The 13th Street Crew

The 13th Street Crew Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game

Loyal members of the 13th Street Crew win if they earn at least $15,000 for the organization. Multiple players can win together by exceeding this amount at the same time. An Informant wins if they are the only one to reach $15,000 or if 5 Police! cards are played during the game. If no player is the Informant, and 5 Police! cards are played, everyone loses.

Components

Resource Cards (48) represent the different resources that are needed for crew members to perform Jobs for the organization:

Political Capital represents the player's influence with the movers and shakers of the city's politics, both in the political offices themselves and the shadowy money behind the scenes.
Intelligence represents information gained by the player that is non-public, ranging from tips from street-corner lookouts to inside trading information from business executives.
Family Favor represents the goodwill the player has within the organization itself that can be drawn upon for assistance.
Hardware represents weapons and other serious tools of the crew member's trade.

Police Action Cards (45 of 2 Different Types) represent the actions of the police force and determine whether or not the 13th Street Crew succeeds in pulling off a Job.

All Clear — No Police activity in the area is detected.
Police! — Police are detected! The crew aborts their current Job. (5 revealed Police cards can end the game)

Identity Cards (8 Loyal Crew and 1 Informant) represent each player's hidden identity.

Loyal Crew Member — Player is a Loyal Crew Member and can be (relatively) trusted on Jobs.
The Informant — Player is a Police Informant and is secretly working against the organization!

Job Cards (48)

Big Jobs require at least 3 crew members to complete (the Lead Player must bring at least 2 other players on the job and up to all players).
Small Jobs require at least 2 crew members to complete (the Lead Player must bring at least 1 other player on the job and up to all players).
Solo Jobs must be completed alone.

Poker Chips (42)

Green Chips (28) represent units of $1,000.
Black Chips (14) represent units of $5,000.

Both represent bags of unmarked, non-sequential bills.

Set Up

Separate the Job Cards into three Job Decks: (1) Big Jobs; (2) Small Jobs; and (3) Solo Jobs. Shuffle each Job Deck and place in the middle of the table. Turn over three cards from each deck and place below the applicable deck to create a set of 9 Job Cards below the three Job Decks. These 9 cards are the "Active Jobs". (See Illustration, next page.)

Shuffle the Resource Cards to create a Resource Deck. Deal 3 Resource Cards face down to each player, and place the Resource Deck in the center of the table within easy reach of the players. Leave space for a discard pile.

Create a Police Deck by taking 2 Police! cards and 23 All Clear cards from the Police Action Cards. Shuffle the 25 card Police Deck and also place in the center of the table. Leave space for up to five (5) Police! cards to be revealed.

From the remaining Police Action cards, deal 1 Police! card and 1 All Clear card to each player. These cards will remain face down in front of the players until checking for police action. Place the remaining Police Action cards in the box face down. They will be used occasionally to deal new Police Action cards.

The Poker Chips can remain in the box or be placed to the side.

From the Identity Cards, take one Loyal Crew Member card for each player, add one more Loyal Crew Member card and the Informant card (in other words, in a five person game, you take 6 Loyal Crew Member cards and 1 Informant card). Shuffle these cards and deal 1 face down to each player. Place the remaining Identity Cards along with all unused Identity Cards into the box face down. These may come into play later in the game. Each player should look to see if they are a Loyal Crew Member or the Informant. This information is secret, but every player should claim to be a Loyal Crew Member (but cannot describe their crew member).

The player who has most recently seen The Godfather will start as the Lead Player. The role of the Lead Player will rotate clockwise around the table during the game.

Illustration of Initial Set Up

The printed illustration shows the layout of the initial set up, with the following areas labelled: Big Jobs, Small Jobs and Solo Jobs (the three Job Decks); Active Jobs (the nine face-up Job Cards); Resource Deck and Resource Discard Pile; Police Deck and Revealed Police! Cards; and the cards dealt to each player during initial setup — 1 Identity Card, 1 All Clear card, 1 Police! card and 3 Resource Cards.

The Job Cards

During The 13th Street Crew, in order to advance in the organization (and the game), the players will negotiate with one another to go on various Jobs selected from the Active Jobs in the center of the playing area. Jobs require the players to play a certain combination of Resources to meet the requirements of the Job, and will pay the players on the Job certain rewards. Here is a typical example of a Job Card:

The printed example card is labelled with the following parts:

Job Name
Resources required for the Job to go forward
Reward that each other player taken on the Job will get if Job succeeds
Reward that the Lead Player will get if Job succeeds

Here, to Rig a Local Lottery, the Crew needs 2 Hardware, 2 Family Favors, 2 Political Capital, and 1 Intelligence to put the Job together. If they are successful in putting the job together, and the job is not disrupted by police, everyone on the Job will get $5,000 each (the Lead's Take is $5K and each of the Crew's Take is $5K) and will also each receive 1 Resource Card.

After completion, this card is returned to the bottom of the Big Job Deck, and a new Big Job is drawn to be the new Active Job.

Assets

Some Jobs, in addition to providing an immediate reward, will also provide an Asset.

Assets that are gained by the Lead Player are colored white. In addition to receiving $2,000 and 1 Resource Card if this Job succeeds, the Lead Player also keeps this card permanently and has a renewable Hardware Resource going forward.

To use the Asset, the player just flips the card over to show it has been "used." The player then flips the card back face up ("resets" the Asset) at the beginning of their next turn.

Assets with text may be permanent or may be a one-time use. Detailed explanations of each special Asset can be found in the Card Appendix at the end of this Rulebook. Here is an example: here, the Lead Player, in addition to the other rewards, also must look at (and choose one of) the Identity Cards that are not currently in play. This is not a permanent asset and will be returned to the bottom of the Job Deck.

Assets Gained by All Players

Some Assets are gained by all players in the game. Unlike the typical Assets that are gained by the Lead Player and colored white, Assets that are gained by all players are colored green.

Unlike the white assets, this is an asset shared by the entire 13th Street Crew. The players on this Job each get $1,000, but all players have this asset going forward and gain $1,000 on their turn. This card should be placed somewhere in the center of the table to show it is in play.

A similar white Asset, in contrast, would only be gained by the Lead Player: in addition to receiving $1,000 and 1 Resource Card if this Job succeeds, the Lead Player also keeps this card permanently and has a renewable Money Asset going forward (starting on the Lead Player's next turn) that is not shared with the rest of the crew.

At the start of each player's turn, players gain rewards from (or can use) their permanent white assets as well as all green assets in play. If both of these cards were in play, one player would be receiving $2,000 at the beginning of their turn, every turn ($1K for the green crew asset, and $1K for their individual white asset)!

Order of Play

The Lead Player takes the following actions, after which their turn ends and play passes to the left (and they become the Lead Player):

(A) Reset Assets, and Use Assets if you choose.

(B) Draw 1 Resource Card (Hand Limit is 7).

(C) Pass OR Propose a Job.

If you Pass: (1) all players, including you, draw 1 Resource Card (this will be the Lead Player's second Resource Card) and (2) you may replace any one Active Job by placing it at the bottom of the applicable Job Deck and drawing a new Job. Play passes to your left.
If you Propose a Job: simply pick one Job from the Active Jobs (without input from the other players). Turn it 90 degrees or place it in front of you to make it clear this is the Job you are proposing.

(D) Assemble a Crew (for Big & Small Jobs only). You must have at least 2 Crew Members, including yourself, for a Small Job and at least 3 for a Big Job. If you cannot Assemble A Crew for the Job, the Job is placed under the applicable Job Deck, a new Job is drawn, and your turn ends. See Play Detail for communication limits.

(E) Put the Job Together (if Solo Job is selected or you assembled a crew). Players on the Job must play all Resources (including Assets) they have that can satisfy the Resource requirements, starting with the Lead Player and going clockwise until the requirements are met. If Resource requirements are not met, the Job is placed under the applicable Job Deck, a new Job is drawn, and your turn ends.

(F) Check for Police Action (if you met the Resource requirements). Each player on the Job secretly places one of their two Police Action cards (an "All Clear" card or a "Police!" card) in a Job Result Pile, along with the top card of the Police Deck. The Job Result pile is shuffled. The Lead Player then turns over Job Result pile cards one at a time. If a Police! card is turned over, the Job fails, the turn ends immediately and no further cards are turned over. The Police! card remains face up by the Police Deck and all unseen cards are collected from each player on the Job (who are then dealt two new Police Action cards). The fifth Police! card placed ends the game. If no Police! card is turned over, the Job succeeds and the turn ends. Each player on the Job gets the rewards specified and are each returned an All Clear card. The extra All Clear card goes back in the box.

(Note: Players check for police action on every job, even Solo Jobs, as players can call the police on themselves! However, a player cannot end the game by playing a Police! card on a Solo Job. Therefore, if 4 Police! cards are already face up, players on Solo Jobs only need to draw one card from the Police Deck to check for police action and do not add a card themselves.)

Play Detail

Resetting and Using Assets

During play, players may receive Assets as a result of successfully completing Jobs. These Assets are kept in front of the player and can be used by flipping the Asset card over. Typically, Assets are a recurring resource that can be used once a turn. Special Assets are described in the text of the card, and in the Card Appendix. At the beginning of the Lead Player's turn, all Assets of the Lead Player that have been used in this way (flipped over) on a prior turn are reset by flipping them face up, so the Asset is again visible and available for use.

Here, a player has a Hardware Asset that they used to complete a Job. At the beginning of the player's turn, the player simply flips the card face up — "resetting" the Asset to show that this Asset is now available to be used again.

After resetting their Assets, players may choose to use an Asset. Some Assets can be retained and used at a time of the player's choosing.

Here, in a prior Job, the player gained the ability to Get a Look at Another Crew Member's Rap Sheet. At the beginning of the player's turn, the player can choose to use this Asset and look at one other player's identity card, and then this card is returned to the bottom of the Solo Deck.

Drawing Resources — Hand Limit (7) and Secrecy

Players can have a maximum hand limit of 7 Resource Cards. If a card drawn by any player increases that player's hand so that it exceeds 7 cards, the player must immediately discard a Resource Card of their choice face up to a Resource Deck Discard pile. The discard pile is reshuffled to create a new Resource card pile if the Resources run out. The number of Resource Cards each player has in their hand is public knowledge, but the type of Resource Cards each player has must remain secret and cannot be discussed (except in a very roundabout way when Assembling a Crew, discussed next).

Players cannot state or otherwise hint what resources they currently have in their hands. (Note: Face up Assets held by Crew Members are extremely helpful in assembling a crew, because everyone at the table can see and discuss these Asset Resources openly, unlike the hidden Resources in player's hands.)

Players can also state they can't provide any help or do not want to come on a job. Lead Players who can complete a job with their own resources still need the help of other crew members on Small or Big Jobs if only to have enough people on the job.

Assembling a Crew — Communication Limits and Lying

If the Lead Player proposes a Big or Small Job, the Lead Player must attempt to Assemble a Crew to accomplish the Job. A Big Job requires at least three crew members (including the Lead Player) and a Small Job requires at least two crew members (including the Lead Player). The Lead Player can propose to bring as many other crew members on the Job as he or she would like (even every crew member). Solo Jobs have to just be performed by the Lead Player.

During this phase, all players can discuss with the Lead Player their thoughts on who should be brought on the Job, and who should not be brought on the Job. During the discussion, the players cannot discuss the types of Resources they have in their hand, but they can discuss the number of cards they have in their hand (and must disclose how many cards they have to other players when asked).

The Lead Player and the other players can also hint at what they might need to complete the job, or how they can help complete the job. The Lead Player can say "I will need a lot of help", "I will need some help" or "I will need a little help." The other players can either say they do not want to go on the job, or can say, "I can help a lot", "I can help some" or "I can help a little." Those three phrases (and, specifically, the use of the words "a lot", "some" and "a little") are the extent that the players can discuss the content of their hands, or what help they need or can give.

All players, including the Lead Player, can lie about how much or little help they will need or be able to provide on the job. (E.g., even if the Lead Player has none of the resources necessary to complete a Job on their own, they can still falsely tell the other players that they only need "a little" help, and even if a player does not have any of the applicable resources, they can still falsely tell the Lead Player they can help "a lot"). Players without any Resource Cards can be brought on Jobs.

If enough players agree to go on the Job to meet the minimum number required of the Job (3 for a Big Job, 2 for a Small Job), the Lead Player then goes to Put the Job Together (discussed next). The final decision of who to bring on the Job is the Lead Player's, and each of the players brought also has to agree to go on the Job with the group of players selected. If the Lead Player is unable to Assemble a Crew, the Lead Player's turn ends, and the Job is returned to the bottom of the deck and replaced with a new Active Job.

Putting the Job Together — Players Must Play Resources Needed to Complete the Job

Once a crew has been assembled, or the Lead Player chooses a Solo Job, the players must Put the Job Together. In order for the Job to have a chance of success, the Job's Resource requirements must be met. To meet those requirements, the Lead Player first plays all Resources the Lead Player can to meet the requirements, including Resources drawn from unused Asset cards in front of them and the Lead Player's hand. Resource cards played in this way are placed face up in the middle of the table near the Job card. Assets are turned over to show they have been used. The Lead Player must play as many of the Resources needed for the Job as they have, and cannot hold any necessary resource back. If the Lead Player meets all of the requirements, the Lead Player then checks for Police Action (discussed next).

If the Lead Player is unable to perform the Job just using the Lead Player's resources, the other players on the Job contribute Resources, going clockwise starting from the Lead Player's left. Each player on the Job must contribute any Resources necessary to the completion of the Job, including any unused Asset cards and any cards from the player's hand. Each player on the Job then contributes Resources in this way until the Job's requirements are satisfied. As soon as the Resource requirements are met, the Lead Player then must Check for Police Action (discussed below).

Again, the players cannot hold back any necessary Resource, and must even play their Resources on a Job they know will fail. However, the players do not play any resource that is not needed to meet the Job requirements (in other words, if a Job requires 2 Family Favors and one has previously been played, the current player would only need to play 1 more Family Favor, even if they had 3 Family Favors and an Intelligence in their hand).

If the crew assembled does not have the required Resources, the Job fails and the Job is placed at the bottom of the deck and is replaced with a new Active Job. Whether or not the Job fails at this stage, all of the Resource cards played are put in the Resource Deck discard pile. If there were sufficient Resources to complete the Job, the Lead Player Checks for Police Action.

When a Job has been successfully put together (by satisfying all of the Resource requirements), the players check to see if the Job is thwarted by the police. Each player has two Police Action cards in front of them — one a Police! card, and one an All Clear card. Each player on the Job secretly places the Police Action card of their choosing face down in a pile near the Lead Player (the "Job Result" pile), and the Lead Player also adds one Police Action card from the Police Deck (so there will always be 1 more card than number of players on the job in the Job Result pile). Any player may play a Police! card when on a Job for their own strategic advantage.

The Lead Player then shuffles the cards in the Job Result Pile. After shuffling, the Lead Player then turns over the Police Action cards from the Job Result Pile one at a time. If a Police! card is turned over, the Job fails and no other cards are turned over. If this is the fifth Police! card that will be placed face up, the game ends.

If the game does not end, the remaining unseen cards in the Job Result Pile, as well as the unused Police Action cards in front of everyone who was on the Job are collected unseen and shuffled with the extra Police Action cards in the box (to avoid anyone knowing who played the Police! card). Each player on the Job is then dealt a new All Clear and a New Police! card.

If no Police! card is turned over, the Job succeeds and everyone is returned their All Clear card. The remaining All Clear card is placed in the box with the extra Police Action cards. Every player on the Job gains the Awards specified on the card, even if they did not contribute any Resources to the Job's success.

In the unlikely event that there are no more cards in the Police Deck, create a new Police Deck from the cards in the box.

(Note: This step is done for all Jobs, even Solo Jobs. A player can play a Police! card even when undertaking a Job on their own. However, a player cannot end the game by playing the fifth Police! card on a Solo Job. Therefore, if 4 Police! cards are already face up, Solo Job results are only determined by drawing one card from the Police Deck. In other words, the game can end by a fifth Police! card being played by a player on a group job — a Small or Big Job — or by the fifth card being revealed from the Police Deck.)

Winning the Game

The game ends when one or more Crew Members reach at least $15,000, or if five (5) Jobs fail as a result of police activity (i.e. 5 Police! cards are face up).

Loyal Crew Members win the game by earning $15,000 or more. If more than one Loyal Crew Member passes the $15K mark at the same time, they share in the win (so make sure you are on that last Job!). All Loyal Crew Members that do not reach at least $15K at the end lose.

An Informant can win in two ways:

The Informant wins if they pass the $15K mark first, but only if they are the only one that hits that mark. If more than one player passes the $15K mark, only Loyal Crew Members having $15K or more win, but the Informant does not win (in other words, the Informant cannot share in a win even if they have $15k or more at the end of the game).
The Informant also wins immediately if 5 jobs fail as the result of police activity (five Police! cards are face up).

If there is no Informant in the game, everyone loses if 5 Police! cards are face up.

For a Shorter Game

For a shorter game, choose one of the protection racket cards from the Small Job deck (either "Offer the Crew's Protection to a Convenience Store" or "Have the Crew Provide Insurance Against Arson") and place it in play at the beginning of the game. With each player taking $1,000 at the beginning of their turn, this card will place a clock on the game.

The Organization

The 13th Street Crew is only a small part of a much larger organization, and only one of many similar crews in the organization. The Old Don controls the city and leads the organization or family with the assistance of a handful of top trusted members of the organization called capos. These capos in turn rule various sections of the city with the assistance of lieutenants that are in charge of various neighborhoods.

The lieutenants have various associates or foot soldiers that constitute the lieutenant's crew. You and the fellow members of the 13th Street Crew are those associates or foot soldiers and are, in effect, the ground floor of the organization. However, you and your fellow crew members are eager to advance by showing your worth to the organization by helping the Old Don, your Capo, and your Lieutenant on family business.

Card Appendix

Assist a Bookie with Debt Collection

Lead Asset Gained: The Lead Player gains "The Bookie" and keeps The Bookie for future use on all future Small or Big Jobs (the Bookie does not come into play on Solo Jobs). If the owner of the Bookie is not brought on a successfully assembled Job, that player can turn "The Bookie" face down and state that he or she is using it before the crew determines if the resource requirements are met. The player must then declare that they are betting that the Job will either fail or succeed. If the player bets the Job will fail and is correct, and the job fails either because there were not enough resources or it is broken up by the police, the player receives $1K. If the player bets the Job will succeed, and it does, the player receives $2K. If the player bets wrong, there is no effect. This Asset resets at the beginning of the player's next turn.

Develop a Mole in the Police Department

Lead Asset Gained: The Lead Player must immediately shuffle all secret Identity cards in the box, place 1 face down back in the box, and place the rest on top of the Lead Player's secret Identity card. The Lead Player then must shuffle his or her Identity card with the other cards. The Lead Player then can look at all of the Identity cards (except the one in the box) and choose any card (the Lead Player can keep his or her original Identity, or choose a new one). The player can tell the other players if an informant card was in the ones viewed (or can lie about it) or say nothing. Player should not describe the attributes (gender, looks) of the identity cards though. After use, the card is returned to the bottom of the Solo Job deck.

Help a Connected Guy with a Personal Matter

Lead Asset Gained: The Lead Player gains "A Guy" and keeps A Guy for one future use. During any future Job, if the Job will fail because the crew is missing just one Resource to fulfill the Resource requirements, the player can, but does not have to, use A Guy to provide any one missing resource. After use, card is returned to the bottom of the Big Job deck.

Look at Another Crew Member's Rap Sheet

Lead Asset Gained: Asset can be used immediately or kept and played at the beginning of the player's turn during the Asset Phase. Player can look at one other crew member's Identity Card one time. Player cannot show anyone else or describe the features/gender of the person's identity, but can say (or lie about) whether they are an informant. Once used, card returns to the bottom of the Solo Job pile.

Make a Friend at Police Dispatch

Lead Asset Gained: Asset can be used immediately or kept and played at the beginning of the player's turn during the Asset Phase. Player can look at the top three cards in the police deck and place them back on top in any order. Then, the player takes the bottom card of the Police Deck without looking and places it on top of the deck (in other words, the player now knows the 2nd, 3rd and 4th card in the Police Deck). Player can say or not say whatever they want about what is learned. After use, card is returned to the bottom of the Solo Job deck.

Recruit Crooked Police Captain

Crew Asset Gained: Crooked Police Captain remains in play for all players in the center of the table. On all future jobs, after the crew has successfully fulfilled the resource requirements for the Job but prior to checking for Police Action, the players on the Job independently decide whether they want to pay the Crooked Police Captain. Each player on the Job takes $1,000 in their hand and holds it over the Job Result pile. The Lead Player counts, "3, 2, 1, drop". On the word "drop," those players who decided to pay the Captain drop their money and those who decided not to pay do not drop their money.

If all players on the Job pay the Crooked Police Captain: when checking for Police Action, if a Police! card is turned over, play stops as usual (i.e., no further cards are turned over, all cards are shuffled and players on the job get dealt two new Police Action cards). However, instead of remaining face up by the Police Deck (and possibly ending the game), the turned over Police! card gets shuffled back into the Police Deck, and the job still succeeds.

If any player does not pay $1K (or does not have $1K): play proceeds as normal. However, if a Police! card is turned over, everyone on the Job (even if they personally paid the Captain) loses $2,000 in addition to the job failing.