A Machiavellian wager of favors. Beat the game and claim your prize.
A game as old as the republic where it was born
Allegedly devised by Machiavelli as a training tool for future rulers, this favor-wagering game has ruined families in Venice’s canalside dens for three centuries.
Defeat five masked opponents. Each duel is the first to win three hands. Build stronger ways to play your favors, install technology cards, and spend Volarii (coins) carefully between duels.
Key terms
Favor: a wax-seal token with a suit and number.
Hand type: a pattern you know how to play, such as Set, Run, Full House, or Six Pillars.
Played hand: the favors you place onto the table for a wager.
Hand Score: the strength of your played hand. A higher Hand Score beats a lower Hand Score.
Hand value: used only when Hand Scores tie. For most hands this is the highest number involved; for a Set, it is the shared number.
First player: the message in the centre of the table clearly names who plays the first hand each round.
Volarii: your money for wagering and buying in the market.
Redraws: limited chances each duel to discard selected favors and draw replacements.
Starting hand types
You begin with three hand types:
Single: one favor.
7WAR
Set: favors with the same number.
4WAR
4TRD
4FIN
Run: ascending numbers. Suits can be mixed.
2CRI
3WAR
4POL
Beating a played hand
First compare Hand Scores. A Hand Score 6 beats a Hand Score 5, regardless of hand type.
If Hand Scores tie, compare hand value. A Set of 8s beats a Set of 6s. A Run 4-5-6 beats a Run 1-2-3 because its highest number is 6.
If the tie still cannot be resolved, the current leading hand remains ahead, so you must play something stronger or pass.
Betting
When you play a valid hand, choose a wager. The opponent may answer with a stronger hand, raise the wager, or pass.
If you voluntarily wager more than half your current Volarii, the game warns you before committing it. A wager you have no choice but to make does not interrupt you with this warning.
All-in: if either player spends their final Volarii or cannot fully cover the required wager, the current hand becomes an all-in showdown. The pot locks and no more wagers can be added to that hand.
Neither player is removed. Keep playing progressively stronger hands until somebody wins the current hand. That hand’s winner immediately takes the entire locked pot.
The all-in phase then ends. The next hand starts again with the normal ante and betting rules.
Spoils and learning new hands
After winning a duel, choose one spoil: take Volarii, steal one specific normal favor, burn a weak favor for free, or learn a new hand type.
When learning, you see two options. Examples include Full House, Six Pillars, Perfect Pair, and Odd Conspiracy.
Learned hands scale with you: their Hand Score grows as you add more valid favors. For example, War Muster accepts 3 or more War favors and its Hand Score equals the number played.
You can know up to five hand types. If full, you must forget one to learn another.
The market
After taking spoils, spend Volarii in the market. You can buy technology cards, buy special favors, buy extra redraws for the next duel, burn weak favors, sell technology cards, or refresh the market.
Technology cards create combos. Some boost certain favor patterns, while others modify nearby technology cards, so the order of your technology cards can matter.
Beginner tips
Beginner Tips can be switched on in Settings. When active, hovering over specific buttons gives a short explanation of what they do.
Market
Spend Volarii freely. Your money is the limit.
Your Volarii: 0
Your Technology
Available Hands
Technology Cards
Special Favors
Your Bag
Click a favor to burn it. Burning now costs Volarii.
Sell Technology Cards
Your Favor Bag
Place Your Wager
Your Volarii0
Opponent Volarii0
Current Pot0
Required Bet1
Maximum Legal Bet1
Your selected hand
ALLIN
THE WAGER IS SEALED
YOU HAVE GONE ALL IN
The pot is locked for this hand. No more Volarii can be added; keep playing higher hands until one player wins and takes the pot.
POT LOCKED · NO MORE BETS · WINNER TAKES IT
Their Ability
Disruption
Threat●●●○○
Step 1
Tutorial
Spoils of Victory
Choose one reward before the market opens.
Your Technology
Available Hands
Coin Tribute
Take Volarii now. Useful if you want to buy expensive technology.
Learn a New Hand
Add a new way to play your favors. You may know up to five hand types.
Steal Favors
Steal one specific normal favor from the defeated opponent.
Burn a Favor
Remove one unwanted favor from your bag for free.
Learn a New Hand
Choose one new hand type.
Forget one hand
You already know five hand types. Choose one to forget, or go back.
Final Reckoning
The fifth mask has fallen. The Republic counts what remains.
