- Designer: Seiji Kanai
- Artist: Andrew Bosley
- Publisher: Steven Kimball
- Players: 2-6 Players
- Playtime: 20 minutes
- Ages: 10+
Love Letter is a small box deduction card game for 2-6 players that plays in about 20 minutes, for ages 10+. It is easy to pick up and a lot of fun to play! I thought we would play 1 or 2 rounds while on vacation, but we ended up playing 6 in one afternoon!
What’s In the Box?
- 1 Pouch
- 21 Character Cards
- 6 Reference Cards
- 13 Favor Tokens
Setup
Deal each player a reference card to begin and put any remaining off the side. Then shuffle all 21 Character Cards together to make a deck. Place the deck facedown in the center of the play area. Also place the 13 Favor Tokens in the center of the play area. Take the top card of the deck and place it facedown next to the deck, without looking at it. Note: If you are playing a 2 player game also take 3 cards from the top of the deck and place them face up in the play area.) Next, you will deal each player one card to create their starting hand. The player most recently to handwrite a letter will go first. You are now ready to play Love Letter.
Objective
In Love Letter, the suitors are attempting to have their letter delivered to the princess. As a player, you are aiming for your character to be the one to deliver the letter. Love Letter is played over several rounds. To win a round you must either be the highest card left in the round or the only player left in the round.
Gameplay
The card in a players hand represents who is currently carrying you letter, but this can change throughout game play. On a player’s turn they will draw one card from the deck and then choose one of the cards in their hand to play. To play a card, players will place it face up in front of them and follow the prompts to resolve it’s effect on the game. Some card effects will also impact on a player when it is not their turn. If this happens, the player must discard their hand face up in front of them and, until the next round, that player cannot be picked for card effects and their turn is skipped. The reference card will guide you on when this is happening. It is essential to the game that everyone know which cards have already been played and which cards remain in the deck. This is why all discarded cards must remain face up so everyone may see them.
The round may end when the deck runs out or if there is only one player left in the round. If the deck runs out, no matter which player’s turn it is, all remaining players must reveal their hand and the player with the highest card value wins the round. If you have the highest value card, you win the round and may take a favor token. If there is a tie, both players will take a favor token. If there is only one player left, the round will end and that player will gain a favor token. Complete steps 2-4 of set up to start the next round. The player who won the previous round goes first. If there was a tie, randomly choose which player will go first.
Love Letter ends when one of the players has gained enough favor to be crowned the winner. The number of favor needed varies by how many players are at the table.
Final Thoughts
Love Letter is a game I had heard a lot about but had never played. A friend of ours let us take his copy on vacation with us. As previously stated, it was a hit right out of the gate. What I thought would be a small filler game ended up being one of the most played games of our vacation! There are several editions of the game themed to different IP, such as Bridgerton, and even a Love Letter Princess Ever After version. I think this small card game would be a welcome addition to any game collection!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Some products may have also been gifted for review purposes. We only recommend products we love and believe will add value to your experience. Read more on our Business Conduct Page. Thank you for supporting our blog!
