Gangsters
Gangsters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
2. Components
GANGSTERS includes the following equipment:
- 4 Player Aid cards
- 1 22" x 16" mounted gameboard
- 1 sheet of die-cut playing pieces and markers
- 1 eight-page rulebook
- 5 six-sided dice (one each red, green, blue, white, and black)
- 30 bills each in $100, $500, & $1,000 denominations, and ten $5,000 bills
- 1 Movement pawn
- 1 Squirt Gun
3. Prepare to Play
3.1 ORDER OF MOVEMENT: Each player takes the Gang pieces that match the color of the closest board edge, and rolls all five dice. The player rolling the highest total gets the first turn, becoming player #1. The next player in clockwise rotation around the board gets the next turn, and so on.
3.2 BANKER: Select one player as the Banker who will make change, dispense and collect money for the game.
3.3 DRAW CUPS: Put the nine rectangular Cop pieces, the ten round Bribe markers, and the four Public pieces in three separate opaque cups suitable for a random draw.
3.4 JOINTS: Each player places the ten "x1" Joint markers of his Gang's color on the Joint square of his board edge.
4. Begin to Play
4.1 JOINT PURCHASE: The board contains buildings of seven different types which are distinguished by the color, shape and value of the Entrance "tab" of each building. Buildings that can be purchased also contain a colored outline matching the Entrance tab color and are referred to collectively as "colored". Buildings that cannot be purchased have a gray, half-oval Entrance tab and no such colored outline. These are known as "gray" buildings. Whenever a colored building is purchased, it becomes a Joint and is marked with a "x1" Joint marker of the purchasing player.
Player #1 first selects any one colored building on the board by placing a "x1" Joint marker on it. The other players do likewise in turn by selecting one of the remaining unowned colored buildings and marking it with one of their Joint markers. This pattern is repeated until each player has selected three Joints. The total value of a player's three Joints at start cannot exceed $1100. Players whose total property is worth less than $1100 at start are then given the difference in cash by the Banker.
4.2 GANG SELECTION: Each player simultaneously builds his initial Gang secretly by recording the type and number of gangsters he will recruit to start play (Racketeer, Thug, Vamp). The total amount that he spends to recruit his Gang at start cannot exceed $2100 plus any money he has left over from the purchase of Joints. Recruiting costs are cumulative and increase by $100 for each additional character recruited of a given type. If a Gang costs less than $2100, the player collects the difference from the Banker. Each player then marks the status of his Gang by placing the corresponding small markers on the appropriate boxes of his board edge's Gang Track.
(The Gang Track shows, for each type, the strength spaces 1, 2, 3, ... and the cumulative cost: $100, $200, $300, ... for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd ... Racketeer, and so on.)
EXAMPLE: Yellow recruits a Vamp ($300), four Racketeers ($1,000), and three Thugs ($600) for a total cost of $1900. Yellow collects $200 change from the Banker. The yellow Racketeer marker on the '4' space of the Racketeer Gang Track indicates that the Yellow Racketeer piece has a strength of 4.
Red recruits a Vamp ($300), six Racketeers ($2100), and a Thug ($100) for a total cost of $2500. Red is able to do this only because Red had at least $400 change remaining from the earlier purchase of Joints and must now pay the Banker the extra $400.
Regardless of how many Thugs or Racketeers each Gang possesses, it still has only two markers for each type of gangster: one large rectangular piece to move on the spaces of the map, and a smaller square marker to slide along its Gang Track to record its strength.
4.3 SETUP: Each player secretly records the starting locations of his Gang on scrap paper. Each gangster must start in one of its player's three Joints. They may be split among their Joints as they choose: one in each, all in one, or two in one and a third in another. Once completed, all choices are revealed and the pieces placed on the board. The game is now ready to begin, with Player #1 taking the first turn.
5. Sequence of Play
5.1 BUY PROPERTY/IMPROVE JOINTS: The active player (the player whose turn it is) may purchase an unowned colored building (or improve a Joint; 8.3) that his Racketeer currently occupies by paying the required amount to the Bank and placing a "x1" Joint marker of his Gang's color on the building. He may also trade any Joint he has to another Gang.
5.2 ROLL DICE: The active player rolls all five dice. The dice roll may not be altered during that turn prior to the Shootout Phase.
5.3 BRIBE OR MOVE COPS: The active player either places the blue die on any Cop piece to indicate bribing a Cop (9.5), or moves any Cop a number of spaces equal to the blue die roll. A Cop in a Joint with a Public marker Raids the Joint (11.6).
5.4 MOVE OR RECRUIT PIECES: The active player may move a number of Public and/or Gang pieces equal to half his Racketeer's strength. Each piece moved by the player must move a number of spaces equal to the previous die roll of that piece's colored die depiction. During their movement, the player may change the status of Gang pieces by flipping them to their white "criminal" or colored "citizen" side. This status may not change until the piece is moved again.
A player may recruit a piece rather than move it, but recruiting still counts as one of that player's allowable "moves" and does not allow a change in criminal status.
5.5 RECRUITING: The active player may recruit new Gang members by paying the purchase price of each as indicated on his Gang Track multiplied by the colored die roll of that piece. (See 7.3 for limitations.) A player who has bribed a Cop pays $100 times the roll of the blue die and draws a round Bribe marker (9.5).
5.6 PAYOFFS: Any Thug/Vamp of the active player engaged in Extortion (11.3) collects $100 times its move die roll. A Public marker in a Joint (Organized Crime; 11.2) pays the owner of that Joint regardless of whether it has moved during that turn.
5.7 SHOOTOUTS: Resolve all Shootouts. The "Crimes in Progress" and "Cops on Patrol" markers are adjusted on the Crime Track to reflect the current number of each activity. This completes one Player Turn. The next player then repeats steps 5.1-5.7.
6. Movement
6.1 MOVEMENT OPTIONS: Each Gang is limited to moving or recruiting a number of pieces (excluding Cops) equal to half the strength (fractions rounded down) of its Racketeer. However, the minimum allowance is one move. Regardless of the number of movement options a player has, that Gang may not move or recruit any piece more than once per turn.
6.2 MOVEMENT DICE: The five dice are color-coded to match the dice depictions on the game pieces and Player Aid cards. The movement of each game piece is governed by the value of its matching die roll. Once rolled, the dice should not be touched except to be placed on a recruiting piece with the die unchanged until the turn ends or a Shootout occurs. If the dice are changed prematurely (regardless of whose turn it is), the responsible player may not recruit and may collect a maximum of $100 per piece for Extortion during his turn.
6.3 EXACT COUNT: The board is divided into street sections and individual buildings hereafter referred to as spaces. All movement is done by exact count (i.e., the piece must move a number of spaces equal to the value of its movement die roll). For example, if the green die is a "3", the Racketeer must move three spaces if it moves at all.
6.4 DIRECTION: All moving game pieces must go in the direction they face (shown by the arrow on each piece) at the start of their turn unless inside a building or moving into one through its Entrance tab. Care must be taken when ending a move in a street space to clearly show the direction of movement. As it moves, a piece may change direction only at an intersection (any space directly connected to at least three other Street spaces) and never more than 90 degrees, or while entering a building, or while in a building.
EXAMPLE: The Thug has rolled a black "3". He may move to the intersection of Riverside and Central Ave and turn right or left 90 degrees and move forward one space and then into the Shop 'n' Save or Brandon's Bikeshop, or he may continue another space down Riverside Drive. He cannot move into the intersection, turn around 180 degrees and return to the space he left. Regardless of the Vamp's facing, she may leave the Shop 'n' Save directly onto Riverside Drive or Central Ave. If her Gang owns Burly's Beefhaus she can also depart through there.
6.41 BRIDGES: Bridges overlay street spaces in two places on the board. The street spaces beneath the bridges are depicted with dashed lines. Movement directly from the street beneath the bridge onto the bridge (or vice versa) is not allowed.
6.5 RE-ENTRY: The same piece may not enter the same space twice in the same turn, nor enter the same building Entrance that it left in that turn. It may enter the space in which it began the turn provided it does not enter that space twice in the same turn.
6.6 BUILDINGS: A piece may not move through a building it does not own. Public/Cops may never move through any building. A Gangster may move directly from one adjacent Joint to another only if the Gang owns both and they are physically connected.
EXAMPLE: A yellow gangster in Lou's Diner could move directly to the Hawthorne Hotel or Grinders' if Yellow owned those buildings. It could not move directly to Mac's Quick-Stop. Assuming that Yellow owned both Grinders' and Burly's Beefhaus, the yellow gangster could move directly to Grinders' and then on to Burly's Beefhaus or it could exit either building into the street through those buildings' Entrance tabs.
6.7 CRIMINAL STATUS: A Gang piece may change its status by flipping to/from its white side only as it enters a new space. Criminal status cannot change while recruiting. A Gang piece that is white-side-up is referred to as a criminal.
6.8 PUBLIC: Although movement of the four Public pieces is limited by the value of the single white die roll, a player choosing to move one or more of them must use a movement option for each Public piece moved. Any Public piece that ends any Player Turn in the same space with a criminal is returned to its draw cup at the end of that Player Turn. No two Public pieces may occupy the same space at the end of movement. Public markers not in play enter via the Subway space corresponding to their white die roll, that placement counts as one space entered and the Public piece may then move off in any direction with any remaining movement to which it is entitled.
6.9 TIME LIMIT: The Movement Phase of each Player Turn (5.2-5.4) is limited to two minutes. A non-moving player should time the mover and announce the remaining time at 30-second intervals, counting down the last ten seconds aloud. A player who has not finished in the allotted time forfeits any remaining moves that turn. By placing the movement die of a recruited piece on top of that piece, being careful not to change the face of the die, a player may calculate and pay for any recruiting after the timed portion of the move is over.
6.91 KIBITZING: Pointing out possible moves during a Movement Phase is not allowed. Advice may be neither solicited nor offered during a Movement Phase. Discussion of overall strategy is allowed but not during a Movement Phase. Violators are fined $500 for each infraction. The only allowed statement to a moving player is to point out that a move is illegal and must be disallowed. Such a statement stops the clock while its accuracy is determined. Claims of an illegal move must be made before the Movement Pawn (see 6.92) is moved, or the illegal move stands.
6.92 MOVE RETRACTION: The active player should always use the plastic pawn to mark the starting location of the piece currently being moved, in case he wishes to retrace his steps and start over. Only the piece whose starting position is currently marked by the pawn has this option. For example, once a Thug has moved and the pawn is shifted from the Thug's starting position to that of another piece, the Thug's move can no longer be changed.
7. Recruiting
7.1 OVERVIEW: A player with enough money may decline movement of a Gang piece to recruit more of that particular type of character or to replace a missing character. Recruiting one type of gangster counts as one of the player's movement options for that turn. Recruiting cannot be combined with a change in criminal status, but can be used regardless of which side of the character is face-up.
7.2 COST: Recruiting costs are equal to the price of the recruited character(s) x the move die roll for that character type.
7.3 RECRUITING OPTIONS: The number of gangsters a player can buy (given adequate money and move options) is limited by the current degree of police activity. The maximum number of gangsters that may be bought in one Player Turn is seven minus the Cop (blue) die roll. A player may never have more than one Vamp, ten Thugs, and ten Racketeers in play.
| Police (blue) die roll | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitable Gangsters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
EXAMPLE: Green has three Racketeers and has rolled a green "1" and a blue "4" among his five movement dice. He chooses not to move his Gang, but to use his only "move" option to recruit three more Racketeers. The cost for those three Racketeers is $1500 ($400 for the fourth, $500 for the fifth, and $600 for the sixth). Had his green Move die roll been a "2", he would have had to pay double the basic price of each Racketeer bought. He cannot also buy Thugs or a Vamp regardless of cost or available "moves" because the Cop die roll limits him to a total recruitment of three characters for the turn.
7.4 ENTRY: Newly recruited gangsters are added to the strength of that player's appropriate Gang marker on his Gangster Track. A newly recruited gangster with no piece currently in play must be placed in one of its Gang's Joints. If the Gang has no Joint, it must be placed colored side-up on the Subway indicated by that piece's Move die roll.
7.5 ELIMINATION: An active player with no Racketeers still has one Move option (besides moving or buying a Cop). That move must be used to recruit one or more new Racketeers. If the player lacks enough money to pay for the amount of Racketeers desired, he may sell one Joint to the Bank for its original purchase price or to any other player for any negotiated amount. When selling an improved (8.3) Joint to the Bank, only the initial purchase price is refunded. Any cost of improvements to the Joint is forfeit. The improvements remain in place on the sold building in the form of a small gray Joint marker, and can be purchased intact with the building for that building's original base cost. A player need not own another Joint of the same type to buy an already improved property. A player without money, Racketeers and Joints is out of the game.
8. Property
8.1 TYPE: There are six classes of property which Racketeers may buy. These are color-coded by Entrance tabs and boundaries according to value and type as specified on the Player Aid card. In addition, gray buildings exist which can never be purchased. Upon acquisition, the player places one of his colored "x1" Joint markers on the building to identify it as his.
8.2 VALUE: Each player receives payment from the Bank equal to the value of his Joint (including any improvements) times the strength (x1, x2, or x3) of the Public marker in that Joint at the end of each Player Turn that it is in his Joint regardless of whose turn it is.
EXAMPLE: Green owns the Hawthorne Hotel and Astoria House and has improved the former with a "x2" Joint marker. During his turn, Green moves the Public "x3" piece into the Hawthorne Hotel and collects $3600 ($600 base value of the Hotel plus $600 in Improvements = $1200 x three for the Public strength = $3600). Unless Brown moves a Cop to Raid the Hawthorne Hotel, or moves the Public from the Hotel during his own Movement Phase, Green will collect another $3600 during the Payoffs Phase of Brown's turn.
8.3 IMPROVEMENTS: Each player may upgrade the value of one of his Joints one level at the start of his turn by paying its original purchase price to the Bank provided his Racketeer is in that Joint and he owns other Joints of the same type at least equal in number to the level of the upgrade. Flip upgraded Joint markers to their "x2" side (or add an appropriate upgrade gray marker to their colored "x2" marker if improved to level 3 or higher).
EXAMPLE: The Green Gang owns two red Joints and the Green Racketeer occupies one of them. Green pays $600 to the Bank and flips the Green "x1" marker under the Green Racketeer to the "x2" side. This is not a move by the Racketeer. If the Racketeer does not move away, it could purchase a third level improvement for the same Joint during Green's next turn if Green owned three red Joints.
8.4 DEFENSE: A Joint entered by an opposing Racketeer or Thug is under attack (see Shootouts: 12). Each Joint has a Guard who attacks opposing Thugs/Racketeers in a Shootout with two dice for each level of the Joint. A Racketeer/Thug in an unowned building that is subsequently purchased by another Gang must be attacked by the Joint Guards at the end of every player turn as long as they occupy an opposing Joint. Trespassing gangsters may return fire in every round that a Guard shoots at them. Shootouts can only be started by a Guard, or a moving Gangster or Cop.
8.5 MOVEMENT: Gangsters may move through a Joint if they own it. All other pieces may enter a building only by ending their turn there by exact count. Cops may not enter a Joint unless it contains a criminal or Public marker. Gangsters may move through their Joint to connected spaces, but may not enter an unowned building or opposing Joint directly from their own Joint. They would have to exit their Joint to a street space before entering a building they do not own.
9. Cops
9.1 IDENTITY: There are nine rectangular Cop pieces ranging in strength from 2 to 10. A Cop's strength also identifies it (no two Cops have the same strength).
9.2 STARTING A PATROL: Player #1 starts the game and his two-minute move by either bribing a Cop or drawing a Cop marker from the cup, placing it in the numbered Subway space corresponding to the blue die roll at a movement cost equal to one space, and moving off in any direction a number of spaces one less than the blue die roll. On each turn, each active player has the option of:
- Bribing a Cop, or
- Moving an existing Cop, or
- Starting a new Cop by drawing another Cop marker from the cup.
A player may never do more than one of these options each turn. A player may not use Racketeer-generated "moves" for additional Cop options.
9.3 CRIME LEVEL: The active player may start a new Cop only if there is none in play or the current Crime Level is greater than or equal to the number of Cop markers currently in play. The Crime Level is the number of Gang and Public pieces in play with their white (criminal) side face up. Excess Cops are not removed due to the Crime Level dropping beneath the current number of Cops on Patrol. The Crime Level and total number of Cops in play should be marked on the Crime Track ("Crimes in Progress" and "Cops on Patrol") at the end of each turn.
9.4 MOVEMENT: Cops move by exact count of the blue die. One must be bribed or moved every turn (5.3). A Cop may enter a Joint only to Raid it (11.6) or to apprehend a criminal therein. No Cop may move through a building.
9.5 BRIBING A COP: An active player may bribe a Cop (instead of moving one) by placing the blue die on a Cop piece. After his Movement Phase, the active player pays $100 times the blue die roll to the Bank and draws a round Bribe marker. Secretly observing the number drawn, the player places it face-down before him. The Cop marker with that strength is now secretly owned by that player. If a player draws the Untouchable marker (the Bribe badge with no number), the attempt to buy the Cop fails but the bribe must still be paid; the player may hold or return the useless badge to its draw cup at any time (including immediately before another player tries to bribe a Cop).
The active player may move a bribed Cop until someone announces ownership of that Cop by revealing his Bribe. The revealed Bribe is then returned to its draw cup and "ownership" of that Cop ends. However, the rebuffed player loses that Cop's "move" for that turn and must return it to its starting position. He cannot move or bribe another Cop during that turn instead. A bribed Cop, whether in play or not, remains owned until revealed as such. A bribed Cop that leaves the board before its ownership is revealed does not change ownership even though the Cop returns to its draw cup.
9.6 COP REMOVAL: A Cop is returned to its draw cup after any Shootout in which it takes part, or whenever it makes a transfer (10.3) on a Subway, or takes part in a Raid with no criminal gangsters present (11.6). A Cop making a transfer has finished its patrol and is returned to its draw cup and replaced by a newly drawn Cop (though perhaps the same one just removed) starting its shift in a new Subway exit of the active player's choice. The new Cop may not reappear in the same Subway space from which its predecessor left the board. The newly drawn Cop may then move off of the Subway space in any direction with any remaining movement.
9.7 ARRESTS: A Cop has no effect on a gangster whose colored side is face-up. A Cop in the same space with a criminal engages in a Shootout (12) at the end of every Player Turn that they occupy the same space.
10. Subways
10.1 OVERVIEW: The six Subway spaces provide quick transportation around the board, and also serve as local precinct stations for the Cops.
10.2 USE: Subway use is optional. A player may use it either as a Subway entrance or as a regular Street space. A piece is not required to transfer just because it traverses or ends its turn on a Subway. The Public may not use a Subway except to enter play from offboard. If a Cop uses a Subway, it must be replaced by a new patrol (9.6). A piece may use only one Subway Transfer per turn.
10.3 TRANSFER: Transfer can be activated only by movement into a Subway space - not by starting a turn from one. The piece moves onto a Subway entrance at the normal cost for entry of a space and is then placed on another Subway exit of the active player's choice at no additional cost. It may depart that Subway exit in any direction.
10.4 COPS/PUBLIC ENTRY: When a Cop or Public piece enters play, it does so from the Subway space corresponding to its move die roll. Being placed on a Subway space from offboard is equal to a movement of one space. Therefore, a Cop entering play with a "move" die roll of "1" always ends its turn in the #1 Subway space.
11. Crime
11.1 OVERVIEW: There are three forms of crime: Organized Crime, Extortion, and Mob Violence.
11.2 ORGANIZED CRIME: Each Public marker in a Joint must be placed white-side-up. Any payoff generated by a Public marker in a Joint is a form of Organized Crime. The Banker pays the owner of the Joint the value of that property (including any improvements) times the value of the Public piece therein at the end of each Player Turn. That Joint is treated as a Crime Scene while the Public marker remains therein.
11.3 EXTORTION: Each active Vamp or Thug (but not Racketeer) may extort $100 times its Move die roll in any unowned building (even a gray one) during its Payoffs Phase if its white side is face-up and it is not in the same space with a Cop. A piece does not have to move to extort. However, it must move in order to change its criminal status. Shootouts do not affect Extortion.
11.4 MOB VIOLENCE: Each active Thug or Racketeer who moves and ends its turn in any space containing an opposing Gang member (or a Cop) may declare a Hit attempt at the end of that Player Turn, thereby causing a Shootout (12.3). A Thug or Racketeer entering an opposing Joint must declare a Hit attempt. The attacker must have its criminal side face-up. The defender, even if it returns fire, need not have its white side face-up. A Thug may extort and make a Hit attempt in the same turn.
11.5 BUSTS: A Cop in the same space with any criminal at the end of a turn will attack it at that time, regardless of who moved, by engaging in a Shootout (12.3). If several criminal pieces exist in a space, the active player chooses which one the Cop will attack-and the remainder are ignored that turn.
11.6 POLICE RAIDS: A Joint currently containing a Public marker is an Organized Crime Scene (11.2) and subject to Police Raids. Any Cop present in an Organized Crime Scene reduces the level of that Joint by one. [EXAMPLE: Flip a "x2" Joint marker to its "x1" side or remove a "x1" marker altogether.] There is no defense against a Police Raid. That Public piece (and the Cop marker if no criminal gangsters are present) is returned to its draw cup. Any civilian gangsters in the Joint are unaffected. If criminal gangsters are present, the Cop remains and a Shootout will occur at the end of the turn (12.3).
12. Shootouts
12.1 OVERVIEW: A Shootout occurs at the end of any turn in which a Cop is in the same space with a criminal gangster, or whenever a Thug/Racketeer occupies an opposing Joint, or whenever an active Thug/Racketeer lands on the same space with an opposing gangster (or Cop) and declares a Hit attempt (11.4).
12.2 HIT VALUE: Each Cop/gangster has a hit value as depicted on its marker:
- Each Racketeer hits on a Shootout die roll of "6".
- Each Cop/Thug hits on a Shootout die roll of "5" or higher.
- Each Joint Guard hits on a Shootout die roll of "4" or higher.
A Racketeer, Cop, or Thug rolls one die for each level of his current strength. A Joint Guard rolls two dice for each level of his Joint. A Vamp does not return fire in a Shootout.
12.3 COMBAT: Shootouts are simultaneous. Both sides shoot based on their strength at the start of the Shootout regardless of any hits suffered. Each hit reduces a gangster's strength by one. There is only one round of combat per Player Turn. A Cop is always returned to its draw cup after a Shootout whether hit or not. Thugs/Racketeers remaining in a Shootout space which become inactive after a Shootout may shoot again in that space in subsequent turns only to return fire if attacked. Guards must continue to attack any opposing Thug or Racketeer in their Joint at the end of every Player Turn.
12.4 MULTIPLE SHOOTERS: If a player in any Shootout has two or more Gang pieces (including Joints) or Cops in that same space, he may decide which will absorb opposing hits and in what amounts (up to the total number of hits each can absorb). The active player always controls the Cops regardless of who actually moved each Cop to its current space or who may have bribed that Cop. All combat is resolved simultaneously.
12.5 LOSS OF PROPERTY: Each hit on a Joint results in the loss of one level of that property if the attacker is not eliminated in that Shootout round. If all attacking pieces are removed from the Joint during that Shootout, no property loss occurs (although the defender may still absorb a hit with his Joint Guard for each level of that property to protect any other characters in that space).
12.6 GANG WAR: If a Joint is lost in a Shootout (not just reduced in value), all Public pieces in play on the board are returned to their draw cup.
12.7 GUARDS VS COPS: A Guard never attacks a Cop or absorbs hits from a Cop.
12.8 CRIME DOES NOT PAY: Each time a player loses a gangster strength point in a Shootout, he may be "shot" with the squirt gun as an added incentive to avoid Gang Wars or Shootouts with the Cops.
EXAMPLE: A Green Thug 6 enters Yellow's level 1 Joint which also contains Yellow's Racketeer 3 and a Public. Green flips his Thug marker to its white side. Yellow collects from the Public in his Joint. In the Shootout Phase, Green rolls six dice: "2", "3", "4", "4", "5", "6" and scores two hits. Yellow fires back, rolling "4", "4", "5" with his Racketeer and "1", "4" with his Joint Guard, scoring one hit. The Green Thug 6 becomes a Thug 5. Yellow can choose to reduce his Racketeer 3 to a 1 and save his Joint, or lose his Joint and reduce his Racketeer 3 to a 2. He opts to absorb both hits with his Racketeers. The Public marker is returned to its draw cup at the end of the turn due to ending the turn on the same space with a criminal (6.8).
It is now Brown's turn and he moves Cop #2 into the Crime scene. Only Green's Thug 5 is white side-up, so the resulting Shootout at the end of Brown's turn will be between Green Thug 5, the Yellow Joint, and Cop #2. The Yellow Racketeer can neither fire nor be attacked. Green rolls five dice: "1", "2", "3", "3", "4" - all misses. Brown rolls "1" and "6" for a hit with the Cops against Green. Yellow rolls a "1" and a "2" and misses. Green's Thug is reduced to 4, and the Cop is returned to its draw cup.
It is now Red's turn and he moves in another Cop, #4, to the Crime Scene. Cop #4 attacks the Green Thug and rolls "3", "4", "5", "6" for two hits, reducing Green Thug 4 to a 2. The Yellow Joint rolls "3" and "3"-both misses. Green returns fire and rolls "2", "5", "6", "6" for three hits, but he needs only one. Yellow loses its Joint marker and a Gang War exists (12.6). All Public pieces and Cop #4 are returned to their draw cups at the end of the turn.
It is now Yellow's turn. He takes his sole move to recruit three more Racketeers, and although they remain at the Crime Scene with the criminal Green Thugs they cannot attack because they did not move and they cannot return fire because they are not attacked. There is no Shootout this turn.
Now it is Green's turn again. If he leaves his Thug 2 unmoved at the Crime Scene he will be unable to engage in another Shootout because gangsters must move to initiate a Shootout. Because another Cop is fast approaching, he withdraws his Thug, flipping it to its colored side to ward off the inquiries of the advancing Cop.
13. Vamps
13.1 SEDUCTION: Whenever a Vamp moves and ends her turn on a space with another Gang's Thug/Racketeer, she seduces that Gang member. The Vamping Gang's corresponding Thug or Racketeer increases strength by one (to a maximum of 10) while the Vamped character loses one strength level. If a Vamped opposing Racketeer increases the active player's Racketeer strength sufficiently to earn it another movement option, he may use it immediately in the remainder of his turn. A piece reduced to 0 strength is removed from play until recruited again. If a Vamp creates a new Thug piece (instead of increasing the strength of an existing Thug) for her Gang, that piece must be placed on board immediately as per 7.4. Vamping is not considered a crime and cannot be done while in white (criminal) mode.
13.2 COMBAT: A Vamp has no hit value in a Shootout. If hit, she is eliminated. She cannot absorb more than one hit. Only a Cop or Racketeer may attack a Vamp.
13.3 JOINTS: A Vamp is the only Gang member who can enter an opposing Joint without attacking it and without being attacked by the Joint Guards.
14. Trades and Alliances
14.1 TRADES: The active player may trade Joints and/or cash during his Buy Phase. A player may acquire an improved Joint in a Trade and maintain its improvements even without owning an additional Joint of that type.
14.2 ALLIANCES: Players may agree to temporary truces or degrees of cooperation (within the limit of the rules), but there is no penalty for violation of an agreement other than the future attentions of the betrayed player. During such a truce, a Guard cannot refrain from attacking a Thug or Racketeer of another Gang in its Joint.
15. How to Win
15.1 BASIC GAME: To win, a Gang must contain at least one Racketeer, one Vamp, and one Thug at the end of its turn. In addition, it must control all of one type (color) of Joint, or control any ten Joints, or have at least $10,000 in cash. A player may keep his cash status secret until he claims his win. However, his unused Joint markers must be placed in the Joint space of his board edge as a visible reminder of his Joint status. Joint improvements do not count as additional Joints owned. Players desiring a longer or shorter game may agree beforehand on a different cash requirement.
15.2 TIME LIMITS: Players may choose to play to a time limit in either hours or turns. In this version, Joint values (including those of improvements) are added to each player's cash holdings and the player with the highest net worth at game end wins. Cash holdings may be kept secret until the end. Gang characters never add their cost to the net worth.
16. Advanced Game Options
16.1 HEATERS: Whenever a Thug starts his turn in any gray building, he has the option to buy Heaters from the Bank for $1,000 during the Buy Phase. Once purchased, the Gang Track Thug marker is flipped to its "Heater" side and equips all of his Thugs with submachineguns. Thugs with Heaters score hits with a die roll of "4" or more. A Gang equipped with Heaters retains them until its Thug piece is removed from play. If a Gang loses its Thug piece, Heaters can be purchased again at a later time.
16.2 WHEELS: Whenever a Racketeer starts his turn in any gray building, he has the option to buy Wheels from the Bank for $1,000 during the Buy Phase. "Wheels" represent a fleet of cars and drivers available throughout the city for transportation. Once purchased, the Gang Track Racketeer marker is flipped to its "Wheels" side and entitles that Gang once each turn to combine the green, red and black die rolls into a single move allowance for one Gang piece (counting as a single moved piece). If the Gang has other moves remaining, they may be resolved normally. Wheels cannot move the Cops or Public. Wheels can be used in combination with a Subway transfer. Once purchased, a Gang is equipped with Wheels until its Racketeer piece is removed from play. If a Gang loses its Racketeer piece, Wheels can be purchased again later.
EXAMPLE: Red has Wheels and six Racketeers for a total move allowance of three. It rolls a blue "3", white "5", green "4", red "2", and black "2". After moving a Cop three, Red decides to move two Public pieces each five. This leaves Red only one move to split among its three Gang pieces. Red decides to move its Racketeer 8 (4 + 2 + 2) with his Wheels option. Red could also have chosen to move his Racketeer 4, or to move either the Vamp or Thug 2 or 8.
16.3 SIREN: A Vamp starting her turn in any gray building has the option to buy new clothes from the Bank for $300 during her Buy Phase. Buying a new outfit flips the Vamp marker on the Gang Track to its Siren side. A Siren seduces two Thugs and/or Racketeers each turn that she moves and ends her turn on a space with an opposing Thug/Racketeer. If the space is occupied by both a Thug and a Racketeer piece, she may seduce one of each or two of either at her option. The victims need not belong to the same Gang. Whenever the Siren completes a seduction (whether of one or two Gangsters), the "thrill is gone" and she flips back to an ordinary Vamp until her next shopping spree. If a Siren is eliminated, she can re-enter the game only as a newly recruited Vamp. To return to Siren status, she must go shopping again.
16.4 DONUTS: A Cop may be moved into any gray building by exact count to stop for "donuts". The active player is entitled to place his "Donut 1" marker on that moved Cop. No other player may move a Cop under someone else's Donut marker. During that player's next turn, he must remove the Donut marker or use his one allowed Cop move to flip it to the "Donut 2" side. During that player's next turn, he must remove the "Donut 2" marker and move or bribe a Cop. If the "Donut 1" marker is removed, the active player must still bribe or move another Cop and may possibly place his "Donut 1" marker again. Another Donut marker cannot be put on a Cop who is already marked with one; the active player must be able to move the Cop into a gray building to place his marker on that Cop. A bribed Cop can have its Donut marker removed by its owner at any time by returning that Cop's Bribe badge to its draw cup and returning the Donut marker to its owner. Donuts do not prevent a Cop from attacking a gangster in the same space; they only prevent the active player from moving them.
16.5 RANDOM MOVEMENT ORDER: Instead of taking turns in clockwise rotation, place each player's Movement Pawn marker in a cup and draw one at the start of each new turn to determine whose turn it is. Once all the pawn markers have been removed, return them to the cup for the next series of turns.
17. Five-Player Option
The fifth player assumes the role of the Police Commissioner and commands the Cops. Random Movement Order (16.5) is used. The Donuts option (16.4) is not used. Otherwise, the rules are altered only as follows:
17.1 BEGIN PLAY: The Cop player receives $1000 to start the game, but buys no characters or property.
17.2 GANG TURNS: The blue die roll is made separately before each Gang's Movement Phase begins. The active Gang must either bribe a Cop based on that roll or defer to the Cop player who may either bribe or move a Cop based on that roll. Once a Cop has been bribed or moved, the active Gang then rolls the remaining four dice and begins its timed Movement Phase.
17.3 COP TURNS: Once the Movement Pawn cup is empty (16.5), the Cop player gets the next turn. He rolls only the blue and white dice. The Cop player's options are to bribe a Cop (thus ensuring his loyalty), start a new Cop, or move an existing one. In addition, after moving or bribing his Cop, he may move all Public pieces currently on board a number of spaces equal to the white die.
17.4 REWARDS: The Cop player earns a reward equal to the base cost of each gangster it eliminates in a Shootout. He also earns money equal to the base cost of any Joint which he reduces in a Raid.
EXAMPLE: Each Vamp/Siren equals $300. Two Thugs of a four-Thug Gang are worth $300 + $400 = $700. Two Thugs of a five-Thug Gang are worth $400 + $500 = $900.
17.5 BRIBING: All payments to bribe a Cop go to the Bank-not to the Cop player.
17.6 VICTORY: The Cop player wins by having $10,000 and at least one loyal Cop piece (whose round Bribe badge he controls) in play at the end of his turn.
18. Player Notes
GANGSTERS is a far cry from your average game of real estate acquisition. The following tips may prove useful to the novice in deciding how best to approach the game.
The most important thing to remember is the Victory Conditions. Depending on the number and temperament of the players, the game can be won quickly in a relatively bloodless coup or continue seemingly forever in a never-ending series of gang wars in which players constantly deprive each other of victory.
There are three paths to victory. The simplest is to amass $10,000 in cash. Because cash holdings are secret, a discreet player can approach victory with no one the wiser and declare the end of the game. Unfortunately, the old adage it takes money to make money is true here and you will be constantly tempted to spend your loot on more property, gangsters, bribes or equipment. And if you resist that urge to spend, your gang may be rubbed out by stronger opponents who were less restrained in their buying habits. Survival in GANGSTERS often requires straying from one's best intentions to save for a rainy day.
Gaining a monopoly on a particular color of property is the next likeliest route to a win, and can be as easy as holding onto the four red properties simultaneously. Unfortunately, these properties are scarce, expensive, and attract a lot of attention. Anyone with aims on all of them better be prepared for a gang war because he is sure to be attacked. The other property types grow less conspicuous as their frequency increases, but with their declining cost comes the increasingly difficult job of defending one's far flung enterprises. Nevertheless, if the opposition isn't alert to the possibilities, sometimes a victory can be stolen with a monopoly in the mid-range properties before anyone realizes the game is over.
Ownership of any ten properties is the most difficult path to the winner's circle because your receding pile of Joint markers is a constant reminder of how close you are to claiming a win. And with that many properties, it is very difficult to defend them all because defense inevitably involves improving each property to secure additional Guards. Each additional Guard costs at least one turn to obtain.
When all is said and done, however, there is no guaranteed lane to the finish line. The best way to win will vary from game to game based on the temperament of the players. All other things being equal, if play is relatively unaggressive, he who can resist the urge to spend will fare best. On the other hand, if the mood of the game turns ugly, he who tends to slide by with the least investment is an easy mark.