How to Play Royal Whispers: Full Guide | Playgridia
Royal Whispers is a court-intrigue game where you hold just one card and try to work out what everyone else is holding. It is short, sly, and takes two minutes to learn. 2-4 players against bots or friends, free in your browser, no download — exactly what people looking for a free online Love Letter alternative are after.
How a round works
At the start of every round, each courtier is dealt one secret figure. On your turn you draw a second figure and play one of the two, resolving its scheme. So there is exactly one decision per turn — but it settles two things at once: which effect you use, and which figure you are left holding.
A round ends in one of two ways:
- You are the last one standing — everyone else is out, the round is yours.
- The deck runs dry — whoever holds the highest-value figure at that moment takes the round.
The winner of a round earns one Favor (the monarch's token of affection) and leads the next round.
Winning the match: the Favor target
To win the match you need a set number of Favors. In the classic deck at full pace the target depends on the player count: 2 players → 7, 3 → 5, 4 → 4. Choosing the Quick pace in the room lowers it.
This also answers the thing new players fear most: being knocked out costs you the round, never the match. The next round starts fresh with a new deal.
The classic court (16 figures)
The default mode is the Classic Court, 16 cards. The higher the value the stronger the card — but the weaker its effect. The top cards barely do anything; they are simply precious:
- 1 · Spy (×5) — name a figure other than the Spy; a rival holding it is out.
- 2 · Informant (×2) — privately view a rival's figure.
- 3 · Duelist (×2) — secretly compare hands; the lower figure is out.
- 4 · Sentinel (×2) — you cannot be targeted until your next turn.
- 5 · Inquisitor (×2) — a chosen player (you included) discards and draws anew. If they discard the Queen, they are out.
- 6 · Chancellor — trade hands with a rival; both sides learn what they handed over.
- 7 · Duchess — no effect, but you must play her when she is held alongside the Chancellor or the Inquisitor.
- 8 · Queen — no effect, but discarding her (by any means) knocks you out of the round.
Four rules that surprise everyone once
- An accusation names a figure, not a number. When you accuse with the Spy you pick a figure name — because in some modes two different figures share a value. That is why we never say "play the 5", we say "play the Inquisitor".
- A figure's value depends on the mode. The Chancellor is 6 in Classic and 7 in the Grand Court. Don't memorise it — the table shows you the live values.
- Information you gained persists. If you saw a figure with the Informant or the Duelist, your knowledge is not wiped when that player draws; it only expires when the figure actually leaves their hand (played, redrawn or eliminated).
- Two-player rounds have face-up cards. After the face-down burn, a few figures are revealed face up as deduction fuel everyone can use.
A player protected by the Sentinel also cannot be targeted; if too few legal targets remain, a targeting figure is played with no effect.
The four courts
The room's mode option changes the deck completely: Classic Court (16, default) · Grand Court (21 — adds the Shadow and the Steward, pushing the top rungs up one) · Masquerade (22 — every variant figure at once, two on almost every rung) · Blitz (12 — no Duchess, Queen at 7, short clock: a 2-3 minute match). Average match length follows: Classic ~10 rounds, Grand ~7, Masquerade ~6, Blitz ~3.
What the table tells you
Nothing needs memorising, because the screen states each step: a coach line at the top, a step rail above your hand (Figure → Target → Name → Play), and a plain-language preview of exactly what your play does — including which figure you will be left holding. Legal targets glow and illegal ones say why; the accusation grid shows how many copies of each figure are still unseen; and a whisper feed narrates every play as a sentence.
Next: the tactics that win rounds and the complete guide to all 19 figures. Or just play Royal Whispers free.
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