Vendetta
Vendetta Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board, showing the once peaceful fishing village, with the Schutzgeld (Protection Money) field and the Razzia (Raid) field
- 13 district cards, one for each district of the village
- 250 members of the "Family" in 5 colours, also called "Handlanger" or "Mafiosi" (this rulebook calls them gangsters)
- A small pad and a pencil for noting the "economic successes" (points)
Setup
- The oldest player becomes the Trustee (Nachlaßverwalter) of the late Godfather. The Trustee assigns each player a colour.
- The Trustee shuffles the 13 district cards face down and deals two to each player. The Trustee also deals two to himself, because he too wants to become the new Godfather.
- Each player places two of their gangsters in every district, except the districts shown on the two district cards they were dealt. Each player therefore has two gangsters in 11 districts.
- Each player takes 10 gangsters of their colour into their hand. All remaining gangsters stay ready in the background (in the game box).
- The 13 district cards are shuffled again and placed face down as a stack on the Schutzgeld field. This stack represents the candidates' business.
- The Trustee begins the game. The other players follow in clockwise order.
Round Structure
The game is played over several rounds. Each round consists of 11 phases and a final Raid (Razzia).
Each phase is one turn of the player whose turn it is. The player whose turn it is performs two or three actions in that phase:
- Rearrange the districts (performed only by the round's starting player)
- Place gangsters
- Start a vendetta
The starting player of a round is the one who performs the first phase. The other players follow in clockwise order. When a round is over (all 11 phases and the Raid have been played), the new starting player is the player who would normally have been next in turn.
The Actions
1. Rearrange the Districts
Only the starting player of a round performs this action. The starting player shuffles the 13 district cards face down. They place 2 of the cards face down on the large Razzia (Raid) field. The other 11 cards are placed face down on the Schutzgeld (Protection Money) field. For the rest of the round, this action no longer applies.
2. Place Gangsters
The player whose turn it is may place any number of their available gangsters into at most two districts on the board. The following rules apply:
a) Gangsters can only be brought into play from outside the board. Moving or shifting gangsters already on the board is not allowed.
b) If only one player has gangsters in a district, then any other player who places gangsters there must place at least as many gangsters as that player already has in the district.
c) The starting player of a round may place new gangsters in only one district. The other players may place their gangsters in at most two districts.
d) A player may only place gangsters that they have lying in front of them on the table. Gangsters in the game box are not available for placement. Players may keep the number of their gangsters secret. It is even recommended to keep them in the hand or in the game box.
3. Start a Vendetta
The player whose turn it is always starts a small vendetta in one of the districts, in which the gangsters of one player are always the losers. To do so, the player turns over the top card of the Schutzgeld stack. Then the following happens:
a) The player who has the fewest gangsters in that district loses all of their gangsters there. These gangsters are returned to the game box.
b) If two or more players tie for the fewest gangsters in that district, the player who would be next in turn loses.
c) If only one player has gangsters in the district, there is no vendetta and the gangsters remain in their district.
d) Every player who still has gangsters in the affected district receives their protection money (Schutzgeld), which is immediately converted into new gangsters. Each such player receives one gangster from the game box, regardless of how many gangsters they have in that district.
End of a Round
When all 11 cards have been played from the Schutzgeld stack, the Raid takes place. The two cards on the Razzia field are turned face up one at a time. All gangsters in the two raided districts are returned to the game box. The Raid clears these two districts completely.
After both raids are complete:
- The Trustee performs the scoring for the round (see Scoring below).
- If no player has yet won the game (see Victory below), a new round begins. The player who would normally have been next in turn becomes the new starting player.
- Before the new round begins, every player receives 3 new gangsters from the game box into their hand.
Scoring
If at the end of a round no player has yet won outright (see Victory below), points are recorded. Each player scores according to the number of districts they alone control, that is, the districts in which they have more gangsters than any other player:
| Districts controlled alone | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 20 |
| 4 | 75 |
| 5 | 250 |
| 6 | 800 |
| 7 | 1000 |
Victory
The game ends as soon as, at the end of a round (after the Raid as well), a candidate has proven worthy of succeeding the Godfather. To do so, a player needs sole control of a certain number of districts. The required number depends on the number of players:
| Players | Districts controlled | Or points |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 6 | at least 800 |
| 4 | 5 | at least 250 |
| 5 | 4 | at least 75 |
A district is controlled by the player who has the most gangsters in it. If two or more players are tied for the most gangsters in a district, no one controls that district.
Since, in a proper Sicilian family, such an "election" sometimes takes a little longer, a sufficient track record of success is also enough to win the game. If at the end of a round no player has sole control of the required number of districts, the player who has at least the required number of points wins.
Control of districts always takes precedence over a win by points. Congratulations to the new "Godfather", to whom our devoted loyalty is hereby assured.
Vendetta in Brief
The German rulebook closes with a summary of the rules in brief. It is transcribed here as printed, in English.
| Heading | Rule |
|---|---|
| At the start | 2 district cards per player. Place 2 gangsters in each district, except the districts on a player's own cards. 10 gangsters into hand. Shuffle the 13 cards: 11 on the Schutzgeld field, 2 on the Razzia field. The starting player begins. The others follow in clockwise order. |
| Rounds | Each round has 11 phases (= cards on the Schutzgeld field) and a Raid. Each player plays only 1 phase. |
| Phases | 2 actions in each phase: a) place gangsters, b) start a vendetta. |
| Gangsters | Place any number of gangsters in at most 2 districts (the starting player may place in only 1 district). If only 1 player is in a district, the placing player must place at least as many gangsters as there are there. |
| Vendetta | Turn over the top card of the Schutzgeld stack. In that district, the player with the fewest gangsters loses all their gangsters! In a tie, the player who would be next in turn loses. |
| New gangsters | 1. After a vendetta, every player remaining in the district receives 1 new gangster. 2. After every Raid, every player receives 2 new gangsters. |
| Points | If no regular winner is determined at the end of a round, points are recorded: 1 district controlled = 1 point; 2 = 5 points; 3 = 20 points; 4 = 75 points; 5 = 250 points; 6 = 800 points; 7 = 1000 points. |
| Victory |
Notes on the Source
- Gangsters after a Raid. The main rules text (End of a Round) says every player receives 3 new gangsters before a new round begins. The "Vendetta in Brief" summary says 2 new gangsters after each Raid. This transcription follows the main rules text (3). The summary's figure (2) is kept as printed above, and the discrepancy is left for the orchestrator to review.
- "Each player plays only 1 phase" in the brief summary is loosely worded. The main rules text ties each phase to the turn of the player next in clockwise order, and this transcription follows that text.
- Victory by points. The main rules text says the player must have "mindestens" (at least) the required points. The community translation says "in excess of" the required points. This transcription uses "at least", which is what the German says.
- Tie-breaks. The community translation includes a sentence on breaking ties between players based on districts controlled and points. The German original contains no such sentence, so it has not been added here.
- Translation. Obvious typographical errors in the German printing (for example "alteste", "Kanditaten", "Starspieler") were normalised in translation. None of these changes the meaning of a rule.
- Credits and awards. The designer and artist attribution, the award note, and the copyright line of the German rulebook have been omitted, as they are not rules.