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Love Letter is a card game introduced in May 2012 and designed by Seiji Kanai.[1] Its first English-language edition was produced in the United States by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) until 2018, when Love Letter was acquired by Z-Man Games (a subsidiary of Asmodee).[2]
| Court the Royal Princess of Tempest | |
|---|---|
 Original box cover | |
| Designers | Seiji Kanai |
| Publishers |
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| Players |
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| Playing time | 20 minutes |
Premise edit
Each player aims to deliver a love letter to the Princess with the assistance of relatives and acquaintances.
Gameplay edit
- At the start of each round, one card is discarded face-down (four cards if playing with two players; so the process of elimination cannot be used to prove which cards are left for the round), one card is dealt to each player and the rest are deposited face-down in the middle to form a draw deck.
- During each player's turn, one card is drawn from the deck and the player gets to play either that card or the card already in their hand.
- After processing the effect described on the played card, the next player to the left gets a turn.
- This process is repeated until either the deck runs out, in which case the player holding the highest-value card wins the round, or all players but one are eliminated, in which case the last player still in play wins the round.
- Once a round ends, the winner of the round receives a favor token. All cards are collected and shuffled, and play continues with a new round, with the winner of the previous round taking the first turn.
- The game ends when one player has obtained a predetermined number of favor tokens (from 3 to 7, depending on the number of players), winning the game for that player.
Card types edit
Below is the list of cards in the original edition of the game:[3][4]
| Card | Strength | Count | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | 1 | 5 | Player may choose another player and name a card other than the Guard. If the chosen player's hand contains the same card as named, that player is eliminated from the round. |
| Priest | 2 | 2 | Player may privately see another player's hand. |
| Baron | 3 | 2 | Player may choose another player and privately compare hands. The player with the lower-value card is eliminated from the round. |
| Handmaid | 4 | 2 | Player cannot be affected by any other player's cards until their next turn. |
| Prince | 5 | 2 | Player may choose any player (including themselves) to discard their hand and draw a new one. |
| King | 6 | 1 | Player may trade hands with another player. |
| Countess | 7 | 1 | Does nothing when played, but if the player has this card and either the King or the Prince in their hand, this card must be played immediately. |
| Princess | 8 | 1 | If the player plays or discards this card for any reason, they are eliminated from the round. |
Second Edition edit
A second edition of Love Letter was released in 2019 with new artwork and the addition of five cards to support play by 2–6 players. This edition carries over all the cards from the original version, but changes the strength values of the King, the Countess and the Princess to 7, 8 and 9 respectively. The five cards added in this edition include one additional Guard card and the following new cards:[4]
| Card | Strength | Count | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy | 0 | 2 | Does nothing when played, but if the player is the only one still in play who has played or discarded this card by the end of the round, they gain an additional favor token. |
| Chancellor | 6 | 2 | Player may draw two cards from the deck, then choose one of the three cards in their hand to keep, and place the other two at the bottom of the deck in any order. |
This edition can also be played in accordance with the original version by removing the five additional cards, though this only supports 2–4 players.
Awards won edit
Love Letter has received the following awards:[5]
- 2014 Deutscher Spiele Preis, 4th place
- 2014 Spiel des Jahres recommended
- 2014 Origin Awards Best Traditional Card Game
- 2014 Guildbrikken Best Family Game
- 2014 Fairplay A la Carte
- 2013 Golden Geek Best Party Board Game
- 2013 Golden Geek Best Innovative Board Game
- 2013 Golden Geek Best Family Board Game
- 2013 Golden Geek Best Card Game
- 2012 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection
- 2012 Dice Tower Best Family Game[1]
- 2012 Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game[6]
Editions edit
In addition to foreign language editions, many are themed:
| Name | Date | Publisher | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Letter | 2012 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | The original edition of the game. |
| Love Letter | 2012 | AEG | English | The first English-language edition of the game. |
| Love Letter: Legend of the Five Rings Edition | 2014 | AEG | English | Themed, new art, identical rules to the original game. |
| Love Letter: Wedding Edition | 2014 | AEG | English | Wedding-themed version of the game with corresponding art. Made specifically for wedding receptions and can only be ordered directly from the publisher. |
| Big Love Letter | 2014 | Pegasus Spiele | German | "Postcard expansion" explaining how to use 2 sets of the base game to play with up to 8 players. |
| Munchkin Loot Letter[7] | 2014 | AEG | English | Themed, identical rules to the original game. Includes one new card for Munchkin itself. |
| Letters to Santa | 2014 | AEG | English | Christmas-themed edition, featuring characters such as Santa Claus, snowmen, and reindeer. |
| Love Letter: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies[7] | 2015 | AEG | English | Themed, 17-card tie-in for the 2014 film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Two notable changes from the original game include the addition of "The One Ring" card and a 'Baron' card with different effects. |
| Love Letter: Batman[7] | 2015 | AEG | English | Batman-themed version with a single new rule. |
| Land of the Lustrous Card Game: "Love Letter"[8] | 2015 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | Themed with some rules changes and new cards, included with the special edition release of volume 4 of the manga. |
| Adventure Time: Love Letter[9] | 2015 | AEG | English | Themed with two new rules. |
| Star Wars: Secret Invasion (Russian: Звёздные войны: Тайное вторжение)[7] | 2015 | Hobby World | Russian | Themed, with 17 cards. |
| Love Letter Premium[10] | 2016 | AEG | English | An enhanced edition for up to 8 players with an additional set of cards. |
| Archer: Once You Go Blackmail...[7] | 2016 | AEG | English | Themed TV tie-in. |
| Harap Alb Continues: A Love Letter Game (Romanian: Harap Alb Continuă...: un joc Love Letter)[11] | 2016 | cutia.ro | Romanian | Themed, based on the character of Harap Alb. |
| Osomatsu-san Love Letter Board Game[12] | 2016 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed Mr. Osomatsu edition. Has a few notable rules modifications. |
| Love Letter: Erweiterung | 2017 | Pegasus Spiele | German | Expansion that adds 10 new characters. |
| Lovecraft Letter[13] | 2017 | AEG Z-Man Games |
English | Themed, based on Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Introduces new alternative set of cards based on "insanity" powers. Re-released by Z-Man Games in 2021 with no significant changes. |
| Love Letter from Yozakura[14] | 2018 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | Themed, included with the limited edition release of volume 22 of the manga. |
| Pummeleinhorn: The Super Cookie (German: Pummeleinhorn: Der Superkeks) | 2018 | Pegasus Spiele | German | Themed, based on Pummeleinhorn (Chubby Unicorn). |
| Chief Arino's Love Letter[15] | 2019 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, based on GameCenter CX, featuring Shinya Arino from Japanese comic duo Yoiko. |
| Love Letter Second Edition | 2019 | Z-Man Games | English | Updated art and five additional cards to support up to 6 players. |
| Witch Hat: Magic Test[16] | 2019 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, included with the special edition release of volume 5 of the manga. |
| Love Letter: Sender | 2020 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed, free print-and-play online dating April Fools' Day edition for April Fools' Day. |
| Touhou Bomb Letter: Delivery Barrage![17] | 2020 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, adds 3 new types of cards. |
| Danganronpa: Despair Love Letter | 2020 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed Danganronpa tie-in, with new rules based on "Hope" and "Despair". |
| Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game | 2020 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed Marvel Universe tie-in, with team-based gameplay rules pitting one player against the rest. |
| Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After | 2021 | Renegade Game Studios | English | Themed, based on the novel series by Kay O'Neill, with a single new rule revolving around the 'Chancellor' card. |
| Star Wars: Jabba's Palace – A Love Letter Game | 2022 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed, with new rules based on the opposing factions. |
| Love Letter 2nd Edition | 2022 | Arclight | Japanese | Second Japanese-language edition of the game. |
| Love Letter: 10th Anniversary Edition | 2022 | Arclight | Japanese | Limited edition of the game. |
References edit
- ^ a b Otake, Tomoko (31 January 2014). "Indie designer Kanai carves out niche with analog board games". The Japan Times. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Z-Man Games Acquires Love Letter". Z-Man Games. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Love Letter Rules" (PDF). AEG. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Love Letter Rules" (PDF). Z-Man Games. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2021.
- ^ Love Letter Page at Boardgame Geek
- ^ "2014 Origins Winners Announced". ICV2. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Mappin, Don (4 June 2016). "Hobbit, Batman, Archer, Star Wars—the many faces of Love Letter". Ars Technica. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ 宝石の国カードゲーム 「ラブレター」
- ^ "Adventure Time Love Letter". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "Love Letter Premium Edition" (PDF). alderac.com. AEG. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2021.
- ^ "Harap Alb Continuă... un joc Love Letter". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ おそ松さんラブレターボードゲーム
- ^ "Lovecraft Letter". Board Game Geek. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ ラブレター・フロム・ヨザクラ
- ^ 有野課長のLove Letter, Arino-kachō no Love Letter
- ^ とんがり帽子の魔法試験, Tongari Bōshi no Mahō Shiken
- ^ 東方ボムレター -届け弾幕!-, Touhou Bomb Letter: Todoke Danmaku!