Royal Bluff: Can You Fib Your Way to the Queen's Crown?
By Josh4 min read
The Queen is stepping down, and her crown goes to the first courtier with 10 gold. As she warns you on arrival: "But beware... everybody here bluffs!"
Royal Bluff is a bluffing game in Mini Games for Alexa: claim crests you might not have, catch your rivals' fibs and get away with your own. It plays on any Echo speaker, and on an Echo Show you also see the throne room and can tap your answers.
How Royal Bluff Works
Everyone starts with 2 gold and two secret crests, dealt from a deck of three Lions, three Foxes and three Bears. The Herald whispers yours to you (say "my crests" for a reminder). Each round you go first, then the Duchess, the Baron and the Prince. On your turn you can:
- Tax: take 1 gold. Nobody can challenge it.
- Lion: claim the Lion for 3 gold.
- Fox: claim the Fox to steal 2 gold from a rival ("fox, the Baron"), who can try to block it with a Bear.
The sneaky part is that you can claim a crest you haven't got. If nobody calls your bluff, the gold is yours. The rivals do it too, and when a Fox comes for your purse, you can block it with a Bear, real or bluffed.
Believe Her, or Call Bluff?
Whenever a rival claims a crest, the Herald asks something like "Believe the Duchess, or call bluff?" Say believe to let it go, or bluff to make them show the card.
Catch a fib and the fibber pays you 2 gold (or whatever they have left) and loses a crest. Doubt an honest rival and it costs you 1 gold. The rivals can call your claims too, and pay you when they're wrong. Lose both crests and you're banished to the stables.
Meet the Rivals
- The Duchess: calls everyone "darling" and fibs more than anyone. When she's bluffing she fans herself and says "ahem".
- The Baron: loud, greedy and fond of his food. He loves a Fox, and when he fibs he over-explains, finishing with "...and that's the honest truth!"
- The Prince: polite, nervous and forever talking about Mummy, who happens to be the Queen. He bluffs the least, calls bluffs the most and hiccups when he fibs.
Your First Games
When you start, the Herald asks "Play, or rules?", and your first game explains things as they come up. Your first three games also come with stabilisers. Early on, a rival fibs with an obvious giveaway and the Herald whispers what to listen for: "Did you hear that? The Duchess says ahem when she fibs!" In these games a tell on a Lion or Fox claim always means a fib, and accusing is switched off.
From your fourth game you can accuse: pay 4 gold, name a rival and a crest, and if they're hiding it, they lose it. The tells get trickier too, as an honest rival now and then sounds nervous anyway.
Whispers and the Royal Feast
At the start of rounds two and four, a rival whispers a tip about someone else's crests. It might be a trap, though the Prince is far more trustworthy than the Duchess.
Round three opens with the Royal Feast. A rival tells a tall tale in three parts, and one part is a fib. Say first, second or third, and if you're right, you peek at one of their crests. The Baron's circus trip, for instance, includes a clown on a tiny bicycle, candy floss and twelve juggled elephants.
How to Win the Crown
The first courtier to reach 10 gold is crowned, and you also win if all three rivals end up in the stables. If nobody gets to 10 by the end of round six, the richest courtier wins, and a tie goes your way. Get banished yourself and the Queen crowns the richest rival.
A win earns 20 coins (5 just for playing), and your crowns build a title, from Royal Squire up to Your Royal Highness.
Bluffing Tips for Your First Crown
- Listen for the tells. Catching a fib earns up to 2 gold and a wrong call costs just 1, so when you hear an "ahem", an "honest truth" or a "hic", call it.
- Count the crests. There are only three of each. If you hold two Lions and you've seen the Duchess's, nobody else can have one.
- Use the feast. The Herald reminds you when a rival claims a crest you've peeked at, and from your fourth game a peek sets up an accusation that can't miss.
- Bluff early, not for the win. Rivals are far more suspicious of a Lion that would take you to 10 gold, and of anyone they've already caught. On your last crest, a safe tax is wiser.
How to Play Royal Bluff
- Say "Alexa, open Mini Games".
- Pick your team if it's your first time.
- Say "play Royal Bluff".
- On your turn, say "tax", "lion" or "fox". When a rival makes a claim, say "believe" or "bluff".
Or jump straight in with "Alexa, open Royal Bluff".
If catching fibbers is your favourite part, try catching the spy in Potion Class or unmasking the monster in The Werewolf next.
