La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War
La Famiglia: The Great Mafia War Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
The game board represents Sicily, divided into areas which form a total of 12 Mandamenti (regions).
At the beginning of the game, each team controls a few areas, but they don't yet have a whole Mandamento. Players must acquire new areas in order to take control of Mandamenti. Drug labs are a way to earn money, as well as providing protection for any Soldati located there.
Each Mandamento under a team's control not only results in a permanent advantage, but also brings that team one step closer to victory. A team wins if one of its members controls 5 Mandamenti, or if both teammates control 6 Mandamenti in total. If neither team achieves this, the game nonetheless ends after 4 rounds. In this case, the team controlling the most Mandamenti is the winner.
Credits
Game design: Maximilian Maria Thiel Graphic design: Luis Francisco, Christof Tisch Illustration: Weberson Santiago Editing: Frank Heeren, Bastian Winkelhaus, Gideon Lochner, Stefan Schlösser Copy Editing: Inga Keutmann Translation: Effective Media GmbH
We would like to thank Andreas Resch for creating the 3D game scene.
On behalf of many testers, author and publisher would like to thank:
Main testers: Dominik Jetzen, Ferdinand Schnitzler, Jürgen Fucker (Fuggi), Luis Schraml, Marcel Brand, Martin Bickel, Jörg Wagner, Steffen König
Additional testers: Achim Hiller, Ed Thor, Frank Bleckmann, Holger Siefke, Jan Götz, Jan Kopietz, Jürgen Wilhelm, Lennart Eing, Li Carlos Rendler, Marc Bayerdörfer, Marcel Gehrmann, Markus Kautner, Ramin Khalili, Tim Pellemeier, Mark Beckmann, Frank Otte, Martin Zeeb, Michaela Kowalski, Nico Rendler, Peter Heintz, René Rössler, Simon Schutz, Sven Kieninger, Simon Rothmeier, Marcel Labus, Jonas Bug, Dirk Schmitz, Pan Pollack, Klaus Lottmann, Carsten Stürmer, Olaf Darge, Jan Henry, Holger Pfaff
Mechanisms of the following titles served as inspiration during the development of this game: Game of Thrones (Christian T. Petersen), Caylus (William Attia), Imperial (Mac Gerdts), Hansa Teutonica (Andreas Steding), The Speicherstadt (Stefan Feld)
© 2022 Feuerland Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Wilhelm-Reuter-Str. 37, 65817 Eppstein, www.feuerland-spiele.de
Capstone Games, 2 Techview Drive, Suite 2, Cincinnati, OH 45215, www.capstone-games.com
Distributed in the UK by: Esdevium Games Ltd, trading as Asmodee UK, 6 Waterbrook Road, Alton, GU34 2UD, UK
Version 1.0
Game Components
GENERAL COMPONENTS
- 1 game board
- 4 action sheets (for rounds 1 – 4)
- money: 50x 1, 42x 2
- 6 character cards
- 6 order charts (1 per family)
- 2 large and 2 small storage boxes
GENERAL WOODEN PIECES
- 30 drug labs
- 30 neutral Soldati
- 8 neutral influence tokens
- 1 starting piece »Primo Giocatore«
TEAM COMPONENTS
- 2 sets of control tiles, each containing 11 tiles in two languages: 1 side German, 1 side English
- 2 overview sheets picturing actions and the island divided into areas for use in secret agreements; conflict sheet on the reverse side
FAMILY COMPONENTS (red version shown)
6 sets (in black, blue, green, red, white, yellow), each containing:
Cardboard:
- 1 storage box
- 1 family mat
- 13 order tokens — 5 basic orders, 8 advanced orders
- 1 screen (headquarters)
- 1 set of 3 conflict cards
Wood:
- 50 Soldati
- 4 speedboats
- 5 cars
- 17 + 8 round influence tokens (for family and action sheets plus control tiles)
- 1 bust for the final action (Ultima Azione)
- 6 control tokens (printed on one side)
All components except money are limited. In the unlikely event that you run out of money, use a suitable replacement, e.g. from another game. However, if you become entitled to any other item of which there is none left (in your color), you will not receive a replacement.
Setup
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Place the game board in the center of the table.
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Place action sheet 1 (number in the bottom right) in the large dark blue space below action sheet 0, which is printed in the top left of the game board. Action sheets 2 through 4 will be required in subsequent rounds. Keep them within reach.
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Place the storage boxes with the money and the neutral components (gray) within reach.
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Decide which players will form the 2 teams. Take your seats around the table with teammates sitting next to each other on the same side. Each of you is now sitting close to one corner of the game board (see Order of Play below).
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Next, each team receives 1 set of control tiles. One team randomly draws 7 control tiles from its set. These are placed in between the two teammates with the English text facing upwards. The other team picks the matching 7 tiles from its set and lays them on the table in the same manner. The remaining control tiles will not be needed for this game. Return them to the box.
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Each team is now assigned 3 colors at random (e.g. using 1 Soldato of each color) and takes the corresponding family mats. Teammates then decide who will lead which family during this game (taking the previously drawn control tiles into consideration). The players lay the corresponding family mat on the table in front of them. Return the third family mat from each team to the box; it is no longer needed.
1st game: For your first game, we recommend leaving the colors black and white in the box and randomly distributing the 4 remaining family mats among the players.
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Each player now takes the set of components (screen, storage box with order tokens, wooden pieces, conflict cards) for their family and sets up their family mat accordingly (see below). The area behind your screen is known as your headquarters. Do not let the opposing team see what you have there. Only players belonging to the same team may look into each other's headquarters.
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Each team takes the order charts of the two enemy families. This gives you a better idea of the orders your opponents have at their disposal. Also, each team receives an overview sheet. These can be used for secret agreements during the game.
Setup of the Family Mat
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A. Place your family's basic order tokens in your headquarters (behind your screen).
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B. Place your advanced order tokens on the corresponding image on your family mat. The symbol on the tile always matches the symbol in the same row in the middle of the sheet. The tiles marked with the letter A are always placed in the leftmost column, those with the letter B in the middle, and those with the letter C in the column on the right (if present).
Types of Order Tokens: Basic order tokens are indicated by a dot (•) below the Initiative. Advanced order tokens have a symbol and a letter in the same position.
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C. Place 1 influence token of your color in each of the 17 round indentations on the right-hand side of your family mat. These can be removed during the game to improve your abilities or receive new order tokens. You may lift tokens at any time during the game in order to see what is underneath.
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D. Place the storage box containing your remaining wooden pieces within reach in front of your screen. These items are in your supply.
Your Family Mat
Your family mat is arranged in 4 rows. Each of these represents your influence over one of 4 institutions: Justice, Police, Economy, and Church. Except for Economy, each row determines your base value for a certain action. (These actions are explained under Different Actions below.) Only the rightmost values which have been revealed are applicable. Spaces are revealed by removing influence tokens from them.
The spaces in the Economy row (and some spaces in the Justice row) provide one-time effects at the very moment you reveal them (receive money, build 1 drug lab, or receive 1 car). Their use is subject to the same rules which apply to the corresponding action.
Furthermore, the spaces on the right are divided into multiple columns defined by dotted lines. Whenever you reveal the space on the left in a new column, you receive a new advanced order. Remove the order token belonging to the space you revealed from your family mat and take it into your headquarters. Read up more about this under Revealing Spaces on the Family Mat below.
Setup Continued
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Starting lineup: In the corner of the game board closest to where you are sitting, there is a symbol representing your starting lineup. Place the Soldati from your supply in the areas of the game board which have this symbol. For each of your symbols, place 1 Soldato in the area, resulting in 2 or 3 Soldati positioned in 6 areas. Some areas show 2 or 3 gray figures instead. These areas are neutral. For each figure pictured, place 1 neutral Soldato in these areas. Each area on the game board is now occupied by either 2 or 3 Soldati.
Yellow, Red, Blue, and Green place their Soldati in the areas according to the symbols assigned to them. The neutral Soldati are placed in position as well.
Order of Play: There is a symbol with an arrow in your corner of the game board. The symbol is only required for your starting lineup. The arrows indicate the order of play. After you have made your move, the turn passes to the person your arrow is pointing towards. This is always a player from the other team, sitting either opposite or diagonally across from you.
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Randomly determine who shall begin. The starting player takes the starting piece »Primo Giocatore«.
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Now shuffle the character cards and pick one each at random.
- Take the amount of money and Soldati indicated on your card from the supply. Place the money and Soldati in your headquarters (behind your screen). If you are the starting player, give 1 Money to the last person in the order of play (it is a player from the other team; see above).
- The starting player then takes any additional fighting units pictured on their character card (Soldati, cars, speedboats) from the supply and places them on the game board. The other players do the same, following the order of play. Players may place additional Soldati and cars in any areas already containing their own Soldati. A speedboat may be placed in a sea area adjacent to an area containing the player's own Soldati.
- Still following the same order, place the pictured number of drug labs (3 on the example card) on the game board. Add them to any areas already containing your own Soldati. However, note that no area must ever contain more than 2 drug labs at once (either now or later in the game).
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Prepare action sheet 0 (printed on the game board). Place a neutral influence token (gray) in each space with a gray circle. Then, beginning with the starting player and continuing in the order of play, place 1 of your influence tokens from the supply in an empty space (below the spaces with gray circles). Repeat this once (resulting in placing 2 influence tokens each).
The Division of Sicily
Sicily is divided into 12 Mandamenti, each of which has 3 areas. The areas belonging to each Mandamento are colored alike for purposes of identification. The colors have no further meaning beyond that.
White lines indicate borders between 2 areas. Brown lines separate both areas and Mandamenti.
2 areas on the game board count as adjacent if they share a border, no matter how short.
Example: The 3 areas Caltanissetta, Agrigento, and Camastra form a Mandamento. Enna and Camastra are adjacent to each other, although they only share a very short border.
Furthermore, the ocean surrounding Sicily is divided into 9 distinct sea areas. Dotted lines indicate where individual sea areas meet. 2 sea areas count as adjacent if they share a sea border. Every Sicilian coastal area is adjacent to 1 or 2 sea areas.
Example: Licata is adjacent to the sea areas Mare Agrigento and Mare Licata.
Gameplay
Playing a Round
One game of La Famiglia spans a maximum of 4 rounds. In each round, you take turns carrying out the following two phases:
- Planning phase
- Encounter phase
During the PLANNING PHASE, you may increase your influence over the island's institutions (Police, Justice, Economy, Church), while also strengthening your units and issuing orders.
The ENCOUNTER PHASE is when orders are executed. Supplies are moved into position first, then the families attempt to take control of additional areas by moving their units.
Each phase is followed by a management period. This is when you adjust how the Mandamenti are controlled.
Furthermore, during the management period at the end of the encounter phase, check whether the end of the game has been triggered.
Anytime Options
At any time during the game, whether on your own turn or another player's, you may do the following to acquire more money:
- Take 1 order token from your headquarters (behind your screen) and remove it from the game (place it to the side, where it is visible to everyone), then take 1 Money from the supply into your headquarters.
- Give 1 Money to your teammate, in which case you must also return 1 Money to the supply. In other words, you spend 2 Money so that your teammate can receive 1 Money.
Both options are printed on the inside of your screen as a reminder.
1. Planning Phase
During the planning phase, you take turns according to the order of play (the starting player goes first) until there are no influence tokens left on the top action sheet. Once during your turn, you may move influence tokens from the top to the bottom action sheet.
You may use any type of influence token: neutral (gray), your own, or belonging to another player. However, should you choose to move another player's influence token, you must give that person 1 Money (regardless of whether it is your teammate or a player from the other team).
There are two basic options for moving influence tokens during your turn:
- A) Using an action space: Move 1 influence token from the top action sheet to an empty action space on the bottom action sheet and perform its action.
- B) Gaining influence: Move all influence tokens (at least 1) from a column on the top action sheet to the bottom action sheet and perform the action shown above the column.
A) Using an Action Space
Move 1 influence token from the top action sheet to an empty action space on the bottom action sheet and perform its action.
The larger action spaces with the symbol are always considered empty. This means you may place an influence token in this space, even if it already contains 1 or more influence tokens.
Other players' influence tokens. If you move another player's influence token (i.e. one that is neither yours, nor neutral), you must first pay them 1 Money before receiving any money gained from the action. If you do not have enough money to move an influence token, you must first acquire money through an Anytime Option (see above).
Action space with income/cost. If the action space where you want to place the influence token has a number in the top left, you either receive that amount of money in addition to the action, or you need to pay that amount of money into the supply before performing the action.
Partial actions. Some action spaces show multiple partial actions:
- If they are separated by a "/", you must choose one of the options and may only perform that partial action.
- If the partial actions are connected by a "+", you may perform both partial actions in any order you choose.
For any partial action, you may choose to what extent you wish to perform it, if at all (e.g. if you do not have enough components left in the supply or your headquarters). However, you may not forego performing all of the partial actions (i.e. choose to do nothing).
There will be more and/or better actions available as you progress from round to round.
The most important actions are explained here. Special actions are explained in the Appendix.
Example: You place an influence token in the action space shown. You pay 1 Money to do so. You may now issue an order and place Soldati in either order (base value + 1). Your base value is 2. You place 3 Soldati in an empty area. For your second partial action, you immediately issue an order there. If you wanted, you could issue the order in any of your other areas instead.
Different Actions
RECRUIT SOLDATI
Move Soldati out of the supply (your storage box) and into your headquarters (behind your screen).
The number of Soldati is calculated as follows:
- Base value equal to the highest number visible (i.e. not covered by influence tokens) in the Church row (bottom row) of your family mat, PLUS
- Bonus shown in the action space.
In short: Base value + bonus = number of Soldati
Example: You receive a total of 5 Soldati (base value 4 + 1 bonus) for this action.
PLACE SOLDATI
Move Soldati out of your headquarters (behind your screen) onto the game board. Place them all in 1 area: Either place them in an area already containing your Soldati, or in an area that does not yet contain Soldati. If you choose an area without Soldati, remove 1 drug lab from the targeted area (if present).
The number of Soldati is calculated as follows:
- Base value equal to the highest number visible (i.e. not covered by influence tokens) in the Police row (second row) of your family mat, PLUS
- Bonus shown in the action space.
In short: Base value + bonus = number of Soldati
Example: You may use a total of 4 Soldati (base value 2 + 2 bonus) for this action. You place them in an area with 1 of your Soldati in it.
ISSUE ORDER
Place 1 order token from your headquarters face down in an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati, but does not contain any order tokens.
You may look at your order tokens on the game board and show them to your teammate at any time. However, you may not move them or take them back (in order to replace them with different order tokens).
ORGANIZE EQUIPMENT
Place 1 car, 1 speedboat or 1 drug lab on the game board.
- CAR: May be placed in an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati.
- SPEEDBOAT: May be placed in a sea area adjacent to an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati. You may afterwards move the speedboat to any adjacent sea area. After moving, if there are exactly 3 speedboats in this sea area, remove your speedboat as well as 1 other speedboat (out of the remaining 2).
- DRUG LAB: May be placed in an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati and no more than 1 other drug lab.
LAUNDER MONEY
Take 1 Money for each of your drug labs on the game board (i.e. each drug lab in an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati).
EXERT INFLUENCE
Remove 1 influence token from your family mat. Take the influence token from the left of a row of your choice. What happens to the influence token depends on the action you choose to perform.
Return the influence token to the supply.
OR
Place the influence token EITHER:
- in an empty space of the top action sheet in a column containing at least 1 other influence token, OR
- in an empty action space on the bottom action sheet. You may not perform this action as well.
For both actions: There is a chance that you will gain 1 advanced order (see Revealing Spaces on the Family Mat below).
FINAL ACTION (Ultima Azione)
Place your bust next to the influence token in this space. At the end of the planning phase, when all influence tokens are in place, you may perform 1 final planning action (Ultima Azione). To do so, move the influence token from this space to another action space and perform its action. The same rules apply as when placing influence tokens in spaces, except you don't have to pay money again for using another player's influence token. Return your bust to the supply.
Example: Red places a speedboat on the board, then moves it to the adjacent sea area on the left. As there are already 2 speedboats present, Red must remove the newly placed speedboat and 1 other speedboat from the sea area. Red removes the other team's yellow speedboat.
B) Gaining Influence
Move all influence tokens (at least 1) from a column on the top action sheet to the bottom action sheet. Perform the action shown above the column.
Selecting a column and moving tokens. You may only choose a column containing at least 1 influence token. Move the influence tokens to any empty action spaces on the bottom action sheet. Any number of influence tokens may be placed in large action spaces, all other spaces have a capacity of 1. Do not perform these actions.
Costs. Before performing the action (above the selected column), you must pay:
- the sum of money shown on the left just below the action into the supply,
- 1 Money per influence token you moved (regardless of ownership, also applies to neutral influence tokens) into the supply,
- 1 Money per influence token moved which belongs to another player (i.e. 1 Money per token of any color which is not yours, except neutral influence tokens). This is paid directly to the token's owner.
Example: Red wants to "gain influence". In order to perform the action on the left, Red would have to pay 4 Money in total: 3 into the supply (for the 2 influence tokens and the pictured -1), and 1 to Blue. In order to perform the action on the right, Red would have to pay 7 Money: 5 into the supply (for the 3 influence tokens and the pictured -2), and 2 to Green. Red may not perform the middle action, because there is no influence token here.
ACTIONS FOR B) GAINING INFLUENCE
Become the Starting Player and Organize Equipment. If you perform this action, take the starting piece »Primo Giocatore« and begin the subsequent phases. This does not affect the order of play in the current phase. You may also place either 1 car, 1 speedboat, or 1 drug lab on the board. The same rules apply as when using the action sheet (see Different Actions above).
Influence one Institution. This action covers 4 columns and is basically always the same: Remove 2 influence tokens from the left of 1 row on your family mat and return them to the supply. The row from which you remove the influence tokens is determined by the column on the top action sheet from which you moved the influence tokens.
Normally, you will gain 1 advanced order through this action (see Revealing Spaces on the Family Mat below).
If you have only 1 influence token left in that row, remove it. If you have 0, remove none. You may not remove influence tokens from a different row instead.
Influence two Institutions. If you perform this action, remove 2 influence tokens from your family mat. Take these influence tokens from the left of 2 different rows of your choice. Return 1 to the supply. Place the other either
- in an empty space on the top action sheet (in a column containing at least 1 other influence token), OR
- in an empty action space on the bottom action sheet.
There is a chance that you will gain 1 or 2 advanced orders (see Revealing Spaces on the Family Mat below).
With all of the 3 actions mentioned above (Become the Starting Player, Influence one Institution, or Influence two Institutions) you may issue 1 additional order. The pink bar therefore spans all the columns. The same rules apply as when using the action sheet (see Different Actions above). You may issue the order before or after the action. Using a newly received order is allowed.
Revealing Spaces on the Family Mat
NEW BASE VALUES AND INSTANT EFFECTS
Whenever you remove an influence token from your family mat (e.g. by performing the action Influence one Institution), you reveal a new space. This space shows either a new base value (light background) or an instant effect.
Instant effects are performed instantly and one time only. New base values change the base value for certain actions for the remainder of the game (or until you reveal another base value in the same row).
- In the Justice row, base values for Attack/Strike from a car and the Car instant effect alternate. This instant effect allows you to immediately place 1 car in an area containing at least 1 of your Soldati.
- In the Police row, you reveal a new base value for Place Soldati.
- The Economy row reveals only instant effects. These enable you to immediately gain the amount of money shown or, if possible, to place 1 drug lab in one of your areas currently containing less than 2 drug labs. Or you may instantly receive 1 Money per drug lab you own (Launder Money action).
- In the Church row, you reveal a new base value for Recruit Soldati.
ADVANCED ORDER TOKENS
Whenever you remove the first influence token from one of the three columns A|B|C on your family mat, you receive a new advanced order. Take the order token with the matching letter from the corresponding row into your headquarters.
Example: Blue uses the action space Exert Influence. Blue chooses to remove the left-hand influence token from column B in the Justice row. For that, Blue receives the order token B. It is the second order token from the left in the Justice row. Blue takes the new order token into their headquarters. The instant effect that is revealed also allows Blue to place 1 car on the board, instantly and one time only.
Example: Red performs "Influence one Institution". After paying the costs associated with this action, Red moves the influence tokens below the action "Influence one Institution" from the Police column. Red may then remove the two leftmost influence tokens in the Police row from their own family mat and receives an advanced order. Furthermore, Red may issue an order.
Example: Red performs "Influence two Institutions". After paying the costs associated with this action, Red moves the influence tokens below that action. Red may then remove 2 influence tokens from different rows of their family mat and place one of them on the top or bottom action sheet. Red removes 1 influence token from the Economy row and returns it to the supply. Red immediately receives 1 Money for its removal. For the second influence token, Red removes the left-hand influence token from the Church row and places it on the bottom action sheet. In doing so, Red blocks the action space. Red may not perform the space's action. Furthermore, Red may issue an order.
End of the Planning Phase: Management
Once you have moved all influence tokens from the top action sheet to the bottom action sheet and performed the Ultima Azione (if applicable), the planning phase ends and you enter the management period.
Management also takes place at the end of the encounter phase. It is the same for both phases, with one exception. The end of the game can only be triggered during the management period after an encounter phase (see End of the Game below).
Management is when you check whether control of a Mandamento has passed to a new owner:
CONTROLLING MANDAMENTI
In order to take control of a Mandamento, you must control at least 2 areas of that Mandamento. This means you must have at least 1 Soldato in a minimum of 2 areas.
Note: Both areas must be controlled by the same family (i.e. they must have the same color). It is not sufficient for 2 families from the same team to control 1 area each.
Taking Control of a Mandamento. If you gain control of a Mandamento, use a control token to mark it as your own. Place your token in the round space on the adjacent sea area belonging to the Mandamento.
Advice: If you gain control of a new Mandamento during the planning or encounter phase, immediately place 1 of your control tokens in the space, with the crest facing downwards for now. This helps to keep track of the number of Mandamenti each of you controls at this time, and where control has switched to a different player. Control of this Mandamento can still change during the encounter phase. This cannot happen during the planning phase.
Example: After Red acquires Licata, Red has control of 2 areas in the Mandamento. Red therefore gains control of the Mandamento and places 1 control token in the corresponding space.
If you still control the Mandamento in a management period (at the end of a planning or encounter phase), flip the control token so the crest faces upwards.
Note: It is not yet possible to control a Mandamento after the planning phase in the first round. In later rounds, it is possible to acquire empty areas during the planning phase and thereby gain control of a Mandamento.
Losing Control of a Mandamento. If you lose control of a Mandamento, remove the control token from the corresponding space.
Advice: Remove the control token immediately when the change occurs during the planning or encounter phase.
Teamwork
Working together as a team is an essential aspect of La Famiglia. Nevertheless, you each lead your own mafia family independently.
You and your teammate may:
- make agreements and show each other your hidden components.
- exchange money, but at a cost: For each 1 Money you give to your teammate, you must discard 1 additional Money (see Anytime Options above).
- use speedboats together.
Other than that, you play independently. For example, you and your teammate may not:
- have Soldati from each of your families in the same area.
- move through or take control of areas controlled by the other player's family.
- issue orders in areas controlled by the other player's family.
- control a Mandamento where each family controls 1 area.
Drug Labs
- Drug labs are owned by the player controlling the area they are in.
- When an Attack/Strike is executed in an area, drug labs provide 1 defense bonus each.
- 1 drug lab is always removed whenever Soldati from a new family (or agitated neutral Soldati) take control of an area. This can happen through Movement (and Attack), or by using an action to place Soldati in an empty area.
Control Tiles
Control tiles you have marked give you an advantage during the planning and encounter phases. For each Mandamento you control, mark one of your team's control tiles with an influence token from the supply. A control tile can hold only 1 influence token. This means only 1 family within the team gains the advantage from that tile. You should therefore discuss with your teammate which of you will profit more from a control tile.
After you have checked who controls which Mandamenti and placed, removed, or flipped control tokens in the management period, add up how many Mandamenti you own by counting your control tokens on the game board. Then count the influence tokens on the control tiles and compare that number to the number of Mandamenti you control.
- If you control more Mandamenti than you have influence tokens on control tiles: Place influence tokens from the supply on empty control tiles until the numbers are equal.
- If you control less Mandamenti than you have influence tokens on control tiles: Remove influence tokens from control tiles until the numbers are equal. Return the influence tokens you have removed to the supply.
- If you control the same amount of Mandamenti as you have influence tokens on control tiles: Leave your control tiles as they are.
You may not move influence tokens from one control tile to another. You may only remove them if you control less Mandamenti than before, or place them on empty control tiles if you control more Mandamenti than before.
If 1 player in a team controls less Mandamenti than before, but the other player controls more, first remove influence tokens and then place new influence tokens belonging to the other family on the tiles.
For more details on specific control tiles, refer to Appendix III below.
Layout of Control Tiles
- At the top of each control tile you can see its name and the symbols of the team it belongs to (there are 2 of each control tile, 1 per team).
- Below the name, in the orange area of the tile, there is an illustration along with a space for an influence token to mark which family profits from this tile.
- On the left, where the tile's illustration and description meet, there is a symbol indicating the phase in which it may be used: Planning phase or Encounter phase.
- The symbols and text at the bottom of the tile describe the ability it applies in the game. The background color depends on the tile's function.
Example: In the management period at the end of the planning phase, Red controls 2 Mandamenti. Since Red only has 1 influence token on its team's control tiles, Red must add an influence token. After discussing with their teammate Green, Red places 1 influence token on the "Recruitment" control tile. Red can apply the control tile's ability in the encounter phase that follows.
2. Encounter Phase
The encounter phase is when the orders you previously issued are executed. First, reveal all of the order tokens on the game board.
Note: All (partial) actions on the orders are optional. This means you can choose not to execute an entire order or parts of an order.
Orders are executed in the following sequence:
- Supply
- Attack
Both supply orders and attack orders are executed in ascending order of their Initiative values (beginning with the lowest and ending with the highest). If multiple orders have the same Initiative, they are executed according to the order of play, i.e. the starting player goes first.
Once the orders have been executed, take any order tokens which do not have a protective vest on them back into your headquarters. Anything other than the protective vest serves no further purpose after the order has been executed.
If you lose control of an area (meaning you have no more Soldati there), remove your order tokens from there and take them back into your headquarters as well (even if those orders have not yet been executed).
Action Symbols
When executing orders, pay attention to the different symbols for placing Soldati.
- If only the Soldati symbol is pictured along with a number, you may place that exact amount of Soldati (3 Soldati in this example).
- If there is a circle around the Soldati symbol (like in the action spaces), the number of Soldati you may place is determined accordingly: base value + bonus (+1 in this example).
Order Tokens
Information on the order tokens
Left section:
- The background color indicates which family owns the tile (Yellow in this case).
- A dot at the bottom indicates a basic order, while a symbol and a letter denote an advanced order. (This information is not relevant during the encounter phase.)
- The Initiative value is shown above in a circle (supply) or a star (attack), indicating when the order is to be executed.
Other sections:
- To the right of the basic information are one or more partial actions you may perform using this order. The regular rules (see 1. Planning Phase above) apply to these, except when placing units (see below).
Types of orders
Supply Orders. Supply orders are executed first. These enable you to place units on the game board, gain money, or move Soldati from the supply into your headquarters. Supply actions have a green background.
Attack Orders. Attack orders are executed second. These enable you to attack adjacent areas. They may also show supply actions with green backgrounds. Unlike supply orders, attack orders can sometimes be prevented from being executed. This happens if you lose all your Soldati in an area before you are able to execute the order.
Using order tokens to place units
Any time an order allows you to place Soldati or cars on the board, always add them to the area containing the order token. Speedboats must be placed in an adjacent sea area (and may then be moved 1 space). If there are no sea areas adjacent to the area containing the order token, do not place a speedboat on the board.
Final partial action: Agitate. Some attack orders show this action. It is always performed after your regular attack action. See Agitate below for details.
Passive ability: Protection. This is a passive ability that can appear on both types of order token: supply and action orders. It grants your Soldati in this Mandamento a defense bonus. It is not a partial action enabling you to actively affect the game. Rather, it protects your Soldati during any attacks for the remainder of the phase. See Movement (and Attack) below for details.
Supply Orders
In most cases, all supply orders can be executed simultaneously, since there is practically no interaction or secret information at this stage. However, the players should agree on this first.
You may perform partial actions in any order you choose.
PARTIAL ACTION: RECEIVE MONEY. If there is a coin on the order token, you receive money equal to the number shown for your partial action. This partial action may appear on attack orders as well.
Attack Orders
Once you have executed all your supply orders, it is time to execute the attack orders.
Note: If you lose an area which still contains one of your order tokens (i.e. you have no Soldati left in that area), take the order token back into your headquarters. In this case, no part of the order is executed.
Movement (and Attack)
The shotgun is the most common symbol appearing on attack orders. This is the only type of attack you can use to take control of an area! Other attack types are merely aimed at eliminating enemy Soldati. You cannot use them to acquire areas for your family.
When moving (and attacking), complete the following steps (see the reverse side of the overview sheet):
0. Rally. If this symbol is pictured on an order token, you may first move as many of your Soldati and cars as you wish from adjacent areas to the area containing the order. Otherwise, skip this step.
However, this order does not allow you to move Soldati or cars to this area through speedboats, or to move Soldati out of the area into another.
Moving all of your Soldati from one area into the area containing the order results in losing control of the original area. If this happens, remove any order token you may have there and return it to your headquarters. You will also lose any cars remaining in the original area in this case (so you should definitely rally them too).
1. Movement. Next, you may move any number of Soldati (at least 1) from the area containing the order to 1 adjacent area.
Exception: You may not move to an area which is controlled by your teammate.
If the area containing the order is adjacent to a sea area with at least 1 speedboat owned by your team, you may execute Movement (and Attack) across water. In this case, you may move to any area that is also adjacent to the sea area containing the speedboat. If your team has speedboats in multiple sea areas adjacent to each other, you may even move to an area that is connected to the area containing your order via a chain of speedboats.
When moving (and attacking) across land, you may take 1 car along from the area containing the order. This is not possible when attacking through speedboats.
In any case, you must specify the number of Soldati you want to move before starting the next step. The same applies to deciding whether to take 1 car along or not.
Depending on the status of the targeted area, the following happens:
- a) The targeted area is empty (no Soldati). Movement (and Attack) ends. If there are 1 or 2 drug labs in the area, 1 is removed.
- b) The area is under your control. Movement (and Attack) ends.
- c) The area is controlled by neutral Soldati or the opposing team. Your movement is followed by your attack. Proceed to step 2.
2. Attack and defense bonuses
Attack.
- If there is a skull pictured on the order token, you receive an attack bonus equal to the number printed beside it.
- When attacking by car, you also receive an attack bonus. Its value depends on the number of influence tokens you have so far removed from the Justice row (top row) of your family mat. The highest visible number alongside the skulls in the top half of the row applies (not the sum of all visible numbers alongside the skulls). A car can only help when attacking. It does not help during defense.
Example: When executing an attack with 1 shotgun, your car provides an attack bonus of 2.
Defense.
- If there are drug labs in the targeted area, they each provide 1 defense bonus.
- If the targeted area contains order tokens with the protective vest symbol, the defending family receives a defense bonus equal to the numbers printed beside them.
Now deduct the defense bonuses from the attack bonuses.
- a) If attack bonuses are higher. According to the result, remove defending Soldati from the area and return them to the supply. If you, as the attacking family, remove neutral Soldati, take an equal number of your own Soldati from the supply into your headquarters. Then, if the area contains no more Soldati which do not belong to you, you immediately take control of it. When you take control, immediately remove 1 drug lab (if present). Also remove any cars belonging to the defending family. The attack is now completed. Otherwise, proceed to step 3.
- b) If defense bonuses are equal or higher. Nothing happens. Proceed to step 3.
3. Conflict
As the attacking family, you can choose to attack using a) finesse or b) brute force:
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a) Finesse. The attacking and defending families each pick up their 3 conflict cards. If you are attacking an area which contains neutral Soldati, the other team may choose which family defends it. The opposing players simultaneously select 1 of their cards and place them face down in front of them.
The attacking family goes first, deciding whether to pick up the opposing family's card or leave it on the table. Second, the defending family has the same choice regarding the card played by the opposing family.
Note: You do not get to make a decision about the card you played yourself, even if the attacking family picks it up.
Following these choices, you either have 1 card each in front of you (again), or one family has 2 cards and the other family has none. Reveal both cards and apply the effects described on the card in front of you to your side of the conflict.
Apply the Turncoat card(s) first, followed by the Coward card(s). Always apply the effects of both cards, even if one side has no Soldati left after applying the first card. Next, proceed to step 4.
Note: If you are fighting neutral Soldati and a Coward removes them, take an equal amount of your own Soldati from the supply into your headquarters.
Variation: If you want conflict to be more predictable during later games, you can apply an optional rule: If one side has 2 identical cards in front of them, only 1 is applied, not both.
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b) Brute force. Remove 2 of your attacking Soldati from the conflict (return them to the supply). Proceed to step 4.
4. Knockout
Take turns removing 1 attacking and 1 defending Soldato from the conflict until one side (at least) has no Soldati left. Return the Soldati which are removed to the supply. If you, as the attacking family, remove neutral Soldati, take an equal number of your own Soldati from the supply into your headquarters.
Result. If you lose all of your Soldati during the conflict, you also lose all your cars in the contested area (no matter whether you are attacking or defending).
- If you, as the attacking family, lose all of your Soldati, the attack ends.
- If the defending family loses its final Soldato and you, as the attacking family, still have at least 1 Soldato left in the conflict, you take control of the area. When you take control, immediately remove 1 drug lab (if present).
Conflict Cards
Conflict cards picture the following symbols:
- Turncoat. Return 1 enemy Soldato from the contested area to the supply and move 1 of your own Soldati from the supply into the contested area.
- Coward. Return 1 or 2 of your Soldati from the contested area to your headquarters. If you are fighting neutral Soldati and they are removed, take an equal amount of your own Soldati from the supply into your headquarters.
Example: Conflict. Red's attack order has 4 Initiative, the lowest value on the board. This means Red executes the first attack of the round. Red sends 5 Soldati into the adjacent area to engage Blue. Red also takes the car along in order to make use of the additional attack bonus. Red leaves 1 Soldato behind in order to keep control of the original area.
The car provides Red with an attack bonus of 2. The order yields an additional attack bonus of 2. The 2 drug labs provide Blue with a defense bonus of 2. The protective vest on its own order yields an additional defense bonus of 1. The sum of the red attack bonuses (2+2=4) is higher than the sum of the blue defense bonuses (2+1=3). Therefore, Blue loses the balance of 1 Soldato.
Red decides to fight with finesse. Red and Blue each select 1 of their conflict cards, which they lay face down in front of them. As the attacker, Red chooses first and does not pick up the opposing player's conflict card. Next, Blue decides to pick up Red's conflict card. Blue now has both cards. Blue reveals them and must apply the effects to their own side: Blue removes 1 red Soldato from the conflict and replaces it with 1 of their own Soldati (Turncoat). However, Blue must also take 1 of their own Soldati into their headquarters (Coward).
Next, Red and Blue each return 1 Soldato to the supply 3 times. This leads to Blue losing all of their Soldati in that area. The conflict ends. Blue takes their own order token from the area back into their headquarters. As control switches, 1 drug lab is destroyed in the area. Now that only Red remains in the area, Red takes control of it. The second drug lab stays and is now controlled by Red.
Example: Attacking through Speedboats. Red and Green are a team. Red executes their attack order and may move through the red speedboat and the green speedboat from Camastra to attack Ragusa (Blue). Red takes 4 Soldati along. Red cannot take the car along.
If there are 2 shotguns on your order token, you may immediately follow your Movement (and Attack) with a second Movement (and Attack). (Note that you still only get to take 1 car along.) You can either perform it from the area containing the order or from the area you moved to using your first Movement (and Attack). The same rules apply as with the first Movement (and Attack). Your car and the skulls on the order (if any) yield full bonuses on both attacks.
Strike (Bomb)
This symbol allows you to execute a Strike against enemy Soldati. This can only cause damage and may clear an area, thereby removing it from the opposing team's control (and preventing them from executing an attack order later). It cannot be used to take control of an area.
When executing a Strike, complete the following steps (see the reverse side of the overview sheet):
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Target an area directly adjacent to the area containing your order. You cannot execute a Bomb Strike via a speedboat.
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If you have at least 1 car in the area containing the order, you may execute the Strike using a car bomb. In that case, add the highest visible number alongside the skulls (not the sum of all visible numbers) in the bottom half of the Justice row to the number beside the skull on the order token. The car is removed after the Strike.
Example: When executing a Strike, your car provides you with an additional attack bonus of 3 (bottom value).
Determine the attack and defense bonuses as you would for Movement (and Attack) (step 2, see above). Protective vests and drug labs offer protection against Strikes, too.
If the attack value is higher, remove the appropriate number of Soldati from the targeted area (any excess result points are forfeited). If you remove neutral Soldati, take an equal number of your own Soldati from the supply into your headquarters. If there are no Soldati left in the targeted area, remove any remaining cars and order tokens from the area.
If there are 2 bombs on your order token, you may immediately follow your Strike with a second Strike. You may target the same or a different area. The rules are the same as those applied to the first Strike. If you want to use cars for both Strikes, you must have 2 cars in the area containing the order. (The first car was destroyed in the first Strike.) The skulls on the order yield full bonuses on both Strikes. The same applies to drug labs and protective vests when targeting the same area twice.
Pentito
If you have this symbol, remove 1 of your own Soldati from the area containing the order (a so-called Pentito). You may then remove the pictured number of enemy Soldati from adjacent areas (in this example, remove 2 Soldati each from 2 areas and 1 from another area).
Defense bonuses do not apply. You may only remove neutral Soldati or Soldati belonging to the opposing team. You may remove less than the pictured number of enemy Soldati. If you remove neutral Soldati, take an equal number of your own Soldati from the Supply into your headquarters.
Agitate
This symbol means that for the final action of the order (i.e. only after an attack), you can agitate neutral Soldati. Choose an area with neutral Soldati close to the area containing your order. The number next to the symbol indicates the maximum distance between that area and your area.
- 1 = directly adjacent
- 2 = 1 area in between
- 3 = 2 areas in between
You may use any number of neutral Soldati from this area to execute Movement (and Attack) to an adjacent area. You cannot target an area that is controlled by your team. This functions like an order with 1 shotgun and no other symbols.
For every neutral Soldato removed during this attack, the defending family may take 1 Soldato from the supply into their headquarters. If the neutral Soldati take control of the targeted area, 1 drug lab is removed from there (if present).
For details on additional symbols not explained in this section, refer to Appendix I below.
Example: Agitate. Red executes an order in Caltagirone. As the final step, Red uses Agitate to move 2 Soldati from adjacent Scordia to Palagonia. There they execute an attack, just as if Red had issued a Movement (and Attack) order. Red may execute the attack using all of the neutral Soldati from the area, or leave 1 or more Soldati behind.
End of the Encounter Phase: Management
Management at the end of the encounter phase works the same as management at the end of the planning phase (see above).
In addition, check whether you have reached the end of the game (see End of the Game below).
If the game does not end, move the bottom action sheet (with the influence tokens on it) onto the printed top action sheet. If there is already an action sheet from the previous round in that space, first return it to the box. Make sure the numbers along the top of the action sheet cover up the printed numbers. Then prepare the next action sheet (action sheet 2, 3, or 4 for round 2, 3, or 4) to use as the new bottom action sheet.
Example: Round 2 has ended.
- Return action sheet 1 to the box.
- Move action sheet 2 along with its influence tokens to the top.
- Place action sheet 3 in the space for the bottom action sheet. You are now ready to begin the next round.
End of the Game
If, in the management after the encounter phase, you alone control at least 5 Mandamenti, or if your team controls at least 6 Mandamenti, you win the game.
If neither team achieves this by the end of the fourth round, the side which controls more Mandamenti than the other is the winning team. If the teams are tied (either at the end of the fourth round or if, for example, both teams control 6 Mandamenti), the team controlling the Bronte area is the winner. If neither team controls that area, the game ends in a draw. (If a draw occurs before the fourth round, simply go on playing.)
Example: At the end of round 4, the teams control 5 Mandamenti each. However, Team Blue/Red controls the Bronte area, making them the winner.
Appendix
Appendix I: Action Spaces
- Place 1 order token from your headquarters face down in each of up to 2 areas containing at least 1 of your Soldati, but not containing any order tokens.
- Place 2 order tokens from your headquarters face down in an area which contains at least 1 of your Soldati, but does not contain any order tokens. You do not need the control tile Chain of Command, which allows the user to place 2 order tokens in the same area. Even with the control tile, there cannot be more than 2 order tokens in the same area.
- You may place your base value + 4 Soldati from your headquarters onto the game board. You may only place them in an area which already contains at least 1 of your Soldati, not in an empty area.
- Receive 1 Money for each of your drug labs AND choose an area containing at least 1 of your Soldati. You may move as many of your Soldati and cars from adjacent areas to this area (not through speedboats).
- You may remove 2 influence tokens from your family mat. Remove both influence tokens from the left of any 1 row and return them to the box. This gives you a chance to receive an advanced order.
Appendix II: Order Tokens
- Green A. Once you have decided how many Soldati to move into which area, you may replace 1 defending Soldato with 1 of your own from your supply. Return the defending Soldato to the supply.
- Yellow B. Place 1 car on the board and build 1 drug lab. Place 1 Soldato from your headquarters with each of your drug labs (not just in this area). This applies to the newly built lab as well. If you have 2 drug labs in an area, place 2 Soldati there. If you do not have enough Soldati in your headquarters, you may choose with which lab to place your Soldati.
- Yellow C. Once you have decided how many Soldati to move into which area, you may pay X Money to remove X defending Soldati from the conflict. Return them to the supply.
- Black B. Once you have decided how many Soldati to move into which area, you may remove up to 2 defending Soldati and replace them with your own. Return the Soldati you removed to the supply.
- Blue B. You may execute a Bomb Strike as well as an attack with a shotgun. They can be executed in any order. If you take control of an area first, you can execute the Strike from there or from the area containing the order token. If you attack the same area twice, drug labs and protective vests provide full protection during both attacks.
- White A. Place 2 Soldati each from your headquarters in the area containing the order and up to 2 more adjacent areas already containing at least 1 of your Soldati. The 2 adjacent areas (or just 1) can be areas controlled by your teammate, and you can allow your teammate to place 2 Soldati there instead.
- White B. Replace up to 3 enemy Soldati in 1 or more adjacent areas with your own from the supply and then move these Soldati into the area containing the order. Return the Soldati you removed to the supply.
Appendix III: Control Tiles
Allies. You may apply this ability to every Movement (and Attack) where you do not use a speedboat. If your attack allows you to target an empty area or an area containing neutral units, you may pay 1 Money to attack an area adjacent to the targeted area instead.
Bribery. You may apply this ability to every Movement (and Attack) (but not Strike) immediately after choosing which area to move to. Return the Soldato you remove to the supply. If the order token has 2 shotguns, you may apply the ability both times.
Chain of Command. You may place an order in an area which already contains 1 of your orders.
Delay Detonator. When using a car to execute a Bomb Strike, the targeted area does not need to be adjacent to the area containing the order. There can be 1 other area in between. It does not matter whether this area is empty or who controls it.
Influence. At the beginning of every planning phase, you must decide whether or not to discard 1 Soldato from your headquarters in order to apply this ability.
Miniguns. You may apply this ability to every Movement (and Attack) where you use at least 1 speedboat. When attacking from the sea, you receive an additional attack bonus of 1. This also applies if the area you are attacking through a speedboat could be attacked without using a speedboat.
Recruitment. Taking over an area means that you have at least 1 Soldato in the area after the attack. You may then also apply this control tile's ability. Take the Soldati from your headquarters. If you do not have enough Soldati there, you cannot apply the ability.
Speedboats. Place the speedboat according to the usual rules.