# Complete rules

## 1. Objective and players

Royals & Rogues is for two to four players, ages 13 and up, and normally takes 20–45 minutes. Win all coins on the table.

## 2. Poker foundation

Use ordinary No-Limit Texas Hold'em hand rankings and betting logic except where a Royals & Rogues component explicitly changes them. The game uses antes instead of small and big blinds, gives each player three hole cards, and permits Powers at defined timing windows.

## 3. Game material

- One 52-card poker deck plus one active Joker
- Individual Power Decks
- Items that may enter the poker deck
- Persistent Tokens
- Heating Up and Tilted status markers
- Coins, dealer marker, references, and table markers

## 4. Setup

1. Shuffle one Joker into the 52-card poker deck; set the other Joker variants aside.
2. Set aside Items, Tokens, status material, references, and table markers.
3. Give each player 100 coins.
4. Determine the dealer by drawing for high card.
5. Choose Class clockwise from the dealer. Choose Court in reverse order, so the last player to choose Class chooses Court first.
6. Build and shuffle each Power Deck.
7. Place the Power Deck on the player's right, its ordinary discard beside it, and a separate One Shot discard on the player's left.

## 5. Power Cards

Powers are separate from poker cards. A player's Power hand is hidden. The original rulebook limits the Power hand to five after Setup.

### Setup

Play after hole cards are dealt and before betting begins. Place the Power face down, then reveal and resolve Setup Powers clockwise from the dealer.

### Round

Play on your turn during a betting round, before you check, bet, or fold. You may chain compatible Round Powers before taking the poker action.

### Showdown

Play after the last betting round but before hole cards are revealed. Eligible players place Showdown Powers face down, then resolve them in betting order.

### Counter

Play when the printed trigger occurs, including outside your turn. If several responses form a chain, resolve the newest response first.

## 6. Abilities and defined terms

- **Draw** — take the stated number of cards from the Power Deck.
- **Fire** — playable while Heating Up unless another effect says otherwise.
- **Flex** — may be played while Tilted.
- **Hot Streak** — an enhanced effect available while Heating Up.
- **Mulligan** — replace the indicated card with the next card from the appropriate deck.
- **One Shot** — after resolving, place the Power in the separate One Shot discard.
- **Peek** — privately look at the indicated hidden card.
- **Recover** — remove or mitigate Tilted as stated.
- **Replay** — play the Power again from the ordinary discard, then move it to the One Shot discard.
- **Rummage** — use the Item-linked discard or retrieval action printed on the card.
- **Table Talk** — the later changelog permits these Powers after folding; this is recorded as a revision to reconcile.
- **Token** — a persistent effect that remains in play until a rule removes it.

## 7. Items and Tokens

Items enter the poker deck through Power effects. Play or discard an Item as directed, then place it in the muck instead of an ordinary Power discard. If an Item appears as a board card, remove it and replace it with the next poker card.

Tokens are persistent effects. They remain with their owner across hands and respond automatically to the events specified on them. The exact Inside Connections effect is disputed between the legacy face, the historical specification, and the later changelog; see the conflict report.

## 8. Status conditions

### Heating Up

Heating Up unlocks Fire Powers. The original rulebook usually grants it after winning two hands in a row and removes it after a loss. Specific Powers may alter that state.

### Tilted

While Tilted, a player may use only Tilted Powers and Powers with Flex. Winning a hand normally removes Tilted; specific Powers may also alter it.

## 9. A hand from start to finish

1. Draw one Power; draw three on the first hand.
2. Deal three hole cards to each player.
3. Resolve Setup Powers and discard down to five Powers.
4. Conduct the poker betting rounds with Round and Counter opportunities.
5. Resolve Showdown Powers.
6. Reveal hands, award the pot, and update persistent state.

## 10. Match structure

The original recommended structure is No-Limit with ten-minute levels and antes of 1, 3, 5, and 10. If players remain after the last level, play four hands at a 25 ante; the largest stack wins.

## 11. Editorial status

This document reconstructs the official rulebook in accessible text. It does not conceal later conflicts. The attached original PDF remains the visual evidence, and every source-derived card transcription carries its review state in the catalog.