District Noir - Abstract

District Noir — first released as 聖杯サクセション (Throne and Grail) — is a two-player game with bluffing and set collection. To set-up the game, remove three face-down cards from the deck of 45 cards from the game, then lay out two cards face up to start a line. Each round, each player receives five cards in hand, and each turn you either play one card from your hand to the end of the line or — once per round — collect the most recently played five cards. Once all the cards from hand have been played, deal out five cards to each player and start the next round. After four rounds, the game ends.

Some cards have positive or negative numbers on them, and you score those points directly. Other cards are numbered 5-8, and you score 5-8 points for a value if you have more of those cards than the other player. Additionally, you score 5 points for each set of 5-8 that you've collected. And while normally points decide who wins, if you collect all three special cards — each of which are worthless on their own — you win immediately.

The original edition saw players seeking the Holy Grail, with the assistance of various factions. Nasza Księgarnia's version of the game — Fabryka czekolady — features the same gameplay as the original design, with players are fighting over chocolates. Spiral Editions retheme the game in a gangster setting, with players taking over businesses or seizing control of the city.