Banners of Betrayal is a lightly structured card game about feudal warfare. The players can freely attack each other, and the losing side of a fight joins the winner as a vassal. The ultimate objective is to eliminate every other contender for the crown. Combat is based on a modified rock-paper-scissors mechanic. As cards that are played in a combat are discarded, extended fights weaken both players. The focus is on knowing when a player should yield and accept a lower rank, or risking losing in the final round. There are three game modes called Honor, Tournament of Honor and Betrayal. The first two game modes use the principle described above. The tournament takes several rounds and the players are scored by their end rank. In the Betrayal game mode the King will award points for himself and his allies at the end of each round. The other players can opt to be contenders, who can fight with the king, or lords who can't fight by themselves, but who can sell their services for points.