starts the next round; after a tie, choose randomly among the tied winners.
Draw one, play one
Played and discarded cards stay visible
Everyone must be able to see which values have appeared. When an effect knocks you out of the round, discard your hand face up without resolving its effect.
Values 0–4: information and protection
| Card | Count | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0 Spy | 2 | No immediate effect. Gain one extra Favor if you alone among survivors played or discarded a Spy |
| 1 Guard | 6 | Choose another player and name a non-Guard Character; a correct guess knocks them out |
| 2 Priest | 2 | Privately look at another player's hand |
| 3 Baron | 2 | Privately compare hands with another player; lower value is out, tie does nothing |
| 4 Handmaid | 2 | Other players cannot choose you for effects until your next turn begins |
Values 5–9: exchange and compulsory play
| Card | Count | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Prince | 2 | Choose anyone, including yourself; they discard their hand and draw a replacement |
| 6 Chancellor | 2 | Draw two, keep one of the three cards, and put two on the deck's bottom in any order |
| 7 King | 1 | Trade hands with another player |
| 8 Countess | 1 | Must be played if the other card in hand is King or Prince |
| 9 Princess | 1 | You are out if you play or discard it for any reason |
Prince and an empty deck
If a Prince makes someone discard while the deck is empty, give that player the face-down card set aside during setup. A player who discards the Princess is immediately out and draws no replacement.
When every opponent is protected
- A card that must choose another player—Guard, Priest, Baron, or King—resolves with no effect if no eligible target exists.
- Prince can choose any player, so if every opponent is protected, you must choose yourself.
- Handmaid protection ends when its player's next turn begins. A player already out of the round is never an eligible target.
When the deck empties or one player remains
At round end, if exactly one player still in the round played or discarded any Spy, that player gains one Favor in addition to the round winner's token. Playing both Spies still gives only one; an eliminated Spy player gains none.
The 16-card classic version
Do not mix the old and revised values
The older game has Princess 8, Countess 7, and King 6. The 21-card revision shifts them to Princess 9, Countess 8, and King 7 while adding Chancellor 6 and Spy 0. This guide uses the revised values.
Edition and background
Designed by Seiji Kanai, Love Letter first appeared in Japan in 2012 as a 16-card game. Z-Man Games' 2019 revision added five Spy and Chancellor cards for 21 cards and up to six players while preserving the 16-card classic option.
Korean rulebook text not verified
Korea Boardgames confirms that its current product is the 2–6-player, age-10-plus, 20-minute revision, and its official video was checked. The Korean cards and booklet take precedence for exact localized wording.
Frequently confused rules
Q. Who wins when the highest hands tie after the deck empties?
Every tied highest player wins the round and gains one Favor token.
Q. Do I draw a replacement after Prince makes me discard Princess?
No. Discarding Princess for any reason immediately knocks you out of the round, so you draw no new hand.
Q. Must I play Countess when my other card is Chancellor?
No. Countess is compulsory only alongside King or Prince. The rule also does not apply to the temporary three-card hand drawn by Chancellor.
Q. Do I gain the Spy bonus after being knocked out?
No. At round end, you must still be in the round and be the only surviving player who played or discarded a Spy.
Q. May Guard guess Guard?
No. Choose another player, but name any Character except Guard.
Sources
Z-Man Games official revised-edition Love Letter rulebook (15 pages)Z-Man Games official Love Letter product pageBoardGameGeek — Love Letter 2019 edition, players, time, and weightWiki cross-reference — Wikipedia: Love Letter (card game)Wiki cross-reference — NamuWiki search (no matching article verified)Korea Boardgames official Love Letter product pageRule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-09-15
💡 Master tip
Low cards are useful for knocking rivals out, while high cards are valuable if you can keep them until the final comparison. Remembering the cards already played makes it much easier to infer which values can remain in the deck and in opponents' hands.
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