In Act of Treason, players take on the role of Royal Advisors tasked with ruling a Kingdom in the wake of the Kings death. Players are given a secret loyalty card, assigning them as a Traitor, Loyal, or the Heir in hiding. Loyals win by rooting out and eliminating the Traitors, or passing five Quests to safely herald in the new King. Traitors win when four Quests fail, or by finding and assassinating the Heir. Players will scheme, deceive, and persuade in order to complete their objectives.
Each round, players contribute Knowledge cards in secret towards a Quest. Knowledge that matches the colour of the Quest will increase the chance of it passing, whilst off-colour cards increases the chance of failure. Players may vie for powerful Court cards, plot assassinations, or simply pass their action while they garner information. Play continues until the Loyals win and the Heir is safe, or the Traitors win and the Kingdom is left to ruin. As the game progresses, tensions will rise. Players will resort to accusations and assassinations in a last ditch effort to save the Kingdom, or force its destruction.
Act of Treason was inspired by social deduction games like Mafia, Werewolf, and Battlestar Galactica. It takes many aspects of these games and seeks to amplify what makes them so much fun: the social interaction, suspicion and deception! In Act of Treason, the only thing that stands between you and victory is your ability to read, bluff, and persuade others.