Mascarade

About this board game

Mascarade is a hidden-role game for 2–13 players that plays in about 30 minutes. Each player receives a face-down character card, while games with 4–5 players also place some role cards in the center of the table.

Your identity may not be as certain as it seems. On your turn, choose one of three actions: announce a character and attempt to use its power, exchange cards with another player under the table, or secretly look at your own character card.

• Announce a character: Claim to be any character and take its associated action. If another player reveals that they actually have the card, they take the action instead, while you lose one coin to the tribunal.
• Swap cards or not: Shuffle your card with another player’s card under the table, then return one card while keeping the other. You may know whether your identity changed, but the other player may not know which card they received.
• Secretly look: Check your character card to confirm who you are.

Play continues as players make claims, test information, and try to work out the identities in play. The game ends when someone collects 13 coins; that player wins. If a player loses all their coins first, the player with the most coins wins instead.

Mascarade includes more character cards than the number of players, so every game can use a different selection. The rules recommend certain characters for initial games, while experienced players can explore many other configurations. Released in 2013, it offers a compact mix of character powers, card exchanges, and uncertain identities.