Players complete their turn by drawing a card from the deck. Placing a “racketeer” of any racket in a neighborhood restricts later placement because only ONE racket may exist in a particular neighborhood and once a racket starts there, it is the ONLY racket that can ever be placed in that area. Which rackets are in which neighborhoods are determined as players in turn purchase from the bank, one, two or three pieces of any Racket, pay for them and place them in neighborhoods of their choice. With all players choosing their color-coded pieces (used to represent all of their “gangsters”), getting a $2000 starting bankroll and receiving a Racket Control Value Card, play begins.Īt the start, all neighborhoods are unclaimed and open to different kinds of criminal activity which include Bookmaking (with Bookies costing $300 each), Extortion (with each Strongarm thug costing $250), Bootlegging (Bootleggers available at $200 each), Loan Sharking ($150 each) and Hijacking ($100 each). The game came with a mounted board depicting 8 Manhattan neighborhoods (Harlem, Wall Street, Lower East side, Park West, Upper West Side, Little Italy, The Docks and Midtown), four sets of color-coded circular pieces, three decks of cards, play money, a set of “Racket Indicator Cards”, four play aids (the Racket Control Value Cards), a pair of dice and instructions. The object of the game was to be the most successful mob boss by controlling the rackets – and earning the most money – in New York City, specifically Manhattan.
One of the finest members of this gang was The Godfather Game. And, as is so often the case with successful films (reference: Batman, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings), related merchandise hit the marketplace like a tidal wave! The popularity of the film gave rise to several games with crime themes. In 1971, a film with an all star cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton and James Caan and based on the blockbuster novel by Mario Puzo burst onto the scene with the power of tommyguns blasting. THE GODFATHER GAME (Family Games, 1971, 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up, about 60 minutes out of print)