Dȗhr: The Lesser Houses

About this board game

Dȗhr: The Lesser Houses is a 4–6-player political game played in around 30 minutes, in which rival Houses compete to become the next Great House of the city-state of Dȗhr.

The Family Royal, House Kythidȗhr, has announced that one Lesser House will be elevated. Rather than waste blood and gold on soldiers, the Houses battle with suspicion and scandal: carefully deployed political weapons designed to damage an opponent’s standing with the people.

Each player takes the role of a Lesser House and uses cards from their hand to shape the struggle. Cards can trigger events, place suspicions or scandals on another House, or activate a House’s unique ability to affect cards that have already been placed.

• Build pressure: Accumulate suspicion and scandal cards on rival House cards.
• Track public favor: A House falls into disfavor after reaching a combined total of five suspicion and/or scandal cards.
• Escalate the crisis: A disfavored House becomes vilified if it ever has three or more revealed scandal cards.

The game ends immediately when only one favored House remains—or when none remain. At that moment, the player with the highest score wins. A disfavored or even vilified House can still outscore a favored House, keeping every political attack and final tally meaningful.

With its contest of public reputation, House abilities, and carefully timed cards, Dȗhr: The Lesser Houses turns a struggle for prestige into a fast-moving battle of suspicion and scandal.