Syndicate — the city is up for grabs

What is Syndicate

Syndicate is an economic board game in the spirit of Monopoly: the same classic property economy, moved to a port city in the Prohibition era. Instead of familiar streets you buy the Dock Warehouse, the Fortuna Casino, the Don’s Residence and the Omerta Tower. The goal is to be the last player who has not gone bankrupt.

The rules in short

• 2 to 4 players, in random turn order. The table host can add bots before the game starts.
• Starting cash is $1500 by default, plus $200 salary for every lap. The host can change both in the lobby: starting cash from $1000 to $3000, salary from $100 to $400.
• On your turn roll the dice and move that many squares. A double gives another roll, and three doubles in a row send you to jail.
• You may buy a free square. If you decline, it goes to an auction for all the other players: 20 seconds, and every new bid extends the time.
• Land on someone else’s square and you pay rent. Own a whole colour group and you can build up to four houses and then a hotel, and the rent grows.
• Short of cash? Mortgage squares for half their price. A player who cannot pay goes bankrupt and is out. The last player standing wins.

How to win at Syndicate

Early in the game money is worth less than squares: almost any free plot in the first laps is worth buying — it helps complete your own group and works as a bargaining chip in a trade. Transport hubs pay rent straight away, without building, and the more of them one owner has, the higher the rent: $25, $50, $100 and $200.

The main goal is a complete colour group: you can build only there, and houses multiply the rent. If you are one square short, negotiate — a swap with some cash on top is often better than waiting for a rival to land on the square you need. And keep some cash in reserve: missing a rent payment means mortgaging squares at half price.

What Omerta adds

• A 40-square board with eight colour groups, four transport hubs and two utilities — the familiar layout.
• Trades between players at any moment, not only on your turn: money, squares and get-out-of-jail cards.
• Table settings: starting cash, salary per lap, auctions and a Free Parking jackpot that collects taxes and fines.
• 45 seconds per turn: if a player stalls, the server finishes the turn, so the game never freezes.
• Voice chat at the table — bargaining is easier out loud. There are no cameras in this game.
• A player who disrupts the game can be removed by a majority vote.

How to start

Sign in with email or Telegram, press Create, choose Games and Syndicate, then Create and sit down. In the lobby the host sets the starting cash, salary, auctions and the Free Parking jackpot, and can add bots. Invite friends with an invitation on the site, in Telegram or with the table link. The game interface is available in English and follows your browser language.