Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After
Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 21 Character cards
- 6 Reference cards
- 13 acrylic Favor tokens
Setup
- Give 1 Reference card to each player and put the unused Reference cards back in the box. The Reference cards show the value, effect and quantity of each type of Character card.
- Shuffle the 21 Character cards to form the draw deck. Place it face down on the table, within reach of everyone.
- Take the top card of the draw deck and set it aside, face down, without looking at it. In a two-player game, draw 3 more cards and set them aside as well, face up.
- Deal 1 card to each player to form their starting hand.
- Whoever among you most recently wrote a handwritten letter will be the first player.
How the Game Unfolds
Love Letter: Princess Princess is played over several rounds, during which you call on Isadora's allies, friends and family — the princess of the kingdom — to get your love letter to her.
The card you hold in hand represents the person who currently holds your letter, but it may change during the game as you play and draw cards.
To win a round, you must hold the highest-value card at the end of that round, or be the last player still in the running.
Player Turns
Take your turns in clockwise order.
On your turn, draw 1 card from the draw deck. Then choose one of your two cards and play it, resolving its effect.
The card played must be placed face up, while the other must stay in your hand.
All of your played or discarded cards must be laid out and stay in front of you (visible to everyone).
Leaving the Round
Some card effects force you to leave the current round; a rival suitor has made sure your letter does not reach the princess.
When this happens, discard your hand, face up, in front of you (without resolving the effect of the card you were holding).
Until the start of the next round, you can no longer be targeted by the effect of a card, and you skip your turn (you are eliminated from the current round).
Played and Discarded Cards
It is essential that every player know which cards have already been played. Because of this, played or discarded cards must always be visible to all players.
End of the Round
A round can end in one of two ways: either when the draw deck is exhausted, or when only one player remains in the running.
Draw Deck Exhausted
If, after a player's turn, the draw deck is empty, all players still in the running reveal and compare the cards they hold in hand. If you hold the highest-value card, you win the round and gain a Favor token; it is your letter that reached Princess Isadora.
In case of a tie, the players concerned win the round and each gain a Favor token.
Last Player in the Running
If you are the only player still in the running in the current round (because everyone else has left it due to a card's effect), the round ends immediately; you win the round and gain a Favor token.
Starting the Next Round
To begin a new round, repeat steps 2 through 4 of setup (shuffle the Character cards, set one aside, and deal one to each player). The player who won the previous round takes the first turn.
In case of a tie in the previous round, randomly determine the first player among those tied.
Winning the Game
The game ends when a player holds enough Favor tokens to win (depending on the number of players, see the table below). It is possible for several players to win the game simultaneously.
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favor tokens needed | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Rules Violations
Players can commit various rules violations (deliberate or not), such as lying when targeted by a Guard's effect, or not playing Celeste the Unicorn when required to do so.
Make sure all players understand the rules well and always check their cards. Such mistakes can strongly affect the play experience.
Card Effects
Each card represents a person important in Princess Isadora's life. In the upper left of the cards (and to the right of each character's name in this rulebook) you will find a series of small dots showing how many copies of that character are in the draw deck. A small yellow heart shows that you may potentially earn an extra Favor token if the card's conditions are met.
The text on each card is a short summary of its effect. The following section (pages 8 to 14) details the complete rules for each character.
9 — Ogre (x1)
Unshakeable and nearly invincible, the Ogre is Princess Isadora's best friend. As such, he is the best ally for delivering your letter. However, since he tends to break into wild dancing, he might lose your letter and forget it under his own dainty feet...
If you play or discard the Ogre for any reason whatsoever, you immediately leave the round.
8 — Celeste the Unicorn (x1)
Celeste the Unicorn is known for having destroyed towers to rescue princesses in the past. Although Celeste has great influence over Princess Isadora, she keeps a low profile whenever the Ghost King or Prince Vladric are nearby.
Celeste the Unicorn has no effect when played or discarded.
You must play her on your turn if the other card in your hand is the Ghost King or Prince Vladric.
However, you may choose to play her on your turn even if you hold neither the Ghost King nor Prince Vladric.
When you play Celeste the Unicorn, do not reveal your other card; other players do not need to know whether you were forced to play her or whether it was a choice.
Her effect does not apply when you draw cards as a result of other effects (Princess Amira or Princess Sadie).
7 — Ghost King (x1)
Having no body, he cannot truly deliver your letter to the princess. However, he could show her where you left it.
Choose another player and exchange the card in your hand for theirs.
6 — Princess Amira & Princess Sadie (x1 each, 2 total)
Having lived through a similar situation, Princess Amira and Princess Sadie are delighted to help you, but what matters most to them is finishing together.
Draw 2 cards and add them to your hand. Choose and keep one of the three cards in your new hand, then place the other two, face down, beneath the draw deck in the order of your choice.
If there are no cards left in the draw deck, play this card without applying its effect.
At the end of the round, if you and another player have played or discarded a Princess and are both still in the running, each of you gains a Favor token.
5 — Prince Vladric (x2)
Eager to prove himself and stubborn by nature, Prince Vladric always acts without thinking of the consequences.
Choose any player (this can be yourself). That person discards their hand (without resolving the effect of the card it contained) and draws a new one.
If the draw deck is exhausted, the player in question draws the face-down card that was set aside at the start of the game.
If you are targeted by Prince Vladric's effect and are forced to discard the Ogre, you leave the round.
4 — Oliver the Dragon (x2)
Having pudgy legs and weak flying skills, Oliver will take a bit longer to deliver your letter to the princess, but don't worry, he'll get there eventually.
Until the start of your next turn, other players cannot target you when resolving the effect of their card.
In the rare case where every player still in the running is "protected" by Oliver the Dragon when you play a card, follow these guidelines:
- If the card requires you to choose another player (Ghost King, King's Advisors, Palace Librarian, or Guard), play it without applying its effect.
- If the card requires you to choose any player at all (Prince Vladric), you must target yourself to resolve its effect.
3 — Palace Librarian (x2)
The Palace Librarian is usually found surrounded by imposing stacks of dusty books. She offers suggestions, as any well-read individual would, with respect and consideration.
Choose another player and discreetly compare your hands together. Whoever holds the lower-value card immediately leaves the round.
In case of a tie, neither of you leaves the round.
2 — King's Advisors (x2)
The King's Advisors hold deep knowledge of the kingdom and act as consultants, liaisons and friends of Princess Isadora.
Choose another player and discreetly look at their hand (without revealing it to other players).
1 — Guard (x6)
Having sworn to protect Princess Isadora no matter what happens, the guards inspect anyone who approaches, especially if they might be a suitor.
Choose another player and name a character other than the Guard. If the chosen player holds that card, they leave the round.
0 — Claire the Spy (x2)
Claire was punished for having tried to take Princess Sadie's place. The painful memory of her transformation into a sow still haunts her today. She is nonetheless still allowed to wander the halls and could prove useful to you.
Claire the Spy has no effect when played or discarded.
At the end of the round, if you are the only player still in the running and you played or discarded a Spy, you gain a Favor token.
This is separate from winning the round; the winner (even if that is you) still receives a Favor token as normal. You gain only a single Favor token from this effect, even if you play and/or discard both Spies.
Credits
Oni Games: Charlie Chu, Steve Ellis, Ben Eisner, Amber O'Neill
Original Love Letter game design: Seiji Kanai
Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After game development: Steve Ellis
Game development: Justin Kemppainen and Alexandar Ortloff
Graphic design: Kate Z. Stone
Cover illustration: Kay O'Neill
Character illustration: Wendy Xu
Revisions: Christopher Cerasi
Publishers: Oni Games and Renegade Game Studios, in partnership with Z-Man Games
French version: Origames
Playtesters: Beth Erikson, Thomas Gallecier, Dan Gerlach, John Hannasch, Monica Helland, Bree Lindsoe, Jasmine Radue, Danielle Robb, Michael Sanfilippo, Sarah Swindle, Amy Ellis, Kaitlin Ellis
Translation and layout (French edition): Ambre Poilvé
Proofreading (French edition): Camille Mathieu
Project lead (French edition): Tifany Martin
Legal
The Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After card game and its logo are trademarks of Renegade Games Studios LLC and Oni Games. © 2021 Renegade Game Studios. All rights reserved. © 2021 Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC, Oni Games. All rights reserved. Based on the graphic novel by K. O'Neill, published by Oni Press. Princess Princess Ever After is ™ & © 2021 K. O'Neill. All rights reserved. The Oni Press logo and symbols are ™ & © 2021 Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC. The Oni Press logo and symbols were created by Keith A. Wood.
© 2021 Z-Man Games. Z-Man Games is a registered trademark ® of Z-Man Games. Love Letter is by Z-Man Games.
© 2022 ORIGAMES for the French edition. All rights reserved. 52 Avenue Pierre Semard, 94200 Ivry-sur-Seine, France. 01 77 37 60 47.
Quick Reference
The rulebook closes with a condensed player-aid summary, reproduced here.
Setup & start of the round: Shuffle the 21 Character cards. Set one aside face down (and 3 more, face up, in a two-player game). Deal one card to each player. Whoever most recently wrote a handwritten letter (or won the previous round) becomes the first player.
Turn: Draw 1 card. Play one of your two cards, resolving its effect.
End of the round: The round can end in two ways:
- If the draw deck is exhausted, the highest-value card wins.
- If every player but one has left the round, whoever remains wins.
The winner of the round takes a Favor token.