# Love Letter

Love Letter is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 20 minutes and is meant for ages 10 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.8 out of 10 by 187 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $7.10 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 20 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 10+
- **Complexity:** 1.2 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2012
- **Categories:** Deduction, Card Game, Renaissance
- **Mechanics:** Hand Management, Take That, Deduction, Score-and-Reset Game, Player Elimination
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.8 out of 10, from 187 reviews
- **Owned by:** 404 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 2,266
- **Unique players:** 1,452

**Designers:** Seiji Kanai

**Artists:** Jeff Himmelman, Andrew Hepworth, Ken Niimura, Robb Miller, Kali Fitzgerald, Noboru Sugiura, Yating Sun, John Kovalic, 田中寛崇 (Tanaka Hirotaka), Nina Matsumoto

**Publishers:** Kanai Factory, (Web published), Alderac Entertainment Group

## Expansions

- [Love Letter: Erweiterung](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-erweiterung)
- [Big Love Letter](https://www.ludoya.com/games/big-love-letter)

## Similar games

- [Love Letter](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-2)
- [Love Letter: Princess Princess Ever After](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-princess-princess-ever-after)
- [Arkham Horror: Lovecraft Letter](https://www.ludoya.com/games/arkham-horror-lovecraft-letter)
- [Lovecraft Letter](https://www.ludoya.com/games/lovecraft-letter)
- [Star Wars: Jabba's Palace – A Love Letter Game](https://www.ludoya.com/games/star-wars-jabbas-palace-a-love-letter-game)
- [Love Letter: Adventure Time](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-adventure-time)
- [Love Letter: Premium Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-premium-edition)
- [Love Letter: Batman](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-batman)
- [SCOUT](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scout-3)
- [Love Letter: The Hobbit – The Battle of the Five Armies](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter-the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies)
- [Got Five!](https://www.ludoya.com/games/got-five)
- [Just One](https://www.ludoya.com/games/just-one)

## Rules questions

### If I have the Countess and the King (or Prince) in my hand, do I have to discard the Countess—and do I have to show the other card?

Yes. If you ever have the Countess and either the King or Prince in your hand you must discard the Countess, and you do not have to reveal the other card (page 8).

### If the Princess is discarded (by me or by another card), am I knocked out immediately and do other card effects still happen?

Yes — discarding the Princess knocks you out of the round immediately. If the Princess was discarded by a card effect, any remaining effects of that card do not apply (for example you do not draw from the Prince), although effects tied to being knocked out (such as Constable) still occur (pages 8, 11).

### Does the Handmaid make me completely safe, and for how long?

When you discard the Handmaid you are immune to the effects of other players’ cards until the start of your next turn; if a card effect requires you to choose a player but all other players are protected, you must choose yourself (pages 9, 5).

### When I play a Guard, can I name '1', or target a player who's protected by the Handmaid?

You cannot name '1' with the Guard — you must name a number other than 1; if the chosen player cannot be legally targeted (for example because of Handmaid protection), the Guard is discarded without effect (page 10; see Choosing a Player on page 5).

### What happens when the draw deck runs out — how are ties resolved?

If the deck is empty at the end of a turn all remaining players reveal their hands and the highest-numbered card wins the round; ties are resolved by adding the values in each tied player's discard pile and the highest total wins, and if still tied all tied players win the round (page 6).

### If I'm knocked out of the round, do I discard my hand and apply its effect?

No — when a player is knocked out they discard the card in their hand face up but do not apply that card’s effect, and they take no more turns for the round (page 5).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/love-letter)
- [Love Letter in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/love-letter)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129622)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._