Speakeasy
Speakeasy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- What will you do in the game?
- Credits
- Components
- Setup
- Player Setup
- Setup Round (1920)
- Key Concepts
- Gameplay
- Common Actions and Effects
- Play one Operations card
- Increase an Operations level
- Increase your Strength level
- Discard any Operations card to increase an Operations level once more
- Increasing your Infamy
- Discard one Operations card
- Take an Operations card
- Produce barrels
- Sell barrels
- Hire one or more Goons
- Gain one Family Member
- Locations
- Person of Interest
- Actions
- Contractor Office (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- City Planning Office (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- Garage (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- City Hall (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- Commission (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- Docks (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 1 in a 2-player game)
- Restaurant (No limit for the number of Capos that can be sent)
- Park (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
- 4. Final Scoring Round (ACT 4)
- Tips
- Variant
- Cards and Tiles Description
What will you do in the game?
In Speakeasy, you will take on the role of a savvy mobster Boss, managing and operating your speakeasy businesses in Manhattan during this exciting and dangerous time.
But running a Speakeasy empire is no easy task, and you'll need to use all your cunning and resources to stay ahead of the competition. As you improve your operations, become more infamous, and upgrade to more lavish Nightclubs and even Casinos, you'll attract the attention of the outside mafia and the cops. You must use your leverage to keep your business running and receive your share from Lucky Luciano.
You can associate with outside mobsters and even attack and rob Rum-runners to gain valuable resources and an edge over your rivals.
You'll need to manage your cards carefully, placing your Capos strategically to deliver illicit liquor. You'll need to hire goons to help you take over Manhattan. You will cook your books to fill up your safes with tax-free money by achieving goals.
The ultimate goal is simple: accumulate the most money and become the most successful mobster in the city. Do you have what it takes to rise to the top of the speakeasy scene and take over Manhattan during Prohibition? It's time to grab your fedora and find out in Speakeasy.
Winning condition
The winner is the player who accumulates the most money during the game.
Speakeasy is a worker placement, card management, and area control game driven by goals.
Players gain and spend money during the game for various notable tasks: Bootlegging to gain money by selling liquor, "cooking the books" to collect money based on goals, opening buildings or taking over other Mobster Speakeasies, upgrading Speakeasies into Nightclubs or Casinos, attacking and robbing Rum-runners, and controlling districts.
Credits
Game Design: Vital Lacerda
Game Art: Ian O'Toole
Graphic Design & 3D Illustrations: Ian O'Toole
Game Developer: Shelley Danielle
Solo Version: Vital Lacerda, Shelley Danielle & Dávid Turczi
Rulebook Layout & 3D Illustrations: Vital Lacerda
English Rules Writing and Editing: Phil Pettifer
Proofreading: Ori Avtalion, Alex Colby, Marcos Avlonitis, Shelley Danielle, Scott Tepper and many members from Vital's Discord
Project Manager: Randal Lloyd
©2026 Eagle-Gryphon Games, Inc.
Components
All components are limited, except money.
- 1 Double-sided Main board
- 4 Operations boards, and 4 Safe screens
- 1 City Docks board
- 1 Mobster board
- 4 Player Aids
- 4 Operations and 1 Strength markers per player
- 4 Turn Order markers (1 in each player color)
- 4 Infamy markers (1 in each player color)
- 4 Associate markers (1 in each player color)
- 40 Books (10 in each player color)
- 12 Player Zone Control markers (3 in each player color)
- 16 Capos (4 in each player color)
- 48 Family Members (12 in each player color)
- 4 Stills (1 in each player color)
- 32 Player Speakeasies (8 in each player color)
- 12 Nightclubs (3 in each player color)
- 12 Casinos (3 in each player color)
- 8 Trucks (2 in each player color)
- 24 Mobster Speakeasies, and 3 Mobster Zone Control markers
- 20 Mobster tiles in 4 decks (6XA, 4XB, 4XC, and 6XD)
- 16 Mobster District tiles, and 20 Mobster Strength tiles
- 4 Rum-runner Ships and 7 Port tiles
- 24 Goons and 40 Barrels
- 16 Cops, and 16 Cop District tiles
- 12 VIP Room Operations cards
- 12 Party Operations cards
- 12 Stills Operations cards
- 12 Fleet Operations cards
- 21 Helper cards
- 20 Leverage tokens
- 9 Zone Goal tiles
- 21 Central Park Goal tiles (7 each of A, B, and C)
- 54 City tiles
- 18 Crate tiles
- Money denominations
- 5 Blocked District markers (Solo, 2 & 3-player only)
Setup
Place the main board in the middle of the table with the side for your player count (1/2 or 3/4), indicated in the top left corner of the board with this symbol.
The main board shows Manhattan, consisting of Central Park and three Zones: Downtown (on the left), Midtown (in the middle), Uptown (on the right), and 16 districts (6 each in Downtown and Midtown, and 4 in Uptown). Each district has 2 building spaces, except in Uptown where they have 3 (2 in a 2-player game).
In 2-player games:
Shuffle the Mobster District tiles face down.
One at a time, reveal a tile and place a Blocked District marker in the corresponding district. Exactly two districts in Downtown, two districts in Midtown, and one district in Uptown should contain Blocked District markers. Therefore, once you have reached the limit for a Zone, ignore any other Mobster District tile you reveal in that Zone and reveal another tile instead.
Place the five Mobster District tiles that represent blocked districts back in the game box. Place any other revealed tiles face down with the remaining Mobster District tiles.
Mobsters
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Place the Mobster board next to the main board as shown.
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Place the Mobster Strength tiles and the Mobster Speakeasies next to the board to form a supply.
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Separate the Mobster tiles in decks by letter. In a 2-player game, first, shuffle all Mobster tiles with the letter A, and return two randomly to the game box.
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Shuffle the Mobster District tiles face down. Take the 6 Mobster tiles (4 in a 2-player game) for Setup (showing the letter A on the left top corner). For each Mobster tile, reveal one Mobster District tile, and place the related Mobster, City side up, on the related district of the Mobster board. Place the revealed Mobster District tiles back in the game box.
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For each Mobster tile on the Mobster board, take a Mobster Strength tile with a value matching the strength of the Mobster (shown in the brown box) and place it number side up on the Mobster Strength space (the gun) in the district indicated by the district number shown above the Mobster tile on the Mobster board.
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For each district with a Mobster Strength tile, place a Mobster Speakeasy from the supply next to each building space in the district (they are placed next to the buildings space just to keep the City tiles visible). Two Speakeasies for a district in Downtown or Midtown, three for a district in Uptown (only two in a 2-player game).
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From the remaining Mobster District tiles, reveal 3 random tiles (2 in a 2-player game) placing them face down (red side up), on the Mobster Strength space (the gun), in the districts with the same number.
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Place the rest of the Mobster District tiles as shown on the Time track area, face down, in a stack of 3 tiles, and another stack of 4 tiles as indicated on the board (a stack of 2 and another one of 3 in a 2-player game).
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Place one Mobster Zone Control marker on the bottom most space of each Zone Control track - Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown.
Cops
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Shuffle the Cop District tiles face down and reveal 4 of them. For each, place a Cop in the indicated district. Place the revealed Cop District tiles back in the game box. In a 2-player game, Cops may be placed in blocked districts.
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Reveal another 4 Cop District tiles and place them face down on the Cop spaces in the indicated districts on the main board.
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With the remaining Cop District tiles make 2 stacks of 4, and place them face down as shown on the Time track area.
City tiles
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Mix the City tiles together face down. For each building space on the main board, place a random City tile face up on that space. In a 2-player game, do not place City tiles in districts containing a Blocked District marker.
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From the remaining tiles, place 3 tiles face up on the indicated spaces of the rightmost column in the City tile display on the main board. Make 3 face down piles with the remaining tiles and place them on the shown spaces of the leftmost column, leaving the middle column empty.
Zone Goal tiles
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Shuffle the Zone Goal tiles face down, take the top tile and place it face up on the indicated space in Downtown.
a. Reveal tiles one at a time from the top of the stack of tiles until you reveal one with a different number from the tile placed in Downtown. Place that tile on the indicated space in Midtown.
b. In a similar way, reveal more tiles until one with a different number to both the tile in Downtown and the tile in Midtown. Place that tile on the indicated space in Uptown.
c. Return the remaining Zone Goal tiles to the game box (including those revealed but not placed, if any).
Central Park Goal tiles
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Separate the Central Park Goal tiles into 3 stacks based on their backs: A, B, and C. Shuffle each stack separately.
a. Take the top tile from stack A and place it on the first (leftmost) space in Central Park. Reveal a second tile from the top of stack A and place it on the second space in Central Park.
b. In a similar way, reveal tiles from the top of stack B until you have revealed two with numbers different from both of the A tiles placed in Central Park, and from each other. Place these two tiles on the third and fourth spaces in Central Park.
c. Finally, reveal tiles from the top of stack C until you have revealed one with a different number from all of the tiles already placed in Central Park. Place this tile on the fifth (rightmost) space in Central Park.
d. Return the remaining Central Park Goal tiles to the game box (including those revealed but not placed, if any).
Operations and Helper cards
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Separate the Operations cards into four decks based on their type: VIP Room, Party, Stills, and Fleet. Shuffle each Operations deck separately, deal one card from each deck to each player, and then place the four decks face up next to the Main board.
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Shuffle the Helper cards and place them face down next to the main board. Take the top three cards and place them face up in a display next to the Helper deck.
City Docks board and Rum-runners
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Place the City Docks board to the left of the main board.
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Place 5 barrels on each Rum-runner Ship in the spaces indicated.
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Shuffle the Crate tiles and place one face up on the indicated space of each Rum-runner Ship. Place the stack of remaining tiles face up next to the City Docks board.
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Shuffle the Port tiles face down. For each Rum-runner Ship, reveal a Port tile and place the Ship for that Rum-runner on the port indicated by the tile. After all Ships have been placed, return all Port tiles to the game box.
Supply
- Make a supply of barrels, Cops, money, Leverage tokens, and Goons next to the board.
Player Setup
Each player chooses a color, and takes an Operations board, Safe screen, and Player tray containing their chosen color. The Player tray holds: 4 Operations markers, 1 Strength marker, 1 Infamy marker, 1 Turn Order marker, 3 Zone Control markers, 4 Capos, 12 Family Members, 10 Books, 2 Trucks, 1 Associate marker, 1 Stills, 8 Speakeasies, 3 Nightclubs, 3 Casinos.
Also take: 1 Goon, 1 Player Aid.
A. Each player should also have the 4 Operations cards, 1 from each deck, that were dealt to them earlier.
Your Operations board:
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Place 1 Operations marker on the level 1 (leftmost) space of each Operations Level track and your Strength marker on the level 1 (leftmost) space of your Strength level track.
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Place your Capos, Stills, Speakeasies, Nightclubs, and Casinos in the appropriate spaces. Make sure the Stills is on the correct space.
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Place the Goon on your $0 Goon space.
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Place your Associate marker on the Associate space.
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Place one of your Trucks next to your Operations board and the other under the Fleet operations as shown.
Your Safe screen:
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Stand your Safe screen up next to your Operations board.
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Place $15 in front of you next to the safe, and $30 behind your Safe screen so that no other player can see it.
On the Main board:
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Place 1 Zone Control marker on the bottom-most space of each Zone Control track - Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown.
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Place your Infamy marker on the 5 space of the Infamy track. This shows the total of your 4 Operations and Strength levels.
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Place one Family Member to the left of the level 8 space, and another to the left of the level 14 space on the Infamy track.
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Leave all of your other game components next to your Operations board for now.
In a 2-player game, after determining turn order, place one of your Family Members from your supply on any empty space at the Docks on the Main board in reverse turn order. Gain the benefit of that space indicated to the right of the Docks. See the player aid for the benefits.
Setup Round (1920)
The last player who had an "illegal drink" is the starting player and places their Turn Order marker on the leftmost space on the top row of the Turn Order track. In clockwise order, each other player places their Turn Order marker on the leftmost empty space of the same track.
In a 3-player game, place a Blocked District marker covering the fourth spaces of both rows. These spaces are not used.
In reverse turn order (starting with the player whose Turn Order marker is to the right of all others), each player:
Choose your Stills or one of your Speakeasies to open:
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Using the $15 placed in front of you, pay the cost of the Stills or Speakeasy you are opening, as indicated below it on your Operations board ($3, $5, or $8).
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Place the Stills or Speakeasy you are opening on an empty building space on the Main board.
Note: An empty building space is one without a player's building on it or a Mobster Speakeasy next to it. It may have a City tile on it.
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Gain the City tile on the chosen building space, placing it on one of the four spaces for City tiles on your Operations board.
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Gain the benefit shown on your Operations board below the space of the Stills or Speakeasy you just opened. See your Player Aid for an explanation of each benefit.
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Play an Operations card from your hand, sliding it in the matching Operations slot on the top of your Operations board for that type of Operations card. Immediately gain the benefit shown in the icon above the dashed line on the top left corner of the card. You do not draw a card as usual.
Note: When you play an Operations card at any other time in the game, you also perform its action shown below the dashed line of the top left corner of the card, however, you do not during the Setup Round. Be aware that this particular card does not offer any benefit.
Key Concepts
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (ratified on January 16, 1919), prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors. By the terms of the amendment, the country went dry one year later, on January 17, 1920.
Operations levels
The Operations markers on your Operations board indicate the level of each Operation (from 1 to 5):
- VIP Room: Expands the VIP area capacity for Family Members.
- Party: Increases the number of barrel sales.
- Stills: Increases barrel production once you have an Operating Stills.
- Fleet: Extends your Truck's delivery range and number of Trucks in your fleet.
Operating buildings
A building is Operating if either (or both) of the following is true:
- There is no Cop in the same district as the building.
- The building is protected by a Family Member.
GOLDEN RULE: A non-Operating building is the same as a non-existent building.
If the building is not Operating, it cannot receive, produce, distribute, or sell barrels. It does not count for the Payout Zone Control (pg. 10), nor to the Final Scoring round (pg. 20).
In the game, only the Crate tiles and Central Park Goal tiles with this symbol break the GOLDEN RULE: you may achieve the goal without having the building Operating.
Associated Mobsters
Associating with a Mobster allows you to use them to increase your Attack strength when taking over other Mobsters' Speakeasies as well as increasing your defense strength when defending your buildings during a Mob War. You must pay your Associate's fee each time you use them.
Goons
Goons help you while attacking or defending. Each Goon you return to the supply temporarily increases your attack or defense strength by 1. The cost of hiring a Goon is shown on its space on your Operations board. When returning a Goon to the supply, you must always return the highest cost Goon.
Family Members
Family Members are your trusty soldiers. They assist in protecting your buildings in Manhattan, allowing you to run your businesses. They also have the role of attacking Ships at the Docks. You can gain them through various actions, benefits on your Operations board, Infamy track, Helper cards, and City tiles.
Statuses: Waiting to be assigned; Protecting a building; Preparing an ambush to attack a Rum-runner Ship.
Attacking and defending
Mobsters may attack players' buildings during a Mob War, and players may attack Mobsters' Speakeasies and Rum-runner Ships while performing their actions. In all cases, for an attack to be successful, the Attack strength must exceed the defense strength.
Example:
Green is on the offensive, targeting a Mobster-controlled Speakeasy. The Mobster's strength stands at 5. For Green's attack to prevail, she must gather an Attack strength of at least 6.
In another scenario, a Mobster sets their sights on Purple's Casino. The Mobster's Attack strength registers at 7. Purple only needs a defense strength of 7 to fend off the Mobster's assault.
Laundering money
Money in front of you ("cash in your pocket") and money behind your Safe screen ("in your safe") may be spent at any time, but the money in your safe must be "laundered" at a 2-to-1 ratio to do so. For example, using your safe money to spend $1 requires you to actually spend $2 from your safe.
Blocked districts (2-player game only)
A district containing a Blocked District marker may not be built in. Any port in the district may still be used, Trucks may still enter and leave the district as normal, and a Cop may still be placed in the district.
Gameplay
Prohibition lasted 13 years, from 1920 to 1933. The total rounds you play in the game equals the number of years the prohibition law lasted. This includes the Setup Round, 11 player rounds, and the Final Scoring Round.
The game is divided into 4 ACTS, each made up of phases. Phase 2 of each ACT consists of a number of player rounds and is where you will spend most of your time playing the game. During this phase, players send their Capos to "talk" with Persons of Interest, and then perform the actions at that Location. There are four player rounds in ACT 1, three each in ACTS 2 and 3, and just one in ACT 4, totaling 11 player rounds.
At the end of ACTS 1 to 3 there is a Lucky Luciano Phase. At the end of ACT 4 there is a Final Scoring round.
ACT structure
Perform the following phases for each ACT:
- RETURN CAPOS (ACTS 2/3/4)
- PLAYER ROUNDS (4/3/3/1 rounds in ACTS 1/2/3/4)
- LUCKY LUCIANO PHASE (ACTS 1/2/3) 3.1. Mob War 3.2. Cops Patrol Manhattan 3.3. Payout Zone Control
- FINAL SCORING ROUND (Only in ACT 4)
1. Return Capos (ACTS 2/3/4)
"Capo" is an Italian word that means "head" and was often used to refer to high-ranking members of Italian-American organized crime groups like the Mafia. These individuals were responsible for overseeing various criminal activities, including bootlegging and illegal alcohol distribution, during Prohibition.
At the start of ACT 1 each player has 4 Capos to play.
At the start of ACT 2 (1925), return 3 of your Capos from the main board to your Operations board, and send the remaining 1 to the game box.
At the start of ACT 3 (1928), return your 3 Capos from the main board to your Operations board.
At the start of ACT 4 (1931), return only 1 of your Capos from the main board to your Operations board and send the remaining 2 to the game box.
On each ACT you keep playing until no more Capos are left on your Operations board.
2. Player Rounds (ACTS 1/2/3/4)
Each player round, in turn order, each player takes one turn. The order in which players take turns is determined by the order of their Turn Order markers on the upper row of the Turn Order track, starting with the marker on the leftmost space and proceeding to the right.
On your turn, follow these steps in order:
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You may gain the benefit indicated on the lower half of one Helper card in front of you; and then place it behind your Safe screen. You may not use that Helper card again.
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You MUST send one of your Capos to "talk" to a Person of Interest at one of the eight locations (Docks, City Hall, Restaurant, Commission, Contractor and City Planning offices, Garage, or Park): Place the Capo on a Person of Interest without a Capo on it and perform the actions of that person. Each person "talks" with only one Capo during each ACT.
Exception: There is no limit to the number of Capos that may be sent to the Restaurant.
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Draw the top card from any of the four Operations decks. (There isn't a hand limit).
Example: In the previous turn, Blue altered his turn order from the 4th position to the 2nd position by moving his token to the lower row. Purple, initially in the 1st position, shifted her turn order to the 3rd position. At the round's conclusion (after each player has taken a turn and placed a Capo), the turn order for the next round is adjusted. Players with their tokens on the upper row must adapt their positions to accommodate the selected positions of players on the lower row. In the given scenario, Green shifts to the right to yield his position to Purple, and Yellow to the left to give her position to Blue. In the subsequent round, the play order will be: Yellow, Blue, Purple, Green.
Note: In a 3-player game the 4th space is not used.
Turn Order
At the end of each round, if the turn order has changed (see Restaurant action on page 19):
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Each player gains $3 in their pocket (cash) for each Operating Casino they have ($5 in a 2-player game). This is applied to all players.
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Retaining the current order, adjust each Turn Order marker on the upper row of the track, so that the spaces directly below them are vacant.
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Move any Turn Order markers located on the lower row of the Turn Order track up, to occupy the corresponding positions on the upper row.
3. Lucky Luciano Phase (ACTS 1/2/3)
Luciano was instrumental in creating a powerful criminal organization known as the Commission. The Commission was a coalition of top mob bosses from different crime families that controlled various territories across the United States. Manhattan was just one of these territories.
As a reward for their efforts and loyalty, the crime families received a share of the profits generated by their respective territories. Their income was determined based on their success in running their criminal enterprises, making the Prohibition Era a time of immense wealth and power for organized crime in Manhattan.
In this phase, more Mobsters and Cops will enter Manhattan, and players will receive money based on how much control they have in each of the 3 Zones.
3.1. Mob War
Under the Commission guidelines to maintain order and prevent newcomers from encroaching their controlled areas, any unauthorized attempt to establish a presence was met with hostility.
Without looking, shuffle the stack of Mobster tiles for this ACT, indicated by the letter on the top left corner of the tile (B in ACT 1, C in ACT 2, D in ACT 3).
Repeat the following steps a number of times equal to the number of face down Mobster District tiles in districts on the Main board (3/3/4 for ACTS 1/2/3. In a 2-player game 2/2/3).
a. Starting with the lowest numbered of these districts, place the topmost Mobster tile of the shuffled stack, City face up, on the related district of the Mobster board.
b. Swap the Mobster District tile with a Mobster Strength tile with a value matching the strength of the Mobster tile (shown in the brown box). Place the Mobster District tile back in the game box.
c. Place a Mobster Speakeasy next to each empty building space in the district (if any).
Example: The Mobster tile 'Carlo Gambino' is taken from the top of the Mobster tile stack and placed on district 14 of the Mobster board. The Mobster District tile in district 14 is swapped with a Mobster Strength tile of value 7 and the Mobster District tile is then placed back in the game box. This Mobster has a Mob War strength of 8 (7+1).
Mob War strength of a Mobster
Each newly placed Mobster on the Mobster board attacks every player building in their respective district. The Mob War strength of a Mobster is equal to the sum of its strength (shown in the brown box) plus its strength modifier (shown below in the red box).
Example: The Mob War strength of Birdie Brown is 7 (strength 6 plus the strength modifier +1).
Building defense strength
Your Building defense strength is equal to the sum of your strength, indicated on the yellow track on your Operations board, plus any modifiers you add:
- You may return any number of your Goons to the supply to add 1 for each returned this way.
- If you have an Associate Mobster, you may choose to pay them to add that Mobster's strength. To do so, pay the amount shown on the left of the Mobster tile on your Operations board.
These modifiers only apply to the defense strength of the building you are currently defending, not all of your buildings in that district.
d. Defending a Mobster attack
If there are any player buildings in that district, in turn order, each player must decide if they want to defend or not, each of their buildings in that district.
To defend a building, you must equal or exceed the Mob War strength of the Mobster with your Building defense strength (see previous column).
Each of your buildings you are able to defend remains on the board. Each of your buildings you do not successfully defend are removed from the game along with any Family Member protecting it. Return any barrels next to the removed building, (in the case of the Stills, on your Operations board) back to the supply. Then a Mobster Speakeasy is placed on that building space.
If the Mobster does not place any Speakeasies in the attacked district (because there were no empty building spaces and all player buildings were defended), remove the Mobster tile from the game, and flip the Mobster Strength tile in the district face down. Mobsters on the board from previous ACTS stay in play, even if all their Speakeasies are lost. Once there are no more Mobster District tiles remaining for this ACT, place any remaining Mobster tiles for this ACT back in the game box.
Warning: The Mob War strength of the Mobsters entering Manhattan increases with each ACT: ACT 1: 6 to 8 strength, ACT 2: 8 to 10 strength, ACT 3: 10 to 12 strength.
Mobster Tile
Each Mobster tile shows: Tile number, Mobster name, Year of birth, Year of death, Cost of help, Mobster strength, Strength modifier during Mob War (Mob War strength), and (on its Associate side) a Bonus once Associate and Cost of help.
Example: Within district 14 there is a Speakeasy owned by Purple and a Casino owned by Blue. Purple, being earlier in turn order, must decide whether to defend her building first. Her strength is 2, and she has an Associate, Waxey Gordon with a strength of 4. She also has 1 Goon. Even if she pays $5 to her Associate, and returns her Goon to the supply, she only reaches a Building defense strength of 7 (2 + 4 + 1). Consequently, she is not able to defend her Speakeasy; her Speakeasy is removed from the game along with the Family Member that is protecting it, and a Mobster Speakeasy is placed on that building space instead.
Now, it is Blue's turn to defend. He has a strength of 4 and 4 Goons, but does not have an Associate Mobster. He decides to defend his Casino by returning all 4 of his Goons to the supply, giving him a defense strength of 8 (4 + 4); his Casino remains on the board.
Since a Mobster Speakeasy was placed in the district, the Mobster tile of Carlo Gambino stays on the Mobster board, and the tile with Gambino's strength of 7 is kept face up on the district.
Prepare the next Mob War
If you are on ACT 1, flip the stack of 3 Mobster District tiles on the Main board and place them face down on the related districts on top of the strength spaces (gun). If you are on ACT 2, flip the remaining 4 Mobster District tiles and do the same. (2/3 in a 2-Player game).
3.2. Cops Patrol Manhattan
Prohibition officers, in collaboration with local law enforcement, raided warehouses stocked with whiskey, dismantled illicit distilleries, destroyed numerous liquor bottles, wielded axes on beer barrels, and poured the contents into drains and sewers.
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Replace each Cop District tile on the board with a Cop. Place the Cop District tiles back in the game box.
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If you are on ACTs 1 and 2, take one of the stacks of four Cop District tiles from the Time track, reveal them and place them face down in the indicated districts.
3.3. Payout Zone Control
Lucky Luciano ensured that each Mobster received a fair share of the overall revenue based on their performance and the efficiency of their operations.
Ensure all Zone Control markers (Mobsters' and Players') are on the bottommost space of their respective Zone Control tracks.
In order of district number, check who controls each district:
- The player with the best building (see hierarchy diagram below) with a Family Member next to it, controls the district. If there is a tie for the best building with a Family Member next to it, all tied players control the district.
- Otherwise, if there is neither a Cop in the district, nor a Family Member, the player with the best building in the district controls the district. If there is a tie for the best building, all tied players control the district.
The number of buildings a player has does not matter, only each player's best Operating building (see Key Concepts, Operating buildings and Golden Rule).
Each player who controls the district moves their Zone Control marker up one space on the Zone Control track for the Zone the district is in.
- Otherwise, if no player has an Operating building in the district and there are one or more Mobster Speakeasies in the district, the district is Mobster-controlled (Cops don't affect the Mobsters' Speakeasies): move the Mobster Zone Control marker up one space on the Zone Control track for the Zone the district is in.
- Otherwise the district is not controlled by anyone.
Example 1: There is only district 12 left to finish the Zone Control check in Midtown. A Cop has entered district 12. There is a Mobster Speakeasy, and a Yellow Casino, but because it does not have a Family Member protecting it against the Cop, the Mobster controls the district. Advance the Mobster's marker one space up on the Zone Control track.
Example 2: After checking Downtown and Midtown, it's time to check who controls Uptown. Starting with the lowest district number, district 13, there is no Cop in it. Yellow has a Speakeasy and Green has a Nightclub, so Green controls the district. Green advances his marker one space up on the Zone Control track. In district 14, Yellow has a Nightclub and a Speakeasy and Blue has a Nightclub. All buildings are operating. Both Yellow and Blue are in control of the district. The number of buildings does not matter, only each player's best Operating building. Both players increase their marker one step up the on Zone Control track.
Example 3: District 15 has no Cop, there are 2 Mobster Speakeasies and the Purple Stills. Purple controls the district, and advances her marker one space up on the Zone Control track. District 16 has a Cop, and a Mobster Speakeasy. Blue has a Speakeasy protected by a Family Member, and Green has a Casino which is not protected. Blue controls the district because the Green Casino is not operating. Blue advances their marker one space up on the Uptown Zone Control track.
District Control Hierarchy
Family Member Present > Operating Casino > Operating Nightclub > Operating Speakeasy > Operating Stills > Mobster Speakeasy.
Notes:
- The number of buildings in the district does not matter.
- The Family Member always wins. In a tie, follow the building Hierarchy.
- Mobster Speakeasies are not affected by Cops.
- Remember the GOLDEN RULE: A non-Operating building is the same as a non-existent building.
Lucky Luciano payout
For each Zone, receive money from the supply to your safe based on your position on its Zone Control track, according to the Lucky Luciano payout chart next to the track. The player with the highest Zone Control marker on the track receives the 1st place payout, the player with the second highest marker receives the 2nd place payout, and so forth.
Include the Mobster Zone Control marker when determining your position. In case of a tie, tied players receive the lowest payout value among the tied positions. If you do not control any district, you are ineligible for the payout.
Designer Note: The simplest method to determine your payout position is by counting the number of Zone Control markers positioned above and within the same space as yours on the track, including both the Mobster's and your own markers. This total indicates your payout position.
Example 1: After assessing Midtown, Mobsters and Green are tied for controlling the most districts, resulting in a payout of $15 (with 2 markers occupying the top position). Yellow and Purple are tied for the second most, thus each receiving a payout of $5 (with 4 markers positioned above and in the same place, indicating the 4th position).
Example 2: In Example 2 for Uptown Zone Control, Blue controls the most districts, earning $45 to their safe. Yellow, Green, and Purple find themselves tied for the second-most districts controlled, resulting in a payout of $20 each (with a total of 4 markers positioned above, and in the same place, indicating the 4th position).
Common Actions and Effects
The following are common actions and effects, performed when you send a Capo for a "talk" at a location, play an Operations card, or at various other times in the game.
Play one Operations card
Play an Operations card from your hand to the designated area of your Operations board, depending on the card's type. The symbol to the left indicates you may play an Operations card of any type.
- If there is already an Operations card in that area, discard it, face up, to the bottom of the appropriate Operations deck.
- Place the card you are playing in the designated area. If you are playing a Stills Operations card and there are barrels in your Stills area, move them to the new card.
- Gain the benefit indicated in the top left corner of the card you are playing (above the dashed line).
- Perform the action of the card you are playing: a. VIP Room Card: Get Protection (see Locations, City Hall). b. Party Card: Sell barrels from buildings (see Locations, Contractor Office). c. Stills Card: Produce barrels (see Locations, Contractor Office). d. Fleet Card: Pick up and deliver barrels (see Locations, Garage).
Increase an Operations level
When you increase an Operations level by 1, move the appropriate Operations marker one space to the right. You may only increase an Operations level to level 5 if you discard an Operations card (of any type). You may not increase an Operations level beyond level 5. Each time you increase an Operations level, also increase your Infamy by the same amount.
Increase your Strength level
When you increase your Strength level by 1, move your Strength marker one space to the right. You may only increase your Strength level to 4 if you also discard any Operations card. You may only increase your Strength level to 5 if you also discard any two Operations cards. You may not increase your Strength level beyond 5.
Each time you increase your Strength level, also increase your Infamy by the same amount.
Discard any Operations card to increase an Operations level once more
You may discard any one Operations card to increase the indicated Operations level by 1. The type of Operations card does not need to match the type of Operations Level being increased. If this increase brings your Operations level to 5, you still must discard the necessary additional Operations card.
Example: Purple played a Fleet card, utilizing the benefit specified at the top of the card. Consequently, she increases her Fleet Operations Level by one space. Now, she opts to discard another card, further advancing the same Operations Level to the 4th space, thus amplifying her Fleet range from 3 to 4.
Increasing your Infamy
Each time you increase the level of one of your operations or strength, immediately advance your Infamy marker on the Infamy track by the same amount. The position of your Infamy marker is always equal to the sum of all of your Operations levels plus your strength and so may be checked at any time.
The position of your Infamy marker on the Infamy track indicates the amount you may sell your barrels for. Additionally, upon reaching certain spaces, you gain the benefit shown (a Family Member, Helper card, Operations card, or new spaces to place Cooked Books).
Discard one Operations card
When you Discard an Operations card it must be from your hand. Operations cards on your Operations board cannot be discarded this way, they can only be replaced. When you discard an Operations card, place it face up at the bottom of the appropriate Operations deck.
Take an Operations card
You may draw the top card from any Operations deck.
Produce barrels
You must have an Operating Stills on the main board to perform this action.
Place the number of barrels indicated below your Stills Operations marker onto your Stills area on your Operations board (a Stills card is not required).
Sell barrels
Sell a number of barrels that are next to your Operating buildings up to the limit indicated below your Party Operations marker.
The amount you sell each barrel for depends on the position of your Infamy marker, and the type of building you are selling the barrel at:
Locate the barrel space highest up the Infamy track that your marker is on or has passed.
If you are selling at a Speakeasy, use the lower of the two amounts shown on that space. If you are selling at a Nightclub or Casino, use the higher of the two amounts shown. You cannot sell barrels to Stills.
Return the sold barrels to the supply. The money goes to your hand (cash).
Example: Blue is able to sell 2 barrels. His Infamy marker has reached space 12 on the Infamy track, he will earn $15 for the barrel from his Operating Speakeasy and $20 for the barrel sold from his Operating Nightclub.
Hire one or more Goons
For each Goon you hire, pay the cost shown in the cheapest empty Goon space on your Operations board ($0 to $5) and place a Goon from the supply onto that space.
The cost of the hired Goons is $3.
Gain one Family Member
Each time you gain a Family Member, you must immediately place them in either your VIP area or send them to the Docks:
A: Place a Family Member in your VIP area
Choose an empty space in your VIP area to place the Family Member. Your VIP area may never contain more Family Members than the value shown below your VIP Room Operations marker.
B: Send them to the Docks
Choose an empty space in the Docks to place the Family Member and gain the benefit indicated to the right of the row you placed them in.
Each time you place a Family Member in the Docks, you may immediately move any other Family Members you already have there to other empty spaces in the Docks. You do not receive a benefit for moving a Family Member.
Locations
Each location has between 1 and 3 Persons of Interest.
A Capo may only be sent to "talk" with an available person, with the exception of the Restaurant; there is no limit to the number of Capos that may be sent there. You can send your Capos to different persons in the same location.
Person of Interest
Each Person of Interest will allow you to perform several actions when your Capo is sent to talk to them.
Actions shown in a box are associated with the location, and are performed when a Capo is sent to talk to any person at that location. Other actions are specific to a person and are performed only when a Capo is sent to talk to a person in the same column as that action.
The actions of the chosen person must be resolved from top to bottom. The order they are resolved in each row does not matter.
All actions are optional with one exception: discarding an Operations card and changing turn order at the Restaurant.
Actions
Each action is represented by one or more icons. Where the same action icons occur in other places (on Operations cards, City tiles, etc.), you may find descriptions of the action in the location descriptions that follow.
Designer's note: The rules for the locations are written in the order that I think it's better to explain the game. But in the player aid, you can find them in the same order they appear on the board.
Contractor Office (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
Cops may turn a blind eye to Speakeasies emerging in the shadows, their clandestine nature shielding them. Their concern lies in thwarting illegal liquor sales.
Gain one Book
Place a Book from your supply onto the Books space of your Operations board. There is no limit for the number of Books you can hold.
Increase any one of your Operations or Strength levels by 1
Choose any one of your Operations levels or your Strength level and increase it by 1. See "Common Actions and Effects" above.
Gain one Helper card
Take one Helper card from the display and place it face up next to your Operations board. Refill the display with a card from the top of the Helper deck. Helper cards cannot be discarded.
Example 1: Blue decides to open the Stills on a space with no Mobsters. He pays $5, moves the building to the map and gets the City tile from the chosen space. Finally, he gets the benefit of opening the Stills.
At the end of your turn, if you have more than four City tiles on your Operations board, discard down to four by distributing your discarded tiles to the three spaces in the middle column of the City tile display so that they are evenly distributed, starting with any empty spaces. They are now available to draw.
Example 2: Blue decides to open a Speakeasy in district 4. All spaces are occupied by Mobster Speakeasies so he needs to take one over. The Mobster's defense strength in the district is 6, as shown on the Mobster Strength tile. He needs at least 7 Attack strength to take over. His strength is 2, and he has 1 Goon. He discards his Goon and hires his Associate for $5, giving him an Attack strength of 7 (2+1+4). The take over is successful, and the Mobster's Speakeasy is removed from the game. Then Blue follows the normal procedure to open a Speakeasy.
Open a Speakeasy or Stills or Take over a Mobster Speakeasy
Up to 2 times, perform either of the following actions (the same action twice, or 2 different actions).
For each action you perform, you must first pay the cost of the chosen Speakeasy ($3, $5, or $8) or Stills ($5) that you are placing as indicated on your Operations board.
A: Open a Speakeasy or Stills
- Place your chosen Speakeasy or Stills onto an empty building space in any district of Manhattan.
- Move the City tile (if any) on the building space to your Operations board.
- Gain the benefit of the building indicated below its space on your Operations board (see player aid).
Note: You may open a Speakeasy or Stills in a district containing a Cop, but it will not be operating until you protect it with a Family Member.
B: Take over a Mobster Speakeasy
In order to take over a Mobster Speakeasy, you must attack it with greater strength. Your Attack strength is equal to the sum of your strength plus any modifiers you add:
- For each Goon you return to the supply, add 1 strength.
- If you are associated with a Mobster, you may choose to pay them to add that Mobster's strength to your own. To do so, pay the amount shown on the left of the Mobster tile on your Operations board.
Note: You may not take over a Mobster Speakeasy in the district of your Associate Mobster (if any). This is tracked by your Associate marker.
The defense strength of the Mobster Speakeasy is equal to the Mobster Strength tile in the district.
To take over the Mobster Speakeasy, your Attack strength must exceed the Mobster's defense strength. If you cannot exceed its defense strength, you may not take over that Mobster Speakeasy.
- Place your Speakeasy or Stills on the building space. Return the Mobster Speakeasy to the supply.
- Move the City tile (if any) on the building space to your Operations board.
- Gain the benefit indicated below the space your building came from on your Operations board.
Your Speakeasies and Stills are arranged in three groups of 3 buildings on your Operations board: the leftmost 3 Speakeasies, the middle 2 Speakeasies and your Stills, and the rightmost 3 Speakeasies.
After you've placed your third building in a group, and only when you upgrade from one of your Speakeasies to a Nightclub or to a Casino, you will gain a discount equal to the cost of the buildings in that group. This applies for the remainder of the game and the value is indicated below the Speakeasy in the rightmost cleared group. See "Upgrade one of your Speakeasies to a Nightclub or Casino" below.
City Planning Office (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
The opening of casinos and clubs is a grand spectacle of power and corruption, shielded by the blind eye of law enforcement to the shady dealings within.
Important: You may only have at most 1 Nightclub and 1 Casino in each Zone of Manhattan.
Example: On her first action, Purple opts to take over a Speakeasy in district 5. The Mobster's defense strength in the district is 5. To succeed, Purple requires at least 6 Attack strength. Currently, her strength is at 4, and she has 2 Goons. Despite the option to enlist her Associate, Purple chooses to utilize her 2 Goons, providing her with a total Attack strength of 6, enough for the take over. She replaces the Mobster's Speakeasy with her Casino, paying the cost of $17 plus 1 Operations card. However, she finds herself short on funds, with only $10 in her pocket. Consequently, she withdraws $14 from her safe to cover the remaining cost of the Casino. Finally, she transfers the City tile to her board. The Casino does not yield immediate benefits.
Open a Nightclub or Casino, Upgrade one of your Speakeasies to a Nightclub or a Casino, or Take over a Mobster Speakeasy
Up to 2 times, perform either of the following actions (the same action twice, or 2 different actions).
For each action you perform, you must first pay the cost of the Nightclub ($12) or Casino ($17 and discard an Operations card from your hand).
A: Open a Nightclub or Casino
- Choose an empty building space in a Zone (Downtown, Midtown, or Uptown) where you do not already have a building of the type you are opening. Place your Nightclub or Casino onto that building space.
- Move the City tile (if any) on the building space to your Operations board.
- Gain the benefit indicated below the space your building came from on your Operations board.
Note: You may open a Nightclub or Casino in a district containing a Cop, but it will not be operating until you protect it with a Family Member.
Remember: For each Operating Casino you have, you will gain $3 ($5 in a 2-player game) to your pocket (cash) each time the turn order changes at the end of the round.
At the end of your turn, follow the same procedure with the City tiles as explained under Contractor Office above.
B: Upgrade one of your Speakeasies to a Nightclub or Casino
- Choose one of your Speakeasies in a Zone where you do not have a building of the type you are upgrading to. Replace the Speakeasy with your Nightclub or Casino. Remove the Speakeasy from the game.
- Gain the benefit indicated below the space your building came from on your Operations board.
If you are upgrading one of your Speakeasies, and have cleared a group of 3 Speakeasies, or 2 Speakeasies and the Stills on your Operations board, you have a discount equal to the cost of buildings in that group of either $3, $5, or $8, depending on your rightmost cleared group (highest value).
Example: On her second action, Purple intends to upgrade her Speakeasy to a Nightclub in Uptown. However, she realizes that she already has a Nightclub in district 16, which is in the same Zone. Thus, she shifts her focus to upgrading her Speakeasy in district 7 of Midtown. Having already constructed the second group of Speakeasies, she is entitled to a $5 discount for upgrading her Speakeasy into a Nightclub. Despite the discounted cost of $7, she needs to withdraw $14 from her safe to cover the expense. Subsequently, she removes the Speakeasy from the gameboard and replaces it with one of her Nightclubs, gaining the benefit underneath it. Purple already has a Nightclub in Uptown.
C: Take over a Mobster Speakeasy
Follow the same procedure as "Take over a Mobster Speakeasy" explained under Contractor Office above. But in this case you replace the Mobster Speakeasy with your chosen Nightclub or Casino.
Play one Operations card
See "Play an Operations card" above.
Increase any one of your Operations or Strength levels by 1
Choose any one of your Operations levels or your Strength level and increase it by 1. See "Common Actions and Effects" above.
Play one Party card
Play one Party card from your hand to the Party area of your Operations board. See "Play an Operations card" above.
Garage (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
Under secrecy's cloak, bootlegging reigns, a gripping saga of power and deceit, while law enforcement remains complicit in its silence.
Increase any one of your Operations or Strength levels by 1
Choose any one of your Operations levels or your Strength level and increase it by 1. See "Common Actions and Effects" above.
Play one Fleet card and gain a +2 range bonus
Play one Fleet card from your hand to the Fleet area of your Operations board. See "Play an Operations card" above. This action gives you a +2 bonus to each Truck's range during the Fleet card's Pick Up and Deliver barrels action.
Pick Up and Deliver barrels
Your Trucks are used to pick up and deliver barrels to your Operating buildings, so you can sell them. You can pick up barrels from your Operating Stills or buy them from Rum-runner Ships at ports. Each Truck may hold up to two barrels and may only deliver to an Operating building without a barrel next to it. You cannot deliver to Stills.
To Move your Trucks:
- You start the game with one truck available. As soon as your Fleet Operations marker is on or to the right of level 3, your second Truck becomes available for use, (the one below your Operations track).
- Each Truck may enter the map in any district of Manhattan without spending any movement. Once a Truck has been placed on the Main board, it may not leave the map.
- Each Truck has an amount of movement equal to their range. If you have both Trucks, it is recommend to fully move one Truck before moving your other Truck.
The range of each Truck is equal to your Fleet Operations level plus any bonuses you may have:
- +2 range, if you play the Fleet Operations card on your Operations board that gives you that benefit.
- +2 range if you are "talking" with the leftmost Person.
Each Truck spends 1 movement to move into any adjacent district (not diagonally, nor through Central Park, meaning that districts 13 and 15 are not connected with districts 14 and 16).
In a 2-player game, Trucks may move into and out of blocked districts as normal.
Continue moving your Trucks until all movement for each Truck has been used, or you no longer wish to move them.
To Pick Up barrels:
- This can be done during your truck's movement.
- If your Truck is in the district containing your Operating Stills, you may fill it with barrels from your Stills on your Operations board.
- If your Truck is in a district containing a Rum-runner Ship, you may buy barrels from the Ship to fill your Truck. To buy one barrel, pay the amount shown below the rightmost barrel on the corresponding Rum-runner Ship on the City Docks board and place it onto your Truck. If there are no barrels on the Ship, pay the amount shown below the leftmost empty barrel space and load the Truck with a barrel from the supply.
- After buying barrels from a Rum-runner Ship, move the Ship clockwise to the next port without a Rum-runner Ship.
To Deliver barrels:
- This can be done during your trucks movement.
- If your Truck is in a district containing one of your Operating buildings without a barrel next to it, you may take a barrel from your Truck and place it next to the building. A building may never have more than one barrel next to it. Trucks may finish their movement with barrels on them. You cannot deliver to Stills.
Example 1: Yellow's Truck is in district 16. Sandra "Bluie" Daisy's Ship is in the port. Yellow buys 2 barrels, the first one for $5 and a second one for $6. Sandra's Ship moves to the next empty port in district 6. As her Truck is already in a district with one of her Operating Casinos, she delivers one barrel to it without spending any movement. However, Yellow is not able to deliver a barrel to her Nightclub as it is not operating (a Cop is in the district and the building is not protected). With a range of 4 (2 from her Fleet Operations level and 2 from the Fleet Operations card on her Operations board), she spends 3 movement to move her Truck to district 10 and deliver a barrel to her Operating Speakeasy. She skips her last movement.
Example 2: Each of Purple's Trucks has a range of 5: 3 from her Operations level and 2 from the Garage action space. One Truck is in the same district as her Stills (district 8) and she moves her second Truck from her Operations board, to the same district. She has 4 barrels in her Stills (1), loads 2 barrels onto each of her Trucks, then moves one Truck to district 4 and places a barrel next to her empty Speakeasy and another barrel next to her empty Casino (2). For a second movement, she moves the Truck to district 7 and buys 2 barrels from Arnold Rothstein's Ship (3), which then immediately moves to the next empty port. Now Purple moves her Truck to district 9 to deliver a barrel to her empty Speakeasy (4), and then to district 5 to deliver the second barrel to her empty Nightclub (5). Now, she spends 4 movement to move her second Truck to district 15 and delivers a barrel to each of her empty Speakeasies (6). Purple then spends her remaining 1 movement returning to district 13, and buys 2 more barrels from Arnold Rothstein's Ship (7), that just moved there from the previous purchase.
City Hall (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
At City Hall, politicians' pockets grow heavy with underworld bribes, shaping policies behind closed doors.
Gain one Family Member
See "Gain one Family Member" above.
Hire one or more Goons
See "Hire one or more Goons" above.
Gain one Leverage
Gain one Leverage token from the supply and place it next to your Operations board.
Play one VIP Room card
Play one VIP Room card from your hand to the VIP Room of your Operations board. See "Play an Operations card" above.
Get Protection
To run your business freely amid the Prohibition Era's restrictions, you must use Leverage to send Family Members to protect your buildings.
- Send one or more Family Members from your VIP area to one or more of your Manhattan buildings to protect them.
- Each Family Member you send costs an amount of Leverage according to your position on the Turn Order track (4 if you are in a space of the leftmost column, 3 in a space of the next column, and so on).
- You have an amount of Leverage to spend equal to the total of the values in the top right corner of each Operations card on your Operations board. You may also discard one or more of your Leverage tokens to increase this total (each Leverage token you discard adds 1 Leverage. The cards are not discarded).
To send a Family Member to protect a building: take a Family Member from your VIP area and place them in an empty Protection space to the left of one of your buildings.
Example: Yellow has 3 Family Members in their VIP area that may be sent to Protect her buildings. Each Family Member she sends cost 2 Leverage. Yellow has a total of 5 Leverage on her Operations board. One Leverage token and 4 Leverage in the Operations cards. She can protect only 2 buildings for the total cost of 4 Leverage. She does not need to discard her Leverage token to afford this.
Commission (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
In the shadows of the city, the Commission, under the watchful eye of Lucky Luciano, pulls the strings of the criminal underworld.
Gain one Helper card
Take one Helper card from the display and place it face up next to your Operations board. Refill the display with a card from the top of the Helper deck. Helper cards cannot be discarded.
Increase any one of your Operations or Strength levels by 1
Choose any one of your Operations levels or your Strength level and increase it by 1. See "Common Actions and Effects" above.
Gain one Family Member
See "Gain one Family Member" above.
Hire one or more Goons
See "Hire one or more Goons" above.
Get an Associate Mobster
- If you are currently associated with a Mobster, return it to the Mobster's district on the Mobster board (City side up) and then recover your Associate marker from the main board.
- Choose a Mobster from the Mobster board and place your Associate marker in the district of the Mobster you chose to be associated with on the main board.
- Flip the chosen Mobster to the Associate side, and place it on the Associate space of your Operations board.
- Each Mobster from stacks A-C has a power (see "Associate Powers" below), some are immediate, others are ongoing. If the Mobster has an immediate power, gain it now.
"Honor Among Thieves": You may not take over a Mobster Speakeasy in the district of your Associate. This is tracked by your Associate marker.
Docks (2 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 1 in a 2-player game)
Families unleash relentless attacks on Rum-runners, launching daring assaults to retrieve their treasured booze and coveted recipes.
Play a Stills card
Play a Stills card from your hand to the Stills area of your Operations board. See "Play an Operations card" above.
Hire one Goon for Free
Place one Goon from the supply onto the lowest-cost empty Goon space on your Operations board without paying that cost.
Ambush a Rum-runner Ship
Choose one Rum-runner Ship to attack.
The Ship's defense strength of the Rum-runner is the highest value not covered by a barrel for that Ship on the City Docks board.
To attack the Ship, your Attack strength must exceed the Ship's defense strength. If you cannot exceed it, you may not attack that Ship.
To attack a Rum-runner Ship you must have at least one Family Member in the Docks Zone matching the Zone where the Rum-runner Ship is docked.
Your Attack strength is equal to your strength multiplied by the number of your Family Members in the matching Dock's Zone.
You may use any other players' Family Member in the same Dock's Zone to attack, at the cost of $1 as cash from you for each Family Member used. Players cannot refuse the offer. Their Family members have the same Attack strength value of yours.
Finally, you may increase your Attack strength by returning Goons to the supply: for each Goon you return from your Operations board to the supply, add 1.
Note: You may not pay your Associate to increase your Attack strength when attacking a Rum-runner Ship.
"You can't trust an outsider for such a delicate operation."
Example: Blue has one Family Member in the Downtown Docks Zone, while Purple has two. Stephanie St. Clair's Rum-runner Ship is in a port in Downtown. Blue has strength of 4, giving him an Attack strength of 12 if he gets help from the 2 Purple Family Members during the Rum-runner attack. Blue has 2 Goons that he may also use to increase his Attack strength by up to +2. Stephanie St. Clair's Ship has had 2 barrels removed, meaning its Ship's defense strength is 12. In order to successfully attack this Rum-runner Ship, Blue must use both of Purple's Family Members and 1 of his Goons to increase his Attack strength to 13.
Resolve your successful attack
Gain cash for the Crate tile, according to its effect. Flip the tile and place it in front of you. The tile shows an ongoing benefit you have for the rest of the game (see "Crate Tiles" below).
Take the top Crate tile from the Crate tiles stack and place it face up on the Crate space from the Ship you attacked, replacing the tile you took.
Take the rightmost barrel from the Ship you attacked and place it next to one of your Operating buildings anywhere in Manhattan that does not already have a barrel next to it, or on your Stills area if you have an Operating Stills. If you do not have either an Operating building without a barrel next to it, or an Operating Stills, return the barrel to the supply.
If there are no barrels on the Ship, instead take a barrel from the supply.
Take one of your Family Members from the Docks Zone matching the Zone of the Rum-runner Ship you attacked and place it on any empty space in your VIP area. If this would exceed the limit shown by your VIP Room Operations, return the Family Member to your supply instead (they just got shot and fell into the river).
Move the attacked Rum-runner Ship clockwise to the next empty port without a Rum-runner Ship.
Example: To resolve the attack, Blue moves the rightmost barrel to one of his Operating buildings without a barrel, and gets the Crate tile, which earns him cash based on his level on the Fleet track. With a level of 3 on the Fleet track, Blue receives $15 to his hand. The Crate tile is placed face down next to his Operations board, giving him an ongoing increase to his Truck's movement.
Both of Purple's Family Members were utilized to aid in the attack, earning him $2 as cash from Blue. Subsequently, Blue relocates his Family Member from the Docks to his Operations board. However, since his VIP area has reached its capacity and there is no space for the Family Member, he is sent to the supply. "Rumors circulate that he met a tragic demise, drowned in the Hudson river." Finally, the Ship moves to the next available port.
Restaurant (No limit for the number of Capos that can be sent)
In the heart of the city, the boss's restaurant becomes the epicenter of intrigue, where clandestine deals are struck, and rivalries simmer beneath the surface. Where all the books are cooked and skim from gambling is received.
Change the Turn Order for next round
You MUST perform this action when you send a Capo to the Restaurant. Consequently, if you do not have an Operations card to discard, you may not send your Capo to this location.
Discard an Operations card from your hand. See "Discard an Operations card" above.
Place your Turn Order marker on any empty space on the lower row of the Turn Order track.
The Leverage cost you pay to get Protection immediately changes for the turn.
If you choose the 3rd or 4th space (or 2nd in a 2-player game), discard another Operations card from your hand. If you do not have an Operations card to discard, you may not choose that space.
If you do not have an Operations card to discard and the only remaining spaces require you to discard a card, you may not send your Capo to the Restaurant.
Note: In a 3-player game the 4th space is not used.
If any Turn Order markers are located on the lower row of the Turn Order track, turn Order will change at the end of the current round and Casinos will pay out. See "Turn Order" above.
Perform 2 Different Actions
Perform 2 different actions in any order:
- Play one Operations card.
- Play up to two City tiles.
- Cook up to three Books.
A: Play one Operations card
See "Play an Operations card" above.
B: Play up to two City tiles
Gain the bonus or perform the action of up to two City tiles on your Operations board. City tiles gained during this action can also be played. At the end of your turn place each one you played on one of the three spaces in the middle column of the City tile display so that they are evenly distributed, starting with any empty spaces. They are now available to draw.
C: Cook up to three Books
"Cooking the Books" refers to altering financial records to evade taxes, mimicking the mafia's tactics.
Place up to 3 Books from your Operations board onto Cooked Book spaces on the Main board to get money to your safe, and in some places, immediate benefits.
For each Book:
- Choose an empty Cooked Book space in any of the five Cooked Book areas on the Main board: Docks, City Hall, Central Park, Infamy track, or Zone Goal tiles. You must fulfill the requirements of the chosen space.
- Place a Book from your Operations board onto the chosen space.
- Gain the benefit indicated on the space (if any), and the money indicated next to the space to your safe.
Cooked Book space requirements
You can have multiple Books in the same area, but you may not have a Book in both spaces of the same goal. See "Cooked Book goals" below for more explanations of all the goals.
- 3 Docks goals: You must have at least the indicated number of Crate tiles.
- 3 City Hall goals: There must be the indicated number of districts containing one or more of your Family Members protecting your buildings.
- 5 Central Park goals: You must fulfill the requirements shown on the Central Park goal tile above the space.
- 3 Infamy goals: Your Infamy marker must be at or above the indicated space on the Infamy track.
- 3 Zone goals: You must fulfill the requirements shown on the Zone Goal tile to the right of the space.
Example: Blue cannot place a Book on this Docks goal because he may not have a Book in both spaces of the same goal. But he can place it on the next goal of this type if he already has 2 or more Crate tiles.
Park (3 People in a 3/4 Player Game, 2 in a 2-player game)
Exchange Capos
Exchange your Capo with another player's Capo that is already "talking" with a person not at the Park.
Send the other player's Capo to "talk" with someone available in the Park (it does not matter which one). They gain any one of the indicated bottom benefits: Gain one Leverage, Gain one City tile, or Gain one Book.
Perform the actions of the person your Capo is now "talking" with.
The player whose Capo was moved can choose between:
A: Gain one Leverage
Take one Leverage token from the supply and place it next to your Operations board.
B: Gain one Book
Place a Book from your supply onto the Books space of your Operations board. There is no limit for the number of Books you can hold.
C: Gain one City tile
Take one of the available City tiles from the display on the Main board and place it on your Operations board. A City tile is available if it is face up and not covered by another City tile. If the City tile you took was from the right column, immediately take the top City tile from one of the face down City tile stacks and place it face up in the empty space. The middle column does not refill.
At the end of your turn, if you have more than four City tiles on your Operations board, you must place the excess back on the Main board in the normal way (see Contractor Office, above).
4. Final Scoring Round (ACT 4)
December 5, 1933. The ratification of the 21st Amendment repealed the previous 18th Amendment which had established a nationwide ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.
Your final score equals:
- Your cash plus your safe money.
- Plus the money you gain from Protected buildings.
- Plus the amount from Helper cards.
For each of your Protected buildings, gain the amount indicated on each Helper card with a unique bottle that you have. Additional cards with the same bottle provide nothing. It does not matter whether the Helper card is next to your Operations board or behind your Safe screen.
The player with the most money wins.
If there is a tie, use the following tie-breaks in order:
- Most Protected buildings.
- Most buildings (protected or otherwise).
- Most placed Books.
- Most Family Members on Main board, Docks and on your Operations board added together.
If there is still a tie, play again.
Example: Blue currently has $50 in cash and $220 stored in his safe, totaling $270. He has three Speakeasies, but only scores for the two that are Protected, resulting in a gain of $20. Furthermore, he owns one Stills ($20), two Nightclubs ($30), and one Casino ($20), all of which are Protected. Additionally, he owns five Helper cards, but only four different types of bottles, earning him $45. Blue's final score is $405.
Tips
Ways to Gain Money
There are two places you gain money to during the game: your hand (cash) or your safe.
Cash is available to spend at no cost, while money that is inside the safe must be "laundered" at a 2 to 1 ratio to do so. Don't be afraid of taking money from the safe if needed; optimizing your actions is very important.
Cash
- Bootlegging - Gain money by selling barrels from your Operating buildings.
- Rum-runner Docks - Gain money from the Crates (max $24/$25) and later from selling the barrel stolen, or if your Family Members are used by other players during the attack.
- Skim from Casinos - At the end of the round in which any player has changed Turn Order, you gain $3 ($5 in a 2-player games) for each of your Operating Casinos.
Safe money - 2:1 to Withdraw
- Control of Zones - during Lucky Luciano payout.
- Cooking the Books - accomplishing these goals is one of the best ways to get money in the game.
Ways to Spend Money
- Opening or upgrading buildings.
- Getting help from an Associate.
- Hiring Goons.
- Buying barrels from Rum-runners.
- Hiring Family Members from other players during an ambush.
How to increase Infamy
- By increasing your operations and your Strength level. Infamy is the sum of all your operations plus your Strength level.
Pay special attention to the following:
- Ensure that you are prepared to defend your buildings during the Mob War.
- Take note of the districts where the police will enter Manhattan before the Lucky Luciano payout.
- Remember that if you have two or more buildings in the same district during the Mob War, you must defend each one separately.
- Consider taking over districts with weak Mobsters instead of opening new Speakeasies in empty spaces, as the latter will be targeted later in the game.
- Keep in mind that you can gain barrels by buying them from Rum-runner Ships or from ambushing them. You do not necessarily need to build the Stills. Buying from Ships is the fastest way to acquire barrels to sell, although less profitable.
- As soon as possible, establish Nightclubs and Casinos, as they yield substantial profits and provide advantages during the payout step.
Golden rule: A non-Operating building is the same as a non-existent building.
SPEAKEASIES: Hold 1 barrel, sell barrels at lower value - may be upgraded into a Nightclub or a Casino: Check for discounts when doing so.
NIGHTCLUBS: Hold 1 barrel, sell barrels at higher value.
CASINOS: Hold 1 barrel, sell barrels at higher value. Gain $3 ($5 in a 2-player game) if turn order has been adjusted at the end of each round.
Laundering: 2:1 Money from Cooked Books and Luciano payout goes to your safe and must be "laundered" to spend.
You may only have 1 Nightclub and 1 Casino per Zone of Manhattan.
Upgrading a Speakeasy with a discount: if all buildings within the same group are off your Operations board, when upgrading a Speakeasy to a Nightclub or Casino, you are eligible for a discount equal to the cost of the rightmost cleared group.
Cooking Books: You may have multiple Books on different goals in the same area, but you may never have a second Book on the same goal.
Variant
Rebuild your Stills: This variant makes the game a bit more forgiving and is recommended for first time players. If you lose your Stills during a Mob War, you may place it back on your Operations board instead of removing it from the game. This means that you can rebuild your Stills following the normal rules. You may lose your discount to upgrade a Speakeasy until you rebuild the Stills.
Cards and Tiles Description
Associate Powers
Once you take the Mobster tile, receive its immediate benefit, if any, and flip the tile to the Associate side, placing it on your Operations board. Each Mobster's Associate power is listed below (immediate power on top, ongoing power below where both are present):
- This Associate adds +1 to your Building defense strength.
- Immediately place 1 Family Member at the Docks and another in your VIP area. Immediately receive the Docks benefit.
- With this Associate you gain +2 permanent Leverage when paying for protection.
- This Associate successfully defends your Stills for free, regardless of the Mob War's Strength.
- Immediately gain 2 City tiles from the City tile display. Refill it as described in the Restaurant location rules above. City tile limit on your Operations board increases by 1.
- Once, for any defense or attack, you may use this Associate for free. Keep it City side up until used.
- This Associate increases your total Attack strength against Rum-runners by +1.
- Pay $1 less to use this Associate when you take over a Mobster Speakeasy. +1 Attack strength when taking over a Mobster Speakeasy.
- +2 Permanent Leverage.
- Each time you produce barrels, produce 1 more barrel.
- When sending a Family Member to the Docks, you may choose any of the 4 bonuses.
- Each of your Trucks has +1 Range.
Crate Tiles
Money gained when you take a Crate is cash. Crate tiles show the bonus on the back. The bonus on the back is cumulative. Crate tiles with this symbol break the GOLDEN RULE.
- $4 for each of your Books placed on the Main board. Max: $24.
- $5 per level of your Party Operations. (E.g. level 3, gain $15).
- $6 per Family Member you have on your Operations board.
- $3 per Goon you have on your Operations board.
- $5 per level of your Strength level. (E.g., level 3, gain $15).
- $3x the strength of your Associate. Max: $24. (E.g., Strength 4, gain $12).
- $4 for each City tile you have on or next to your Operations board.
- $3 per Operations card you have in your hand. Max: $24.
- $5 per level of your Fleet Operations. (E.g., level 3, gain $15).
- $5 per barrel next to your buildings (except Stills). Max: $25.
- $1 for your position on the Infamy track. (e.g. position 9, gain $9).
- $4 per level on your highest Operations or Strength level track.
- $4 per Nightclub and Casino you have open, Operating or not.
- $4 per Helper card you have, in your safe or not. Max: $24.
- $4 per Family Member you have protecting a building. Max: $24.
- $5 per level of your VIP Room Operations. (E.g., level 3, gain $15).
- $4 per Family Member (yours or not) on the Dock from where you made the attack.
- $5 per level of your Stills Operations. (E.g., level 3, gain $15).
Cumulative back-side bonuses include: each time you sell barrels, you may sell 1 more barrel; +1 to your Building defense strength; getting help from your Associate costs $2 less.
Cooked Book Goals
There are 5 different types of Book goals that can be achieved during the game. Players cannot have more than 1 Book on each goal. Immediately gain the benefit, if any, on the space the Book was placed. Cooked Books income goes to your safe. For each tile, the goal described below is the minimum requirement. You may exceed this requirement and still achieve the goal.
1. Central Park goals: During setup, make sure all have different numbers. Gain $10 to your safe and the indicated benefit for each goal achieved. Goals are related to all the districts of Manhattan. Central Park Goal tiles with this symbol break the GOLDEN RULE; you may achieve the goal without having the building Operating.
Stack A (2 tiles per game): Have 3 Protected buildings. Have a Nightclub with a barrel. Have 3 buildings with barrels (except Stills). Have a sum of 5 Leverage (on all components with it). Have 4 Operations and/or your Strength levels at 3 or higher. Have at least 9 strength (Yours + Associate + Goons). Have 1 Casino with a barrel.
Stack B (2 tiles per game): Have 1 Speakeasy in each Zone. Have 2 Nightclubs with barrels. Have 1 building in each Zone with a barrel (except Stills). Have a sum of 7 Leverage (on all components with it). Have 3 Operations and/or your Strength levels at 4 or higher. Have at least 12 strength (Yours + Associate + Goons). Have 2 Casinos with barrels.
Stack C (1 tile per game): Have 5 Speakeasies open on the board. Have 3 Nightclubs with barrels. Have 4 buildings with barrels (except Stills). Have a sum of 9 Leverage (on all components with it). Have 2 Operations and/or your Strength levels at 5. Have at least 15 strength (Yours + Associate + Goons). Have 3 Casinos with barrels.
2. Zone goals: During setup, make sure all have different numbers. Gain $20 to your Safe plus the shown benefit for each goal achieved. Each goal is related to the Zone of its placement. Each building on the Zone tile must be protected to achieve the goal.
Possible goals: Have 1 Speakeasy and 1 Casino in different districts. Have 1 Speakeasy and 1 Casino in the same district. Have 1 Speakeasy and 1 Nightclub in different districts. Have 1 Speakeasy and 1 Nightclub in the same district. Have 2 Speakeasies in different districts. Have 2 Speakeasies in the same district. Have 3 Speakeasies. Have 1 Nightclub and 1 Casino on the same district. Have 1 Nightclub and 1 Casino in different districts.
3. Dock goals: Gain $15 to your safe for each goal achieved. Goals: Have 1, 2, or 3 Crates.
4. City Hall goals: Gain $20 to your safe for each goal achieved. Goal: Have one Protected building in at least 3, 5, or 7 districts.
5. Infamy Goals: Gain $10, $15 or $20 to your safe for each goal achieved. Goal: Reach space 10, 15, or 22 on the Infamy track.
Helper Cards
When you gain a Helper card, place it face up next to your Operations board. At the beginning of your turn you may gain the benefit of 1 Helper card, and then send it to your safe. Their benefit cannot be applied again. At the end of the game, each Helper card next to your Operations board or in your safe, with a unique bottle, gains you 20/10/5 money. Helper cards cannot be discarded.
Helper card benefits include: Gain 2 Leverage tokens. Take a VIP Room Operations card. Take a Party Operations card. Take a Stills Operations card. Take a Fleet Operations card. Take any Operations card. Increase any one Operations or Strength level by 1. Gain the benefit of any Helper card from the display without taking the card. Gain one City tile. Hire 2 Goons for free. Gain a Family Member. Upgrade a Speakeasy, pay the cost. Take over a Mobster Speakeasy, ignoring its defense strength. Gain one Helper card. Pick Up and Deliver barrels. Produce barrels. Sell barrels. Gain 2 Books. Gain $5 in cash. Get Protection. Gain 2 Family Members.
City Tiles
City tiles: You may play up to two when visiting the Restaurant. At the end of your turn, if you have more than four City tiles on your Operations board, discard down to four by distributing your discarded tiles to the three spaces in the middle column of the City tile display so that they are evenly distributed, starting with any empty spaces. They are now available to draw.
City tile benefits include: Gain a VIP Room Operations card. Gain a Party Operations card. Gain a Stills Operations card. Gain a Fleet Operations card. Gain any Operations card. Gain one Helper card. Pick Up and Deliver barrels. Gain one Book. Increase any one Operation or Strength level by 1. Produce barrels. Sell barrels. Open a Speakeasy or take over a Mobster Speakeasy, pay the cost. Open, take over or upgrade to a Nightclub, pay the cost. Open, take over or upgrade to a Casino, pay the cost. Gain one Family Member. Gain one Goon for free. Get Protection. Gain 2 Leverage tokens.