Family Business takes mob warfare to a new level of revenge, backstabbing, and general bloodthirstiness, which is what makes it such a blast to play. Each player controls a 'family' and plays various cards to off other players' family members. In a game with this little structure, it's possible for everyone to gang up on a single unlucky soul, or for the damage to be fairly evenly spread. Either way, the last family standing will win.

Each player begins with a gang of nine characters. To try to eliminate other gangsters, contracts are played on them. If these contracts are not blocked by anyone, the targeted gangster is put on the hitlist. As soon as six gangsters are on the hitlist a mobwar begins. This means that, at the beginning of every turn, the first character on this list is eliminated. This continues until the list is empty.

Mobwars can also be started by cards being played. When no more than the last six or less characters are in play a constant mobwar is going on, until only one player has characters left.

In general players take turns clockwise, however, the turn goes to any player who plays a response card and then clockwise mode is resumed with the player next to them. Lots of interaction as players play cards to put gangsters on the list, save them, have them replaced, begin a Mob War, or stop it...