How To Play: Regicide

Regicide is a fun coop card game where you and your pals face tough bosses. Manage your cards well, chat with your team, and pick your battles smartly. Use the key tips from my guide to boost your chances. Keep playing, keep laughing, and you'll master How To Play regicide.

Regicide: Box Cover Front

It’s not every day you get to fight royal baddies with just a deck of cards, but Regicide makes it possible. This guide covers an outline of the game rules plus the best strategies to keep you and your friends from getting stomped by a mean ol’ King. Get ready for some laughs, hard choices, and a lot of wild card tossing!

Overview

What’s in the box

  • 1 Standard 54-card deck
  • 4 Reference cards

How To Play Regicide: Rules Summary

Setup
  1. First, grab a standard deck of cards, take out the jokers, and call your friends over. Trust me, it’s more fun with them.
  2. Next, split the cards by suits. Separate all the Jacks, Queens, and Kings; these become the nasty bosses you’ll soon hate.
  3. Shuffle the Jacks, Queens, and Kings together to make the Boss Deck. Place it face down.
  4. All the remaining cards make the main deck. Shuffle those, then deal five cards to each player.
Gameplay
  1. Draw the top card from the Boss Deck and place it face up. This is your current boss.
  2. Take turns. Each turn, play one or more cards from your hand to attack the boss. Don’t throw bricks—just cards.
  3. Cards damage the boss equal to their value. Suits matter! Each suit can have an effect. Clubs double your attack, hearts heal the discard pile, spades let you draw from the deck, and diamonds protect you.
  4. After your attack, the boss strikes back. If players can’t block the attack, bad news: everyone takes damage by discarding cards from their hand.
  5. Keep playing cards and battling that boss until you beat them or all players lose their hands.
Winning
  1. Keep knocking out bosses until the Boss Deck is empty. If you do it, start your victory dance. You win!
  2. If everyone runs out of cards before all bosses are defeated, well, the bosses win and you might want a rematch.
Special Rules & Conditions
  1. If you play a joker (if you’re playing with them), you can defeat a boss instantly. I call that a magic trick.
  2. If the deck is ever empty, shuffle the discard pile (except the top card) to make a new deck.
  3. Remember: Don’t talk about which cards are in your hand, but you can suggest strategies with hints and wild hand gestures.

That’s the basics. Now you know how to play Regicide, you can march in and show those bosses who’s the real king (or queen, or jack) of the table!

Best Regicide Strategies

Mastering Card Management to Win Regicide

Know When to Hold ‘Em

If you recklessly throw your best cards right away, you’ll soon regret it. Instead, play smart using these strategies:

  1. Save strong cards (like Aces) for tough bosses.
  2. Keep healing cards, because someone always needs rescuing.
Share the Love

Since Regicide is all about working together, always check your hand before playing. Discuss card choices with your team. This avoids burning key cards too soon.

  1. Reveal suits if someone’s about to heal the tavern.
  2. Warn others if you’re out of a suit, so they can plan.
Track the Deck

Never forget what’s already played. When you keep mental notes, you’ll guess what’s coming and set traps for bosses. That’s how to play regicide like a champ!

Talk Your Way To Victory: Team Communication In Regicide

Share Your Plans Early

  1. Let your friends know what cards you have. Don’t hold back surprises—unless you like losing together.

  2. Speak up before you play your turn. That way, everyone can pitch in ideas.

React To Danger Together

  1. When a boss flips, shout out what you notice. Did someone spot a trick? Say it out loud! Every detail can help.

  2. Decide together who will soak damage. It’s not a game of heroics, it’s about survival.

Encourage Smart Moves

  1. If you see a clever play, suggest it. Teammates may miss something in the heat of the moment.

  2. Stay positive, even if things look grim. Morale matters!

Boss Prioritization: Smack Those Royal Baddies First!

Why Boss Order Matters

If you mess up the order you attack bosses, you’ll struggle fast. Some are way nastier than others! You’ll want to pick your fights wisely.

Scout the Threats

Before each round, check the bosses left and agree on the scariest. Usually those with a mean ability or high health. Nobody likes a boss who wipes half your hand!

  1. Spot the boss who will mess up your hand or block healing first.
  2. Save your firepower for the nastiest royal pain.
  3. Don’t split your effort—focus up!

Team Up for Tough Ones

When you see a beast like the King of Spades, pile on. Everyone should hit with their best cards and use abilities for max effect.

Keep Future Rounds in Mind

Always remember: beating the worst boss early is good, but don’t waste all your cards and leave yourselves helpless next time!

Ready to Rule the Table?

So, there you have it—my battle-tested, slightly coffee-stained Regicide strategy guide. I promise, my friends and I have survived many angry Kings and even grumpier Queens to bring you these tips. Just remember: plan your moves, talk to your team, and don’t feed the Jesters after midnight. Before long, you’ll be showing your own group How To Play regicide like a pro—and maybe even win without flipping the table!

Want to know what we think of Regicide? Read our detailed review of Regicide here

Jamie in his proper element: With all of his board games
Jamie Hopkins

With years of dice-rolling, card-flipping, and strategic planning under my belt, I've transformed my passion into expertise. I thrive on dissecting the mechanics and social dynamics of board games, sharing insights from countless game nights with friends. I dive deep into gameplay mechanics, while emphasizing the social joys of gaming. While I appreciate themes and visuals, it's the strategy and camaraderie that truly capture my heart.