Designer Eric Lang, known for his "dudes on a map" games, describes The Godfather: Corleone's Empire - a standalone big box board game with high-quality miniatures - as "thugs on a map". In short, the game is a streamlined, confrontational worker placement game filled with murder and intrigue. In long, you play as competing Mafia families who are vying for economic control of the organized crime networks of New York City, deploying your thugs, your Don, your wife, and your heir on the board to shake down businesses and engage in area-control turf wars. Money, rackets, contracts, and special advantages (such as the union boss) are represented by cards in your hand, and your hand size is limited, with you choosing which extra cards to pay tribute to the Don at the end of each of the five rounds. At the end of the game, though, cash is all that matters, and whoever has the most money wins. The game also features drive-by shootings in which enemy tokens are removed from the board and placed face-down in the river. The Don of that family member must play cards to fish their guys out of the river and return them to duty on the New York battlefield.
Take control of one of the most powerful crime families in New York City
Get ready to make an offer that can’t be refused.
In The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire, players control of one of the five different crime families in 1950s New York City. Everyone is vying to take over the main operations, should Don Vito Corleone meet an untimely end.
Over the course of four acts, players send out Family Members and Thugs to shake down businesses in order to earn money, illegal goods, and other benefits. They battle over territory in Turf Wars and get special bonuses for completing jobs for the Don. Players can add new Allies to their family business, if they’re willing to pay heavy bribes, but having the most money is the key to victory. They have to decide how much they’re willing to spend. During each act, it’s also necessary to pay a tribute to Don Corleone, so players have to launder their money away if they want to be able to keep it.
After four acts, players receive bonuses for the Turf they control and the jobs they’ve managed to pull. The family with the most money will inherit the business of Don Corleone and take control over New York City.
