<p>If you have to steal coins from a player and this player does not have enough: <strong>steal as much as you can</strong>. Here is the <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/24882954#24882954" rel="nofollow noreferrer">official reply</a> from the designer, Bruno Faidutti:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>You get what your target has and the game ends.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In your examples:</p>

<ol>
<li>Bishop: if the richest player has $1, that means that everyone has exactly $1, otherwise the game would had ended. You just steal $1, the game ends immediately and you win with at least $2 in hand (as everyone has $1, except the person you stole from).</li>
<li>Inquisitor: similarly, if someone has $3 or less, you steal as much as you can and the game ends.</li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>Some more insight on the timings.</p>

<p>Paying coins to the tribunal for falsely calling a bluff takes place after the called character applies their ability. From the <a href="https://images-cdn.asmodee.us/filer_public/e1/ad/e1ad7b6b-c8d3-4601-b51f-d77a7f3ea22d/masc01_rules.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rulebook</a>, p. 6-7:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The players is indeed the announced character, that player immediately
  uses the character’s power (which can happen outside of their turn).
  Then, all the other players who had falsely claimed to be the
  announced  character pay a fine of one gold coin to the courthouse.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Therefore, if you tie with the richest players, call the Bishop's or the Witch's bluff and are caught lying, you shall pay your $1 to the tribunal AFTER the Bishop/Witch apply their powers. This is discussed in detail <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1030936/timing-punishments" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, if, in this way, you steal the last coin of a player, therefore triggering the end of the game, false challenges must be paid afterwards to the tribunal, in order to determine the winner, as clarified by <a href="https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/13314578#13314578" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bruno Faidutti</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In this case, it sounds fair to state the false claimants pay, and the
  tied player who doesn't have to pay wins.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-26T10:44:37.753Z
2017-01-29T12:31:48.543Z
2017-01-29T12:31:48.543Z
Adama
<p>Bishop steals 2 coins from the richest player and Inquisitor steals 4 coins from the player who doesn't know their character.</p>

<p>My question is - in case I am the Inquisitor, and I am challenging a person who doesn't end up knowing his/her character, and has less than 4 coins, will I get everything and the game ends? Or am I now allowed to challenge a person with less than 4 coins?</p>

<p>Similarly, if I am a Bishop, what's the take if the richest person (or everyone in the game) currently has only one coin?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-26T06:34:14.240Z
Welcome to the site, and great first question! I'd assume (like [these folks](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1247984/unable-pay-inquisitor) do) that you take their remaining coins and the game ends, but I can't find an authoritative source and the rulebook is surprisingly unhelpful.
Benjamin Cosman
<mascarade>
Insufficient coins to steal
bdhar
# Insufficient coins to steal

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-01-26)

Bishop steals 2 coins from the richest player and Inquisitor steals 4 coins from the player who doesn't know their character.

My question is - in case I am the Inquisitor, and I am challenging a person who doesn't end up knowing his/her character, and has less than 4 coins, will I get everything and the game ends? Or am I now allowed to challenge a person with less than 4 coins?

Similarly, if I am a Bishop, what's the take if the richest person (or everyone in the game) currently has only one coin?

**Tags:** mascarade

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to the site, and great first question! I'd assume (like [these folks](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1247984/unable-pay-inquisitor) do) that you take their remaining coins and the game ends, but I can't find an authoritative source and the rulebook is surprisingly unhelpful.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-01-26. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

If you have to steal coins from a player and this player does not have enough: **steal as much as you can**. Here is the [official reply](https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/24882954#24882954) from the designer, Bruno Faidutti:

> You get what your target has and the game ends.

In your examples:

1. Bishop: if the richest player has $1, that means that everyone has exactly $1, otherwise the game would had ended. You just steal $1, the game ends immediately and you win with at least $2 in hand (as everyone has $1, except the person you stole from).
2. Inquisitor: similarly, if someone has $3 or less, you steal as much as you can and the game ends.

---

Some more insight on the timings.

Paying coins to the tribunal for falsely calling a bluff takes place after the called character applies their ability. From the [rulebook](https://images-cdn.asmodee.us/filer_public/e1/ad/e1ad7b6b-c8d3-4601-b51f-d77a7f3ea22d/masc01_rules.pdf), p. 6-7:

> The players is indeed the announced character, that player immediately
> uses the character’s power (which can happen outside of their turn).
> Then, all the other players who had falsely claimed to be the
> announced character pay a fine of one gold coin to the courthouse.

Therefore, if you tie with the richest players, call the Bishop's or the Witch's bluff and are caught lying, you shall pay your $1 to the tribunal AFTER the Bishop/Witch apply their powers. This is discussed in detail [here](https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1030936/timing-punishments).

Nevertheless, if, in this way, you steal the last coin of a player, therefore triggering the end of the game, false challenges must be paid afterwards to the tribunal, in order to determine the winner, as clarified by [Bruno Faidutti](https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/13314578#13314578):

> In this case, it sounds fair to state the false claimants pay, and the
> tied player who doesn't have to pay wins.


---

