Coup

[aspi]

In a room that could best be described as elegant in it's simplicity, sat an elder gentlemen behind an equally simple and functional desk. He wore a plain, dark blue uniform that showed no insignia of rank, his graying hair neatly combed back. With a somber expression, the man stared out the window, unmoving. As the door opened and an adjutant entered, he extended his hand in an an expectant gesture. When the subordinate handed him an antique looking but quite recently printed piece of paper, the mans eyes flicked over the report before he told the adjutant "Good. Thank you. Let them duke it out." Quietly, the adjutant slipped out the door, leaving his superior to his thoughts.

(scnr, no challenge)
(edit: edited to avoid color confusion with the fat man.)

[Legato Endless]

There are 15 *character cards total. 3 of each character.

So there are currently 5 cards in the deck. As such, at least 4 of the character types must be in play.

The deck is reshuffled whenever a new card is drawn, either from an unsuccessful challenge, or the ambassador effect. A successful challenge reveals and eliminates a card from play, meaning it does not go back in the deck.

*The rules call the cards influence, and the deck the court, but for clarity I am substituting terms.

[Legato Endless]

Update

Eloel's turn will begin on 12:00am Tuesday CST. Any challenges must be in before then.

Also note that I will be absent around July 2-6, so we'll resume within a day following that.
(although you are more than free to still rp and whatnot during my absence)

[Penguinator]

"Good. Thank you. Let them duke it out."

(What you did there. I see it. )

No challenge. Was going to roleplay, but don't have time right now.

[Eloel]

I'll just collect Income for 1 and pass it on. Can't challenge, can't block, so it's Penguinator's turn.

[Legato Endless]

Game State

Players	Coins	Card 1	Card 2
Ramsus	5	???	???
Silent Interim	5	???	???
Eloel	3	???	???
Penguinator	3	???	???
Aspi	2	???	???

In the interests of keeping things flowing, I'm defaulting Penguin to income as it's been two days.

Aspi, it is now your turn.

[aspi]

The blue flashing of a button on the surface of the desk was accompanied by a melodic buzzing. Both quickly dissipated as the gentleman in the plain uniform touched the button and a faded hologram of a bald, sweating man with pig's eyes appeared in the center of the desk, infrequently disrupted by static. The fat man's panting was audible, but only barely so over the noise that emanted from an otherwordly jungle in the background. "Duke Wembleton, how good of you to call". The gentleman's tone left no doubt that the call had not at all been optional. As a matter of fact, it had been expected a good deal earlier. The man that had been addressed as Duke wiped away a bead of sweat on his forehead with a finely embroidered hankerchief that seemed to be completely soaked in sweat already. "I apologize for the delay, the indigenous population proved to be... more difficult than anticipated." Wiping away another bead of sweat - or more precisely smearing it across his cheek - he added "It has been handled, the delivery is on it's way. If we could perhaps talk about the transfer we discussed?" The gentleman nodded "Of course, Duke, thank you. In due time we will." With another touch of the button, the hologram vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

(I will take tax - unless someone would like to object, of course)

[Silent_Interim]

The Fat Man typed a message before sending it through a series of proxies to a wide range of recipients.
Duke Wembleton is a fine, fine man. His accomplishments and contributions to society are not to be derided, and I hold nothing but admiration for him. It would be extremely scandalous if anyone were to raise awareness of the fact that interference with low tech civilizations is extremely illegal. Not that I'm alleging that he is, but if someone were to imply such things, it might do some harm to his reputation. If anyone were to move me one way or the other I might be persuaded to prevent such implications from reaching the public eye... or to cause them.
-The Fat Man
(Hmmm. I am not going to declare challenge or no challenge for now. If anyone will make it worth my while, I will quite happily challenge this. A third duke claim is a bit suspicious. Especially when Ramsus is, by his own admission, inexperienced at this. Then again, aspi claims to have experience. I am not challenging, but I'm also not not challenging. I'm undeclared, there we go. If anyone has a good offer, I will challenge. If you, aspi, can make a good offer, I will not challenge. I will not say what I would do all other things being equal.)

[Eloel]

I offer you gratitude if you challenge. I offer you condemnation if you don't.

Me? I'm not challenging.

[Silent_Interim]

Condemnation? Why?

Also, way to make a guy feel like your gratitude is worth something. Put him in a lose-lose situation, sure to work.

[aspi]

(Oh, by all means, go ahead and challenge me. I'm not going to offer you something just to keep my duke.)

[Ramsus]

((Since Legato never mentioned anything specifically regarding trading money, I wasn't sure if that was a thing we were doing/could do. Are you asking for some kind of bribe to challenge Aspi? If you are..... well it's a tempting offer. But you've already come out and threatened to challenge me for free, so I don't see why I should do something that benefits you and earns me Aspi's enmity. That said, I have the feeling he's bluffing. But I'm not going to challenge since I don't want to also offer my services and basically really annoy Aspi if he'd wind up having to bribe both of us not to challenge.))

[Silent_Interim]

Ah well. Fair enough. I was hoping I could get somebody to bribe me to do it, but oh well.

Challenging aspi's claim. I'll RP differently depending on the outcome.

[Eloel]

Iiiinteresting. Also, should we maybe replace Penguinator?

[Silent_Interim]

There is a waiting list. I'm not very fussed. He hasn't posted here for a couple of days, though.

[Penguinator]

I'm here and not challenging.

[aspi]

The adjutant entered the library through the upper balcony, then proceeded to the gentleman who had taken seat in an antique armchair. "Sir, Duke Wembleton is on the intercom again. He is insisting on talking to you personally". The gentleman furrowed his brows "I take it the delivery has arrived as scheduled?" The younger man nodded and he continued "Then Duke has outlived his usefulness. Arrangements for his replacement have been made. I suggest you turn your attention to more pressing matters, Aidan." The adjutant bowed slightly "Very good, Sir. I am sure he will be delighted to stay with the natives permanently."

(I have to apologize, I wanted to reply sooner but my Internet connection wouldn't let me. It wasn't a bluff, I actually have a duke)

[Legato Endless]

It is Ramsus' turn. Although you can choose to proceed or wait until after Silent Interim selects a card to flip over to decide your action.

[Silent_Interim]

Ah well. I will reveal my Duke. Life is best lived on the edge.

[Eloel]

2 Dukes out, 1 to go. Ramsus, dare to call Duke again?

[Silent_Interim]

Well, no. One duke out. Aspi's one is in the deck, so to speak. I'm not challenging much of anything right now. I can't afford to, not realllly. If you weren't challenging a Duke claim from Ramsus before, you shouldn't be challenging it now. I was kind of expecting that one to be a bluff from Aspi, so I'm essentially screwed over now.

[aspi]

2 Dukes out, 1 to go

Just to clarify: only Silent_Interim's duke is out. Mine got shuffled back into the deck before I drew a new card, so it could either be in the deck waiting for someone to draw it again or it could even be back in my hand.

If you weren't challenging a Duke claim from Ramsus before, you shouldn't be challenging it now.

Well, it kinda depends. 3 dukes out in the first round isn't that likely (although it's not entirely unlikely either). But if you were sceptical about there being 3 dukes out, then Ramsus' claim is the only one that wasn't substantiated. So if one of us was lying about it, it's him. He just had the advantage of going first, which makes it unlikely for us to challenge him in a new game in the first round - a fact of which I believe he is fully aware. Since it's also unlikely that I drew a duke again, even if there were two in the deck, making sure that Ramsus does not have a duke would go a long way towards making foreign aid a viable option.

[Penguinator]

The Captain watched the latest report flash across one of the screens, then sat back and chuckled to himself. "Looks like the Fat Man bit off more than he could chew."

[Ramsus]

Just to clarify: only Silent_Interim's duke is out. Mine got shuffled back into the deck before I drew a new card, so it could either be in the deck waiting for someone to draw it again or it could even be back in my hand.

I'm confused. When/why did you draw a new card?

[Legato Endless]

Game State

Players	Coins	Card 1	Card 2
Ramsus	5	???	???
Silent Interim	5	Duke	???
Eloel	3	???	???
Penguinator	3	???	???
Aspi	5	???	???

The Deck contains 5 cards.

If you're basing this off the Tabletop episode Eloel, they did indeed eliminate both cards when a challenge was issued, and the victor simply drew another card. I was confused too when I saw this.

[Silent_Interim]

A table sat on its side in the Fat Man's room. He stood briefly, surveying the table, before collapsing back into his chair. He didn't often have outbursts that moved him to such energy. It took a special kind of irritation.

"Damn Devli, damn him to hell! I trust that he's been taken care of?"

"Yes sir. Duke Wembledon has also been... taken care of, though not by us. His son still lives, and should have inherited Wembledon's position and powers. Whether or not the son is a free agent or is also under the thumb of our opponent remains to be seen."

The Fat Man cursed. "To think that he would sell us out..."

(Ramsus, to clarify, I challenged aspi's Duke claim, and aspi revealed a Duke. As such, I reveal one of my cards and it is permanently out of the game. Aspi, meanwhile, shuffles the Duke back into the deck and draws a new card to replace it, as I lost the challenge.)

[aspi]

I'm confused. When/why did you draw a new card?

If I am accused incorrectly, I have to reveal the card in question to prove that I have it (in this case, the duke). Every time that happens, the card gets shuffled back into the deck and I draw a new one.

[Ramsus]

*looks at Legato to confirm this is how it works how we're playing and not another Tabletop mixup/house rule that we're not using*

Edit: Also does Silent's Duke go back in the deck or is it just removed from the game?

[Silent_Interim]

MY duke is removed from the game. Aspi's duke is shuffled back in.

[Legato Endless]

I'm going to give an example for clarity.

Logic and Legato are the last two remaining people playing.

Logic has a Captain and a Contessa.

Legato has an Assassin and a Duke.

The Deck contains:
Assassin
Contessa
Contessa
Assassin

Logic claims Captain, to steal two of my coins.

I challenge Logic.

He reveals the Captain.

I lose one of my cards, I choose to lose the Duke.

The Duke is eliminated, and removed from play. The Duke is gone, and can't be used.

Logic gains a new card to replace the one he lost, as he didn't lose the challenge.

The Captain I challenged goes back into the deck, and the deck is shuffled.

Logic then draws from the new Deck, which contains:

Assassin
Captain
Assassin
Contessa
Contessa.

Logic gets an assassin, but he could have simply redrew his own captain again.

Tabletop sort of misrepresented this by having players eliminate both cards in a challenge.

The problem is, if a card isn't reshuffled after a failed challenge, you could exhaust the deck in a larger game.

Which would then render effects like the Ambassador impossible to execute.

Feel free to ask any other questions, or for more clarification here. It's the first game, so this is expected and welcome.

Edit:

This is the official rules. I'm not sure if Wil Wheaton was using a house rule or just mistaken.

Aspi and Silent Interim are correct.