NO KINGS

The Card Game That Teaches Democratic Values

A strategic game where democratic principles come alive through play. Foster cooperation, teamwork, following rules, fair play, graceful losing, and mutual respect. Build community, not kingdoms.

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Simple Rules, Deep Strategy

What is No Kings?

No Kings is a "fishing" style card game where you aim to capture the most cards. On your turn, draw a card and try to match cards in the center by rank or by sum. A '10' can capture a '10', or a '7' and a '3'!

Chain captures together for bonus turns, but beware the two most powerful cards in the deck...

  • ♛ The King: Draw a King and you lose your entire pile!
  • J The Joker: A powerful card that clears the center and punishes players holding Kings.
  • 👪 Fun for Everyone: Perfect for families, kids, and competitive game nights.

Get No Kings Today

Game Rules

FREE

Get a beautifully formatted, print-ready PDF of the complete No Kings rulebook—hosted right here on our site.

  • Instant download PDF
  • Includes rule variations
  • Print at home
Download Rules FREE!
Beta — start here

Play online — free

FREE

Jump into No Kings in your browser. During beta, online play is free and you can host larger tables with friends—no subscription required.

  • Play with friends online
  • Host up to 8 players while we’re in beta
  • Same core rules you know from the table
Open the game

After beta & at the table

—

We may offer optional online supporter plans later. For now, focus on playing and telling us what you think. Want the physical game? See how to get cards and printed rules.

  • Online: help us polish the beta—feedback shapes what’s next
  • Offline: bring No Kings home with the boxed game or print the rules
  • We’ll share pricing for any future online perks when we’re ready
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Born at the Kitchen Table

Every game has a tale. "No Kings" began as a blend of personal inspiration and a profound ideal. The spark ignited through Injera Be Wat, a wonderful Ethiopian card game shared with me by my wife. In Amharic, Injera Be Wat means “injera with stew”—injera is spongy, sour fermented flatbread from teff (often the base of the meal), and wat is a spiced Ethiopian stew. Together they form a national dish of Ethiopia and Eritrea, eaten from a communal platter where the bread is both plate and utensil.

The card game borrows that image: the ring of face-down cards is like the round injera, and the face-up center is the wat—players “scoop” to match and collect. Like sharing a mesob, it is a social game: friends and family around the table, hospitality and generosity in the spirit of the culture, and for many in the diaspora a small reminder of home.

We took that beloved foundation and layered on fresh twists, inspired by a spirit of self-governance and "No Kings." We made the Joker a true game-changer and the King a paradox—a card that reminds us of the dangers of unchecked power, even in a game. It's our playful evolution of a cherished classic, designed to bring people together.

Our Mission

Our mission is to teach core democratic values through engaging gameplay. No Kings demonstrates that cooperation, fair play, and mutual respect create stronger communities than hierarchical power structures.

Through strategic gameplay, No Kings instills democratic principles: cooperation over competition, respect over hierarchy, and community over individual power. Every game is a lesson in building better societies—starting with how we treat each other at the table.

Building Games That Matter

Our Commitment to Positive Gaming

No Kings is just the beginning. We're dedicated to creating a series of fun, engaging games that teach positive values and democratic principles in family-friendly ways.

Every game we develop will focus on:

  • 🤝Cooperation: Working together beats competing alone
  • ⚖️Fair Play: Rules matter, and everyone deserves respect
  • 🏛️Democratic Values: Power shared is power multiplied
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Family Fun: Games that bring generations together
  • 🌱Character Building: Every play session strengthens character

Join Our Mission

When you support No Kings, you're not just buying a game—you're investing in a movement that believes games can be tools for positive change. Help us build a future where every family game night teaches values that make the world better.

Support Our Mission

Frequently Asked Questions

No Kings is best with 2-4 players. The bundle includes two 54-card decks (52 cards plus two Jokers each), which is enough for up to 4 players. For more players, add one such deck for every two additional people!

The game is great for all ages! Kids as young as 4 can enjoy it and practice their math skills, while adults will appreciate the deeper strategic elements.

Currently, the online beta is available on web browsers for desktop computers. A mobile-responsive version is on our roadmap!

In English it is often translated as “injera with stew” (or wot). Injera is a spongy, sour fermented flatbread made from teff; wat is a spiced Ethiopian stew. Together they are a national dish of Ethiopia and Eritrea, usually eaten from a communal platter—so the meal itself is shared in the same spirit as the game around the table.

In the online app, the host chooses the rules mode when starting a match. Injera Be Wat is the default: a drawn King plays like other ranks (capture or place in the center), and the Joker sweeps only the Wat (center). No Kings mode uses the branded house rules: the King penalty and Joker variants (Standard or Chaos) described in the full rules. The printed rules focus on No Kings; pick Injera Be Wat online for traditional-style King and Joker behavior.

In the fishing-style game that inspired No Kings, the ring of face-down cards is like the round injera, and the face-up center is the wat—players try to match and collect from the middle like scooping stew. The online game starts each round with four random face-up cards in the center (classic-style). That echoes the communal meal: sharing a platter, hospitality, and playing together. No Kings adds its own twists (especially the King and Joker), but the circle and the name nod to that tradition.