Speakeasy

Overview

Speakeasy is a worker-placement and card-management game set during Prohibition-era Manhattan. Players take on the role of mobsters managing and operating their own speakeasy empire, earning money by running illicit bars, managing staff, acquiring supplies, and navigating the political landscape. The game combines tight resource management with thematic storytelling as players compete to build the most successful underground business.

Components

• 1 Main game board (Manhattan map)
• 4 Player boards (speakeasy operations)
• Worker meeples in 4 player colors
• Supply cards (alcohol, food, entertainment)
• Event cards
• Money tokens (various denominations)
• Influence markers
• Police and raid tokens
• Customer tiles
• Action cards
• Score track markers
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Place the main board centrally with all supply decks shuffled and placed in designated areas.
2. Each player takes a player board, starting money, and workers in their color.
3. Shuffle event cards and place the deck on the board.
4. Distribute starting supplies and action cards to each player.
5. Place police and influence markers in their starting positions.
6. Determine first player randomly.

Turn Structure

The game is played over a series of rounds, each consisting of:

1. Planning Phase: Players secretly select action cards for the round.
2. Worker Placement Phase: Players take turns placing workers on available action spaces on the main board and their player boards.
3. Resolution Phase: Resolve all placed workers, collecting resources, serving customers, and managing operations.
4. Event Phase: Draw and resolve an event card affecting all players.
5. Cleanup Phase: Return workers, advance the round marker, and prepare for the next round.

Actions

Players can perform the following actions by placing workers:

• Acquire Supplies: Obtain alcohol, food, or entertainment supplies for the speakeasy.
• Serve Customers: Use supplies to serve customer tiles, earning money and reputation.
• Hire Staff: Add new workers or specialists to improve operations.
• Expand: Add rooms or features to the speakeasy, increasing capacity and scoring potential.
• Influence: Gain political influence to protect against raids or gain advantages.
• Bribe: Pay money to avoid police raids or gain special privileges.
• Card Management: Draw, play, or discard action cards for various effects.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends after a set number of rounds. Players score victory points from:

• Money earned from serving customers
• Reputation gained from successful operations
• Influence accumulated on the political track
• Bonuses from completed objectives and expansion upgrades
• Penalties for unresolved police raids or unsatisfied customers

The player with the most victory points wins. Ties are broken by remaining money.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Police Raids: When a raid event is drawn, players without sufficient influence or bribes may lose supplies or money. Players can spend influence to deflect raids to opponents.
• Supply Spoilage: Unused perishable supplies may be lost at the end of certain rounds.
• Worker Blocking: Some action spaces are limited; first-come, first-served applies.
• Solo Mode: The game includes a solo variant with an automated opponent using a dedicated card deck.
• Alliances: Players may form temporary alliances for mutual benefit, but these are non-binding.

Player Reference

Action	Cost	Benefit
Acquire Supplies	Worker + Money	Gain supply cards
Serve Customers	Worker + Supplies	Earn money and reputation
Hire Staff	Worker + Money	Additional workers/specialists
Expand	Worker + Money + Supplies	New rooms, increased capacity
Influence	Worker	Advance on political track
Bribe	Worker + Money	Avoid raids, gain privileges