# Speakeasy ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2025 - **BGG Rating**: 8.5 - **BGG Rank**: #248 - **Players**: 1-4 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 50-180 min - **Weight**: 4.42 / 5 - **Designers**: Vital Lacerda - **Artists**: Ian O'Toole - **Publishers**: Eagle-Gryphon Games, CrowD Games, Delta Vision Publishing, Korea Boardgames, Maldito Games, Portal Games, Skellig Games, Tesla Games, TLAMA games, YOKA Games - **Categories**: Economic, Industry / Manufacturing, Mafia, Territory Building - **Mechanics**: Area Majority / Influence, Hand Management, Pick-up and Deliver, Worker Placement ## Verdict A dream for those who love heavy management games with an organized crime theme. The business growth loop is incredibly satisfying.Highly immersive mafia themeTight integration of mechanicsSatisfying establishment progressionDeep strategic complexityQuite a steep learning curveGames can run very longFOR GENRE FANS ## Description Dust off your fedora and straighten your tie because you've just entered the underworld of 1920s Manhattan! In Speakeasy, you step into the shoes of an ambitious mobster striving to dominate the city during the Prohibition era. The city is under the iron grip of Lucky Luciano, who has divided Manhattan into districts, and now it's your turn to manage your own empire of illegal bars and casinos to climb the criminal ladder. The game is a strategic blend where cunning is your best tool. Using worker placement and hand management, you must strategically position your goons to deliver illicit liquor and hit Manhattan's goals to ensure your income. But it's not just about distributing rum; to expand, you'll need to upgrade your establishments, making them more lavish, which inevitably attracts the unwanted attention of the police and rival mafia families. To gain an edge, you can forge dangerous alliances with outside mobsters or turn to violence by robbing rum runners to seize valuable resources. And if the books don't add up? No problem: you can 'cook' your accounts to fill your safe with evaded tax money. The ultimate goal is simple yet brutal: accumulate the most wealth and prove that you are the most successful kingpin in New York. Can you balance your business operations, territorial influence, and police pressure to reach the top, or will you end up in a dark cell? The city is vast, the competition is ruthless, and profit is the only thing that matters. ## How to Play Game Objective Speakeasy is set during the Prohibition Era, where producing, transporting, and selling alcohol is illegal. You play as a Crime Boss working with Lucky Luciano to establish and expand your operations in Manhattan. Your goal is to build Speakeasies, produce hooch, and sell it to customers while competing against other gangsters and evading the Cops. The game is a race for wealth: the player with the most Money at the end of the game wins. Money exists in two forms: Cash on hand and unlaundered funds kept secret in your Safe. Setup The game is set up as follows: Game Board: Manhattan is divided into 3 Zones (Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown) containing a total of 16 Districts. Some Building Locations already contain red Mobster Speakeasies, and others are marked with a Body Token. Some Districts are already monitored by Cops. Docks Board: Associated with the Docks Location and 4 Rum-Runners circulating the city. Mobster Board: Identifies competing gangsters who own the red Speakeasies in specific Districts. Player Starting Resources: Each player receives: 4 Capos (Workers). $15 Cash on hand. $30 of unlaundered funds in their Safe. A hand of 4 different colored Cards (one of each type: Orange Production, Green Transport, Purple Sell, and Red Protection). 1 Goon. Game Flow The game is played over 4 Eras (covering 1920 to 1933). Each Era consists of a series of player turns followed by a Lucky Luciano Phase (except for the final Era). Player Turns During a turn, players perform the following steps in order: Helper Card: You may play 1 (and only 1) Helper Card for a free executive action. Capo Placement: Place 1 Capo on a person at a Location who does not already have a Capo on them and perform the associated actions. Card Draw: Draw 1 card from the faceup display (Red, Purple, Orange, or Green). Era Structure Era 1 (1921): Players place 4 Capos, followed by the Lucky Luciano Phase. Era 2 (1925): Players place 3 Capos, followed by the Lucky Luciano Phase. Era 3 (1928): Players place 3 Capos, followed by the Lucky Luciano Phase. Era 4 (1931): Players place 1 Capo, then proceed immediately to End Game Scoring. Lucky Luciano Phase This phase occurs after Eras 1, 2, and 3. During this phase: Mob Wars occur: Adversaries fight for territory. Buildings in Districts with a Body Token are attacked. If you fail to defend your Building, you lose it. Cops patrol the city. Lucky Luciano divvies out money to his best bosses. Actions and How to Play Worker Placement Actions Players place Capos at various Locations to perform actions. Most actions are optional, except at the Restaurant. Contractor’s Office: Build a Speakeasy or your Still. You can build in an empty space or take over a red Mobster Speakeasy if your Strength exceeds the Mobster's Strength. You can also gain a Book or a Helper Card. City Planner: Build or upgrade to Nightclubs or Casinos. You can also play cards and advance Operations Tracks. Restaurant: Any number of players can place Capos here. You must perform the Change Turn Order action (mandatory), which requires discarding Operations Cards. Park: Exchange your Capo's position with another player's Capo (not at the Park) to take their action. The other player gains a bonus (Leverage, City Tile, or Book). City Hall: Perform the Get Protection action to move Family Members from the VIP Room to Buildings. Docks: Perform the Attack a Rum-Runner action. Core Mechanics Operations Tracks: There are 5 tracks (Stills, Fleet, Party, VIP Room, and Strength). Advancing these tracks increases your efficiency (e.g., more barrels produced, higher truck range, more sales). Advancing from level 4 to 5 on the first four tracks requires discarding a card. Infamy Track: Your position is the sum of your 5 Operations Tracks. Reaching specific levels grants Family Members, Helper Cards, or money in your Safe. Producing, Delivering, and Selling: Produce: Use an Operating Still to create Barrels. Deliver: Use Trucks to move Barrels from your Still or Rum-Runners to Operating Buildings. Sell: Sell Barrels from Operating Buildings for Cash on hand. Operating Buildings: A Building is Operating if there is no Cop in the District OR if it is protected by a Family Member. Non-operating buildings cannot produce, deliver, or sell, and do not count for payouts. Cooking the Books: Place Books on specific spaces (Docks, City Hall, Central Park, etc.) to move money into your Safe based on fulfilling specific requirements. Associating with a Mobster: Pay a Mobster for extra Strength in fights. This makes that Mobster's Speakeasies off-limits to you. Combat and Strength Strength is used to take over Speakeasies or defend against Mob Wars. Your total Strength is the sum of your Strength Track and any Goons you discard (1 Strength per Goon). When attacking a Rum-Runner, your Attack Strength is your Strength multiplied by the number of your Family Members in that Zone. End of Game and Scoring The game ends after the placement of the final Capo in Era 4. End Game Scoring is then conducted. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Tips for Winning Target Weak Mobsters: Taking over Speakeasies with weak Mobsters is preferable to building in empty spaces, as empty spaces are targeted by Mob Wars later in the game, while red Speakeasy spaces are not. Protect Your Still: Guard your Still carefully; if it is destroyed in a Mob War, your only source of spirits will be expensive Rum-Runners. Strategic Rum-Runner Attacks: Attacking Rum-Runners early is beneficial as it provides a cash payout, a permanent ongoing ability, access to Cooking the Books spaces, and returns a Family Member to your VIP Room. ## FAQ ### Is the game very complex? Yes, with a BGG weight of 4.42, it is considered an 'expert' game. Expect detailed rules and deep strategic layers. ### How long does a game take? It varies significantly, ranging from 50 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the player count and the group's experience. ### Is there a solo mode? Yes, the game supports 1 to 4 players, so you can try to conquer Manhattan even on your own. ### What is the main focus of the game? The focus is on economic and influence management, balancing the delivery of goods with the expansion of your empire. ### Who would you recommend this game to? Veteran gamers who enjoy complex Eurogames, crime themes, and games where every decision impacts the endgame. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 123.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6650219&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 123.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6999271&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 135.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6585879&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 161.47 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6779721&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 163.09 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6894368&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 164.55 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6723662&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 165.26 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6668512&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 169.77 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6815153&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 169.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6590047&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 174.16 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6660326&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/76394/speakeasy?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com