Official Game Guide
Al-Entkhbat Game
Play it right
Ages 12+
3 to 6 players + referee
🔥 New
174 cards
Easy to learn
Explained with photos & video
Scoreboard app
Track your results accurately & privately
Browse the rules
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General Rules
What is the game?
A strategy game where candidates (the players) compete for the most votes. Each candidate collects vote cards and places them across their regions to strengthen their position in the electoral arena.
Player count
The game is designed for 3 to 6 players, plus a referee who runs the game.
The referee's role
Manages the results record (the "Register"), applies the rules and regulations, and holds the authority to impose penalties on players.
How do you win?
Collect the most votes by drawing them from the card bank and placing them on your regions, or by completing a "Deal" with other candidates.
The highest combined total at the end of the final electoral cycle wins.
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How to Play
From dealing to the end of the cycle (8 steps)
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1 Each candidate gets a number of regions based on the player count, chosen or dealt▼
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2 Shuffle the deck (70 action cards and 79 vote cards)▼
then deal 5 cards to each candidate -
3 Place the remaining cards in the "card bank" at the center of the play area▼
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4 The first candidate starts by drawing two cards from the card bank▼
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5 Play proceeds from the first candidate, with turns continuing in order to the right▼
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6 Each candidate has 3 moves per turn▼
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7 An electoral cycle ends when the card bank runs out or a Final Command is played▼
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8 The number of electoral cycles equals the number of candidates; with 5 candidates, the game consists of 5 cycles, as shown below
Regions per player
Varies with the number of candidates
Choose the number of candidates
6
regions per player
Examples of region cards
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Game Cards
174 cards across 3 categories
Action Cards
70 cardsLift Immunity×1
Secret Session×1
Burn 300 votes×1
Joker×1
No Confidence×1
Ballot Stuffing×1
Call the Ballots×1
Restraining Order×1
Session Adjourned×1
Filing Fees×1
Resignation×1
Finders Keepers×1
Tit for Tat×2
Hostile Takeover×2
Safe Seat×2
Inspection×2
Reshuffle×2
Cut the Mic×2
Immunity×2
Burn 200 votes×2
Extra Action×3
Deal's Off×3
Deal Switch×3
Jail Time×3
Burn 100 votes×3
Objection×3
Burn a Card×3
Tough Luck×6
Draw 2×7
Deal×8
Vote Cards
79 cards
Example vote card
Zero
votes
×10
20
votes
×10
40
votes
×12
60
votes
×12
80
votes
×12
120
votes
×8
180
votes
×6
250
votes
×4
300
votes
×3
500
votes
×2
25
regions
Region Cards
Chosen or dealt to players before the game begins
Ready to play?
Track scores with our scoreboard app,
the referee's official register
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Card Groups
Action cards are grouped by how they take effect
This covers what the card text alone does not. Anything not mentioned here: the card text is the rule.
General Commands
Played on your turn. They can be answered with Tough Luck, Objection or Tit for Tat, unless stated otherwise.
Jail Time
- The target loses their next turn entirely: they do not draw 2 cards or play.
- They keep the right to reply to attacks.
- They may accept a Deal offered to them.
- They may not step into someone else's Deal.
- If the card is reflected, the attacker loses the rest of their turn at once.
Deal
- Each side picks their region, and the total of the two regions is recorded at once (Article 14).
- A candidate may make more than one Deal, including with the same partner.
- The region must have at least one vote card on it, even a Zero Votes card.
- A recorded Deal is not affected by what happens after it.
Reshuffle
- The card is played first, then both sides swap all their hand cards, however many.
- It may be played as the last card in your hand.
- It may be played more than once in the same turn.
Inspection
- The card's holder sees the target's hand, alone.
- Revealing what they saw is a violation (Article 30).
Cut the Mic
- The target may not speak or make any sound for 3 of their turns.
- They play by signals, and the referee interprets their signals.
- Every breach is penalised (Article 30).
- If it is played on them a second time, the time is extended.
Hostile Takeover
- You take a whole region with everything on it until the end of the cycle (Article 16).
- A closed region cannot be taken.
Burn a Card
- The target fans out their hand face down, and the attacker draws one card without seeing it.
- It does not reach cards fixed on the table.
Burn 100 / 200 / 300
- The burn follows Article 17.
- If the card is reflected, the attacker burns the same amount from their own votes.
Lift Immunity
- Burns the target's Immunity.
- Does not lift Restraining Order.
No Confidence
- All candidates vote; the referee does not.
- The target is expelled by majority; on a tie they stay.
- The expelled candidate is out until the next cycle.
- Their region votes and hand cards burn; only their Deals remain.
- Does not work in the first or last electoral cycle.
Restraining Order
- Immunity against one candidate until the end of the cycle, recorded by the referee.
- One way: they do not attack you; you attack them and they may defend.
- Does not block a Deal between you, because a Deal is not an attack.
- Protects you from Filing Fees they play.
Filing Fees
- Each candidate hands over vote cards from their regions totalling 100 or more, as they are.
- The card's holder spreads them across their regions, and this does not count as a move.
- They do not rearrange their earlier votes.
- Anything with no place to go burns.
- Each candidate defends only themselves.
- The card's holder may reply with Tough Luck to everyone who replied to them.
- A candidate sitting out with Jail Time pays.
- Candidates who resigned, were expelled, or hold Immunity do not pay.
Reaction Commands
Played outside your turn and do not count as a move.
Deal's Off
- Played by a third candidate during the negotiation, cancelling the Deal entirely.
- The Deal card burns on its owner and counts as a move against them.
Deal Switch
- Played by a third candidate during the negotiation.
- Blocks the Deal with the candidate it was offered to, in that move only.
- The deal owner keeps their card and must offer it to another candidate in the same move.
- If no one accepts, their card burns as if it were refused.
Tough Luck
- Cancels a General Command or a Reaction aimed at you.
- Not played on Personal or Final Commands.
Objection
- It is a Tough Luck you play for another candidate, not for yourself.
- If two are played at the same moment for the same side, one counts and the other burns.
Tit for Tat
- Reflects the General Command back on the attacker.
- Whoever reflected it makes the choice, if the card gives one.
Personal Commands
Played on your turn and cannot be answered.
Immunity
- Protects its holder from all attacks for 3 full rounds.
- It drops when their turn comes back in the fourth round.
- It does not protect them if they attack.
- If they offer a Deal, it cannot be broken or switched.
- It is placed in front of them and is removed only by Lift Immunity.
- It does not lift an earlier restriction on its holder, such as Restraining Order.
Ballot Stuffing
- Fixed on a region, so its votes count double at the count and in a Deal.
- This includes votes added to it later.
- It cannot be moved to another region once fixed.
Safe Seat
- Fixed on a region, protecting it from vote burning only.
- It may be combined with Ballot Stuffing on the same region.
Secret Session
- Its holder alone sees the full results board on the referee's screen, for 60 seconds.
- They may not reveal anything they saw.
Resignation
- The votes on its holder's regions are recorded at once, and they leave the cycle.
- They cannot be targeted, and they do not draw or play.
- Their hand cards burn.
Draw 2
- Counts as a move.
- If the card bank runs out, the player finishes their turn, then the electoral cycle ends.
Extra Action
- A fourth move in the same turn.
- Playing it does not count as a move.
- Played before the 3 moves are used up.
- More than one may be played.
Finders Keepers
- Take any card from the play area into your hand.
- Counts as a move.
Final Commands
End the cycle as soon as they are played, and cannot be answered. They do not work in the first or last electoral cycle.
Call the Ballots
- Everyone's ballots are counted as they are and recorded.
Session Adjourned
- Zero is recorded for everyone.
- Recorded Deals and the results of anyone who resigned stay.
Joker
A special card that copies the effect of any other card in the game, chosen by the player when used
Joker
- Its holder announces which card it becomes, and that card's rules apply in full.
- It can be a General Command, a Reaction, a Personal or Final Command, or a vote card of no more than 500.
- It cannot become a region.
- The announcement is final.
- If taken from the play area, it goes back to being a Joker.
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Regulations
31 articles covering common cases
More are added as the game evolves
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Article 0Fair play+−
Candidates must keep good manners during play and not take the game too seriously, since its main purpose is fun and entertainment.
Game terms
- Turn: one candidate's play.
- Round: every candidate plays one turn.
- Electoral cycle: from the first player until the card bank runs out or a Final Command is played.
- Move: playing any card, placing a vote card on a region, or moving a vote card between two of your own regions.
- On the printed cards: wherever “first and last round” appears, it means the first and last electoral cycle.
Part 1: Basics of play
Article 1The referee+−
The game is run by a referee who does not play or vote, records the results in the Register app, and whose decision during play is final and not reviewed. If what is on the table differs from what is in the app, the app is the reference.
Article 2Regions+−
Each candidate has a number of regions based on the number of players (5 players = 5 regions each), received before the game starts by choice or by dealing, as the players prefer. A candidate keeps their region cards until the end of the game and starts every electoral cycle with them. Regions are playing pieces with no value of their own.
Article 3The electoral cycle+−
The game is made up of as many electoral cycles as there are candidates. A cycle starts with the first player and ends when the card bank runs out or a Final Command is played. When it ends, the referee records each candidate's total and announces it for the finished cycle only. Then everything returns to how it was: taken regions go back to their owners; all fixed cards, restrictions and running penalties drop; hand cards and play-area cards are gathered, shuffled and dealt again; and the new cycle begins.
Article 4Start of the cycle+−
Action cards and vote cards are shuffled together into one card bank, and each candidate is dealt 5 cards. The first cycle is started by a candidate chosen by agreement between the candidates; each following cycle starts with the candidate to the right of whoever started the one before. Play passes to the right.
Article 5The turn+−
A candidate starts their turn by drawing 2 cards from the card bank, then has 3 moves. They may end their turn before using all their moves; moves cannot be saved for a later turn.
Article 6Order of moves+−
Play goes in turns: no player plays during another player's turn except with a Reaction card. When an attack is announced, everything stops until the reply chain on it ends (Part 3), and the player whose turn it is does not go on to their next move before then.
Article 7Playing a card+−
A card counts as played as soon as it is put on the play area, waved, or announced aloud, and it cannot be taken back. Stating what a card is for is required only for the Joker.
Article 8Hand limit+−
A candidate holds no more than 7 cards at the end of their turn; the referee burns any extra cards at random from their hand.
Article 9The play area+−
Used cards are placed face up in the play area, and any candidate may look through them.
Article 10The wasted card+−
Any card played on something it does not affect, or at a time it may not be played, burns with no effect.
Article 11Turn length+−
A turn should ideally not exceed 60 seconds. After a warning, the referee may end the turn of anyone who stalls.
Part 2: Votes and regions
Article 12Placing votes+−
Vote cards are placed face up on the candidate's regions, up to 4 vote cards per region. A vote card does not return to the hand once placed. The Zero Votes card is a decoy with no value and may be placed on a region.
Article 13Recording and secrecy+−
The referee records each candidate's total at the end of the cycle, and records Deals as soon as they are completed. Cumulative results stay secret until the end of the game, and no candidate sees them except with a Secret Session card.
Article 14The closed region+−
When a Deal is completed, the referee records the two regions' combined total, and both regions are turned face down with their votes and stay out of play until the end of the cycle: they cannot be taken or burned, no votes can be added to them, and nothing can be fixed on them.
Article 15A candidate with no regions+−
A candidate whose regions have all been closed or taken keeps playing: they draw, play their cards and reply, but do not place votes until a region returns to them.
Article 16What is on a region goes with it+−
When a region is taken, it passes with all its votes and fixed cards to whoever took it, until the end of the cycle.
Article 17Burning votes+−
When a set amount of votes is burned, the targeted candidate chooses vote cards from one or more of their open regions adding up to at least that amount. If all their open votes come to less than the amount, they all burn. Closed regions and regions protected with Safe Seat are not included in the burn.
Article 18The winner+−
The candidate with the highest total votes across all electoral cycles wins. In a tie, the tied candidates share the place.
Part 3: The reply chain
Article 19The two sides+−
Every attack has two sides: the attacker's side and the target's side. Anyone who steps in for either one counts as on that side, however many step in.
Article 20The limit+−
Each side has one Tough Luck card and one Objection card per attack. The order does not change the result; the limit is the number of cards per side. Once the cards are used up, the side that played the last card has the final word.
Article 21Who replies to whom+−
Tough Luck is played only against something aimed at you. The target replies to the attack with Tough Luck or Tit for Tat, and the attacker replies to the target's reply with Tough Luck. Anyone else has only Objection, for either side.
Article 22Tit for Tat+−
It is played only on the original attack, it cannot be answered with Tit for Tat, and the attacker may reply to it with Tough Luck.
Article 23What cannot be answered+−
Reaction cards are not played on Personal Commands or Final Commands. A candidate holding Immunity or Restraining Order is protected from attack, but if they attack, the target may defend themselves.
Article 24Replying to a Deal+−
The candidate offered the Deal accepts or refuses without cards. If they play Deal's Off or Deal Switch themselves, their card burns with no effect and it counts as refusing the Deal. If a third candidate plays either one, it is an attack on the offer: the deal owner is the target and whoever played it is the attacker, and Articles 19 to 22 apply. The candidate offered the Deal may step in with Objection for the deal owner.
Article 25Defending is not a move+−
A candidate may reply with Reaction cards outside their turn, even while sitting out with Jail Time or silenced with Cut the Mic, and it does not count as a move against them.
Examples of the reply chain
Example 1ResultThe attack goes through
- 1
Burn 300 votesPlayer AAttacker - 2
Tough LuckPlayer BTarget - 3Tough LuckPlayer AAttacker
- 4
ObjectionPlayer CWith target - 5ObjectionPlayer DWith attacker
Result: Each side used its limit: one Tough Luck and one Objection, and the attack goes through. Had Player C stepped in before Player B replied, the result would be the same.
Example 2ResultThe attack goes through
- 1Burn 300 votesPlayer AAttacker
- 2Tough LuckPlayer BTarget
- 3ObjectionPlayer CWith attackerCancels the reply
- 4ObjectionPlayer DWith targetCancels the cancel
- 5Tough LuckPlayer AAttackerIf they hold it
Result: Objection serves either side. After that, the attacker still has one Tough Luck: if they play it, the attack goes through.
Example 3ResultThe attack goes through
- 1Burn 300 votesPlayer AAttacker
- 2Tough LuckPlayer BTarget
- 3Tough LuckPlayer AAttacker
- 4✕Tough LuckPlayer BTarget (Not allowed)A second one: not allowed
Result: One Tough Luck per side, so Player B may not play a second one. Nor may another candidate play it on their behalf; what they have is Objection.
Example 4ResultReflected onto A
- 1Burn 300 votesPlayer AAttacker
- 2
Tit for TatPlayer BTarget - 3Tough LuckPlayer AAttacker
- 4ObjectionPlayer CWith targetOr B with Tough Luck
- 5ObjectionPlayer DWith attacker
- 6Tough LuckPlayer BTargetOr another with Objection
Result: After Tit for Tat, each side still has one Tough Luck and one Objection. If all of them are played, the target's side has the final word and the attack is reflected onto Player A. The attacker may not play a second Tit for Tat.
Example 5ResultThe Deal is broken
- 1
DealPlayer ADeal ownerOffers to B - 2
Deal's OffPlayer CDeal breaker - 3Tough LuckPlayer ADeal owner
- 4Tough LuckPlayer CDeal breaker
- 5ObjectionPlayer BWith deal owner
- 6ObjectionPlayer DWith breaker
Result: Deal's Off is an attack on the offer, and the deal owner is the target. The chain is over and the Deal is broken; no one may reflect the break with Tit for Tat.
Example 6ResultOnly E is left
- 1DealPlayer ADeal ownerOffers to B
- 2
Deal SwitchPlayer CThird playerB blocked - 3DealPlayer ADeal ownerOffers to C
- 4Deal SwitchPlayer DThird playerC blocked
- 5DealPlayer ADeal ownerOffers to D
- 6Deal SwitchPlayer BThird playerD blocked
Result: The block lasts for the whole move: the deal owner does not go back, in this move, to a candidate they were blocked from dealing with. After 3 Deal Switch cards, only Player E is left: if they accept, the Deal goes through; if they refuse, the Deal card burns as a refusal. On a later move, the deal owner may offer to any player again.
Part 4: The referee and penalties
Article 26The referee's authority+−
The referee alone is empowered to apply the rules, interpret signals and settle disputes, and no candidate may interfere in that. The referee consults the candidates and usually follows the majority view, and holds a veto over penalties and the right to raise a penalty.
Article 27Unintentional mistakes+−
If someone reveals a card or makes a wrong move by accident, the mistake is corrected and play continues. If it happens again or looks deliberate, it is penalised under Article 30.
Article 28Secrecy+−
What a candidate sees with Inspection or Secret Session is for them alone, and revealing it is a violation.
Article 29Speaking while silenced+−
A candidate silenced with Cut the Mic plays by signals, and the referee interprets their signals as they understand them.
Article 30Penalties+−
For a breach of the rules, the referee deducts 100 votes in the first cycle, 200 in the second, and so on upward. The penalty rises by 100 votes with each repeat in the same cycle. After consulting the candidates, the referee may raise it according to how serious the breach is, up to expelling the offender from the cycle.
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