Love Letter is getting a second edition, 10th anniversary version and new story-driven entry

A second edition of the popular card game Love Letter is coming this summer, alongside a 10th anniversary collection and an entirely new entry.

Love Letter: Second Edition is a brand-new version of the beloved social deduction game that has players attempting to be either the last person standing or have the highest numbered card in their hand by the end of the game. (Thanks BoardGameGeek.) The upcoming second edition will introduce 16 new cards for players to use - including cards such as the scholar, the servant and more – that will provide a different set of gameplay mechanics and abilities. With the second edition, players can choose to use all the new cards, play a game with just the old set, which has also been included in the game, or mix the two up for a fresh experience.

The second edition of Love Letter was created by the designer behind the original beginner game, Seiji Kanai, who is also responsible for the various different versions of Love letter including Love Letter: Batman – an edition that features the caped crusader and his many villains – and Lovecraft Letter, a Cthulhu-esque style game where players are haunted by the arrival of the Old Ones.

Artwork for Love Letter: Second Edition was created by Noboru Sugiura, the illustrator behind the original release of Love Letter. Arclight is the publisher set to release the upcoming Second Edition.

Love Letter is a card game for two to four players themed around a royal court in which a princess is has hidden herself away. As one of her many suitors, the players must attempt to deliver their correspondence to the princess without being discovered or intercepted by other members of the court. At the beginning of each round, players are dealt one card which will have ranking and a special ability. On their turn, a player must draw a card and play a card. Playing cards will activate their special ability, which can range from enabling a player to attempt to identify another person’s cards or force a player to show them their hand.

Should a player successfully identify another’s card, they are eliminated from the current round. A player is also eliminated if they are forced to discard the princess card or compare their hand to another’s and have a lower ranking. If more than one player is left in the round by the time the last card is drawn and played, then whichever player has the highest-ranking card is the round’s winner and is given a token of the princess’s affection.

Besides a second edition of the game, there is also a 10th anniversary edition of Love Letter on the way containing all of the unique rules and components found in the original versions of Love Letter. A new game in the series promising a “story-driven” experience where the game will be different every time it’s played, called Love Letter: Stories, was also announced recently.

Love Letter: Second Edition will be arriving in August, whilst the 10th anniversary edition will be getting a crowdfunding campaign sometime this year and Love Letter: Stories will be launching in the first half of 2023.