Do you have a large group of players who want to experiment with a new game rule? Here's a cool option I found yesterday that gives some structure to games with 5 or 6 players by adding a layer of intrigue and complexity. It's a bit like Emperor crossed with a free-for-all game since there is only one monarch, and allegiances are hidden. Click here for an article with the full rules!

Roles are randomized for 5 (or 6) players as follows: King, knight, two barbarians, and an assassin plus an optional usurper. All roles except king are secret from everyone else, so the actions of the players are necessary to deduce who is who. The link above with detailed rules indicate show you can use basic land cards to randomize and assign roles.

The king wins by being the last player standing, or by being the last player along with the knight. The knight wins by being the last player standing along with the king. The barbarians win when the king dies. The assassin wins by killing the king only after everyone else is dead. If present, the usurper wins by first killing the king, and then assuming the king's role for his victory conditions.

The king gets 50 life to compensate for his vulnerable position. Everyone else has the standard 40 life for EDH/Commander. If the usurper succeeds in killing the king, his life is reset to 50 and the knight's obligation transfers to protecting the usurper for his own victory.

Obviously, many of the victory conditions can result in multiple winners, and there is enough overlap in many of the roles to make determining who is who rather difficult. If you like playing games along the lines of Mafia, Secret Hitler, Bang!, or Werewolf, give this mode a try!