How to Play

KS3SASKHAH

Kings and Rebels

A real-time multiplayer trick-taking card game of hidden alliances, bold bids, and secret partners.

The Two Teams

Blue Team — Kings

Everyone else starts as a King (the established rulers). They don't know which of their fellow Kings is secretly a rebel imposter. They must collectively prevent the Rebel Leader from hitting their bid.

Red Team — Rebels

The winning bidder is the Rebel Leader. Before play begins, they secretly name convert cards. Whoever holds and plays those cards turns out to be an imposter King who joins the Rebel gang.

Team membership is hidden at the start. An imposter King's true allegiance is only revealed the moment they play their convert card. Until then, everyone is a suspect.

Card Points

Not all cards carry points. Only specific cards score — the rest are zero-point filler used for tricks.

3S
Three of Spades — 30 pts
The most powerful card in the game. Worth more than any other single card.
ASKHQDJCTC
A, K, Q, J, 10 — 10 pts each
All suits. These are the backbone of scoring.
5S5H5D5C
Fives — 5 pts each
All suits. Small but meaningful in tight games.
2S4H7D9C
2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 — 0 pts
No point value. Useful for leading tricks strategically.
Total points in one deck
250 pts
Total points in two decks
500 pts

The Bidding Round

Before any cards are played, players compete in an auction to win the right to name the trump suit and pick their convert cards.

Minimum bidSet by the host before the game. Every bid must be at least this amount.
Raise by 5Each new bid must be at least 5 points higher than the current highest bid.
PassYou can pass at any point. Once you pass, you're out of the bidding.

Bidding goes around the table until only one player remains. That player becomes the Rebel Leader and is locked into their bid — they must collect that many points to win.

Trump & Convert Cards

After winning the bid, the Rebel Leader privately selects a trump suit and names their convert cards — the secret signal to recruit imposter Kings into their rebel gang.

1
Choose Trump Suit
Pick any suit — ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣. Trump beats any non-trump card in a trick, regardless of rank.
2
Name Convert Cards
The Rebel Leader names one or more specific cards (e.g. "Ace of Hearts", "Ten of Clubs"). Whoever holds and plays these cards turns out to be an imposter King and secretly defects to the Red Team (Rebels).
3
Cards are dealt — play begins
Players can see their own hands but not their teammates. The Rebel Leader knows which cards will trigger the defection. The Kings must watch their own court for traitors.

2-Deck rule: When playing with two decks, duplicate cards exist. The Rebel Leader must also specify which play of that card converts them — e.g. "1st play of Ace of Hearts" or "2nd play".

Example convert cards:AHTCKD

Playing Tricks

The game is played in rounds called tricks. Each trick, every player contributes one card. The highest-ranking card wins the trick.

Follow Suit
If you have a card matching the lead suit, you must play it. No exceptions.
Can't Follow Suit?
Play any card you like — a trump card to steal the trick, or a low-value card to discard.
Winning a Trick
The highest trump wins if any trump was played. Otherwise, the highest card of the lead suit wins. The winner collects all point cards in the trick and leads the next one.
Partner Reveal

The moment a convert card hits the table, the player who played it is instantly added to the Red Team. Their allegiance is revealed to everyone — they are exposed as an imposter King joining the Rebel gang.

AH One King joins the Rebels!

Scoring & Winning

Once all cards are played, the Red Team (Rebels) tallies the points they collected across all tricks.

Red Team Wins

Red's total points ≥ the bid. The Rebel Leader and all defected partners win the round.

Blue Team Wins

Red's total points < the bid. The loyal Kings successfully defended their court.

No revealed partners? If none of the convert cards were played during the round, the Rebel Leader wins alone — no partner bonus — but still must hit the bid.

Game Flow at a Glance

1
Lobby
Players join, pick avatars, host sets player count and decks.
2
Deal
Cards are dealt to all players by the host.
3
Bidding
Players bid in turns. Highest unmatched bid wins.
4
Trump & Converts
Rebel Leader names trump suit and convert cards.
5
Tricks
All players play one card per trick. Follow suit, or play freely.
6
Reveal
Convert cards played mid-game expose secret allies (defecting Kings).
7
Scoring
Red Team (Rebels) wins if their collected points meet the bid. Otherwise Blue (Kings) wins.