Mob Ties: The Board Game

Mob Ties: The Board Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

A Word of Warning

Mob Ties: The Board Game contains images of graphic violence and adult situations, and is intended only for mature audiences. Parental discretion advised.

Game Overview

Mob Ties is a board game of negotiation, intrigue and revenge for three to six players playable in 90 - 120 minutes. During the course of the game, players assume the roles of mob bosses vying for control of the small city of North Plains. Moving their mobsters between various locations on the game board, players attempt to collect cash and intimidate or work with other players' mobsters while protecting their own assets.

Players are dealt Favor Cards at the beginning of the game that include Attack, Defense, Weapon and Specialty Cards. Each turn during the Action Phase, players may play any or all of the cards in their hand, attacking players in mutual locations or defending their own mobsters from attack.

In addition, cards are drawn from the Fed Deck each turn to determine how many and on what location Feds will be placed. If a location is surrounded by four or more Feds, players with mobsters in the surrounded location must either defend themselves using weapons to remove one or more Feds, or vote for one among them to be pinched. When a player's mobster is pinched by the Feds, that mobster is placed in the Prison location on the game board.

To win the game, players must successfully avoid the growing threat of the Feds and defend themselves from the encroachments of other mob families on their territories. As more mobsters are killed or pinched, the Heat Meter rises, eventually reaching its highest level and signaling the end of the game.

The player with the most money and respect wins.

It's All About Respect

During the game, players use Shows of Respect to determine the outcome of certain situations. Each mobster commands a specific number of Respect Points, as designated in the upper right corner of the game piece. During a Show of Respect, players use the total Respect Points of their mobsters in a location to vote for themselves or against an opponent. The situations in which Shows of Respect are necessary include voting in the Mansion to elect the Don; determining who receives the Racket Value in a location during the Business Phase; and deciding which player's mobster gets pinched when a location is surrounded by the Feds. For more information on Shows of Respect, see Page 5.

Player Conflict

Players should not hesitate to be ruthless. Mob Ties is a game that forces players into direct conflict with one another. The game mechanics are designed such that players must negotiate, threaten and manipulate each other in order to win. Players that do not engage in frequent negotiations or who sit back and passively collect cash from their Rackets may be able to win the game, but aggressive players will often conquer more territories and accumulate more cash.

Always remember that Mob Ties is a game. Players should not take each others' in-game actions personally, nor should any of the conflict ever spill off the game board. Players are inevitably going to take actions that displease other players. Your friends are eventually going to feed you to the pigs. But you can make them dig their own graves.

It's nothing personal.

Have fun. That's why we play.

Game Components

Enclosed in your Mob Ties game box, you will find the following components:

1 Core Rules Book (this book)
1 Alternate & Advanced Rules Book
1 Game Board
1 Don's Ring
100 Favor Cards
50 Fed Cards
6 Capo game pieces
6 Hit Man game pieces
6 Made Man game pieces
6 Associate game pieces
6 Driver game pieces
6 Sicilian game pieces
12 Foot Soldier game pieces
5 "Mobster" tokens
1 "Undercover Fed" token
48 Fed tokens
35 Plastic Stands
1 Heat Meter token
6 Player Aids
20 Racket Value tokens
Kitty Cash: 30 $1,000 Bills, 30 $5,000 Bills, 30 $10,000 Bills, 30 $20,000 Bills, 30 $50,000 Bills

Scaling the Game

For best game play, Mob Ties is recommended for 4 - 5 players. In order to preserve balance in the game with regard to less or more players, the distribution of Racket Values for locations and the number of Favor Cards dealt to each player at the beginning of the game should be scaled as follows:

No. of Players	3	4	5	6
Starting Favor Cards	5	6	7	8
Racket Value: The Diner	$5k	$6k	$7k	$8k
Racket Value: The Meat Locker	$10k	$12k	$14k	$16k
Racket Value: Little Italy	$15k	$18k	$21k	$24k
Racket Value: Kitty's	$20k	$24k	$28k	$32k

Place the corresponding Racket Value tokens in the lower right corner of each location on the game board as specified in the above chart.

Locations & Rackets

The Docks, Kitty's, Little Italy, the Diner and the Meat Locker each have Racket Values as indicated in the "Scaling the Game" section above. The player that wins the Show of Respect in any or all of these locations during the Business Phase receives that location's Racket Value in Kitty Cash. The Racket Value reflects the cash earned by the criminal enterprises operated from each location.

Note: Locations with higher Racket Values draw the most Heat from the Feds.

If two or more players have an equal amount of Respect in a location, they may negotiate to split the Racket Value between them. If the players cannot come to an agreement, the Don decides which player receives the Racket Value, though he or she may require something in return or even demand part of the Racket Value for intervening.

The Game Board

The game board depicts various locations where players may move their mobsters during the game. There are a total of seven locations on the game board: the Don's Mansion, Little Italy, the Meat Locker, the Diner, the Docks, Kitty's and the Streets. All locations, excluding the Streets, can hold a maximum of five mobsters. If a location is full, a player can not move a mobster into that location. There is no limit to the number of mobsters that may occupy the Streets.

(The board also shows the Prison, the Morgue, the Heat Meter and the Airstrip, described below.)

The Don's Mansion

The Don's Mansion does not have a Racket Value. The player with the most Respect in the Don's Mansion during the Election Phase is elected Don and receives the Don's Ring.

The Streets

The general area in the center of the game board represents the Streets. No Fed tokens are ever placed on the Streets, nor can the Streets ever be surrounded. Any number of mobsters may occupy the Streets at any one time.

Tip: Be careful not to concentrate too many of your mobsters in the Streets. If an opponent plays the "Drive-by" card, all mobsters in the Streets must defend against a Level 1 attack.

The Diner

A Dirty Cop with information about the activities of the Feds operates from the Diner. Players can forfeit the location's Racket Value to bribe the Dirty Cop and receive valuable information about what locations the Feds are going to target.

The Airstrip

The Airstrip location on the Mob Ties game board is used in some of the scenarios discussed in the Alternate and Advanced Rules Book, including "The Sicilian" and the "Escape the City" game scenarios. For more information regarding the Airstrip location, see the Alternate and Advanced Rules Book included in the game box. The Airstrip location is not used in the standard Mob Ties game.

The Prison

Pinched mobsters are placed in the Prison, but are still considered in play until they are cleared from the game board when the Heat Meter rises. A mobster may not leave the Prison unless its owner pays the mobster's bail, or uses a Specialty Card that allows the mobster to leave (i.e., the "Tony Goldstein" card). Aside from "Shanked," Attack and Defense Cards cannot be played in the Prison.

The Morgue

Dead mobsters are placed in the Morgue. Once placed there, the mobsters are no longer in play.

The Heat Meter

Located in the upper left corner of the game board, the Heat Meter tracks the cumulative number of mobsters that have been killed and/or pinched and determines the number of Fed Cards that are drawn each turn. When the total number of mobsters in Prison and/or the Morgue equals the number of players, the Heat Meter increases one level. The Prison and Morgue are then cleared of all mobsters, beginning with the Prison. Any mobsters beyond the number of players remain in the Morgue and count toward the next increase of the Heat Meter.

The Family

Each player begins the game with a Family of five mobsters.

Capo (Respect 3): As the highest ranking member of the Family, the Capo has a cash value of $75k at the end of the game and commands 3 Respect. The Capo can use all Attack, Hit and Whack Cards.
Hit Man (Respect 2): Skilled in the art of assassination, the Hit Man has a cash value of $50k at the end of the game and commands 2 Respect. The Hit Man may use Attack or Hit Cards.
Made Man (Respect 2): Serving as the Family's enforcer, the Made Man has a cash value of $50k at the end of the game and also commands 2 Respect. The Made Man may use Attack or Whack Cards.
Associate (Respect 1): Not yet a full member of the Family, the Associate has a cash value of $25k at the end of the game and commands only 1 Respect. Associates cannot use Hit or Whack Cards, but may use any other Attack Cards.
Driver (Respect 1): The Driver has a cash value of $25k at the end of the game and commands 1 Respect. The Driver cannot use Hit or Whack Cards, but may use any other Attack Cards. As part of a player's action turn, he or she can move the Driver and another mobster in the same location to the Streets, or from the Streets to another location.

Show of Respect

A Show of Respect is essentially a vote that the players conduct using the Respect values of their mobsters in the location where the Show of Respect occurs. Players use Shows of Respect to choose the Don during the Election Phase, determine who receives the Racket Value in a location during the Business Phase, and decide which player's mobster gets pinched when a location is surrounded by the Feds. A player with the lowest Respect can still win the Show of Respect by negotiating or making deals with the other players in the location who may also be in the minority.

Example

The Red Made Man (2 Respect) and the Blue Hit Man (2 Respect) are in the Mansion with the Green Capo (3 Respect). Red promises to give Blue one of the two Favor Cards that Red will draw if Blue votes for Red to become the Don. Green offers Blue $25k to reject Red's proposal. Blue agrees to accept Green's offer, but only if Blue also receives his choice of the two Favor Cards drawn by Green as Don. Green accepts the deal and is elected Don.

The Show of Respect is one of the fundamental game mechanics of Mob Ties, and serves as the forum for players to negotiate and make deals.

The Driver Move

During a player's turn in the Action Phase, he or she may move the Driver from a location to the Streets, or vice versa. This is considered a special additional movement, independent of the player's Movement Phase. A player may also choose to have the Driver take another of his or her mobsters in the same starting location as a passenger and move both mobsters to the Streets, or from the Streets to a new location. If moving from the Streets to a new location, the target location must not be full. If the Driver is moving into a location without a passenger, the target location must have no more than four mobsters already occupying it. If the Driver is moving into a location with a passenger, the target location must have no more than three mobsters already occupying it.

A player can choose to use the Driver's special movement at any time during his or her turn in the Action Phase. For example, a player could attack an opponent in a location where his or her Driver is present, then move the Driver out of the location to the Streets, preventing the defending player from getting a chance to retaliate. Alternately, a player could move his or her Driver from the Streets to a location and attack an opponent. However, if the attack is unsuccessful, the player's Driver is stuck in the location with the opponent's mobsters and may face retaliation. Since the Driver's special movement can only be used during a player's turn during the Action Phase, it cannot be used to defend against an attack from an opponent.

Favor Cards

Players receive Favor Cards at the beginning of the game, but thereafter must either acquire them by 1) discarding two cards from their hand to draw two Favor Cards from the top of the Favor Card Deck and keeping one, 2) by directly purchasing Favor Cards from the top of the Favor Card Deck for $25k each, or 3) by receiving one of the two Favor Cards drawn by the Don each turn.

Players may not reveal their Favor Cards to each other unless they are playing the cards in question. Players may posture, threaten, boast or inform each other that they have particular cards, but players cannot reveal cards to each other unless they are playing the cards.

The Favor Card Deck contains one hundred (100) Favor Cards.

Each Favor Card shows: (1) Card Type, (2) Card Level, (3) Card Title, (4) Description of Card Actions. Example: the Specialty Card "Armed Robbery" (Level 2): "This card may only be played during the Business Phase. Target player chooses one -- forfeit location's racket value to attacking player or suffer a Level 2 attack."

Note: Once a Favor Card has been played, it is placed in the Favor Card discard pile.

Card Types

Attack Cards can be used by any member of a player's Family to attack an opponent's mobsters.
Hit Cards are a sub-class of Attack Cards which can only be used by a player's Hit Man or Capo.
Whack Cards are a sub-class of Attack Cards which can only be used by a player's Made Man or Capo.
Defense Cards are used to defend against Attack Cards and can be played by any mobster.
Specialty Cards are used to perform a wide variety of actions during game play. Unless otherwise specified on the card, Specialty Cards may only be played during a player's action turn. See the Specialty Card Appendix in the Alternate and Advanced Rules Book for full descriptions of the Specialty Cards.
Weapon Cards are used to remove Feds from a location. They may be played by any mobster during the Feds Phase. They are most effectively played when a player has lost a Show of Respect in a location surrounded by the Feds and is facing the prospect of being pinched. Each Weapon Card indicates the number of Feds that are removed from a single location when it is played. Players may use any number of Weapon Cards during the Feds Phase.

Fed Cards

The Fed Card Deck contains fifty (50) Fed Cards. During the Feds Phase, a number of Fed Cards equal to the current Heat Level are drawn, and Fed tokens are placed around the locations as indicated on the cards, one at a time. The drawn Fed Cards are then discarded. For a more detailed discussion of the Fed Cards, see "Phase Four: The Feds" on Page 10.

Each Fed Card shows: a Fed Icon (the number of Feds), a Card Title and a Card Effect. Example: "Citywide Crackdown" (1): Add one Fed to all locations.

Player Aids

Six (6) Player Aid reference sheets are also included in the game box. Each Player Aid summarizes the phases of the game round, iconography, and other information necessary for playing Mob Ties. Useful strategies and tips can be found on the reverse side of each Player Aid.

Cash and the Bookie

Before game play begins, choose one player to serve as the Bookie. Each round during the Business Phase, the Bookie pays each location's Racket Value to the player who wins the Show of Respect in that location. The Bookie also accepts all cash from players who choose to purchase Favor Cards from the top of the Favor Card Deck. No other players should be permitted to handle cash.

Terms of Negotiation

Players must also decide the terms of their negotiations before game play begins. If playing with Honor Among Thieves, all agreements between players in which consideration is paid (i.e., cash is exchanged as part of the deal) cannot be broken. If playing with All Bets Are Off, agreements between players are not binding, regardless of whether consideration has been paid. The Honor Among Thieves / All Bets Are Off token is placed face up on the table to indicate which terms of negotiation are in effect. For more info, see Page 1 of the Alternate and Advanced Rules Book.

The Don's Ring

Also included in the game box is the Don's Ring, which is used to denote the current reigning Don for any given game turn. Players are encouraged to flaunt the Don's Ring as a symbol of their power and respect.

Other Tokens and Game Pieces

A number of additional game pieces and tokens are included in the game box. These game pieces and tokens are for use with the game variations detailed in the Alternate and Advanced Rules Book also found in the game box.

Game Setup

Place the game board in the center of the playing area. Shuffle the Favor and Fed Card decks and place them next to the game board. Each player chooses a color and takes the mobsters and Player Aid corresponding to that color. Place the Heat token on the lowest level of the Heat Meter, located in the upper left area of the game board.

Place the Racket Value tokens in the lower right hand corner of each location, and deal each player the number of Favor Cards as specified in the "Scaling the Game" chart on Page 3 of this Rule Book.

Designate one player to serve as the Bookie, and place the individual denominations of Kitty Cash to the left of the game board. The Bookie then deals each player $25k as starting cash.

Each player places a mobster in a container (a cup, hat, the game box, etc.), and one mobster is then drawn out at random. The color of that piece determines the player who places his or her mobsters first. That player places one mobster on any of the six main locations (The Don's Mansion, Little Italy, The Meat Locker, The Diner, The Docks, or Kitty's).

The player to the left then places one mobster in any of the six locations, and this continues clockwise until the players have placed all of their five mobsters on the locations around the game board, excluding the Streets. Players may not place any mobsters in the Streets during the initial game setup.

Each location can hold a maximum of five mobsters.

The Game Round

The game round in Mob Ties consists of seven phases, and each player receives one turn during each phase:

Phase One: "Election"
Phase Two: "Business"
Phase Three: "Movement"
Phase Four: "The Feds"
Phase Five: "Action"
Phase Six: "Bail"
Phase Seven: "Heat"

Note: The Business Phase and the Movement Phase are skipped during the first game round. They are considered part of the initial game setup (the $25k starting cash is dealt out to each player as the first Business Phase, and the placement of the mobsters replaces the first Movement Phase).

Phase One: "Election"

Players with mobsters in the Don's Mansion vote for the Don. The player who wins this Show of Respect receives the Don's Ring and remains the Don until the next Election Phase. In the event of a tie, the vote is decided in favor of the previous Don. If a tie occurs in the first round, the player who placed the last mobster on the game board casts the deciding vote. The Don then draws two Favor Cards from the top of the Favor Card deck, keeps one and gives the other to any player whose mobsters share a location with at least one of the Don's mobsters. If the Don does not share a location with any other player, he or she draws only one Favor Card.

Example

Yellow is elected Don. Yellow has mobsters in the Mansion, the Docks, and the Diner. Red also has mobsters in the Docks. Blue has mobsters in the Diner and the Mansion. Green has mobsters in the Meat Locker. The Don could give the Favor Card he chooses not to keep to either Red or Blue, since their mobsters share mutual locations with the Don's mobsters. However, the Don could not give a card to Green, as none of their mobsters share a location.

If at any point during the game the Don's Mansion is closed down by the Feds (i.e., surrounded when there are no mobsters therein to defend it), the Election Phase is skipped over for the remainder of the game. The Don does not draw any more Favor Cards. Players can still purchase cards from the top of the Favor Card Deck. The player who was last elected Don continues to serve as the tie-breaking vote in all subsequent Shows of Respect and continues to act and move first.

Tip: It is important that players protect the Don's Mansion from being surrounded and closed down by the Feds. Without access to Favor Cards, players will find themselves unable to defend against the growing threat of the Feds.

Phase Two: Business

A Show of Respect occurs in the five locations with Racket Values, beginning with the Docks and continuing clockwise around the game board. The Bookie distributes the location's Racket Value to the player who wins the Show of Respect in each location.

The player who wins the Show of Respect in the Diner can choose to bribe the Dirty Cop rather than receive the Diner's Racket Value.

In the case of a tie during a Show of Respect, the players can choose to split the Racket Value, or they can request that the Don break the tie. In the latter case, the Don may ask for something in return from the player who receives his support, including part of the location's Racket Value.

Example

The Blue Associate (Respect 1) and Blue Driver (Respect 1) are in the Docks along with the Green Made Man (Respect 2). A Show of Respect occurs during the Business Phase in the Docks, resulting in a tie between Blue and Green. The two players cannot come to an agreement to split the Dock's Racket Value. The Don is asked to break the tie. Blue offers the Don $10k of the total Racket Value of $35k. The Don accepts and breaks the tie in favor of Blue, takes his $10k and lets Blue keep the remaining $25k.

Buying Favor Cards

Players can purchase cards from the top of the Favor Card deck during the Business Phase. The Don declares whether he or she will purchase a Favor Card first, and then the choice proceeds clockwise around the table. Purchasing a card from the Favor Card deck costs $25k. The player draws the top two cards, chooses one to keep and places the other on the bottom of the Favor Card deck. Players can purchase as many cards as they can afford.

Note: Players can only purchase or discard Favor Cards during the Business Phase.

Discarding Cards

Sometimes, even after thoroughly shuffling the Favor Cards and dealing out the initial cards, a player may receive an unsatisfying starting hand. In this case, he or she may discard two cards from his or her hand and draw two cards from the top of the Favor Card deck. The player chooses one card to keep, and places the other card at the bottom of the deck.

Bribing the Dirty Cop

During the Business Phase, the player who wins the Show of Respect in the Diner can choose to forfeit the Diner's Racket Value as a bribe to the Dirty Cop. The player may then look at the cards that will be drawn from the top of the Fed deck this turn and use that information to misdirect the other players, set traps to lure other players into a location that will become surrounded, or simply move his or her mobsters out of a location that is about to be raided by the Feds. Information about the locations that will be targeted by the Feds can also be sold to the other players. However, the player may not show the Fed Cards to any other players.

Tip: If the heat from the Feds is particularly high, bribing the Dirty Cop can prove invaluable to keeping your mobsters out of Prison.

Phase Three: Movement

The players each move one of their mobsters starting with the Don and proceeding clockwise around the table. Players can only move a mobster into a location that does not already contain five mobsters.

Each player must move one, and only one, mobster during the Movement Phase. A player with all of his or her mobsters in a single location must move one mobster out of that location during the Movement Phase.

If all the locations are full, the player must place his or her mobster in the Streets.

Phase Four: The Feds

After all players have moved, a number of Fed Cards corresponding to the current level of the Heat Meter are drawn and Fed tokens are placed on the locations as indicated. When four (4) or more Fed tokens are on a location, that location is deemed "surrounded" and the Feds move in to make an arrest. The players with mobsters in the surrounded location then conduct a Show of Respect to decide which among them gets pinched.

All surrounded locations must be resolved immediately, beginning with the Docks and continuing clockwise around the game board. The player who loses the Show of Respect must either select one of his mobsters in the location to be pinched, or play a Weapon Card that reduces the number of Feds surrounding the location to three or less. Fed tokens remain on a location until removed by a Weapon Card.

Example

The Red Made Man (Respect 2), Blue Hit Man (Respect 2) and Green Capo (Respect 3) are in Little Italy when the location is suddenly surrounded by five Feds. A Show of Respect is conducted and Blue and Red, who together have a Respect of 4, agree to vote against Green. Green uses a "Shotgun" to remove two Feds, bringing the total number of Feds on the location to three. The location is not longer surrounded.

When a player's mobster is pinched, place it in the Prison. Pinched mobsters remain in Prison until bailed out, "shanked," or cleared from the game board when the Heat Meter rises. For more information on bailing mobsters out of Prison, see Page 12.

Note: The "FBI Raid" card adds four (4) Feds to the location with the highest total Respect (consisting of the combined Respect values of all the mobsters in the location). If an "FBI Raid" card is drawn and two locations are tied for the most Respect, the Don chooses which location is raided. If a second "FBI Raid" card is drawn, then the location that the Don did not choose is also raided.

If a location is surrounded while there are no mobsters to defend it, the location is closed for the rest of the game. A discarded Fed Card is then placed face down over the location. Mobsters cannot move into closed locations. If in subsequent rounds a Fed Card is drawn that indicates Fed tokens should be placed on a closed location, the card is disregarded and no additional Fed Card is drawn.

Note: If a "Turn the Tables" card is drawn from the Fed Card deck, the order of the Action Phase to follow is reversed, causing the Don to go last. If another "Turn the Tables" card is drawn the same round, the order of the Action Phase reverses to normal.

Phase Five: Action

Beginning with the Don and continuing clockwise, players each take an action turn and play as many Favor Cards from their hand as they wish. A player may also elect not to play any Favor Cards and pass to the next player. Unless otherwise indicated, a player may only play Favor Cards against an opponent's mobsters that share a location with the attacking player's mobsters. The attacking player must declare the target and location of the attack. The target opponent may then play a Defense Card. If the attack is not successfully defended, the attacked mobster is killed and moved to the Morgue. If the attacking player has no more actions, he passes to the next player (who may or may not retaliate).

Attacking & Defending

When a player attacks another player, the attacking player places the card with which he is attacking face up on the game board. The attacked player may then defend against the attack with a Defense Card of a level equal to or greater than that of the Attack Card. Defense Cards cannot be used in conjunction with one another. Only one Defense Card may be used to defend against any one attack.

Example

The Red Made Man and the Yellow Associate are in the Meat Locker. Red attacks Yellow with a "Car Bomb" (Level 2 attack). Yellow successfully defends with a "Mob Doctor" (Level 3 defense).

The First Blood Bonus

The first player to eliminate an opponent's mobster in the first round of game play receives a $25k cash bonus. This bonus is not available after the first round ends.

Sacrificing the Lesser Man

When an attack is undefended and the defending player has more than one mobster in the location where he or she is being attacked, the defending player chooses which mobster takes the bullet.

Example

The Red Made Man and the Yellow Associate are in the Meat Locker. Yellow moves his Hit Man into the Meat Locker. During the Action Phase, Red declares that he is attacking Yellow in the Meat Locker with "Deal Gone Bad" (Level 1 attack). Yellow does not have a Defense Card, and decides to sacrifice his Associate rather than his Hit Man since it has a lower cash value at the end of the game and commands less Respect. The Yellow Associate takes the bullet and is placed in the Morgue.

The Driver Move: A Reminder

As discussed previously, as a special action during the Action Phase, players can choose to move their Driver from its current location to the Streets, or from the Streets to a new location that is occupied by four or less mobsters.

The Driver can also take one of the player's other mobsters in the same location and drive it to the Streets. When moving from the Streets to a new location with a passenger, the target location must have three or less mobsters in it to accommodate the Driver and his passenger.

Phase Six: Bail

After the Action Phase has ended, players may elect to bail out any pinched mobster for the price indicated on the Player Aid ($25k for the Driver and the Associate, $50k for the Made Man and the Hit Man, and $75k for the Capo). A mobster that is bailed out of Prison is immediately placed in the Streets.

When the Heat Meter increases to a new level, all mobsters in the Prison are cleared from the game board first (representing their transfer to the federal penitentiary). Players must elect to bail out any mobsters in the Prison before the Heat Meter rises.

Phase Seven: Heat

As the game progresses, players keep track of the Heat Meter in the upper left corner of the game board using the Heat token. The Heat Meter gauges the presence and threat of the Feds. As the bodies pile up and more mobsters are pinched, the Heat Meter rises accordingly.

At the beginning of the game, the Heat token is placed on the lowest level of the Heat Meter. This indicates that only one Fed Card is drawn each turn. After mobsters equal to the number of players have been removed from play (either by being killed and/or pinched, collectively), the Heat Meter rises and the Heat token is placed on the next highest level of the Heat Meter. Two Fed Cards are then drawn each turn.

When mobsters equal to twice the number of players have been removed from play, the Heat Meter rises again and the Heat token is placed on the next highest level. Three Fed Cards are then drawn each turn. When mobsters equal to three times the number of players have been removed from play, the game ends at the conclusion of that round's Heat Phase.

Example

In a three player game, the Heat Meter has risen to the third level. Red is the Don and acts first during the Action Phase, attacking and killing two of Blue's remaining mobsters. The two eliminated mobsters are placed in the Morgue. One of Green's mobsters was pinched during the prior Feds Phase and is in Prison. At the end of the Heat Phase in the current round, the game will end because the number of mobsters collectively in the Morgue and Prison are equal to the number of players. Blue and Green will nonetheless each get to take their turns during the Action Phase, possibly eliminating more mobsters (and depriving opponents of their mobsters' cash values at the end of the game). Green will also have a chance to bail out his or her mobster in Prison. If Green does so (and assuming no other mobsters are eliminated during Blue and Green's action turns), there will be no mobsters in Prison and only two mobsters in the Morgue. In this latter case, the game will not end this round (as the number of mobsters in the Morgue and Prison collectively does not equal the number of players). The game ends if Green chooses not to bail his mobster out of Prison.

Winning the Game

After the game has ended, the cash value of all mobsters in play (excluding any mobsters in Prison) is added to each player's total accumulated cash. Players receive $25k for each point of Respect commanded by their surviving mobsters. The player with the most cash wins the game.

In Mob Ties, cash is king.

Last Words

Mob Ties is intended to be a thematic game of strategy whose primary game mechanic is negotiation. Mob Ties is designed to force players into direct conflict with one another, while at the same time providing players with opportunities to use conflict to their advantage by forging alliances, making deals and positioning themselves to win the game. We encourage players to play upon the thematic qualities of the game, which we hope are many.

Enjoy.