Overview

Coyote is a bluffing game where everyone has to lie because nobody knows the truth. Each player holds a card they cannot see (it faces outward), but can see all other players’ cards. Players bid on the total value of all cards in play, and the round ends when someone challenges a bid. Lose all your Peek cards and you are eliminated. Last player standing wins.

Components

• 15 Number cards: -10, -5, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20
• 2 Special cards: ? and Max 0
• 18 Peek cards (with open eye / closed eye sides)
• 1 Coyote card (for Trickster Variant only)
• 6 card stands

Setup

1. Shuffle all 17 Playing cards and place them face-down as a deck in the center.
2. Each player takes a card stand and places it in front of them.
3. Each player takes 3 Peek cards and places them with 2 open eyes and 1 closed eye face-up in front of them. Return remaining Peek cards to the box.

Turn Structure

The game is played over multiple rounds:

Start of Each Round

1. Each player draws 1 Playing card from the deck without looking at it.
2. Place the card in your card stand facing outward (only other players can see it).
3. Place 1 additional Playing card face-down in the center of the table (unknown to all).
4. The start player (youngest in round 1, or the loser of the previous round) makes the first bid.

During a Round

On your turn, you must either:

• Raise the Bid: Declare any number higher than the previous bid.
• Challenge the Bid: If you think the total value of all cards is less than the previous bid.

Play proceeds clockwise until someone challenges.

Actions

Raise the Bid:

• Announce any number higher than the previous player’s bid. The number should be your estimate of the total value of all cards (yours, opponents’, and the hidden center card), though bluffing is encouraged.

Challenge the Bid:

• Say “Coyote!” to challenge the previous bid.
• Reveal all cards (including the center card).
• Calculate the total value:
  • If total < previous bid: the challenger wins, the previous bidder loses.
  • If total >= previous bid: the challenger loses, the previous bidder wins.
• The winner flips 1 closed-eye Peek card to the open-eye side (if available).
• The loser discards 1 Peek card permanently.

Peeking:

• At the beginning of your turn (before bidding), if you have at least 1 open-eye Peek card, you may flip it to the closed-eye side to secretly look at the face-down center card.
• After peeking, you must raise the bid (cannot challenge immediately after peeking).
• The start player may NOT peek on their first turn of a round.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• When you lose all your Peek cards, you are eliminated.
• The last player remaining wins the game.
• After each round, shuffle all Playing cards to form a new deck. The loser starts the next round.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Special Cards: | Card | Effect | |——|——–| | ? | When resolving a challenge, replace this card with the top card from the deck; add that card’s value instead | | Max 0 | Changes the value of the highest-valued Number card in play to 0 |

• If both Special cards are in play, first resolve the ? card, then apply Max 0.

Trickster Variant:

1. Start with 1 open eye and 2 closed eyes on Peek cards.
2. Before resolving a challenge, all players (except the challenger and previous bidder) simultaneously point at who they think will win. Correct guess: flip 1 closed eye to open. Wrong guess: flip 1 open eye to closed.
3. The loser receives the Coyote card. At the start of their turn (not the first turn), they may draw the top card from the deck, look at it secretly, and place it face-down next to the existing center card. They must then raise the bid. Other players cannot peek at this new card. The new card counts toward the total.

Player Reference

Item	Detail
Starting Peek cards	3 (2 open, 1 closed)
Cards per round	1 per player + 1 hidden center card
Elimination	Lose all Peek cards = out
Number card range	-10 to 20
Special cards	? (random replacement), Max 0 (highest becomes 0)