Solution: 11/15

Answer: CURRY

This is a logic/inference puzzle around the board game Coup. For each player, we need to identify their starting hand and then map it to the letter grid at the end.

Player 1: P4 later implies P1 was repeatedly exchanging the same card, i.e. they have the Ambassador. Earlier, P2 coups P1 and P1 insists they weren't lying. P1 taxed in turn 1, and so P1 has Duke/Ambassador.

Player 2: P2 says they were telling the truth the entire game. They've been taxing a lot and they also flipped over their right card, the assassin. Thus they have Duke/Assassin.

Player 3: Between P3 blocking and P5 saying "phew you weren't lying," we know that P3 has a Contessa as their right card. We don't know their left card, but after we resolve P4, we can infer that P3's left card must be Ambassador because P4 only has one and they claimed there could only be one left when they challened P1.

Player 4: P4 claims they have an Ambassador. P2 says "we were right not to challenge you earlier." This could imply P4 either has a Duke (for all the taxing) or a Contessa (for blocking P2) or a Captain (for stealing from P5). P2 specifically says this and they were about to challenge previously, so there's more evidence this is a Contessa.

Player 5: P5 hasn't lied the whole game. They consistently assassinate people even at the very end. They have a double Assassin.

Author’s Notes

I played a dumb board game in my dream that was called "Capitalism" where the endgame felt like Coup - there was some kingmaking but also one of my friends just got so OP he effectively killed everyone else in one turn. I wanted to make it about board games in general but a mini logic puzzle on coup was easier to write.