Oriflamme rules: how to play and how to score
Reviewed on 10 October 2026 against the publisher’s rulebook. How we check
Oriflamme plays 3 to 5 players over six turns: the king is dead, and each noble family plays cards face down to gain Influence. Here are the essential rules, setup and scoring, based on the official rulebook.
- Players
- 3 to 5
- Play time
- About 20 minutes
- Winner
- Most Influence; on a tie, the most cards in the Queue
Oriflamme quick rules
- The goal
- The king is dead, and each player leads a noble family that wants the throne. The game lasts six turns; at the end of the sixth, the player with the most Influence points wins. You start with one Influence point, placed in front of you.
- Your hand
- Each player has a family of ten cards, the same for everyone. At the start, you set three aside at random and keep the other seven in hand. Since nobody knows which cards you set aside, the bluffing starts right away.
- Playing a card
- Each turn, you place, then resolve. Everyone, starting with the first player, places a card face down at one end of the Influence Queue, left or right, never between two cards. From the second turn on, you may also place it on top of one of your cards already in the Queue: the one underneath is hidden, protected, and does nothing anymore.
- Reveal or wait
- Resolve the Queue card by card, in the direction of the arrow. When your face-down card comes up, either leave it hidden and put an Influence point from the supply on it, or reveal it: gain the points on it and apply its ability. A revealed card applies its ability again every turn, mandatorily, even if it hurts you.
- Eliminating
- Each time you eliminate a card, even one of your own, you gain one Influence point; the points on the eliminated card are lost. The Soldier eliminates a card right next to it. The Archer eliminates the first or last card of the Queue. The Assassination eliminates any card, then it’s discarded.
- The other cards
- The Spy steals a point from a player with a card next to it. The Heir earns two points if it’s the only revealed Heir. The Lord earns one point, plus one per card of your family next to it. The Shapeshifter copies a neighboring revealed card. The Royal Decree moves a card. The Conspiracy earns double the points on it. The Ambush, eliminated by an opponent, discards their card and earns you four points; revealed by you, just one.
- The end of the game
- After the sixth turn, the game stops; you have one card left in hand, never played. Everyone counts the Influence points in front of them: points still on cards in the Queue don’t count. The most points wins; on a tie, the most cards of your family still in the Queue.
- Beginner traps
- Forgetting that a revealed card acts every turn: a revealed Soldier can end up eliminating your own cards. Revealing too early: a waiting card piles up points, especially the Conspiracy. Leaving too many points on cards at the end. And be wary of an opponent’s card that waits a long time: it might be an Ambush.
How to score Oriflamme
- Influence
- The Influence points in front of you at the end of the 6th turn, your starting point included.
- Points left in the Queue
- 0 points: Influence still on cards in the Queue doesn’t count.
- Cards in the Queue (tie-breaker)
- No points: on a tie, the player with the most cards of their family still in the Queue wins.
Worked example
Emma has her starting point (1), 4 points earned by revealing her cards, 3 eliminations (3) and an Ambush eliminated by Jake (4). There are 2 points left on one of her hidden cards: they don’t count. Total: 1 + 4 + 3 + 4 = 12 points.
Common mistakes
- Scoring the points left on cards in the Queue: only those in front of you count.
- Forgetting your starting Influence point.
- Forgetting the point you gain for each elimination, even when you eliminate one of your own cards.
- Scoring 4 points for an Ambush you revealed yourself: it only earns one.
How to set up Oriflamme
The oldest player starts; each new turn, the First Player tile passes to the left.
The families
- Each player chooses a color and takes the 10 cards of that family.Every family contains the same 10 cards: 6 characters and 4 actions.
- With 3 or 4 players, put the families nobody is playing back in the box.
- Everyone shuffles their 10 cards and sets 3 aside at random, face down.These 3 cards won’t be used. You may look at them at any time, but the others may not: nobody knows which ones are missing from your family.
- Everyone keeps the other 7 cards in hand, without showing them.You play 6 turns: at the end, you’ll have one card left in hand, never played.
Influence
- Give 1 Influence point to each player, placed in front of them.Your Influence points stay visible to everyone for the whole game.
- Put all the other Influence tokens in the middle of the table: that’s the supply.
The first turn
- Give the First Player tile to the player who starts.Each new turn, it passes to the player on the left.
- The first player puts the Resolution Direction tile in the middle of the table and orients it.The arrow shows which way you’ll resolve the Influence Queue. This direction stays the same for the whole game.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you hold in Oriflamme?
Seven. Each family has 10 cards, and everyone sets 3 aside at random at the start. After 6 turns, you have one card left that’s never played.
Who goes first in Oriflamme?
The oldest player. Each new turn, the First Player tile passes to the player on the left.
Do points on cards count at the end of Oriflamme?
No. Only the Influence in front of you counts; points left on cards in the Queue are lost.
Ludingo’s Oriflamme sheet was last reviewed on 10 October 2026, based on: rulebook (PDF), gusandco.net, BoardGameGeek.