 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2020) |
| Court the Royal Princess of Tempest | |
|---|---|
 Original box cover | |
| Designers | Seiji Kanai |
| Publishers |
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| Players |
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| Playing time | 20 minutes |
Love Letter is a card game introduced in May 2012 and designed by Seiji Kanai. [1] Its first English-language edition was produced in the United States by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) until 2018, when Love Letter was acquired by Z-Man Games (a subsidiary of Asmodee). [2]
Each player aims to deliver a love letter to the Princess with the assistance of relatives and acquaintances.
Below is the list of cards in the original edition of the game: [3] [4]
| Card | Strength | Count | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | 1 | 5 | Player may choose another player and name a card other than the Guard. If the chosen player's hand contains the same card as named, that player is eliminated from the round. |
| Priest | 2 | 2 | Player may privately see another player's hand. |
| Baron | 3 | 2 | Player may choose another player and privately compare hands. The player with the lower-value card is eliminated from the round. |
| Handmaid | 4 | 2 | Player cannot be affected by any other player's cards until their next turn. |
| Prince | 5 | 2 | Player may choose any player (including themselves) to discard their hand and draw a new one. |
| King | 6 | 1 | Player may trade hands with another player. |
| Countess | 7 | 1 | Does nothing when played, but if the player has this card and either the King or the Prince in their hand, this card must be played immediately. |
| Princess | 8 | 1 | If the player plays or discards this card for any reason, they are eliminated from the round. |
A second edition of Love Letter was released in 2019 with new artwork and the addition of five cards to support play by 2–6 players. This edition carries over all the cards from the original version, but changes the strength values of the King, the Countess and the Princess to 7, 8 and 9 respectively. The five cards added in this edition include one additional Guard card and the following new cards: [4]
| Card | Strength | Count | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy | 0 | 2 | Does nothing when played, but if the player is the only one still in play who played or discarded this card by the end of the round, they gain an additional favor token. |
| Chancellor | 6 | 2 | Player may draw two cards from the deck, then choose one of the three cards in their hand to keep, and place the other two at the bottom of the deck in any order. |
This edition can also be played in accordance with the original version by removing the five additional cards, though this only supports 2–4 players.
Love Letter has received the following awards: [5]
In addition to foreign language editions, many are themed:
| Name | Date | Publisher | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Letter | 2012 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | The original edition of the game. |
| Love Letter | 2012 | AEG | English | The first English-language edition of the game. |
| Love Letter: Legend of the Five Rings Edition | 2014 | AEG | English | Themed, new art, identical rules to the original game. |
| Love Letter: Wedding Edition | 2014 | AEG | English | Wedding-themed version of the game with corresponding art. Made specifically for wedding receptions and can only be ordered directly from the publisher. |
| Big Love Letter | 2014 | Pegasus Spiele | German | "Postcard expansion" explaining how to use 2 sets of the base game to play with up to 8 players. |
| Munchkin Loot Letter [7] | 2014 | AEG | English | Themed, identical rules to the original game. Includes one new card for Munchkin itself. |
| Letters to Santa | 2014 | AEG | English | Christmas-themed edition, featuring characters such as Santa Claus, snowmen, and reindeer. |
| Love Letter: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies [7] | 2015 | AEG | English | Themed, 17-card tie-in for the 2014 film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Two notable changes from the original game include the addition of "The One Ring" card and a 'Baron' card with different effects. |
| Love Letter: Batman [7] | 2015 | AEG | English | Batman-themed version with a single new rule. |
| Land of the Lustrous Card Game: "Love Letter" [8] | 2015 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | Themed with some rules changes and new cards, included with the special edition release of volume 4 of the manga. |
| Adventure Time: Love Letter [9] | 2015 | AEG | English | Themed with two new rules. |
| Star Wars: Secret Invasion (Russian : Звёздные войны: Тайное вторжение) [7] | 2015 | Hobby World | Russian | Themed, with 17 cards. |
| Love Letter Premium [10] | 2016 | AEG | English | An enhanced edition for up to 8 players with an additional set of cards. |
| Archer: Once You Go Blackmail... [7] | 2016 | AEG | English | Themed TV tie-in. |
| Harap Alb Continues: A Love Letter Game (Romanian : Harap Alb Continuă...: un joc Love Letter) [11] | 2016 | cutia.ro | Romanian | Themed, based on the character of Harap Alb. |
| Osomatsu-san Love Letter Board Game [12] | 2016 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed Mr. Osomatsu edition. Has a few notable rules modifications. |
| Love Letter: Erweiterung | 2017 | Pegasus Spiele | German | Expansion that adds 10 new characters. |
| Lovecraft Letter [13] | 2017 | AEG Z-Man Games | English | Themed, based on Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Introduces new alternative set of cards based on "insanity" powers. Re-released by Z-Man Games in 2021 with no significant changes. |
| Love Letter from Yozakura [14] | 2018 | Kanai Factory | Japanese | Themed, included with the limited edition release of volume 22 of the manga. |
| Pummeleinhorn: The Super Cookie (German : Pummeleinhorn: Der Superkeks) | 2018 | Pegasus Spiele | German | Themed, based on Pummeleinhorn (Chubby Unicorn). |
| Chief Arino's Love Letter [15] | 2019 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, based on GameCenter CX , featuring Shinya Arino from Japanese comic duo Yoiko. |
| Love Letter Second Edition | 2019 | Z-Man Games | English | Updated art and five additional cards to support up to 6 players. |
| Witch Hat: Magic Test [16] | 2019 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, included with the special edition release of volume 5 of the manga. |
| Love Letter: Sender | 2020 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed, free print-and-play online dating April Fools' Day edition for April Fools' Day. |
| Touhou Bomb Letter: Delivery Barrage! [17] | 2020 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed, adds 3 new types of cards. |
| Danganronpa: Despair Love Letter | 2020 | Arclight | Japanese | Themed Danganronpa tie-in, with new rules based on "Hope" and "Despair". |
| Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game | 2020 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed Marvel Universe tie-in, with team-based gameplay rules pitting one player against the rest. |
| Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After | 2021 | Renegade Game Studios | English | Themed, based on the novel series by Kay O'Neill, with a single new rule revolving around the 'Chancellor' card. |
| Star Wars: Jabba's Palace – A Love Letter Game | 2022 | Z-Man Games | English | Themed, with new rules based on the opposing factions. |
| Love Letter 2nd Edition | 2022 | Arclight | Japanese | Second Japanese-language edition of the game. |
| Love Letter: 10th Anniversary Edition | 2022 | Arclight | Japanese | Limited edition of the game. |
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