Made Men is a free card game in Five Families, the mob-history escape room app. You build a crew of five real gangsters, pick the stat you think wins, and try to take three rounds out of five. It takes about two minutes a game, and it’s easy enough for anyone to pick up.

▶ Play Made Men freeBuy the printed deck

How to play in 30 seconds

1. Pick 5 cards. Choose five of your cards and put them in order. Card 1 plays round 1, card 2 plays round 2, and so on. You can see which five cards the other side has, but not their order. Not sure? Tap Best 5 and the game picks your strongest crew.
2. Pick a stat. On rounds 1, 3 and 5 you choose the stat: tap the one you think beats their card. They choose on rounds 2 and 4. The highest number takes the round.
3. Win 3 rounds out of 5. First to three wins the table. A draw counts for nobody.

Changing your crew: tap a card in your crew to pick it, then tap the card you want instead. Tap it again to take it out.

The five stats

• Age at death: how long they lasted. In this life, getting old was an achievement.
• Power: how much of the underworld answered to them.
• Wealth: what they made, hid and spent.
• Ruthlessness: what they were prepared to do.
• Heat: how much attention they got from the law and the papers.

Cards come in three ranks: Associate, Made Man and Boss. All 28 are real gangsters, from Al Capone and Lucky Luciano to John Gotti and Meyer Lansky, and every card carries a short true story.

Ways to play

• Play now (practice): a quick game against the computer, as often as you like.
• The Commission: three tables a day, the same for everyone. Beat all three to win a new card.
• Play real players: take on other players’ saved crews, set your own crew for them to fight, and send a challenge link to your mates.

How to get more cards

• Beat the daily Commission for a free new card every day (Made members get two).
• Buy the one you want in the card shop with Mob Coins. You always pick the card: there are no random packs.

▶ Play Made Men free

The printed deck

Made Men started as a real card game. The printed deck has the same 28 gangsters and the same stats, in gold Art Deco with rules cards, so you can play it round the table. It ships worldwide from our Etsy shop.

Buy the Made Men deck on Etsy

Questions

Is it free? Yes. You get five cards to start and can play as many practice games as you like. The daily Commission gives a free card every day.

Where do I play? In the Five Families app on Android and iPhone, or in your browser at thelife.nationalcrimesyndicate.com. Tap Cards in the menu at the top.

Are the stats real? They’re based on each gangster’s real life: when they died, how big their operation was, and how much heat they drew.