Mob Sitters Kickstarter Preview

Mob Sitters is a brilliant take that style party card game by East Street Games. In the game you're trying to make as much money from "side-jobs" whilst babysitting for the mob!

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.

Sounds easy right, well, it would be if you were doing this on your own. Unfortunately, you're not the only babysitter looking to make a buck! The other babysitters will happily rat you out to the cops, or inform the mobsters of your crimes.

Mob Sitters - The Game

Mob Sitters has that classic take that feel. You have plenty of opportunity to stitch up your friends around the table and experience the sweet taste of revenge as you pass the blame right back to them as they tell on you to the boss!

So, how does it actually play? You each start with 20 almost identical cards. I say almost identical as they have the same amount of cash and the same number of rat out and blame shifting cards, but each player has their own set of crimes they commit. Each player takes a player board depicting their character and the baby they are sitting and the matching set of cards. They shuffle the cards and draw a hand of six. The first player plays three cards onto the available slots on their player board. The next player then follows suit.

Here is where the fun starts in Mob Sitters. All crime cards are played face-up. They illustrate what you're plotting, how much you will earn and whether it is a crime against the mob or one that the police would be interested in.

However, if you are playing a card that rats out one of your fellow players you can choose to play it face-up and resolve it straight away, confronting the player of your choice. (As long as the crime matches the person you are ratting out to – police or mob boss.) However, you can choose to play this card face-down, holding onto it until your next round and catching someone unawares.

If you successfully rat out a player the card gets stored in their boss or police section of their player board and will count against them at the game end.

But, it doesn’t stop there!You can play some retaliation and safe cards face-down on your turn to be saved for later. There are cards that simply deny all knowledge – “Phew! Got away with it” this allows you to keep the cash on your player board. Or you can save a finger pointing card that allows you to pass the blame and the associated card to the player on either side or straight back to the tell-tale. However, they can also use a stored reaction card to move the blame on. Until it lands on a player who can do nothing but take the blame and store the card on the appropriate slot on their player board.

Play moves round the table and when it returns to your turn, any crimes that are still in play are placed in your safe and stored for the end game scoring. Play continues round after round until players are left with two cards in their hands.

The end game scoring is brutal. Depending on the numbers of players, there is now the opportunity for end game elimination. Players compare the police confiscated cards and the player who has had the most cash confiscated by the police is eliminated. Then comes the bosses' turn to eliminate the player who stole the most from them. Finally, the mob sitter who amassed the greatest bundle of cash, stashed it away I their safe and missed the detection of the police and their gangland employer, is the winner.

Thoughts on Mob Sitters

Mob Sitters is brilliant! The art is simple, comic and fun. The crimes are brilliant and the variety ensures you are all keeping an eye on each other’s cards. The hidden card element is great as people decide whether to risk playing their higher value cards or hold onto them for longer. Players can revel in the fun of bluffing by placing low value crimes face-down in an attempt to trick people into playing weaker cards for fear that you may have a cop or a boss rat out card hidden on your player board.

Mob Sitters provides a slice of classic bluffing, take that fun and a great theme. So, get the crew together and accept the offer of work from the gangland boss. Then, it's time to steal, cheat and grass on your friends as you go on to earn a fortune. Will you be crowned the most infamous mob sitter of them all...The Don?

Just be careful you don’t get caught and locked up by office Krupke or given a pair of concrete boots by one of your bosses.

Support on Kickstarter

Mob Sitters is now live on Kickstarter. At the time of writing (August 7), over 75 backers have raised just over £2600. The campaign's goal is £4000 and will end on October 31. For more information, and to make your pledge, visit the official Kickstarter page.