Intrigue

About this board game

Intrigue is a pure negotiation game for 3–5 players, with sessions lasting about 45 minutes. Set among Renaissance-era families, it centers on nepotism, competing interests, and the pursuit of positions in other families’ businesses.

Players offer bribes to advance their ambitions, but accepting a bribe creates no obligation to honor the highest offer—or any verbal agreement. Deals can be made, promises can be offered, and trust can be discarded, making every negotiation uncertain and potentially ruthless.

The game’s defining tension comes from this freedom to betray agreements. Players must judge what others might do after accepting their offers, while deciding how far their own families are willing to go in the pursuit of influence. In a word, Intrigue is vicious.

The 1994 game also has notable differences between its editions:

• The F.X. Schmid version gives each player five houses or buildings, valued at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10.
• The F.X. Schmid version includes five professions: knight, merchant, lawyer, writer, and clergy.
• The 2005 AMIGO edition uses four houses or buildings per player, valued at 1, 3, 6, and 10.
• The AMIGO edition retains clergy and writer, while adding chemist and doctor.

Whether played with the F.X. Schmid or AMIGO structure, Intrigue focuses on negotiation without guaranteed loyalty. Every offer can open a path to success—or create the opportunity for someone else to turn your own bargain against you.