Family Business (game)

Family Business
Players 2–6
Age range 8 +
Setup time 5 minutes
Playing time 30 minutes
Random chance Medium
Skill(s) required Alliances

Family Business, although played with a set of specialized cards, is more like a board game in the way it is played. "The game of mob vengeance" is for 2 to 6 players, each of whom plays with 9 mobsters from real historical gangs:

Game play

Players hold five cards, drawing a sixth at the beginning of their turn. Players take turns in order (clockwise) using attack/rescue cards or discarding. Players can also use block cards whenever they want to, even if it is not their turn. When a player uses a block card, the turn automatically goes to them, regardless of who went last, and that player draws two cards (one because it is the beginning of their turn, and one to replace the block card just played).

The object of the game is to be the last mob with any mobsters alive. Mobsters are eliminated by being contracted by other mobs. A contract places one mobster from any gang on the hit list. When there are six or more mobsters on the hit list, a mob war begins, killing one mobster each turn in the order they were placed on the list. The mob war ends when there are no mobsters left alive on the hit list.

Towards the end of the game (when there are six or fewer mobsters alive total between the remaining mobs), the "mob war" is always on and cannot be stopped. The last player left alive wins.

The cards

There are three different types of cards: attack cards, rescue cards and block cards. Attack cards and rescue cards are played when it is your turn. Block cards, however, can be played at any time. Usually a player makes allies and blocks his friends and attacks his enemies.

Attack Cards

Rescue cards

Block cards

Strategy

A smart player will attack to his right and block to his left. Example:

              Moran Gang
Murder, Inc.             New York Mob
Bank Robbers             Capone Mob
             Purple Gang

If the Purple Gang frequently attacks the Capone Mob, then they will get more turns (because, if the Capone Mob blocks and takes the next turn, then the Purple Gang gets the next turn; the other four gangs are effectively skipped). Similarly, if the Purple Gang frequently blocks the Bank Robbers, then they will get more turns (again, the other four gangs are effectively skipped). However there is always the risk that a mob other than the Capone Mob will use family influence or mob power to save that person's mobster. This point emphasizes the importance of alliances with other mobs.

A common strategy is to save rare cards for the right moment. Because there is only one copy of cards like Vendetta or St. Valentine's Day Massacre, smart players will save them for the end of the game, unless an especially opportune moment presents itself sooner. If these cards are played very early in the game, they are recycled and can be picked up by other players later in the game.

Saving Hit for the end of the game is often a smart move, since it cannot be blocked and eliminates a mobster.

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