← Back to game Mind War

Rules

Learn the game, step by step.

Before you play

Meet the eight Houses.

Form two equal teams: the Dawn Alliance and the Dusk Alliance. You compete to claim eight Houses—four in Stone and four in Gems.

Realm of Stone

GoldGold House crest
Gold
SilverSilver House crest
Silver
CopperCopper House crest
Copper
IronIron House crest
Iron

Realm of Gems

SapphireSapphire House gem
Sapphire
EmeraldEmerald House gem
Emerald
RubyRuby House gem
Ruby
TopazTopaz House gem
Topaz

Six cards per House.

King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Wizard, Dragon.

Ruby KingRuby QueenRuby PrinceRuby PrincessRuby WizardRuby Dragon
The six playable Ruby cards.

Two ways to win.

Unite a realm

Claim all four Houses in Stone or all four in Gems. You win at once.

Gold
Silver
Copper
Iron

Control the most Houses

If no realm is united, the team with more Houses wins after all eight are claimed.

Example
Dawn5
Dusk3
The rules
01

Set up the game.

  1. 01

    Split the players evenly between Dawn and Dusk.

  2. 02

    Sit around the table, alternating Dawn and Dusk.

  3. 03

    Shuffle all 48 cards.

  4. 04

    Deal all 48 cards evenly. Keep your hand hidden.

  5. 05

    Flip a coin. The winning team chooses one of its players to go first.

Six players seated around a round table
Seats alternate: Dawn, Dusk, Dawn, Dusk.

Cards each player gets

4 players2 per team · 12 cards each
6 players3 per team · 8 cards each
8 players4 per team · 6 cards each
02

No secret talk. No signals. No lies.

Keep your cards hidden. Do not share secret signals with teammates. Do not bluff or lie about the cards you hold.

Face-down Mind War card
03

Take a turn.

Ask one opponent for one exact card, such as “Dragon of Ruby.” You must already hold a card from that House.

One player asks another for a single card

If they have it

Take the card.

Your turn continues. Ask again.

If they do not

Your turn ends.

That player goes next. They may ask anyone on your team.

04

Listen. Remember. Work it out.

Every question, card transfer, and “no” is a clue. Use them to track the cards.

A player traces clues between opponents holding cards
05

Ask only from Houses you hold.

You can ask for cards from a House only if you hold one of its cards. Give away your last card from a House, and you cannot ask for it again.

An empty hand after its last card passes to another player
No cards left? You are out of active play. You cannot ask, receive cards, or declare a claim or Sneak Attack. Stay silent. Your turn passes clockwise to the next active teammate.
06

Claim a House.

At the start of your turn, before asking, say “We claim House Ruby.” Your team must hold all six Ruby cards.

Ruby KingRuby QueenRuby PrinceRuby PrincessRuby WizardRuby Dragon
One complete House has all six Ruby cards.

Your team has all six

You claim the House.

Place the cards face up in front of your team. Remove them from play. Keep taking your turn.

Even one card is missing

The other team claims it.

Place all six cards face up in front of them. Remove them from play. Your turn ends.

07

Sneak Attack.

At the start of your turn, say “Sneak Attack on House Gold.” Name the opponent holding each of its six cards.

A player points to three opponents holding hidden cards

All six are with opponents. Every name is right.

Your team claims the House.

Place the cards face up in front of your team. Remove them from play. Keep taking your turn.

A name is wrong, or your team holds a card.

The other team claims it.

Place the cards face up in front of them. Remove them from play. Your turn ends.