2000 Puesto n.º 15756 en BGG

Corruption

3–7 jugadores 45 min A partir de 10 años 1.8/5 de complejidad 5.5/10 de valoración

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Described by the designer as a cross between Doris & Frank's Banana Republic and stud poker, this game casts players as construction company owners who are seeking to bribe various government officials for lucrative building contracts. Each turn, six new contracts are up for grabs, and players compete for them by placing secret bribe amounts. At the end of each round, whoever offered the most bribe money for each contract gets it. Special cards, whose backs look just like bribe cards, can alter the contest significantly, but while the bribe cards are recycled after each of the three rounds, the special cards are not.

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Preparación

1. Each player takes a set of ten player cards of the same color (six bribe cards worth $1,000/$2,000/$4,000/$6,000/$8,000/$10,000, one district attorney, two reporters, and one hit man). 2. Place the three Government cards (City Hall, the County Seat, and the Capitol) face-up in the center of the table. 3. Shuffle all 24 Contract cards and place them face-down as a deck on the table. 4. Determine the first player: in the first round, choose randomly (or by agreement, the most experienced player goes first). The game then begins with Round 1.

Flujo del turno

Each of the four rounds consists of three phases: Phase I — Invitation to Bid: Deal six contract cards face-up from the top of the deck, placing two beneath each government body card. Any contracts not awarded in the previous round remain in play; six new contracts are still added (two per government body). Phase II — Corruption: Starting with the leading player (most total contract value; ties broken by number of contracts; random in Round 1) and proceeding clockwise, each player places one card at a time — either vertically on a contract or horizontally on a government body's Swiss bank account — until every player has placed all six cards. Cards played on Swiss bank accounts are always face-down. During Round 1, each player's first card is face-up, the rest face-down. During Round 2, the first two are face-up; during Round 3, the first three; during Round 4, the first four. Phase III — Awarding Contracts: All cards on the table are revealed. Resolution follows this sequence in order of play (left to right): 1. Swiss-bank-account bribes are assigned by their owners to any contract under the same government body (at half value). 2. Hit men are resolved — each kills one DA, Reporter, or other Hit Man on the same contract. 3. Contracts with one or more DAs are cancelled and deferred to the next round; bribe cards on those contracts are returned. 4. Each Reporter lets its owner remove one bribe of their choice from that contract; Swiss-bank-account bribes (still horizontal) cannot be removed this way. 5. Each contract is awarded to the player with the highest total bribe value. Swiss-bank-account bribes count at half value. Ties result in no award; the contract and bribes are deferred to the next round.

Puntuación y victoria

After four rounds, each player totals the dollar values printed on all contract cards they have won. The player with the greatest total dollar value wins the game. Fuentes de puntuación: Contract cards won during Awarding Contracts phase, each worth its printed dollar value (e.g., $100,000 for the Monument, $800,000 for the Stadium).

Fuente: Rulebook

Reglas que debes conocer

Las reglas más útiles para jugar bien la primera partida.

Setup

Each player's hand of 10 cards consists of 6 bribe cards and 4 character cards.

Each player's set of ten player cards (all the same color) contains: six Bribe cards valued at $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, $6,000, $8,000, and $10,000; one District Attorney; two Reporters; and one Hit Man. Every player has exactly the same composition of cards.

Setup

Three government body cards (City Hall, County Seat, Capitol) are placed face-up in the center of the table.

The three Government cards — City Hall, the County Seat, and the Capitol — are placed face-up in the center of the table before the game begins. Each governs the two Contract cards placed beneath it during Invitation to Bid and has an associated Swiss bank account where players may play Bribe cards horizontally.

Turn structure

A complete game lasts four rounds, each consisting of three phases: Invitation to Bid, Corruption, and Awarding Contracts.

The game is played over exactly four rounds. Each round proceeds through three sequential phases: Phase I (Invitation to Bid), Phase II (Corruption), and Phase III (Awarding Contracts). After four complete rounds the game ends and a winner is determined.

Turn structure

Six contract cards are dealt face-up each round, two under each government body.

At the start of each round, the top six contract cards are dealt face-up from the deck, placing two beneath each government body card (City Hall, County Seat, Capitol). If any contracts were not awarded in the previous round, they remain in play. Regardless, six new contracts are always added — two per government body.

Turn structure

The leading player (highest total contract value) goes first; ties broken by contract count; first round is random.

At the start of Phase II (Corruption), the player whose won contracts have the greatest total dollar value plays first. In the case of a tie in total value, the player with the greatest number of contracts goes first. During the first round, because no one has won contracts yet, the first player is chosen randomly. By mutual agreement, the most knowledgeable player may go first in Round 1, since going first is generally considered a handicap.

Turn structure

Each player places one card per turn, clockwise, until all six cards are placed — on a contract (vertical) or a Swiss bank account (horizontal).

During Phase II (Corruption), starting with the leading player and proceeding clockwise, each player places exactly one of their player cards per turn. A card may be placed vertically on any contract card on the table, or horizontally on any government body's Swiss bank account. Play continues in this alternating fashion until each player has placed all six of their cards for the round.

Restriction

District Attorneys, Reporters, and Hit Men can only be played on contracts, never on Swiss bank accounts.

Character cards — District Attorneys, Reporters, and Hit Men — may only be placed vertically on contract cards. They cannot be played on a government body's Swiss bank account. Only Bribe cards may be played horizontally on Swiss bank accounts.

Turn structure

Cards played on contracts are revealed progressively each round; Swiss bank account cards are always face-down.

Cards played on Swiss bank accounts are always placed face-down, regardless of the round. Cards played on contracts follow a progressive revelation rule: in Round 1, each player's first card played on a contract is face-up, all others face-down. In Round 2, the first two cards are face-up. In Round 3, the first three cards are face-up. In Round 4, the first four cards are face-up. (Cards played on Swiss bank accounts do not count toward this face-up sequence.)

Informe estratégico

Timing Swiss bank account plays

Playing bribes on Swiss bank accounts lets you commit funds without revealing which contract you are targeting — a powerful bluffing tool. However, the half-value penalty means you need to play higher-denomination bribes to be competitive. Use Swiss bank accounts to hedge across two contracts under one government body when you are uncertain which will be contested.

Managing Character cards as one-time resources

Since District Attorneys, Reporters, and Hit Men are permanently removed after use, deploy them strategically. A DA played on a high-value contract can deny it to all opponents for at least one round, buying time. Reporters are most valuable when you can predict which opponents have placed large bribes. Save the Hit Man to neutralize an opponent's DA on a contract you want to win.

Going first is a handicap — leverage it strategically

The leading player must go first each round, meaning they reveal cards earlier than opponents (due to the progressive face-up rule). Later players gain information from those revealed cards. If you are leading, consider using your revealed card to stake a claim on a contract others will avoid, or play your first card on a Swiss bank account to reveal nothing.

Exploiting Reporter sequencing

Reporters remove bribes in play order, so playing your Reporter early gives you first pick on which bribe to eliminate. Target the highest bribe on a contract to swing the winner in your favor. Be aware that opponents' Reporters played later can then remove your bribe in retaliation.

District Attorney as a delay tactic on key contracts

A cancelled contract is deferred to the next round, allowing you to rebid on it with the same bribe cards (which are returned to you). Using a DA to cancel a contract you are currently losing can reset the bidding at no permanent bribe cost, though it permanently costs you your DA.

Preguntas frecuentes y casos límite

A Hit Man and a District Attorney are both played on the same contract. Does the DA cancel the contract?

Hit Men are resolved first (step 2), before DAs cancel contracts (step 3). If the Hit Man targets and eliminates the DA, the DA is removed and the contract proceeds normally. Only if a DA survives Hit Man resolution does it cancel the contract.

A Reporter is played on a contract that also has a bribe allocated from a Swiss bank account. Can the Reporter remove that Swiss bank account bribe?

No. Bribes that originated from Swiss bank accounts remain horizontal when assigned to contracts. Reporters cannot remove horizontal (Swiss bank account) bribes — only directly-played (vertical) bribes can be removed by Reporters.

Two players are tied for the highest bribe total on a contract, with one player's total relying on a Swiss bank account bribe at half value. How is this resolved?

Swiss bank account bribes always count at half their face value when determining the winner. If after applying half values the totals are still tied, no one wins the contract — it is deferred to the next round and all bribes are returned.

A contract is cancelled by a District Attorney. What happens to the bribe cards on it?

All bribe cards on the cancelled contract are returned to their owners. The contract card remains on the table and is available for new bidding in the next round. The DA itself is removed from the game permanently.

A Hit Man is played on a contract where no DA, Reporter, or other Hit Man exists. What happens?

A Hit Man with no legal targets is simply removed from play with no effect. It cannot target cards on other contracts.

Two Reporters from different players are played on the same contract. How are removals ordered?

Reporters are resolved in the order they were played during the Corruption phase (earlier play goes first). The first reporter's owner removes one bribe, then the second reporter's owner removes one bribe.

Can a player use their District Attorney, Reporters, or Hit Man in multiple rounds?

No. Character cards (District Attorneys, Reporters, Hit Men) are permanently removed from the game after the round in which they are played. They cannot be reused. Bribe cards, by contrast, are returned to players after each round.

Can a bribe played on City Hall's Swiss bank account be assigned to a contract under the County Seat?

No. A bribe played on a government body's Swiss bank account can only be assigned to contracts governed by that same government body.

Does a Bribe card played on a Swiss bank account count as that player's 'first card' for the face-up revelation rule?

Cards played on Swiss bank accounts are always face-down regardless of the round. The face-up/face-down progression applies only to cards played directly on contracts. Swiss bank account plays do not count toward the number of face-up cards a player has placed.