Life of Crime board game

Everybody wants to make it to the top. The question is:
How far are you willing to go to get there?

Life of Crime is a competitive, darkly humorous board game for 2–6 players where the objective is simple, become the most notorious, legendary criminal you can be by earning street cred.  Street cred is earned in a number of ways, including committing crimes against fellow players, buying cars/property and committing heists.

Welcome to RACKET CITY, a city filled with corruption and crime!

At the heart of the game is Racket City—a living, hand illustrated board filled with businesses, properties, and dangerous opportunities. The entire game including the characters and cards were painstakingly illustrated and inked by hand, then finally colored digitally.  

BECOME A LEGEND.

There is no single path to victory. Buy properties. Make money. Build Street Cred. Upgrade your ride. Gamble. Pull off heists. Make deals—or break them. Or take a more direct approach: Rob. Fight. Steal. Shoot. Every action has consequences. You might get rich. You might get addicted. You might go to jail. You might DIE.

But in Life of Crime, even death doesn’t always mean you’re out. You can still win if you are dead, real legends never die.

STREET CRED

Money matters—but reputation wins the game. Players earn Street Cred chips through actions, achievements, and risk-taking.

Some are easy.
Some are dangerous.
Some are legendary.

The highest reward?
Legendary Black Chips worth 25 street cred.

No two games play the same.

CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER

There are 14 different character cards to choose from. At the start of the game, choose 6 randomly from the deck and then select the character you want to be for the rest of the game (just like a real photo lineup).  Each character has unique one time street cred bonus objectives that you can earn during the game.  

There are a number of different career criminals you can choose to be at the start of the game.  Before the game begins, select 6 cards at random, choosing one and returning the rest to the deck.  Each character has different bonus objectives listed.  

BUILD YOUR EMPIRE

Buy properties. Earn income. Expand control of the city. 

Purchase and steal vehicles—from basic rides to Exotic Cars. There are 15 vehicle cards that you can choose from. You start the game rolling one die on your bicycle however once you have a car you can roll two dice for movement.  If you roll doubles you automatically proceed to the same space as the next closest player.  You can aquire more than one car and steal cars from other players.  They each have different street cred values which are added up only at the end of the game if you still possess that vehicle.  Some are worth negative street cred and can hurt your chances of winning. If you lose all of your cars, you revert back to your bicycle piece.

Properties can be bought when landing on them and are worth different amounts of street cred at the end of the game.  Money used to purchase vehicles and properties is placed in the bank pot which can be stolen through a bank heist. If you land on an owned property, you must pay the owner the amount listed. If you don't wish to pay, you can attempt to rob them. Robbery attempts have potentially negative consequences.    

PLAYER INTERACTION

This isn’t a solo experience.  When players meet, anything can happen:

Robberies.
Fights.
Bets.
Car jacking.
Shootouts.

Alliances form—and collapse instantly. A friend can become your biggest problem in a single turn. In this game, you have to commit crimes against other players. You will not win this game by playing it safe.  

THE CASINO

Feeling lucky? Risk it all or build your fortune. But beware:
A gambling addiction means you may not be able to say no. You may bet fictional game money on the board below at the Casino. Then take your chances and roll two dice. Winnings are paid out at the listed odds, losses go to the casino pot.

ADDICTIONS

In Racket City, bad decisions stick. Addictions have potentially negative consequeneces at the start of each turn.  Addictions can only be removed by stopping at Tres Palms Rehab.  If you finish the game with all three addictions, any negative street cred is removed and the player is awarded a black chip worth 25 street cred! Players can develop addictions to:

• Gambling
• Alcohol
• Drugs

HEISTS

Heists have the biggest risk, biggest reward.  You can perform heists at the bank, casino or armored car pieces.  A successful heist will net you a lot of money and a black chip worth 25 street cred.  But a heist can always go sideways and you can end up in prison or dead.

Collect Heist Item Cards to improve your chances of pulling off major jobs. There are 18 total heist items, most of which are worth additional street cred. Items can be stolen from other players.

You can team up with another player during heists, but beware, they might betray you after the heist!

JAIL/PRISON

Jail is temporary. You can either pay $20K to the casino pot to continue as normal on your next turn, or sit it out by losing two turns (the DA will feel bad and let you out).  

Prison is harder to get to and harder to get out of. You can attempt a prison escape but beware, you may end up dead in the attempt. A successful escape earns street cred. You can also pay money to parole out. 

Watch out if there is another player in prison, you can attempt to take one of their hearts through a good old fashioned prison shanking!

PITFALLS AND PRIZES

If you land on a Pitfalls and Prizes spot on the board, draw a Pitfalls and Prizes card. Some have positive benefits, others not so much...

DEATH

Yes—you can die.  Lose your final heart and you’re out… sort of. You still:

• Keep your properties
• Keep earning income
• Keep your Street Cred

Because legends don’t disappear just because they’re gone. Once dead, place your game piece at the cemetary.  

END GAME

The game ends when only one player—or none—remains alive.  All street cred acquired during the game is counted up. The highest total wins.

You don’t have to survive to win.
You just have to be remembered...

Rules

The full rulebook is available below.  A printed booklet will be in every copy of the game.