Guillotine
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone laughs when they take the wrong count. Someone curses when their cardinal is stolen. And in the end everyone tries to remember who had the executioner.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Executioner seeking popularity in Terror-era Paris
Designed by Paul Peterson in 1998 for Wizards of the Coast, Guillotine is a card party game set during the French Revolution. The illustrations by Quinton Hoover and Mike Raabe convey the grotesque macabre of the Terror with black humor and without rhetoric. Each noble is worth different points, and you are an executioner who needs to draw an audience.
At the table, you draw action cards, manipulate the line of condemned, and collect the most prestigious heads. Action cards allow you to move nobles, skip turns, steal others' heads: the line is constantly shuffled and the perfect plan only lasts one turn. At the end of three days of beheadings, whoever has the most points wins, but thematic sets that are worth bonuses also count.
What they say abroad
A light game that makes you laugh while collecting heads. Perfect to start an evening.
— FroGames
The simplicity of the rules hides a ridiculous amount of tactical chaos.
— FroGames
Guillotine
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews and game sessionsThe cards that change everything
What you find in the action deck
Movement cards
Move nobles forward or backward in the line. The cardinal who was about to escape ends up first, or the one you wanted disappears to the back.
Reversal cards
Flip the order of the line. Whoever thought they'd get the king finds themselves facing the beggar, and vice versa.
Skip turn cards
Skip your turn to draw extra cards. Give up a head today to have more options tomorrow.
Special cards
Steal already collected heads, send nobles home before they fall, protect your collections from others' thefts.
Recommended sleeves 110 cards in 1 size ▼
If you play often, we recommend protecting your cards with transparent sleeves to make them last longer.
| Size | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 63 × 88 mm | 110 |
| Total cards | 110 |
In half an hour someone will have stolen the head you wanted. And everyone will laugh.
A five-part game
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The line forms
Twelve nobles line up before the guillotine. Everyone looks at who is worth points and who isn't, but no one has action cards in hand yet. The first player takes the first noble and draws two cards: now the chaos can begin.
The first heads fall
Someone plays a card that moves the line. The cardinal who seemed safe ends up fourth, and a peasant worth zero appears in his place. The swearing begins. Those who had bet on the cardinal are left with a beggar.
Sets take shape
Someone has collected three clerics and earns bonus points. Someone else is accumulating Marie Antoinettes (there are several in the deck) for the queens' set. Action cards become weapons: whoever has the best set becomes a target for theft and sabotage.
The legendary theft
A player plays Callous Guards and steals a head already collected by another player. The table erupts. The victim of the theft draws a revenge card and promises retaliation. Implicit alliances crumble.
The last day of the guillotine
The third line is depleted. Everyone counts their points: thematic sets are worth bonuses, single heads make the difference. Someone wins by one point, someone else discovers they've only collected peasants. No one remembers who won, but everyone remembers the theft from scene 04.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Each turn has two phases: action and beheading. Fast, direct, immediate.
Choose a card from your hand and apply it: you move nobles, skip a turn, steal heads, protect your own. If you have no useful cards, proceed directly to phase 2.
Take the first noble in line and place them in front of you. They are worth the points printed on the card, plus any bonuses if they complete a thematic set.
Draw two cards from the action deck to fill your hand. Maximum limit: 5 cards. If you already have 5, you don't draw any.
The turn passes clockwise. When the line of nobles runs out, the day ends: a new line is prepared and it starts again. After three days, the game ends.
Why it's different from others
Six elements that make it unique
Only cards, nothing else
There are no boards, tokens, dice. Just 110 cards: nobles to be guillotined and actions to manipulate them. It can be played on any surface, carried anywhere, and explained in 5 minutes.
The line changes in real time
Every action card can overturn the order of the nobles. The one about to fall ends up last, the one who seemed unreachable becomes first. The perfect plan lasts one turn.
Macabre humor without rhetoric
The cards have names like Piss Boy, Marie Antoinette, The Heroic Noble. The humor is dark but light: it doesn't aim to shock, it aims to make you laugh while collecting heads.
Thematic sets for bonuses
Collecting three clerics, four queens, or five nobles of the same color is worth extra points. Sets create tension: those who accumulate them become targets for theft and sabotage.
Brutal and immediate interaction
Action cards are not defensive: they are weapons. You steal heads already collected, send nobles home before they fall, ruin others' sets. No one is safe.
A neat 30 minutes, three days of guillotine
The game lasts exactly three days (three piles of nobles). Each day is a mini-game: those who are behind can catch up, those who are ahead can lose everything. The pace never drops.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
After three days of beheadings, the player with the highest score wins. But thematic sets can turn everything around.
Victory
- Accumulate more head-points than others: each noble is worth -1 to +5 points.
- Complete thematic sets for bonuses: three clerics, four queens, five nobles of the same color.
- Steal valuable heads from opponents with the right action cards at the right time.
Defeat
- Collect only low-value nobles because you can't manipulate the line.
- Your best heads are stolen, and your sets are dismantled before the final count.
- You waste action cards at the wrong time and find yourself defenseless when you need them.
Guillotine does not seek strategic depth: it seeks laughter, controlled chaos, and immediate revenge. It's the perfect party game for those who want to have fun without overthinking.
Frequently asked questions
Guillotine FAQ
Do you need to know the history of the French Revolution?
No. The theme is purely a pretext for dark humor: the names of the nobles are caricatures (Piss Boy, The Heroic Noble, Marie Antoinette) and no historical knowledge is needed. You explain the rules in 5 minutes and play right away.
Is it too mean as a party game? Does it risk ruining the atmosphere?
It depends on the table. The interaction is direct (stealing heads, ruining plans), but the tone is so grotesque that hardly anyone takes it personally. If your group can't handle "take-that" mechanics, better choose something else. If they can handle Munchkin or Fluxx, this will work.
Does it work well with 2 players?
It works, but it loses some of its bite. With two players, interaction is limited: there's no chaos, no alliances, no changing target. The game is best with 3 or more, ideally 4-5.
How much does luck matter compared to strategy?
A lot. You draw random action cards and nobles appear in random order. There's tactics in timing (when to play which card), but the right hand at the right time matters more than planning. It's a party game, not an eurogame.
Is the edition for sale in Italian?
Yes, this Hasbro edition includes cards and rules in Italian. The names of the nobles are translated (e.g., 'Ragazzo degli Sputi' for 'Piss Boy', 'Il Nobile Eroico' for 'The Heroic Noble'), and the humor remains intact.
Guillotine is a card party game designed by Paul Peterson in 1998, set during the French Revolution. For 2-5 players, duration 30 minutes, recommended age 12+. The game uses hand management, direct take-that, and set collection mechanics: each turn you manipulate the line of condemned nobles with action cards, collect the first head in line, and accumulate points. Action cards allow you to move nobles, steal already collected heads, and reverse the order of the line. Thematic sets (clerics, queens, nobles of the same color) are worth bonuses. Italian Hasbro edition with translated cards and rules. Available on FroGames.it.
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