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IIn the words of Henry Hill, as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster! Bush's Board Game Thing sees Andy Bush celebrating board games and the experience of gaming with friends Jess Temby and Brian Murphy. Each week, expect passion, enthusiasm, and multiple trips through gaming wormholes. This podcast is powered by Zatu - we're making sure the board game cogs keep on turning. Each week, I'll be bringing you the best bits here on the blog and letting you shop the podcast! Episode 20 is all about gangster board games, Andy is going to make you an offer that you can't refuse.
Do you have something that you'd like to share with the team? Maybe a great board game idea? Even when and where you like to listen to the podcast, set the scene. Email [email protected] if you want to get involved with the podcast. For example, if you have any board game disputes, let Andy and co get to the bottom of it!
Any film buff can tell you how important gangsters are in the world of cinema. You've got Marlon Brando's career-defining role as Don Corleone in The Godfather or Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro embodying Scorsese's Goodfellas. Gangsters may have transcended cinema, but our iconic trio is here to talk about the best board best games surrounding the elusive world of gangsters in Bush's Board Game Thing Episode 20.
The Godfather Monopoly
Gone are the days of Mayfair and train stations! The family favourite Monopoly has had a deluxe rebrand with our first game of the week.
With countless editions of Monopoly out there, why would there not be a version fashioned after The Godfather? The premium edition of the gaming staple sees you moving through the streets of New York, ruled by the Corleone family. You'll be moving around the board trying to expand your empire as you buy new alliances, build your influence and become the Don of the board.
The Godfather Monopoly isn't a simple rebrand, every aspect of the game has been designed to honour this criminal empire. Instead of the 'Chance' and 'Community Chest' cards, you have 'Friends' and 'Enemies' cards.
Let's be honest for a second. The best part of any game of Monopoly is picking your token, the dog is iconic. In The Godfather Monopoly, you'll be able to choose from a horse head, a Tommy gun, a dead fish, the Don's limo, a Genco Olive Oil tin and even a piece of cannoli.
Mob Sitters
Get ready to earn a fortune in babysitting’s toughest job!
Our next game is an amazing party game where you play as greedy babysitters working or some of the most notorious mobster bosses in Mob Sitters.
Will you have the guts to steal the mobster of the year award trophy from the gangland bosses? Perhaps, pocket a box of priceless cigars? Maybe you're cheeky enough to hide the mobster's hip flask. Or, you're crazy enough to sell their girlfriend's earrings or their Superbowl tickets! If you're lucky, really lucky, you might just get away with it an earn plenty of money. All, of course, whilst pretending to babysit their beautiful children.
Mob Sitters started off life as a Kickstarter. Check out our preview from 2019 to find out just how far this game has come.
The Godfather: Corleone's Empire
The Godfather makes its second appearance on this list!
In The Godfather: Corleone's Empire is a gangster-themed strategy board game packed with detailed miniatures, gorgeous artwork, difficult decisions and cold-blooded murder. Two to five players take on the role of Mafia family bosses in 1950's New York. Each player must utilise worker placement, set collection, and area and majority control alongside completing gangland business deals and some well-timed hits on their enemies. Whoever has the most cash at the end of four rounds, wins the game!
Prepare to live a life of crime in The Godfather: Corleone's Empire.
Brian's Board Game Fact of the Week
Brian is back again with a stellar fact for all of you!
Who is the most famous gangster of all time? Arguably, it is Al Capone. He may have been caught through his tax evasion, rather than his life of crime but he did live a legacy.
Both Capone and his brother left their mark on the world, well beyond their life of crime. The brothers basically introduced the world to best before dates on milk. Through their protection service, one of their clients discovered that his son got extremely ill through drinking off milk. Following the illness, the empire raided every dairy farm in the area to find the culprit. After dealing out serious beatings, the gangsters warned each farmer that this must never happen again. Illinois dairy farmers then started putting best before dates on their milk. This then spread across America and the rest of the world quickly followed suit, becoming an industry standard.
You can thank Al Capone for always having good milk on your cereal each morning!
Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold
Whilst you don't need to check for horseheads, we would recommend checking out Bush's Board Game Thing episode 20.
You can catch up on all previous episodes of Bush’s Board Game Thing on any streaming service. In the meantime, you can check out our podcast-approved collection right here on the Zatu website. There you can find all the games we’ve discussed on every episode of the podcast, all in one convenient place.
You can shop everything from episode 20 in our handy podcast collection.
Now go home and get your shine box!