- BGG rank
- BGG #3,873
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Red Dust Rebellion
- 1–4 players
- 120–240 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 8.4
Rules assistance for Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 14+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company is an expansion for Shadow Moon Syndicates released in 2026 for 2–5 players and ages 14 and up. It was designed by S J Macdonald and Jarrod Carmichael and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #347
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Wayfarers of the South Tigris
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #200
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Viscounts of the West Kingdom
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,917
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Circadians: Chaos Order
- 2–5 players
- 120–240 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #478
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Scholars of the South Tigris
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,418
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Inventors of the South Tigris
- 1–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 4.5/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,966
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Spirited
- 1–6 players
- 40–80 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2026
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,540
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Excavation Earth
- 1–4 players
- 30–120 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #929
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Circadians: First Light
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,066
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Caper
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #469
- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Godfather: Corleone's Empire
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,049
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Scarface 1920
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 2023
About the game
The Illicit Company expansion features 6 new fiendishly interchangeable Syndicates for your playing pleasure! From android assassins, to sinister spacers this expansion packs a punch, providing new and novel ways for your agents to raise the stakes on Shadow Moon. However, their arrival to the Moon is not subtle... they want all inhabitants to feel the effects of their influence with 2 new types of Status Tokens, Riot and Invest. When placed, Riot tokens will allow you to target that sector with your Actions, even if a card dictates a different sector. Invest tokens will enable you to keep up with the competition - every time an opponent places influence in that sector, you will also get to Add 1 influence. Don’t let the arrival of these new syndicates shake you - you’ll be equipped with new Trait Cards, Players Aids, and a fresh Appendix so you can learn their wicked ways.
Designers
Publishers
- Arkus Games
Questions and answers
Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company supports 2–5 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 catalogue lists Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company for ages 14 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.
Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company belongs to these categories: Science Fiction, Mafia, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company are: S J Macdonald and Jarrod Carmichael. 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 Shadow Moon Syndicates: Illicit Company as an expansion for Shadow Moon Syndicates. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Shadow Moon Syndicates to use it. Check that your edition of Shadow Moon Syndicates is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.