Review: Coup: Rebellion G54

Coup: Rebellion G54

Players: 3 – 6

Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards

Year: 2014

Coup: Rebellion G54

Rebels and traitors are indeed some of the most famous aspects of science fiction stories. That stories borrow or steal from another is well-known. However, some stories may even appear so similar that it’s hard to tell them apart. While it could be said that coup and coup: Rebellion G54 are similar, after all the use the same mechanics and share the same universe, they are different enough to justify their own reviews. I won’t be pointing out similarities, as these will be reserved for another post.

In Coup: Rebellion G54 every player is dealt two cards face-down. These are referred to as influence. On each of these cards is a role, which would allow you to act out certain actions. For example, you could acquire more money or acquire protection. There’s also two general actions, which can be done regardless of which role you have: acquiring one coin income or paying seven coins and putting a coup on someone. On your turn, you play an action. This could be one of the general actions, one of the actions on your cards, or an action on a card that you claim to have. Whether you have the card face-down in front of you, or not, is irrelevant, as long as no one challenges your claim, you are allowed to carry out the action. The explanations of the roles can be placed in the middle of the table, so that everyone can read it. The game continues until there’s one player left. The box also contains coins, with a value of 1 or 3. In the box are also dividers, so you can easily find the appropriate cards.

Of course there’s danger to this, as people can challenge your claims. You could demand money from another player, but some cards can be countered by the same role, which they could claim to have. So you, or they, could potentially be lying. Here’s where the catch some is, because these claims can be challenged. In that case the player that is challenged, has to prove they have the card they claim to have. If the player indeed has the card they claimed to have, the challenging player loses one life. If the challenged player doesn’t have the card that they claim to have, the challenged player loses a life.

This game is easy to teach, easy to carry and easy to set up. Great for vacation or on the go. The game can also be played with large groups, which is a benefit as well. One of the reasons why this game is so easy to teach, is because the roles only interact with the other cards of the same role. So only a ‘guerilla’ can counter a ‘guerilla’ or only a ‘politician’ can counter a ‘politician’. This makes it easy to explain. A game is resolved fast, so if you’re eliminated, a new game will be starting soon. Usually we let the player that’s eliminated first look for a role to be swapped during the next game. The cards are also the regular size and can be sleeved. There are 25 roles, so the game can easily be adapted. You can tailor the game for your personal tastes. Some roles allow you to quickly acquire money or trade several cards, but these can be swapped for others that might push for a slower growth or less trading of cards.

A downside is that the box is so big. The box is huge, while the game is little more than a stack of cards. It might give some wrong expectations. Our game is also not kept in the original box. The many roles can also serve as a bit of a determent, as new people might need to adapt to the new roles (and new opportunities they bring). While I don’t perceive it as a negative, luck and bluffing plays a role in these games, so not all players might like it.

The same contents, but from a different angle

The box, the dividers and a card

Everything together, this game is fast, social and a lot of fun! It’s highly recommended! While we may not play it as often as we’d like, every time it hits the table it’s a lot of fun and a hit with every group. While the chances of your rebellion might be uncertain, you’re guaranteed to have a lot of fun.