Sultan’s Game Beginner’s Guide: How to Play
Image Credits: Double Cross, Sultan’s Game
Sultan’s Game drops you into a twisted dark fantasy where you're no longer just a noble—you’re the court jester of doom. After speaking out against the cruelty of a bored, sadistic Sultan, you’re not executed. Instead, you’re “invited” to play his favorite game. A game of violence, vice, and very bad decisions.
Here’s how to play the game and survive.
What Is the Sultan’s Game?
You have 7 days. Each day, you draw a card from the Sultan’s special deck and must complete its task… or die.
The cards come from four grim categories:
Carnality – Demands of the flesh.
Bloodshed – Someone's got to die.
Conquest – Take what isn't yours.
Extravagance – Burn gold like it’s incense.
Each card also has a rank:
Stone, Bronze, Silver, and Gold—with Gold demanding the most extreme actions.
How Gameplay Works
You’ll operate on a tapestry map, where you assign character cards (yourself, your wife, allies) to complete tasks. Each person only acts once per day, so plan wisely.
You’ll juggle several resources:
Gold – Your lifeline for bribes, trades, or just flashy waste.
Influence – Sway factions and avoid trouble.
Reputation – Good or bad, it affects who will help you.
Relationships – With your wife, allies, rivals—these matter more than you think.
Some characters can equip items to boost their stats. Want your wife to distract a guard or your soldier to wipe out a rebel camp? Better gear them up first.
The Cards Have Consequences
While the Sultan pardons any crimes you commit while “playing,” that doesn’t mean there are no consequences. People remember what you do. Fulfill a Bloodshed card by killing a respected priest? That might solve today’s problem—and cause three more tomorrow.
Your choices shape the world. And they’ll shape your ending.
What’s the ‘I Am Thinking’ Box?
This system lets you combine cards or convert resources to create new actions or events. It’s under-explained (borderline mysterious), but very powerful. Learn it. Tinker. It might be the only way to avoid painting yourself into a moral or strategic corner.
Fate Points and Meta Progression
Every game earns you Fate Points, which unlock new cards for future runs. This is how you expand your options and gain better chances at survival in later playthroughs.
In short: lose smart, die better next time.
Tone and Style
The game is text-based. Don’t expect flashy visuals—expect heavy themes, grim choices, and card art that feels more like ancient paintings than a comic book. Everything plays out through writing, with no graphic visuals, just grimly worded consequences.
Final Blurb
Sultan’s Game is a dark, unforgiving tale dressed up as a card game. It’s cruel. It’s clever. And it’s surprisingly strategic under the weight of its twisted premise. If you’re fine with morally awful decisions and want to test how far you’ll go to stay alive under a tyrant’s thumb—this game might be your kind of nightmare.
