It's A Crime! Rulebook

* Boss Level *

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    Designed, Written and Programmed

    By Jack B. Everitt, Robert I. Cook,

    And Michael Popolizio

    First Edition March 1987

    Second Edition March 1988

    Copyright c 1988 by Adventures By Mail, Inc.

    All rights reserved

YOUR POSITION:CRIME FAMILY

 You are now a mob boss. You have taken the best elements of your gang and formed them into a separate position called a "crime family." Your gang still exists and now plays a crucial role in support of your family. This gang is referred to as the "parent gang".  

CREATING YOUR FAMILY

In creating your Crime Family, you took along the parts of your gang that would be most useful. Here is what happened:

1.    All pros who could be allocated a submachine gun became enforcers in your new family.  However, a minimum of 5 pros were left behind with your gang to provide leadership.

2.    About 90% of your gang's wealth was passed along to your family.

3.    Your gang's notoriety dropped 40-50%* due to the loss of the above items and the gang's old leader.

4.    Your gang automatically declared its loyalty to your family.

5.    You must give your mob boss character a first and last name. (No middle name's). We chose one for you at random, but on your next boss turn you may change it. The entire name may not exceed 20 characters in length. Your character's last name will be the name of your family (i.e. if your character is Vito Scarpucci then your family will be called the Scarpucci family).

6.    The turn# for your Crime Family will be set to the current week#.

 If your Crime Family was formed using the FB code, notoriety dropped 50-60%

HOW IS A CRIME FAMILY PLAYED?

 Pretty much like a gang. You use the same turn card that gangs use, but you have all new types of orders. Write your Boss# in the place where Gang# is written. You can write 10 orders each turn (ignore the Scout Blocks lines). Boss turns cost 1 turn credit. When you send in your turn card the computer will automatically recognize you are a mob boss so you don't have to mention it on the card. A boss turn is input and processed just like a gang turn and, of course, a Crime Family results sheet is returned to you. 

Each family has enforcers who do all your dirty work. Unlike street gangs, Crime Families do not use %gang (or %enforcers). Instead, some orders automatically send a set number of enforcers, while other orders allow you to decide how many enforcers are sent.

OBJECTIVE

Your objective is to become the Godfather. First you must acquire over 80 mob businesses. At the start of a week in which you first have 81 or more mob businesses, you will automatically declare yourself the Godfather of NYC. This is announced to the other players and they have 3 full game weeks to try to knock you off (i.e. if announced at start of week 38, they have until the end of week 40 to do you in). At the end of 3 weeks you must still have over 80 Mob Businesses or your claim is withdrawn. If you survive, the game ends: you are the winner of the boss level, Godfather of New York City! You will receive free play for one gang in the next game of It's a Crime! as a reward. 

  Every game of It's a Crime! has two winners – one in the Boss level and one in the Gang level. Only gangs who are loyal to the Godfather at the end of the game are eligible to win at the gang level. Of these gangs, the gang with the highest notoriety will be the winning gang. They will be named "Capo" and will receive 50 turn credits toward another game of It's a Crime!. The other gangs loyal to the Godfather become official "runner-ups."

FAMILY COMPONENTS

Mob Boss

This is you. Be careful; you can die – which causes total collapse of your Crime Family.

Enforcers

These are your paid "torpedoes" who carry out your orders, to the letter. They hit enemy Crime Families mob businesses and their enforcers, and protect your businesses. They even harass uncooperative gangs.

Pimps

These slimeballs run your mob businesses. They include pimps, bookies, casino managers, blackjack dealers, synthetic chemical engineers, and even a madame or two. Two pimps can make a big difference in the income you get from a business.

Wealth

This is the cash you have on hand.

Estate

This is your estate-out in Weschester, Long Island, or perhaps a penthouse in Manhattan. It is where you most often reside. Your wife and brats are also there. A percentage of your income is automatically transferred to your estate and nothing can be done to stop this (your wife is addicted to caviar and your security system always needs improvement). The more money you sink into your estate, the harder it is for enemy families to assault it and rub you out.

FAMILIES AND GANGS 

Your territory reflects your power: the more territory you have, the more powerful you are. The only way to expand your territory is to recruit youth gangs into your "extended family." Although the gangs exert actual control over the turf, the boss must have the loyalty of a gang in order to add its turf to his territory. 

The size of a boss' territory is limited only by the number of street gangs that can be loyal (16). 

A gang which declares loyalty to a mob boss gets many advantages. A mob boss can give money only to loyal gangs ('W' order) as payment for "services." A boss can acquire map data showing who controls which blocks ('M' order), and pass this on to his loyal gangs. A Family's enforcers will help protect a block ('B' and 'P' orders). A mob boss can send his enforcers to terrorize an uncooperative i.e. non-loyal) gang ('T' order). And a mob boss can dispatch enforcers to a particular block to "shake it up" ('D' order).

In return for a gang's loyalty, a Crime Family gets control of every mob business in the loyal gang's turf, plus any businesses on blocks taken in the future. 

KEEPING YOUR MOB BOSS ALIVE

All enforcers not assigned to protect a particular mob business are protecting you. Only these enforcers perform orders on your turn. Your defense is not weakened if you use all of your enforcers on orders each turn. 

In times of panic, a mob boss can go underground (see 'U' order).

MOB BUSINESSES

The mob controls the highly profitable and highly illegal activities in the city. You can get involved in five types of mob businesses: narcotics, bookmaking, prostitution, fencing high value stolen goods, and laundering money through legitimate businesses. There are roughly 200 of each of these business types in the city at the start of the Boss Level.

Each business you control will generate income each turn. The amount fluctuates and depends on many factors, including the number of pimps who run the business.

 Each block will have no more than one mob business which will be specifically located in one of the buildings on that block. Only one Crime Family at a time can control each mob business. As mob boss, you will often assign some of your enforcers to guard yours.

 If a gang loyal to another mob boss takes over a block containing one of your mob business, the business is picked up by that gang's boss. If the gang is not loyal to a mob boss, the mob business becomes uncontrolled.

Buildings which house mob businesses guarded by enforcers are pretty much impervious to robbings and firebombings. But if there are no enforcers on guard, "watch out brudda." A gang must use the Control order to attack a mob business which is protected by enforcers. When this happens, the enforcers defend the gang which controls the block because it is loyal to their family. If both the attacking and defending gangs are loyal to the same boss, the enforcers simply become spectators.

 ORDERS

 A (enforcers) (boss#)

ASSAULT ENEMY FAMILY

This is very dangerous. Your enforcers will attempt to kill the enemy boss and as many of his family as possible. This usually results in an all-out war between the two families, as your enforcers try to assault his headquarters. Regardless of the success, both families can lose a lot of enforcers in the attempt. 

Enforcers from unsuccessful "minor bosses" often have little chance to defeat the enforcers of a highly successful Mob Boss.

You may issue this order only once per turn.

This order is not effective until 5 weeks after the Boss Level began – it takes that long for your staff to locate the headquarters of the other bosses.

B (enforcers) (gang#)

BLANKET PROTECT BUSINESSES

This order sends enforcers to your businesses. The number of enforcers specified is the number of enforcers you want at each business controlled by this loyal gang. Unless zero enforcers are specified, it will not decrease the number of enforcers already present (also see 'P' order) 

If you specify '0' for gang#, enforcers will be sent to all of your businesses (should you have enough enforcers). 

If you specify '0' for enforcers, all enforcers at that gang's businesses will return to protect you they arrive at the end of the turn).  

If you specify '0' for both enforcers and gang# you are recalling all enforcers at your businesses. 

C (block#)

CHECK OUT BOSS MAP

This order gets you a 15 x 15 block map of mob boss territory. The map is centered on the block# you specify. This order requires 12 enforcers to perform the mission and may be issued just once per turn. This order can be safely issued if the block# you specify is controlled by one of your loyal gangs. Otherwise…?

D (block#)

DISRUPT BLOCK

Two enforcers "cause problems" on the block you specify.

E (enforcers) (pimps)

EMPLOY/HIRE

This order hires additional enforcers and/or pimps. It costs $1000 to hire your first enforcer, $1200 for your second, and continues to increase by $200 for each additional enforcer you hire on the same turn. Each enforcer comes equipped with his very own submachine gun. Pimps cost $600 each – the price does not increase like enforcers because there are plenty of slimes waiting to pimp for you.  

For example: E 3 7 would hire 3 enforcers and 7 pimps at a cost of $7,800 (i.e. 1000 + 1200 + 1400 + 600 x 7). 

Note: Enforcers and Pimps are each paid $300 per turn, including the turn they are hired. Newly hired enforcers are assigned to guard the boss but can be used elsewhere immediately.

G (boss#)

GET LIST

This order sends three of your enforcers to get you a list of all the gangs loyal to the mob boss you specify.

H (amount of money, in thousands) (boss#)

HIRE A HITMAN

You take out a contract on another mob boss by hiring an out-of-town professional hitman. He will attempt to assasinate the boss you chose. The more you pay, the better the hitman. 

A contract can last for several weeks… and ends when the hitman makes his attempt. You may only have one contract out at a time.  

For example: H 124 656 will have you attempt to spend $124,000 to hire a quality hitman to take out Boss# 656. 

I (gang#)

INSPECT LOYAL GANG'S TURF

The order is similar to the gang level order , inspect Turf. However, it will only report the location of Mob Businesses. One enforcer is required for every 10 blocks that the gang specified controls.  

For example: 31 blocks requires 4 enforcers.

K (enforcers)

KEEP ENFORCERS ON GUARD

This standing order prevents some or all of your enforcers from accidentally being allocated to your businesses. The number of enforcers you specify will, no matter what, not be allowed to protect your businesses.

M (block#)

MAP Area

See 'C' order. This order is the same as the 'C' order but reports gang turf instead of mob territory.

P (enforcers) (block#)

PROTECT LOCATION

You can assign a specific number of enforcers to protect a single mob business with this order.  The number of enforcers you specify will be assigned to that block's business. Therefore, if the number already there is more than you specify, the difference will be reassigned to guard you.  

For example, you have 13 enforcers at block 2862 and issue this order: P 6 2862. This will have 6 enforcers guard your business on block 2862. The other 7 will return to guarding the boss. 

Note: Enforcers who return to guard the boss are not available for use during the turn they return.

R (gang#)

REMOVE GANG

This order allows a mob boss to server his ties with a loyal gang. Any enforcers at mob businesses on this gang's turf will return at the end of your turn to your headquarters to guard you. You see, they first gotta go teach a lesson to the leaders of this gang and show them how unhappy da mob boss really is!

S (boss# or gang#)

SPY ON MOB BOSS OR GANG

Your family will try to learn what it can about the boss specified. This includes trying to determine the location of other family's mob businesses; but gangs that use the Inspect Turf Edge order are better at learning such locations.

T (gang#)

TERRORIZE GANG

Five enforcers harass and terrorize the specified gang. A wide variety of results can occur. Don't be over-zealous, though. Too much success against an active gang may earn that gang a Vengence Death Mission.

When this order succeeds against an inactive gang which is close enough to become loyal to you, there is at least a 15% chance (and the chance increases on successive attempts) that the inactive gang will 'give in' and become loyal to you. In addition, all inactive loyal gangs have their 'OK' to take block flag set to OK.

U

GO UNDERGROUND

If you issue this order, it is the only order you can issue. You go underground. It is extremely difficult for a hitman to make the hit and greatly increases your chances of snaring the hitman. Also, Assault orders will have a smaller chance of killing you. Sending in another turn card with a normal set of orders cancels the U order. If you wish to remain underground but also want normal adjustments performed (such as business income being credited to your family) and want an update of your family's statistics, submit a turn card with just a U order again.

W (gang#)

WEALTH TRANSFER

This order transfers $5000 to one of your loyal gangs.

DEATH OF FAMILY

 There are several ways a Crime Family can be eliminated: kill the boss during an Assault ('A' order), have a hitman succeed ('H' order), or cause him to have no current mob businesses. The latter can occur through strong gang attacks on the mob boss' loyal gang(s). 

When a Family is eliminated, all of its mob businesses go uncontrolled (if any left).

LATER BOSSES

In addition to the 30-45 Mob Bosses chosen at the start of the Boss Level by organized crime, gang leaders not chosen can "go against the wished of organized crime" and form a Crime Family. They must meet the stated minimum criteria and issue the 'FB' code in the area where 'C' goes on the turn card.   Crime Families formed in this manner will not receive the initial special help provided by organized crime to the initial Crime Families. 

SEQUENCE OF PROCESSING

 1.    Your orders are processed.

2.  Income is collected from your businesses, with a percentage automatically going to your estate.

3.   Personnel are paid.

A FEW HINTS

Your major concern and continuing objective is to convince gangs to become loyal to you. Then encourage them to locate and then take control of blocks containing mob businesses. Instruct your loyal gangs to use the 'I' order to learn the locations of mob businesses.

Combat Values      Enforcer = 16

Note: All enforcers are supplied with a submachine gun, and they really have a combined value of 29.

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