Hoboken, New Jersey, 1954. You are a powerful leader of one of the largest criminal organizations in the city and you compete with your rival for territory and support, shying away from any means to expand your influence. District Noir is located in the center of Hoboken. Control over that neighborhood makes the big difference in seizing power over the entire city.
In this tactical card game for 2 players you try to get the majority of different card types in order to score the most points. But you can also try to gain control of the city's 3 strategic locations. In that case you win immediately.
The rules of the game are very simple. You get 5 cards. On your turn, you place a hand card in the row or you take the last 5 cards placed in the row. The other player always has the same choice. However, taking 5 cards is only allowed once per round. After that you always have to put a card in the row.
The game continues until the face-down pile is empty and all cards have been played. Then the points are counted. You get points for having the most cards of a certain suit and for complete sets of different suits. There are also cards that immediately give plus or minus points. If you manage to acquire all 3 strategic locations, you win immediately and you do not have to count any points.
District Noir is a very accessible card game for 2 players. The simple rules ensure that you get started playing quickly, but you will soon discover that the choices you have to make during the game are a lot more difficult!