The 10 Meanest Board Games Ever Created

 2. Intrigue

How can such a small box contain so much cruelty? Intrigue is a tiny little game which sees each player have a court, made up of four locations each paying out a different amount of money, and eight of these scholars, 2 priests, 2 scribes, 2 doctors and 2 scientists. Throughout the game people will be sending their scholars to your court, hoping that you’ll take them in and double helping you’ll install them in the 10,000 ducat part of your court, earning them a thick 10 gs every single round. However, you can only have one scholar of each type working in your court, so what if someone else’s scribe wants to replace a scribe already working there, what if two scientists apply to work there at the same time, how do you choose? Why, bribery of course, sweet filthy kickbacks. But here’s the trick that makes intrigue uniquely mean. In most games, bribes make a deal binding. If you agree to do a thing for cash, and they hand it over, you have to do it. In Intrigue, no deals are binding. Someone can pay you 6000 ducats to give them a job in the highest paying area in your court, you take their money and give them the lowest paying. Or maybe yellow and green both bid for their scientist to work for you, Green’s in last place and only has 2000 to offer, yellow bids 5000. You take yellow’s money and install green cos they’re less of a threat. It’s a raucous symphony of bastards, broken promises and cursed family names.