Wedding bells are ringing! The successor to the most powerful family in the Kingdom is without a partner. Win the favour of the Successor and keep other Admirers at bay to secure a piece of the Inheritance. If you start your turn with the Ring of Favour, you win!
Using this Rulebook
This rulebook contains the core rules for Inheritance. These rules can be used with no changes for three or four players; all other player counts require slight variations of this core ruleset. While these rules can be used for the four-player game, the team variant in the ‘Variants & Expansions’ Rulebook is strongly recommended.
Read this rulebook first, then refer to the ‘Variants & Expansions’ Rulebook to learn how to apply the rules at different player counts.
Overview
Inheritance is played over a series of turns. At the start of the game, each player chooses a card from their hand to represent their Admirer for the entirety of the game. At the start of a player’s turn, if their Admirer is favoured, the game is over, and they win. On their turn, players use cards from their hand to try to manipulate the cards in play or modify the rules used to determine which Admirer is favoured.
Setup
See page 4 for a labelled visualisation of a complete setup.
- Place the Initial Influence card (A).
- Shuffle the deck and deal 6 cards to each player as their hand of cards.
- Deal a face-up card to each of the following labelled areas on the Game Board: Parent (B), Parent (C), Successor (D), and Proposal (E).
- Place the deck in the labelled area of the Game Board (F) as the Draw Pile.
- Each player then chooses a card from their hand and places it face-down in front of them as their Admirer. All players then reveal their Admirers at the same time.
- Determine which Admirer is favoured (see “Determining the Favoured Admirer” below), and place the Ring of Favour atop it (G). The Ring of Favour indicates which Admirer is favoured.
- The player to the left of the player with the favoured Admirer takes their turn first, then play proceeds clockwise. If a tie occurs when determining the favoured Admirer, leave the Ring of Favour in the centre of the table and choose a random player to take their turn first instead.
Card Anatomy
Every card has the same features as indicated: Rank (I), Suit (J), and Ability (K).
Determining the Favoured Admirer
The cards representing the current Proposal (E) and the current Influence rule (A) are used to determine the favoured Admirer.
The suit of the card on the ‘Proposal’ area of the Game Board (E) dictates the current Proposal. Each Proposal corresponds to a different rule for determining the favoured suit(s).
These rules are shown on the Game Board (H) and are as follows:
- Married for true love. The suit of the Successor is favoured.
- Married for a generous dowry. The suit(s) of the Parents are favoured.
- Married by war. No suits are favoured.
- Married for peace. The suit(s) that are different to both the Successor and Parents are favoured.
The card’s Ability text in the ‘Influence’ area of the Game Board (A) dictates the current Influence rule. The Influence rule dictates how rank determines the favoured Admirer (for example, Lowest Rank Wins).
To determine which Admirer is favoured, do the following:
- If a single Admirer has one of the favoured suit(s) determined by the current Proposal (E), that Admirer is favoured.
- If multiple Admirers have the favoured suit(s), the Admirer whose rank best satisfies the current Influence rule (A) is favoured. If this results in a tie, no Admirers are favoured.
- If no Admirers have the favoured suit(s) or Married by War is the current Proposal, the Admirer whose rank best satisfies the current Influence rule (A) is favoured. If this results in a tie, no Admirers are favoured.
Taking your Turn
On your turn, complete the following steps:
- Check if your Admirer holds the Ring of Favour. If so, you win the game! Otherwise:
- Choose one card from your hand and play it for one of the following effects: a) If you have no Admirer, you may place the card face-up in front of you as your Admirer. b) Change the Proposal by replacing the current Proposal with this card. c) Use the card’s Ability. The icon on the bottom right of the card indicates the type of Ability:
- Change the Influence rule by replacing the current Influence rule.
- Use this card’s Ability, then discard it.
- Replace a specified card with this card and discard the replaced card.
- Determine which Admirer is favoured, then place the Ring of Favour atop it. If no Admirer is favoured, leave the ring where it is.
- Draw a new card from the Draw Pile (if possible).
- Pass play to the next player clockwise.
If you have a Secret Admirer, you may reveal it at any time during your turn as a free action.
Glossary
Admirer: The card played in front of you. Discard: Return the card face-down to the box. Discarded cards aren’t used for the remainder of the game. Family Member: The Parents and the Successor. Favoured Admirer: The Admirer that is currently winning. Replace: Replace a specified card with this card. Then discard the replaced card. Secret Admirer: A face-down Admirer that is kept secret from your opponents. A Secret Admirer has no suit or rank and cannot be favoured. Swap: Change the positions of 2 cards.
Image on previous page: Paul, Chloe, and Richard’s Admirers are the 7 Cleric, the 2 Beggar and the 9 General, respectively. The on the Assassin determines the current Proposal (E). The rule reminders (H) on the Game Board tell us that a Proposal means the Parents’ suits, (C) and (D) are currently favoured. This represents a Proposal being made with a generous dowry – clearly, the parents are pleased!
Since the Influence rule (A) states that the highest rank wins, Paul’s 7 Cleric is the favoured Admirer instead of Cameron’s 2 Beggar, even though they both have favoured suits. Richard’s 9 General doesn’t have a favoured suit, so it does not matter that it has the highest rank.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information is hidden? You cannot look at cards in the deck, other players’ hands (including your teammates if you are playing a team variant), previous Proposals, previous Influence rules, or Secret Admirers unless it is your own.
What if I can’t do what a card Ability states? This can occasionally happen when you don’t have cards in hand or don’t have an Admirer. In these cases, the card can still be played for its Ability, but the Ability has no effect.
Do I have to play a card on my turn? Yes, you must play exactly one card on your turn, even if it may not be advantageous to do so!
What happens if a Secret Admirer becomes a Parent? This is possible if you use a General’s Ability and have a Secret Admirer. The card stays face-down and therefore has no suit or rank. This card cannot be looked at by any player.
Can I play a new Admirer if I already have one? Can I discard it to play a new one? No, and no.
What happens if the deck has run out? Play continues, but players do not draw a card at the end of their turn.
Credits Game Design: Paul Capovilla Development: Paul Capovilla, Cameron Faulks, Richard Mulchinock Graphic Design: Cameron Faulks
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