Overview

Oriflamme is a card game of conspiracy and cunning set in medieval France. The king has died without descendants, and influential families compete for power. Players place cards face down into a shared Influence Queue, then decide when to reveal them to trigger abilities and earn Influence Points. After 6 rounds, the player with the most Influence Points wins. Designed by Adrien and Axel Hesling.

Components

• 50 Influence cards (10 cards in each of 5 colors/families)
• 70 Influence Point tokens (values of 1 and 5)
• 1 First Player tile
• 1 Resolution Direction tile

Each family of 10 cards contains the same 10 character types.

Setup

1. Each player takes a complete family of 10 cards (same color).
2. Shuffle your 10 cards, then remove 3 random cards face down without looking. Set them aside.
3. Keep the remaining 7 cards as your hand (hidden from other players).
4. Each player takes 1 Influence Point from the supply, placed in front of them.
5. Pile remaining Influence Points in the center as the supply.
6. The oldest player takes the First Player tile.
7. The First Player places the Resolution Direction tile in the center. This sets the resolution direction for the entire game.

Turn Structure

The game plays over 6 rounds. Each round has 2 phases:

Phase 1: Placement Phase

1. The First Player secretly chooses a card from their hand and places it face down in the center of the table.
2. The next player (clockwise) places a card to the left or right of the existing cards, forming the Influence Queue.
3. Each subsequent player places their card at either end of the Queue (never between cards).
4. Phase ends when all players have placed exactly 1 card.

Phase 2: Resolution Phase

Starting from the first card in the Queue (per the Resolution Direction), each card is resolved in order:

• If the owner chooses NOT to reveal it: The card stays face down. Place 1 Influence Point from the supply on top of it.
• If the owner reveals it: The owner gains all Influence Points that were placed on the card (exceptions: Conspiracy earns double; Ambush discards all points on it). Then apply the card’s ability.

After all cards are resolved, pass the First Player tile to the left. Cards remain in the Queue for the next round (unless eliminated or discarded).

Actions

Card Abilities (10 types)

Card	Ability
Soldier	Eliminate an adjacent card. Must eliminate even if it is your own. Gain 1 IP for eliminating.
Archer	Eliminate the first or last card in the Queue. Gain 1 IP for eliminating.
Assassination	Eliminate any card in the Queue (anywhere). Then discard Assassination. Gain 1 IP.
Royal Decree	Move any card to any position in the Queue. Then discard Royal Decree.
Spy	Steal 1 IP from a player who has a card adjacent to your Spy (from their personal supply, not from the card).
Lord	Gain 1 IP, plus 1 IP per adjacent card belonging to your family (revealed or covered).
Heir	Gain 2 IP – but only if no other revealed/uncovered Heir exists in the Queue.
Shapeshifter	Copy the ability of an adjacent revealed, uncovered card. Retains the name “Shapeshifter.”
Conspiracy	When revealed, gain double the Influence Points accumulated on it. Then discard.
Ambush	If revealed by an opponent’s card targeting it: discard the attacker and gain 4 IP. If you reveal it yourself: gain 1 IP. Discard Ambush either way. All IP on Ambush are always discarded.

Stacking Cards (from Round 2 onward)

• You may place a new card on top of one of your own cards already in the Queue.
• The covered card is inactive: it cannot be revealed, accumulate points, apply abilities, or be targeted.
• When the covering card is eliminated or discarded, the card beneath becomes active again.
• No limit to stack size.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• After 6 rounds, each player will have 1 unplayed card remaining.
• The player with the most Influence Points wins.
• Influence Points on cards still in the Queue at game end do not count.
• Tiebreaker: The tied player with the most cards still in the Influence Queue wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• You may peek at your own face-down cards in the Queue and your removed-during-setup cards at any time.
• When a card is eliminated, gain 1 IP from the supply (regardless of who owned the card).
• Place eliminated and discarded cards face up in front of their owner; anyone may inspect them.
• Soldier and Archer must eliminate a card if able, even if the only target is your own family.
• If your own Soldier eliminates your own Ambush: gain 1 IP for elimination + 1 IP for self-revealing Ambush.
• Spy steals from the player’s personal supply, not from IP on cards.
• A revealed, uncovered card continues to apply its ability each subsequent round.
• Shapeshifter copies only the ability, not the name. If it copies Heir, it checks for other “Heir” names, not other Shapeshifters copying Heir.

Player Reference

Round structure: Place 1 card (ends of Queue) → Resolve Queue in direction order

Face-down card: +1 IP on it from supply each round it stays hidden

Revealed card: Collect IP from card, apply ability

Eliminating any card: +1 IP to the eliminator

Stacking: Play on your own card to cover it; covered cards are inactive

Game length: 6 rounds, 7 starting cards, 1 unplayed

Win: Most Influence Points after 6 rounds