- BGG rank
- BGG #3,010
- BGG rating
- 7.4
1923 Cotton Club
2021
Rules assistance for 1923 Cotton Club
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for 1923 Cotton Club
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
1923 Cotton Club is a board game released in 2021 for 2–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Pau Carles and its main mechanics are Events, Open Drafting, and Worker Placement.
About the game
In 1923 the bootlegger Owney Madden acquired an establishment in Harlem, New York, and named it the "Cotton Club". His idea was to use it as a cover to sell alcohol during Prohibition, but the place grew in popularity, and talented artists such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters, and Cab Calloway turned it into a jazz mecca. In 1923 Cotton Club, you will oversee a club during the complex times of Prohibition. To smuggle in alcohol, you will have to look for partners in the criminal world and invest money to hire artists and improve your club. All to attract the most important and influential celebrities of the era... 1923 Cotton Club is played over a maximum of six rounds in which the players can use three pawns to select between different actions: make improvements, ask for a loan, get a tip-off, associate with gangsters, smuggling, hire artists and attract celebrities. All to collect more reputation than all the other clubs in New York! The player with the most reputation points at the end wins.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Origames
- Looping Games
- Pick 'N' Roll Games Lab
- Biberstein Spiele
Questions and answers
1923 Cotton Club supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 1923 Cotton Club is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 1923 Cotton Club for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
1923 Cotton Club has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
1923 Cotton Club belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Music. Its main mechanics are Events, Open Drafting, and Worker Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of 1923 Cotton Club are: Pau Carles. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 1923 Cotton Club as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.