Bit City Noir

A shadow smothers Bit City. It started in the dark places – the dank alleys, speakeasies, and gambling dens – but for seventy years, that filth has festered. Now, in 2003, the techno-streets are overrun with the corruption of ill-gotten wealth and an easy hyper-lifestyle. Roving bands of like-minded felons form an underworld of gangs, competing for a share of the plunder. Individuals with more brain and vision assemble crews of specialists – maybe even get a flatfoot under their thumb – to secretly accomplish tasks far more sinister than the average thug.

Each player controls a small criminal organization and the police officer they’ve coerced into helping them. The Femme Fatale can swindle unlucky marks out of their hard-stolen goods, The Muscle can “convince” other criminals to do his bidding, The Wild Card mixes up the board, and The Cop can arrest criminals to temporarily take them out of the game. Their criminals will move through the Bit City fog to amass a wealth of loot and accomplish their nefarioius heists. Players can scam Casinos for chips, rob Jewelers for jewels, and meet up with clandestine contacts for secrets. In addition to robbing the city blind, each player is given a classified Heist that can earn them extra money if completed. The game takes place over three acts and eleven total scenes, with each scene providing a different challenge and playing a little differently from the last. The player with the most money at the end of Act III wins the game.

Bit City Noir was designed and illustrated by Matthew Bombara, with character design by Stephanie Zuppo. It was created for The Game Crafter's Mystery Challenge, and was developed to emphasize players' ability to bluff their true goal and plan around and manipulate the unpredictability of the unexplored City squares.