Game Rules

Politics in a Nutshell

Speak freely. Vote wisely. Bluff aggressively.

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Box Contents
Victory Condition
🏆 The winner is the last player who has not rolled the black nutshell.
Setup

Every player receives:

Please refer to the Character Ability section after reading the Round Explanation.

Round Explanation

The objective of each round is not to be the last player to empty their hand. Actions occur in this order:

1
Distribute

Shuffle the Play cards deck and distribute 5 cards to each player.

If there are fewer than 4 players, remove the remaining cards from this round.

2
Roll the Event Die

Any player can roll the die.

3
Determine the Event

Only cards matching the event may be played. Wealth cards work during any event.

  • ☢️ Nuclear War Nuclear Bomb Cards
  • 🤝 Peace Treaties Handshake Cards
  • 📉 Economical Crisis Scarcity Cards
4
Play Cards

Players place between 1 and 3 cards face down and claim to have played the correct cards - regardless of what they actually played. Bluffing is important.

5
Discussion Phase

Players discuss who they believe is lying. When the discussion ends, each player places one voting card face down. They may either:

  • Vote for the player they believe is lying
  • Play the blank card to abstain
6
Reveal & Resolve

Blank cards are not counted in vote resolution. All voting cards are revealed simultaneously.

When a player receives the most votes, reveal their Play Cards and resolve the round:

  • If they were telling the truth: They choose among the players who voted against them. That chosen player must roll the Nutshell Die.
  • If they were lying: They must roll the Nutshell Die.

If there is a tie or every player plays a blank card, no one reveals - repeat from step 4.

7
End of Round

The round immediately ends when a player rolls the Nutshell dice. If they get the normal brown nutshell, they are safe. If they get the black nutshell, they are eliminated from the game.

Afterwards, a new round begins - repeat from step 1 until only one player remains.

Character Ability

Each character has a special ability that they may use only once per game. Once used, flip the card to its black & white side to indicate it has been spent.

🐔 Mack McMarshal

After the Event Dice is rolled, you may reroll it once and use the new result.

🥬 Kimchi Juice

After all votes are revealed, remove 1 Vote Card at random from the table before resolving the vote.

🍯 Yuri

At the start of the Play Phase, declare a lockdown. During this Play Phase, all players may play a maximum of 1 Play Card.

🍬 Pierre Pétrole

Look at 1 random Play Card in another player's hand.

Optional Rules & Modes

1. I Am the Law!

Eliminated players may declare one funny rule for the remaining players (one rule each, or one for all).

  • Everyone must stay silent
  • Players must use accents
  • Players must perform a specific hand gesture while talking

If a player breaks the rule and gets called out, they must roll an extra Nutshell Die.

2. Softshell Mode (+20–30 min)

No elimination risk when rolling. Instead, earn points:

Black Nutshell = +3 pts
Normal Nutshell = +1 pt

Game ends when a player reaches 6 points. The player with the fewest points wins.

3. Eye for an Eye Mode

More details coming soon.

FAQ

What happens if several players empty their hand at the same time?

If 2 or more players are the last to empty their hand simultaneously, and after a tie during the voting phase, these players roll the Nutshell dice at the same time.

Can I take back my voting card?

No. Once a voting card is placed, it cannot be taken back.