Game Rules

Politics in a Nutshell

Speak freely. Vote wisely. Bluff aggressively.

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Components
Win Condition
🏆 The winner is the last player to avoid rolling the black nutshell.
Set Up

Each player receives 1 Character Card with their own 4 Voting Cards.

Playing the Game

The objective is to be the first player to empty your hand while convincing everyone your cards are legal.

1
Distribute

Shuffle the Play Cards and distribute 5 to each player.

2
Roll the Event Die

During this round, players may only play cards matching the Event Die:

  • ☢️ Nuclear War → Nuclear Bomb Cards or Wealth Cards
  • 🤝 Peace Treaties → Handshake Cards or Wealth Cards
  • 📉 Economic Crisis → Scarcity Cards or Wealth Cards
3
Play Phase

Players must place 1–3 Play Cards face down, attempting to bluff their way to emptying their hand first.

4
Discussion Phase

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

  • Vote for the player they believe is lying
  • Play a blank vote to abstain
5
Vote Resolution

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

When a player receives the most votes, reveal all Play Cards they played this round and resolve the round:

  • If they were telling the truth: They choose one player 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 vote, no Play Cards are revealed - repeat from Step 4.

6
End of the Round

Once a player is required to roll the Nutshell Die, the round immediately ends:

  • If they roll a colored nutshell, they are safe and gain 1 Nutshell Card.
  • If they roll the black nutshell, they are immediately eliminated from the game.

Afterwards, a new round begins from Step 1 until only one player remains.

🌰 Each Nutshell Card permanently adds one extra Nutshell Die roll whenever that player must roll the Nutshell Die.
Character Ability

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

🐔 Mack McMarshal

At the start of a round, the player may choose to reroll the Event Die.

🥬 Kimchi Juice

After all votes are revealed, the player may choose to remove 1 Vote Card at random before vote resolution.

🍬 Macaron

At any moment, the player may choose to look at 1 random Play Card in another player's hand.

🍯 Yuri

During the Play Phase, the player may declare a lockdown for 1 turn that forces everyone to set down a maximum of 1 Play Card.

Additional Rules

I Am the Law!

Eliminated players may declare one funny rule that the remaining players must respect. If a player breaks the rule and gets called out, they must immediately roll the Nutshell Die an additional time.

Alternative Game Modes

Softshell Mode

No elimination risk when rolling. Instead, earn points:

Black Nutshell = +3 points
Colored Nutshell = +1 point

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

Eye for an Eye Mode (without Character and Vote Cards)

  1. A starting player is selected to roll the Event Die.
  2. The starting player places 1–3 Play Cards face down.
  3. On their turn, each player must either:
    • Call "Bluff!" if they believe the previous player's last set of Play Cards is a bluff, or
    • Place 1–3 Play Cards on top of the pile.
  4. As long as no bluff is called, players continue placing Play Cards until only one player still has some in hand. That player must roll the Nutshell Die.
  5. Once a Nutshell Die is rolled, begin a new round from Step 1 with a new starting player.

Calling "Bluff!"

  • If the challenged player was bluffing, they roll the Nutshell Die.
  • If the challenged player was telling the truth, the player who called the bluff rolls the Nutshell Die instead.

Trust! / No-Trust! Mode

  1. A starting player is selected to roll the Event Die.
  2. The starting player places 1–3 Play Cards face down.
  3. All other players simultaneously choose either:
    • Trust (Blank Card): They believe the played cards are legal.
    • No-Trust (Vote Card): They believe the player is bluffing.
  4. Reveal all Vote Cards simultaneously. Play Cards are only revealed if No-Trust receives more votes than Trust - otherwise they remain face down.
    • If the player was telling the truth: They choose one player who voted No-Trust. That player must roll the Nutshell Die.
    • If the player was bluffing: They must roll the Nutshell Die.
  5. The next player takes their turn. Repeat Steps 2–4 until only one player still has Play Cards in hand.
  6. Once a Nutshell Die is rolled, begin a new round from Step 1 with a new starting player.
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 Die at the same time.

Can I take back my voting card?

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