The Boss Game Rules

Hey there! I’m here to explain the rules of The Boss Game to you. It’s a really cool game that I think you’ll enjoy! So, let’s dive right into it and get started.

First things first, you’ll need a deck of playing cards for this game, so make sure you have one handy. The objective of The Boss Game is to collect as many cards as possible by being the first player to get rid of all your cards. Exciting, right?

Now, let’s talk about how the game is set up. The deck of cards is shuffled and each player is dealt an equal number of cards to start with. Players take turns clockwise, and the player to the left of the dealer goes first.

During your turn, you must play a card that matches the suit or rank of the previously played card. If you don’t have a matching card, you can play a Boss card. These Boss cards are special and can be played at any time. They have the power to change the suit or rank that other players must follow.

Ace cards are wild and can be played on any card. They allow you to change the suit that other players must follow. For example, if a player plays a 7 of hearts and you play an ace of spades, the suit changes to spades and the next player must play a spade card.

Once you play a card, you must draw a new card to replenish your hand. If you play a Boss card, the next player must draw extra cards based on the type of Boss card played. This can really shake things up and give you an advantage!

The game continues like this, with players taking turns and trying to get rid of all their cards. The first player to play all their cards is declared the winner and becomes The Boss for the next round. It’s an exhilarating race to the finish!

Now that you know the rules, why not gather your friends and family and start playing The Boss Game? It’s a fun and strategic game that will keep you entertained for hours. Have a blast!

In America, organized crime has taken control. Alcapo, the powerful leader of Chicago, dominates the city through force and fear. However, despite his reputation, he is also known for sharing a portion of his profits with those who remain loyal to him.

Components

• 27 City Cards
• 8 boss cards
• 5 police cards
• 40 gangster cubes
• 4 banished tokens
• 1 dealer button
• 1 score board
• Rulebook

Object of the Game

Hey there! So, here’s the deal. You want a piece of the action, right? Well, in this game, you get to send your crew of gangsters to help the big bosses in some of the coolest cities in the United States. We’re talking New York, Boston, Detroit, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Philadelphia. Pretty awesome, huh?

But hold on tight, because it’s not all glamorous. Before sending your crew into action, you better make sure you understand the job inside and out. If you don’t, things can go real bad, like injuries, arrests, or even worse… you know what I mean.

The Boss game is played in a series of rounds. The number of rounds depends on when the police cards show up. So watch out for those!

When the round is over, you and the other players will be given points and penalties based on how many gangsters you have in each city. If you have the most gangsters in a city, you’ll earn points. But be careful, because if you have the fewest gangsters in a city, you’ll get penalties. At the end of the game, the player with the most points is declared the winner.

Getting Started

Okay, let’s set up the game! Each player will need their own set of gangster cubes. You should have 7 big cubes and 3 small cubes.

The big cubes represent your regular gang members, who stick around after each round. The small cubes represent your irregular gang members, who will only help you with one job and then disappear.

• First, put the score board in the middle of the table. Each player should place one big cube on the START square to keep track of their points.
• Next, shuffle the 5 police cards together and place them facedown next to the score board.
• Finally, give the dealer button to the oldest player. They will start as the dealer, and after each round, the responsibility will pass to the player on their left.

Choosing Your Boss Cards

The game I’m talking about is super fun! You get to play with different boss cards depending on how many players there are. The boss cards you choose will determine which city cards you use during the game. To figure out which boss cards you need, take a look at the handy guide below. Each boss card has a number printed on it, and the numbers on the guide will show you the possible combinations for your player count. Here are the numbers for each city: New York is 1, Boston is 2, Detroit is 3, Kansas City is 4, Cincinnati is 5, Memphis is 6, and Philadelphia is 7. Now you’re ready to start the game and have a blast!



Examples of Setup

Here’s a 2 player game

And here’s a 3 player game

Lastly, we have a 4 player game

Now, the dealer, who’s in charge, gathers the boss cards you’ll be playing with and lines them up, from the lowest number on the left to the highest number on the right.

Introducing Chicago Rules

Once all the local bosses are in place, it’s time to bring in Chicago, the big boss. Chicago goes right after the second position in line.

Note: Keep in mind that although Chicago starts in second place, it will move one step closer to the right at the end of every round.

When I play the game “The Boss,” there are a few things I need to keep in mind. First, the dealer gathers all the city cards that match the boss cards in play and shuffles them to create a deck. This deck sits next to the dealer button, facedown.

If I’m playing with the Cincinnati variant, I also have to give each player a banished token. This token is important for the game.

It’s important to note that any cards not used in the game go back in the box and won’t be used this time. This keeps the game fair and balanced.

Now, let’s talk about the setup for a 4-player game. Take a look at the image below to see how the game should be set up.

[IMAGE: Setup For 4 Players]

Now that we have everything ready, let’s get into the gameplay. The game is played in rounds, and each player takes their turn in order, starting with the dealer and going clockwise.

At the beginning of each round, the dealer shuffles all the city cards together and then takes out one card of each color. These cards are placed face-down under their corresponding boss cards. This sets the stage for the round and gets us ready to play!

• The cards that are face down are the rewards for controlling the city when the round ends.

Remember: Don’t peek at the face down rewards. Your job is to figure out their values as the round goes on, based on the cards you and your opponents play.

After the dealer puts one reward under each boss card, the deck is shuffled again and the remaining cards are dealt evenly to all players.

Keep in mind: The colors of the cards in your hand are public knowledge and everyone should be able to see them.

Playing a Round

When it’s your turn, you have the choice to do one or both of these actions (in any order):

1. Take control of a city (optional)
2. Reveal information (mandatory)

1. Take control of a city (optional)

When it comes to winning rewards for controlling a city, I have a secret strategy. I commit some of my gangsters to a city to secure it at the end of the round. Sounds simple, right?

Here’s the trick: I can add a combination of big and small gangster cubes to one of the boss cards in play. But here’s the catch: I can only add cubes to one boss card per turn. However, I can choose a different boss card each turn.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. When I add gangsters to a boss card, I must make sure that my total number of cubes on that card is higher than any other player’s total for that city. It’s all about having the most influence.

Let me give you an example: Let’s say Player A has 1 cube on New York City, and Player B has 2 cubes there. If Player A wants to regain control of the city, they will need to add at least 2 more cubes to surpass Player B’s total.

When it comes to controlling a city, both big cubes and small cubes hold the same value. But there’s a catch – small cubes can never be placed alone; they must always be played alongside at least one big cube.

Remember: Gangsters in a city cannot be moved or removed until the round ends.

In Chicago, there are special rules to follow:

You can add gangsters to Chicago just like any other city, but with one condition: you can only add them to Chicago if you have already placed cubes in a different city earlier in the round.

Step 2: Revealing Information (mandatory)

To reveal information, you need to play one of the city cards from your hand. Place it faceup below the boss card of that city, along with any other cards already played there. It’s important that all players can see the values of all cards played in the round.

Note: You don’t have to reveal the city card you choose when you place your gangsters this turn.

The game continues until each player has only one card left in hand. This marks the start of the final turn of each round.

Putting a “city” card face up

The Final Turn of a Round

When every player has just one card left in their hand, the game pauses momentarily, and two things occur:

1. The order of turns changes
2. The next police card is revealed.

1. New Turn Order

On the last turn of the round, players now take their turns in reverse order based on how many unused gangster cubes they have remaining in their reserve.

When we start a game of cubes, it’s important to decide who goes first. The player with the most cubes left in their reserve plays first, while the player with the fewest cubes plays last. But what happens if two or more players have the same number of cubes left? In that case, we need to follow a specific rule. Those players will play in clockwise order, starting with the person who is closest to the dealer button. So, remember, the player with the most cubes goes first, and if there is a tie, the clockwise order determines who goes next.



Hey there! Let’s take a look at some examples of how the final turns of the round play out. These numbers – 1, 2, 3, and 4 – show the order in which players take their turns.

2. The Police Card Gets Flipped

Now it’s time for the next card from the police deck. This card is flipped faceup. If the card reveals the 3rd badge of the same color, it means that this round is the last round of the game. In other words, things are about to wrap up!

Ending a Round

After everyone has taken their final turn of the round, it’s time to decide who gets what. The person who has the most gangster cubes in a city becomes the majority controller of that city. And the majority controller gets to claim the reward for that city! They take the facedown card for that city and get to use its special effect.

These rewards can be of two types: Points and Penalties.

Points:



So, here’s the deal – you earn points based on the numbers on these cards. Move your score token the same number of spaces as the points on the card. Easy, right?

But wait, there’s more: If your score token goes all the way around the board, it doesn’t stop there. Nope, it just keeps on going for another lap. Talk about a neverending thrill!



Penalties:

These cards won’t earn you any points; in fact, they’ll cost you instead.



Revolver:

I’ve got bad news for you: one of your big cubes is going down, and it won’t be coming back. Yup, it’s out of the game for good.



Prison:

Imagine one of your team members getting caught and taken out of the game for a little while. They end up in prison and stay there for two rounds. You’ll find a special spot on the scorecard where you can put them. Once one round passes, you can move them to a different spot on the scorecard to show that they are getting closer to being able to play again.



My Big Cube is Injured!

Imagine this – I have this big cube, and it’s pretty awesome. But guess what? Somehow, it got injured. Yeah, I know, a cube getting hurt sounds strange, but it happens! So, here’s what happens when my big cube gets injured in the game:

Firstly, I have to take it out of play for one whole round. That means I can’t use it for an entire round of the game. It’s like putting it aside for a while, waiting for it to heal. During this time, my injured cube takes a trip to the “hospital” square on the score card. It’s like a special place where injured cubes go to rest and recover.

Now, after that round of play is over, something good happens. My injured cube finally gets better! It regains its strength and is ready to be used again. So, I can bring it back into the game and use it just like before.

It’s not fun when my big cube gets injured, but at least I know it’s only temporary. After a short break, it’s back in action and ready to surprise my opponents!



Banished:

Sorry, but you’re getting kicked out of Cincinnati. Put your banished token on Cincinnati’s boss card to show that you can’t put any gangster cubes there for the rest of the game.

Chicago Rules:

If you’re the boss of Chicago when the round ends, you don’t get to claim a card for that city. Instead, you score half the total value of each of the last cards played at all the cities to the left of Chicago’s current position.

Just so you know: Penalty cards like prison, hospital, banished, and revolver don’t count for any points in Chicago, and no penalties are applied.

Getting Ready for the Next Round

After we figure out all the points and penalties for the round, any big gangster cubes that are left get returned to the players for the next round. But any small cubes we used this time are out of the game and can’t be used again.

Unraveling the Chicago Rules:

Let me break down the Chicago Rules for you. They’re a bit tricky, but I’ve got your back.

First off, picture a game board with some spots. Chicago starts off in a certain position, let’s call it position A. And after each round, it moves one spot to the right.

So here’s how it works. During the first round, Chicago is in position A. But when the round is over, it slides over to the right and ends up in position B. Then, in the next round, it starts off in position B and moves to position C. This pattern continues round after round, with Chicago inching its way to the right.

Why is this important? Well, it’s because the position of Chicago determines certain things in the game. Different positions have different effects on gameplay, so it’s crucial to keep track of where Chicago is at all times.

Now that you understand the basics of the Chicago Rules, you can dive into the game with confidence. Just remember to pay attention to Chicago’s movement, and you’ll be on your way to victory!



Note: Chicago’s characteristics remain the same when it is in the farthest right boss card, but its position won’t change after each round anymore.

The dealer button moves in a clockwise direction, and a new round starts (unless the third matching police card has been drawn).

Game Over

Once the third matching police card is revealed, and the players complete the final round (applying points and penalties for controlling cities), a winner is determined.

The player with the highest score wins the game.

If there’s a tie, the winner is the player with the most points in the last round of the game.