Coup - Tips & Strategies

Of all the actions you can take, swapping cards with the Ambassador appears weak. Almost every action, advances you forward in some way, or directly attacks another player. Swapping a card seems to be a safety net for bad draws, one that ultimately keeps you in the same relative position.

The Ambassador does have another overlooked benefit. While he may not net you any credits, he does give you information. After you switch cards, you now know more about what cards you opponents don’t have. This can help you make critical challenges later in the game. Since the Ambassador is underrated, you will rarely be challenged when you claim him also. His work is much more subtle and not perceived as a direct threat to anyone.

The Ambassador would probably be a more desirable role if he was (more accurately) named the Spy, as this archetype has been romanticized much more. But the true beauty of his current title, is that he is overlooked for this exact reason, and that is what makes him dangerous.

“Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

People rarely call a bluff on assassins – particularly if you’re using that role to pick off their first influence – it’s just too risky (since being wrong would knock them right out of the game). If you haven’t called two other roles yet – use that to your advantage early game.

Picture this: Someone is attempting to Assassinate you. They have already lost an influence and you have already lost an influence. Even if you don’t have her, go with the Countessa. If they challenge you and you ~do have her, they’re dead, so they may think twice about the challenge anywyay. If they challenge you and you don’t, well, you were going to die anyway.

Seems like a pretty obvious strategy but you’d be surprised how many miss out on the opportunity.

The group I’ve been playing with seems to think that the Duke and his ability to rake in 3 coins is the best card.

If you’re the first player, or one of the first, try and get away with taxing.

The other players at this point won’t have an idea of who else might be using a Duke and probably won’t challenge you.

Then later you can start using actions from the cards you have and then they might actually challenge you for that since you’re not being a “duke” anymore.

Coup is a blast to play, but you can also be out of the game in the blink of an eye making many games not very fulfilling. Fortunately it’s a quick game so you just play again. But if you start playing with the attitude that every game is meaningless, it takes away from the feeling of winning.

To offset this, in my groups we often set a multi-game win condition. Usually this is the first person to win 2 or 3 games (depending on player count). This had some unexpected but welcome effects on the game. How you played the game is altered depending on how many wins you might have or your opponent might have. It takes a great game and adds more meat to it. I highly recommend you try this way the next time you play. Just don’t set the victory condition above 3 the first time as it could cause the game to drag out, and the beauty of Coup is that it’s quick.

In my experience, if someone is continually trying to call out others for bluffing they’re more likely to bluff themselves, while if someone rarely calls out others they’re less likely to try to bluff themselves. One player’s view of the others betrays their own play style, and this can be used to your advantage if you pay attention.

1. u start as a duke at first. always. u then switch to being an ambassador to gain some info. if someone steals from another player – u still from them too.
2. always eliminate the ones with more cards than the ones with more money first.
3. i found that calling two rols which u dont have, and then calling a third role which u do, will 9 times out of ten make someone challange you – and lose.
4. at the last rounds fake an ambassador and find a contesa. always finish the game with a contesa.

Coup relies on bluffing, and that mechanic really shines with three or more players. Coup can be played with two, but it is not particularly enjoyable with fewer than three.