The thrilling game of
Mayor
Build, cheat your opponents
and become the mayor!
Mayor is a four-player trick-taking card game about winning an election. Whoever holds the Town Hall becomes the candidate, calls a secret ally and must gather enough ballots over 18 tricks, between tarot-style obligations and dirty tricks.
- Ages 6–66
- 4 players
- 78 cards
- 20 min
- Offline
Beta on iPhone and iPad · release in preparation
What is Mayor?
Mayor is a trick-taking election card game, born in 2017 as a printed card game and now playable on iPhone and iPad. You follow suit and trump with Buildings as in tarot, but the goal is to win an election: the candidate's team must reach a card or vote threshold before the 18 tricks are over.
The cards, drawn in the spirit of the Polish poster school, tell the story of a city under construction: each numbered card shows a building going up, from the foundations (1) to the finished block (10).
At a glance
- Players
- 4 in the app (you and 3 computer opponents), 3 to 5 with the printed game
- Cards
- 78: 4 suits of 14, 19 Buildings (the trumps), 3 Specials
- Ages
- 6 to 66, as printed on the box
- A game
- 18 tricks, about 20 minutes
- Modes
- basic game (count cards) and advanced game (count votes)
- Devices
- iPhone and iPad (beta), Android in preparation
- Languages
- French, English, Spanish, Chinese
- Account and ads
- an account only to play online, no ads, no in-app purchases
How do you play Mayor?
A round has four beats: the Town Hall names the candidate, the candidate calls a secret ally, 18 tricks are played under tarot rules, and the Special cards turn the race around.
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The Town Hall names the candidate
Each player gets 18 cards; six form the electoral reserve. Whoever holds the Town Hall (Building 19) is the candidate: they take the reserve and secretly put six cards back.
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Calling a Mayor creates a secret ally
The candidate calls a coloured Mayor. Its holder becomes their ally, but nobody knows until that Mayor is played. Call a Mayor from your own hand and you play alone against three.
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Tricks, tarot style
Follow the suit led; if you can't, trump with a Building, and overtrump when you can. The highest Building takes the trick.
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Dirty tricks swing the election
The Thief grabs the trick, the Casino bets on an opposing card, the Crane lifts cards off the other team's pile. A Policeman or the Prison stops the Thief.
Basic or advanced game: which one should you pick?
The basic game counts cards and is the way to learn Mayor; the advanced game counts votes and adds the advanced attacks. They are the two rule sets of the printed rule book, with the same 78 cards and the same trick rules.
| Basic game | Advanced game | |
|---|---|---|
| You count | cards | votes (weighted ballots) |
| To win with an ally | 48 cards out of 78 | 69 to 73 votes out of 118 |
| To win alone | 33 cards | 44 to 50 votes |
| Thief | takes the whole trick | diverts the card worth the most votes |
| Casino | name the top card of the opposing pile to win up to 3 cards | name a card in an opponent's hand to swap it |
| Crane | takes the top 2 opposing cards | takes the top opposing card |
| In the rule book | Basic rules | Advanced rules |
In the advanced game, a Mayor is worth 5 votes, a Doctor 4, a Fireman 3, a Policeman 2 and any other card 1. The threshold rises with each Special the candidate captures.
From village to megalopolis
Every finished game earns experience. You start as mayor of Woodstock and climb ten tiers to New York: the coat of arms grows richer, and your avatar earns a sash, medals and finally the chain of office.
- Village Woodstock 0 XP
- Town Sedona 60 XP
- Small town Key West 160 XP
- Mid-size city Santa Fe 320 XP
- City Savannah 560 XP
- Large city New Orleans 900 XP
- Regional metropolis Seattle 1 350 XP
- Metropolis Chicago 1 950 XP
- Major metropolis Los Angeles 2 750 XP
- Megalopolis New York 3 800 XP
Experience rewards winning, the margin and being the candidate, and counts for more at higher difficulty and in the advanced game. Reaching the megalopolis takes about 160 games. Everything is computed on the device, from your game history.
Towns follow the app's language: in French you start in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and end in Paris; in Spanish, from Albarracín to Madrid.
What does Mayor look like on iPhone?
A table seen from above, your hand fanned out and an election scoreboard: playable cards lift up, the others grey out, and your plaque tells you what to play.
Do you need an account or a connection?
No, to play against the computer: Mayor plays entirely offline, with no account, and your game, statistics and progression stay on your phone. An Apple or Google account is only needed to play online with friends. No ads, no tracking.
- Offline
- Account only to play online
- No ads, no tracking
What is in the Mayor box?
The Mayor box holds 78 illustrated cards and the rule book, with the basic and the advanced game. The printed game plays with 3 to 5 people, ages 6 to 66, in about 20 minutes: it is the 2017 game the app comes from.
- Ages 6–66
- 3–5 players
- 78 cards
- 20 min
In the box
- 78 cards: 4 suits of 14 (1 to 10, Policeman, Fireman, Doctor, Mayor), 19 Buildings and 3 Specials
- the rule book, basic and advanced game
- a red lidded box with two compartments, its inside printed with ballots dropping into two ballot boxes
- the back of the box written in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese
On the back of the box
- Rules
- Hector Balusart
- Design
- Edgar Bak Studio
- Publisher
- © Keystone Ltd.
The printed game is coming back soon in the Mayor shop, alongside objects in the game's colours.
Frequently asked questions
How many players does Mayor need?
In the app, a game is always four players: you and three computer opponents. The printed card game plays with 3 to 5 people.
Is Mayor like tarot?
For the tricks, yes: follow suit, trump with a Building (the trumps) and overtrump when you can. But the goal is different: a candidate's team must gather enough cards or votes, and the Specials (Thief, Casino, Crane) add attacks in the spirit of Mille Bornes.
What is the secret ally?
The candidate calls a coloured Mayor. The player holding it becomes their ally for the round, without saying so. The alliance is only revealed when that Mayor hits the table.
Is Mayor suitable for children?
Yes, the box says ages 6 to 66. The basic game simply counts cards, and the app starts with a guided first game; play aids (a hint, a crown on the card winning the trick, a slower pace) stay available afterwards. The advanced game adds vote counting for seasoned players.
Do you need an internet connection?
No, neither to play nor to save. A game in progress can be resumed later on the same device.
Which devices can you play Mayor on?
On iPhone and iPad, in beta. An Android version is in preparation. The interface and rules are available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese.
How long does a game of Mayor take?
About 20 minutes, according to the box. With four players, a round is 18 tricks.
Who created Mayor?
The back of the box credits the rules to Hector Balusart and the design to Edgar Bak Studio, with the mention © Keystone Ltd. The printed game dates from 2017; the app uses its cards and rules.
Can you buy the Mayor card game?
Not yet. The printed game and Mayor merchandise are coming to the site's shop; prices and the opening date will be announced there.