Game Setup

The Prince’s Gambit requires six to eight

players. These players will belong to one of two
sects: the Camarilla, which styles itself as the
aristocracy of the night, or the Sabbat, a death
cult steeped in fire and blood.
I. Loyalty Cards
As indicated below, add a number of Camarilla
and Sabbat Loyalty cards and shuffle them.

Number
of Camarilla Sabbat Camarilla
Players Loyalties Loyalties Praxis
6 4 2 10
7 4 3 8
8 5 3 10

Deal Loyalty cards, one per player, from the

shuffled deck.
A player may claim and talk about her sect all
she likes, but players may not show each other their
Loyalty cards to prove their sect allegiance until
the game is over.
Next, all players close their eyes and one player
counts to three. On the three-count, only the
Sabbat players open their eyes and confirm each
other’s identities. Thereafter, count to three
again, after which all players open their eyes at
once, so the Camarilla players do not know each
other’s true Loyalty.
II. Clan Cards
Deal Clan cards, one per player, from a shuffled
deck of all fourteen Clan cards. Players place their
Clan cards face-up in front of them.
Set aside the remaining Clan cards; they won’t
be used.
III. Traits
Shuffle the Trait cards into three stacks by
type, and set these draw piles face-down on top
of the appropriate Trait type card. For example,
Physical cards are shuffled and placed face-down
on the card designating the Physical draw pile.

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 Each player chooses four Trait cards, one of IV. Prestige
each type (Physical, Mental, Social), plus one of
Give every player three Prestige counters
the player’s choice.
(or you can use pennies, glass beads, or any other
Keep the Trait draw piles conveniently convenient token).
available to all players. Trait cards have values
of 2, 3, or 5. V. Initial Intrigues
A player may not show her hand of Trait cards Shuffle the Intrigue cards and place three, face-
to another player to prove their types or values. up, in the center of the table, visible to all players.
She can claim and talk about the values of her Trait VI. Prince’s Favor and Seats
cards all she likes, however, whether or not those
claims are true. When discussing Trait values in Determine randomly which player will begin
this way, players may not claim specific numbers, the game with the Prince’s Favor card. This
but may use descriptive phrases such as “I will be player is “Seat one” for the purposes of awarding
minimally able to contribute this time” or “I’m Prestige (see below) and other players increase
very well suited to helping this Intrigue.” the Seat numbers counter-clockwise. Give each
player their corresponding Seat card, which
A player’s maximum hand size is four Trait should remain visible to all players.
cards, unless otherwise stipulated. Players may
not trade or gift Trait cards among each other.

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Turn Sequence B. Reveal
The player with the Prince’s Favor shuffles
I. Choosing Intrigues the cards collected from the players and reveals
The player with the Prince’s Favor selects an them. Trait cards of the same Trait type as the
Intrigue and chooses an appropriate number of Intrigue contribute their value to the Difficulty
players to conduct it. The number of players who total required to succeed at the Intrigue. Trait
must be assigned to an Intrigue is indicated on cards of other Trait types subtract their value from
each card. The player need not include herself the Difficulty total required to succeed at the
among the Intrigue participants. Intrigue.
The Difficulty of each Intrigue is also If the sum of the Trait equals or exceeds the
indicated on the card. Intrigues have Difficulties Difficulty for the Intrigue, it succeeds and the
of 5, 8, or 13. Camarilla gains the number of Praxis points
listed on the Intrigue.
If the sum of the Trait is less than the
Repel the Crusade Difficulty for the Intrigue, it fails and the
Sabbat takes the Intrigue.
Ex.: Resolving an Intrigue, Player Two reveals
Trait cards totaling 9 Physical and 3 Mental.
The Difficulty of the Intrigue is Physical 5. Nine
Physical minus the 3 Mental equals 6 Physical,
so the Intrigue is successful, and scored for the
Camarilla. But now the players know there’s
probably Sabbat member among these particular
Intrigue participants….
Resolved I ntrigues are moved to the
PHYSICAL 13 appropriate scoring area for the sect that claimed
3 4 them (see below).
Praxis Players
Discard the Trait cards used for this Intrigue
Smash those shovelheads back
into their mass graves before face-up below their appropriate draw piles. If a
they know what hit them. Trait draw pile runs out of cards, simply shuffle
the discarded Trait cards of that type and create
a new draw pile.
II. Resolving Intrigues C. Prestige Award
A. Collect After the Intrigue is resolved, each player
The players named to participate in the (not just the players conducting the Intrigue)
Intrigue submit a number of Trait cards face simultaneously chooses another player, indicating
down to the player with the Prince’s Favor. that player’s Seat number by a show of fingers.
The player with the Prince’s Favor dictates Table talk is permitted — indeed, encouraged! —
the order in which participating players submit before the simultaneous reveal of who’s granting
their face-down cards. Each player participating Prestige to whom. Players don’t have to honor
in the Intrigue may submit none, any, or all of any promises they make, but they do have to reveal
his Trait cards. their recipient at the same time all other players do.
Players not participating in the Intrigue turn Once all players have simultaneously indicated
in no cards. another player, each player receives one Prestige

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 for every other player who has shown their Seat
number. This Prestige award is taken from the
pool of available Prestige tokens, not the Prestige
of the player who indicated her.
Ex.: After an Intrigue, Player Two and Player
Three indicate Player Five with a show of fingers.
Player Five receives two Prestige from the pool.
A player may not choose himself for this reward.
He must choose one of the other players.
D. Upkeep
Take another Intrigue from the shuffled
deck of Intrigue cards and place it in the center
with the others. There should always be three
Intrigues from which to select when a new
turn begins.
Pass the Prince’s Favor to the player with
the most Prestige. (This may be the player who
already has it.) In case of a tie, pass the Prince’s
Favor to the player with the most Prestige closest
to the previous Prince’s Favor holder’s left.
E. Replenish Traits
All players (not just those who participated in
the Intrigue) may redraw a single Trait card, of
the type of their choice. Players who are already at
their maximum hand size of four may not draw an
additional Trait card, however.
III. Scoring Intrigues
and Victory
Each Intrigue has a Praxis point value.
The Camarilla gains the Praxis value for each
Intrigue that is successfully resolved. The Sabbat
doesn’t care about Praxis value; it merely wants
Intrigues to fail.
If the Camarilla gains the total Praxis value as
determined by the number of players (see above),
the Camarilla has consolidated its influence over the
city and is declared the winner. If the Sabbat claims
three Intrigues, regardless of their Praxis value, it
has destabilized the domain, sent the Prince into exile,
and is declared the winner. The game ends when one
sect or the other has achieved its victory condition.
Once the game has ended, players may reveal
their Loyalty cards.

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Usurping the repeatedly, or in one sum, at their discretion,
but only during an attempt to usurp.
Prince’s Favor Once players choose not to increase the bid, the
After an Intrigue is resolved, and once the Prince’s player who has bid the most receives the Prince’s
Favor has passed to the player with the most Prestige, Favor and may then select, choose participants
a player may attempt to steal the Prince’s Favor for for, and resolve the next Intrigue.
herself. The player initiates this by bidding one or
Once a challenge for the Prince’s Favor has
more Prestige.
been resolved, all Prestige bids are collected and
Any other players may respond and attempt to returned to the Prestige pool, regardless of whether
seize the favor for themselves by bidding at least one the players who bid actually won the Prince’s
more Prestige than the previous player — including Favor.
the player who already has the Prince’s Favor.
Usurping the Prince’s Favor may happen
Bids happen one at a time, to the left of the player
only once before another Intrigue is chosen and
who currently possesses the Prince’s Favor; two
resolved. That is, players may not wait for one
players cannot bid the same amount and both be
player to bid one Prestige to take the Prince’s
in contention to usurp.
Favor, and then usurp the Prince’s Favor again
While someone is attempting to usurp the for one Prestige before that player chooses and
Prince’s Favor, players may gift their own resolves the next Intrigue.
Prestige to other players, in order to aid
The Prince’s Favor may not be usurped in
another’s influence. This gift occurs immediately,
the first turn of play (before any Intrigues are
and is added to the usurping player’s Prestige
chosen and resolved).
bid. Players may gift Prestige in this manner

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Clan Disciplines Follower of Set player chooses another player.
The chosen player must participate in the next
Each player represents a unique Clan, as Intrigue. This costs 2 Prestige to invoke.
distinguished by the card that begins play face-up
in front of her. Each Clan has its own Discipline, Clan Gangrel’s Discipline is Protean: The
which the player may invoke once per game. To Gangrel player chooses another player, and
do this, the player must pay the Prestige cost that player may not participate in the next
of invoking the Discipline, in circumstances Intrigue. The Gangrel player may choose to
specified on the Clan card. use the Protean Discipline on a player who
has been named to an Intrigue before that
After using a Clan Discipline, the player turns the Intrigue is resolved, in which case the player
Clan card upside-down (not face-down) to show that with the Prince’s Favor must name another
it is exhausted, and may not be used again in play. player to replace her on the Intrigue. This
Clan Assamite’s Discipline is Quietus: The costs 2 Prestige to invoke.
Assamite player chooses two other players. Each Clan Malkavian’s Discipline is Dementation:
target player returns 1 Prestige to the pool. This After an Intrigue is chosen but before players
costs 1 Prestige to invoke. contribute any Trait cards, the Malkavian
Clan Brujah’s Discipline is Celerity: The player may player may increase or decrease that Intrigue’s
draw two additional Trait cards when it is invoked. Difficulty by 3. This costs 1 Prestige to invoke.
The player keeps these Trait cards until they are Clan Giovanni’s Discipline is Necromancy: After
used in an Intrigue. So long as the player has four an Intrigue is resolved, the Giovanni player can
or more Trait cards, she may not replenish Traits take one Trait card used in resolving the Intrigue
after an Intrigue. This costs 1 Prestige to invoke. and add it to her hand. This is after the Traits
Clan Follower of Set’s Discipline is Serpentis: are revealed, but before they are discarded. This
Before players are chosen for an Intrigue, the costs 1 Prestige to invoke.
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 Clan Lasombra’s Discipline is Obtenebration: Clan Tremere’s Discipline is Thaumaturgy: The
Before bidding for the Prince’s Favor begins, the Tremere player chooses any other player, who
Lasombra player chooses one player. The chosen then refreshes her exhausted Clan Discipline.
player cannot bid Prestige to usurp or retain the This costs 2 Prestige to invoke.
Prince’s Favor this turn. If the target player has Clan Tzimisce’s Discipline is Vicissitude: Before
already bid Prestige, it is returned to her. This the Traits are revealed to resolve an Intrigue,
costs 2 Prestige to invoke. the Tzimisce player can shuffle and look at all
Clan Nosferatu’s Discipline is Obfuscate: After the Traits for that Intrigue. If she so desires, the
an Intrigue is resolved but before a new one is Tzimisce player can then switch one Trait used
put in play, the Nosferatu player looks at the next in resolving the Intrigue for one in her hand.
two Intrigues without showing them to the other This costs 2 Prestige to invoke.
players and chooses which one to put in play. The Clan Ventrue’s Discipline is Dominate: The
discarded Intrigue is placed at the bottom of the Ventrue player may reclaim his Prestige bid
Intrigue deck. This costs 1 Prestige to invoke. after attempting to usurp or retain the Prince’s
Clan Ravnos’ Discipline is Chimerstry: Before Favor. The Ventrue player reclaims only his own
an Intrigue is chosen, the Ravnos player chooses Prestige, not any Prestige gifted by other players
two players and takes one Trait card at random (keep these distinct during the bid), which return
from each player’s hand. The Ravnos player adds to the pool as normal. This costs 3 Prestige to
those Traits to her own hand, and returns one invoke, and cannot be paid from Prestige that
Trait to each player. The Traits returned need would be reclaimed.
not be the Trait the Ravnos player originally The Caitiff are not a true Clan, but have
acquired. This costs 1 Prestige to invoke. the Discipline of Mysterious Lineage: A Caitiff
Clan Toreador’s Discipline is Presence: The player may use any of the Disciplines that any
Toreador player collects at total of 7 Prestige from Clan at the table possesses, whether or not that
any combination of players and redistributes it as Clan Discipline has been exhausted. Invoking
she sees fit among players other than herself. If the Mysterious Lineage costs +1 Prestige as the
chosen players don’t have 7 Prestige among them, Discipline being invoked. For example, if a Caitiff
the Toreador player simply takes what Prestige is player chose to invoke the Gangrel’s Protean
available among them. This Advantage cannot be Discipline, she would pay 3 Prestige.
invoked during an attempt to usurp the Prince’s
Favor, but can be used before such an attempt.
This costs 3 Prestige to invoke.