Gangster City
Gangster City Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Commissioner Catch has already given you some leads: Draw the right conclusions from the cards and figure out who your suspect is, which weapon was used, where the crime was committed and what the motive was. The first one to solve two cases and arrest the suspects wins the game.
Contents
- 54 Case Cards
- 6 Card Stands
- 6 Player Aids
Game Setup
Each player takes a card stand.
Shuffle all the Case Cards and give each player one card, face down. You are not allowed to view your own Case Card! Now insert your Case Card into the Card Stand with the back of the card facing yourself. The front must be clearly visible to the other players. The gangster on your card is the suspect that you have to convict. Having the card facing away from you means you can see the other players' cases and they can see yours, but no-one can see their own.
From the remaining Case Cards, draw 3 and place them face up next to each other in the middle of the table. Leave the rest of the cards in a face down draw pile. Whoever wants one can take a Player Aid card, laying it down in front of them on the table. The Player Aid shows all the possible evidence that you will need for your investigation. The order of play is printed on the back.
The investigation can now begin!
What the Cards Show
In total, there are 3 suspects (Entertainer, Scientist, Thug), 3 weapons (Revolver, Knife, Syringe), 3 crime scenes (Theater, Street, Hotel Room), and 2 motives (Money, Love).
The evidence is distributed among the cards so that each possible combination occurs exactly once. At the bottom of each card is a summary of the evidence found on the card. You will use the numbers on the sides of the frame to remeber your clues.
How to Play
The youngest player begins.
On your turn, you have two possibilities:
- Investigate (gather information) or
- Make an arrest (guess)
Investigate (Gather Information)
Take one of the 3 Case Cards lying face up, or take the top face-down card from the draw pile (and turn it over).
Hold it next to your own Case Card so that the other players can easily compare both cards.
The other players now inform you how many of the 4 elements (suspect, weapon, crime scene, motive) match those on your Case Card.
Important! You are still not allowed to look at your own card! The other players are only allowed to tell you how many elements match, but not which ones!
Now place the card in front of you so that the number that the other players told you points towards you. This way, you will be able to remember exactly how many of the elements on this card match those on your Case Card.
Note: If at any point in the game you feel like you have been given the wrong information by the other players, you can ask them to re-check your cards. If it turns out you were given the incorrect information, your active case is immediately solved.
Example: Lena took a good look at the cards in the middle of the table. She thinks she already knows that her Case Card contains the Entertainer in the Theater. And now she has a little luck: In the middle of the table there is a card with exactly these two elements on it. She picks it up, hoping to discover more information about the weapon and motive. She then holds the card so that the other players can compare it with her own Case Card. They then tell her that 3 elements are a match with her Case Card. Lena already knew of the Entertainer and Theater, so the third matching element has to be either the motive, Love, or the weapon, Syringe. She lays down the card in front of her so that the 3 is pointing towards her, and then it's the next player's turn.
(The example is illustrated in the rulebook with diagrams showing the draw pile, the middle of the table, Lena's Case Card and Lena's investigations.)
Make an Arrest (Guess)
Instead of investigating, if you think you know who your suspect is, where the crime was committed, what the motive was, and with which weapon - you can announce that you want to make an arrest.
Indicate all 4 elements that you think are on your Case Card you have to solve. Once you have stated all 4 elements - and not a moment sooner - the other players tell you if you were right. They are only allowed to tell you if your entire statement is correct or incorrect. If incorrect, they are not allowed to tell you which, or how many, elements are incorrect.
If you are correct: Excellent! You've caught the gangster! Commissioner Catch is proud of you! Keep the Case Card and place it face down in front of you. Put the cards that you got your information from into a face up discard pile next to the draw pile. Now draw a new Case Card from the deck as your new suspect. Insert the card into your card stand without looking at its front. Then it's the next player's turn.
If you are not correct: Oops! You must have been misled by the evidence. Commissioner Catch is furious and yells at you. You can't do anything more; the next player starts their turn. On your next turn, you can make another attempt at making an arrest or continue investigating to gather more information.
End of Game
The first player to arrest 2 gangsters immediately wins the game.
Rules for More Experienced Detectives
You can increase the difficulty level of the game by allowing only 1 wrong incorrect guess. Whoever makes a second error when making an arrest is out of the game.
Was the game over too quickly or did you want more of a challenge? No problem! Just increase the number of cases that you have to solve. We strongly recommend this variant when you play with more experienced detectives.
Rules for Solo or Co-operative Play
If you want to try catching some gangsters on your own or together with your friends, you can always try your luck with one of the Unsolved Cases on the next page.
Select which Unsolved Case you would like to attempt. Have a look at the corresponding numbers in the "Clues" column. The number before the colon shows you the number of the Case Card you need for solving the case. The number behind the colon shows you how many elements are matching with your Case Card.
Find the cards, and rotate them until the number to the right of the colon is pointing towards you. This is how many attributes this Case Card had in common with the unsolved case you are trying to solve.
Example: To make an attempt at solving Case #06, find the cards numbered 25, 48, and 53 from the deck of Case Cards. Rotate the card numbered 25 so that the side with "2" points towards you. Then rotate the card numbered 48 so that the side with "1" points towards you. Finally rotate the card numbered 53 so that the side with "0" points towards you. These are the only clues you are allowed to use for solving the case.
When you think you can solve the case, you can make an arrest. Have a look at the solution section at the bottom of this page and find the card with the right solution. See if this card matches your thoughts.
Unsolved Cases
| Unsolved Case | Difficulty | Clues | Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Easy | 3:0 – 35:3 | 20 : 6 |
| 02 | Easy | 12:0 – 50:0 | 12 : 41 |
| 03 | Easy | 5:0 – 50:1 | 03 : 28 |
| 04 | Easy | 7:1 – 15:0 – 21:0 | 16 : 4 |
| 05 | Easy | 15:2 – 40:3 – 46:3 | 11 : 25 |
| 06 | Easy | 25:2 – 48:1 – 53:0 | 08 : 13 |
| 07 |
Did you manage to solve them all?