Rules

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Noirbrough Rules

Noir is a mafia story set in the United States during the 1920s. Between 1920 and 1933, the prohibition of alcohol sales in the U.S. led to the explosive growth of organized crime, perhaps at a pace the world had never seen before. In NOIR, players take on the roles of legendary mafia bosses like Al Capone and Dutch Schultz, competing to become the most powerful figure in Noirbrough within a limited time.

While reading the game rules, remember that every rule is inspired by a scene from a mafia movie. If the result of your interpretation of a rule aligns with a movie scene, you are probably on the right track.

• Player Count: 3-6
• Age Range: 13+
• Game Duration: 30-60 minutes

• 90-card deck (card counts detailed in the relevant sections).
• 25 metal chips with a value of “1.”
• 11 metal chips with a value of “5.”
• 4 quarter-circle-shaped metal countdown tokens. (If playing with the Collector's Edition, use four bullet casings from the box for countdowns.)

Players attempt to achieve one of the following three objectives to win:

1. Eliminate two players by destroying their Hideouts and removing them from the game.
2. At the end of their turn, own more than half of the money in play (this win condition can be disabled for a more competitive game).
3. If neither condition is met, the player with the largest mafia at the end of the game wins.

1. Each player places one Hideout card in front of them. Remaining Hideouts are returned to the box.
    
2. In NOIR, just as in a real city, the money that can be earned from illegal liquor sales is limited. The amount of money used in the game depends on the number of players:
    
   • 3 Players: 50 coins
   • 4 Players: 60 coins
   • 5 Players: 70 coins
   • 6 Players: 80 coins
   • Place the specified amount on the table and return the excess to the box. Each player takes three coins from the central pile.
      

1. Arrange the 4 quarter-circle countdown tokens into a full circle on the table.
    
2. Place the deck face-down in the center of the table.
    
3. The player who has consumed the most drinks since 12:01 a.m. starts. If no one has had anything to drink, players roll dice to decide who starts.
    
4. Players take turns drawing cards from the deck until they have six cards in hand. A player may not hold more than six cards unless they are actively destroying another player’s Hideout.
    

The game is played in turns, with each turn divided into three phases. Once a player completes all three phases, play passes to the next player.

Reactions cards can be played at any time, even during another player's turn, unless otherwise stated.

• During the first turn of the game, only the Draw Phase is played.
• Only during the first turn can players discard one or two cards from their hand and draw new cards from the deck without paying any money. Discards are placed face-up.

1. Preparation Phase

• Players collect money equal to the income provided by their businesses. If no money remains in the central pile, the countdown begins.
• Assign Gangsters to open businesses. Gangsters not assigned to a business are considered “AWAY” and must be turned sideways on the table. 
  • AWAY Gangsters can be reassigned to businesses or discarded.
  • If all businesses are full, AWAY Gangsters must be discarded first.
• Players may discard up to four cards from their hand, placing them face-up.
• Draw cards from the deck: 
  • The first card drawn is free.
  • Each additional card costs 1 coin.
  • All cards must be drawn at once. Once a player has seen the cards, they cannot draw more.
• Hideouts can be moved beneath a business or left exposed.

2. Attack Phase

• Only Gangsters in open businesses can attack.
• Multiple Gangsters can attack the same target. Gangsters from different businesses can combine their attacks on one target.
• Each target can only be attacked once per turn. For example, if a player targets a Hideout, the attack must be carefully planned for maximum damage.
• Damage is dealt as follows: 
  • Attacking Gangsters deal damage equal to their combined attack power.
  • Defenders absorb damage starting with the weakest Gangster. If all Gangsters are defeated, remaining damage is dealt to the business.
  • Defending Gangsters deal simultaneous counter-damage to attacking Gangsters.
  • If the combined damage exceeds the total strength of defenders and the business income, the business is destroyed. The attacker steals money equal to the business’s income.
• Attacking Gangsters are marked as AWAY and return during the next Preparation Phase.

3. Deployment Phase

• Players can deploy cards from their hand by paying their deployment cost (card value minus one).
• There is no limit to the number of cards that can be deployed, provided players can pay the cost.
• Businesses and Hideouts can hold Gangsters up to their income value. For example: 
  • A Casino with 4 income can house a combination of Gangsters whose total strength is 4 (e.g., two strength-2 Gangsters).

A. Gangsters

• Gangsters are the offensive power of the mafia. Only Gangsters can attack.
• Gangsters in businesses absorb damage from attacks and retaliate against attackers.
• Each Gangster has: 
  • Attack Power
  • Health
  • Deployment Cost = Attack Power minus one (e.g., strength-1 Gangsters are free).
• AWAY Gangsters do not occupy space in businesses.
• During the Preparation Phase, if there is insufficient space in businesses, AWAY Gangsters must be discarded first.

Gangster Card Counts:

• Strength-1: 14 cards
• Strength-2: 10 cards
• Strength-3: 8 cards
• Strength-4: 4 cards

B. Businesses

• Businesses provide income and house Gangsters.
• Businesses cannot attack. Without Gangsters, they are defenseless.
• Each Business has: 
  • Income Value
  • Health
  • Capacity (total Gangster strength it can house).
• Deployment Cost = Income Value minus one (e.g., Moonshine with 1 income is free).

Business Card Counts:

• Income-1 Moonshine Still: 10 cards
• Income-2 Bootlegger: 8 cards
• Income-3 Speakeasy: 6 cards
• Income-4 Casino: 4 cards

C. Reaction Cards

• Reaction cards can be played at any time, unless stated otherwise: 
  • Poker Night (3 cards): 
    • Forces all players with 2+ coins to place 2 coins on the card. Players roll dice, and the highest roll wins the coins. Players with fewer than 2 coins cannot participate. The player who plays the card rolls two dice and takes the higher value.
  • Police (4 cards): Can either: 
    1. Force Gangsters in a business to become AWAY.
    2. Block an attack, rendering attacking Gangsters AWAY.
  • Bribe (4 cards): Cancels a Police card. Another Bribe card can counter a Bribe card.
  • Drive-By (5 cards): 
    • Deals d6 damage to a business. Damage is dealt starting with the weakest Gangster. Multiple Drive-By cards can be used simultaneously, and their damage is applied together. Drive-By attacks do not steal money even if a business is destroyed.
  • Turncoat (3 cards): Allows the player to take any open Gangster, except those in Hideouts. To take a strength-4 Gangster, the player must own a Casino. Turncoat can also be used to take Gangsters involved in an attack.

D. Hideouts

• Represent the player’s base and provide income.
• Cannot be targeted by Drive-By or Turncoat cards.
• If destroyed, the player is eliminated.

The 4-turn countdown begins when:

1. A Hideout is destroyed for the first time.
2. The last coin is taken from the central pile.
3. A player accumulates one-third of the total money in play (rounded up).

At the end of each of their turns, the triggering player removes one countdown token. When the final token is removed, the game ends.

If the countdown ends, the winner is determined based on points:

• Destroyed Hideouts: 10 points each.
• Open cards: Points equal to their printed value.
• Money: 1 point per coin.

The player with the highest total score wins.