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TacForce
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The Brotherhood
1972
Rules assistance for The Brotherhood
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60–180 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.2/5
Rules assistant for The Brotherhood
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Brotherhood is a board game released in 1972 for 2–5 players, 60–180 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Frank Chadwick, John Hill (I), and John Harshman and its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
Originally published by Conflict in 1972, then re-published by GDW in 1983. You are a Godfather of a criminal family struggling to control the city's rackets, winning by amassing the greatest amount of wealth in a year's time. Hire thugs and hit men, control rackets in neighborhoods and bribe judges and politicians to get opposing thugs arrested or their rackets shut down. Placements are done simultaneously by having players write down their purchases. When the shooting starts, it is resolved by the ever-reliable die roll. Random Grand Jury Investigations are always there to upset any plan. Includes negotiation and features nice strategy dilemmas between diversification and concentration and how much one wants to try for the more lucrative but more targeted areas.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
- Conflict Games
Questions and answers
The Brotherhood 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 listed playing time for The Brotherhood is 60–180 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 The Brotherhood for ages 10 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.
The Brotherhood 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.
The Brotherhood belongs to these categories: Fighting, Wargame, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Dice Rolling, 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 The Brotherhood are: Frank Chadwick, John Hill (I), and John Harshman. 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 The Brotherhood 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.