La Famiglia: Fact or Fiction?

La Famiglia puts a fictional mafia organization into 1929 Chicago. Some people and documents in the game come from history; others were changed for the story. Here’s how to tell them apart. This page contains plot and puzzle details, so read it after playing.

Fact: Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit gang was a strong presence in Chicago in the 1920s, supplying illicit liquor, bribing public officials, and protecting their interests with violence.

Fact: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place in Chicago in 1929. The FBI’s account says it was generally attributed to Capone’s gang, while Capone himself was in Florida. The game’s links between the massacre, the mayor and La Famiglia are part of our fictional story.

Fact, with a changed date: Anton Cermak challenged William Hale Thompson for mayor, but their election was in 1931. Thompson had returned to office in 1927. Our story moves that rivalry into 1929. The Chicago Public Library records the dates for Thompson and Cermak.

Fiction: The bombing plot against Cermak and Thompson’s arrest belong to our story. In real life, Cermak defeated Thompson in 1931. Cermak was later shot at an event with President-elect Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 and died from his injuries.

Fact: Al Capone was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon in 1929. The newspaper article in the game refers to that arrest. The FBI’s Capone history also records his tax-evasion conviction in 1931, release from prison in 1939 and death in 1947.

Fiction: The shadow organization we’ve named “La Famiglia” is fictional, though there were several other powerful gangs in Chicago other than Al Capone’s.

A name changed for the game: The organization founded in 1908 was called the Bureau of Investigation during our 1929 setting. The name Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived in 1935. We use “FBI” in the game because it’s the name most players recognize.

 

Materials

Baseball cards:

The cards in your game are real baseball card images from the 1920s. All four players were on the Chicago Cubs in 1929.  Charlie Grimm was the Cubs’ first baseman and would later become the Cub’s manager. Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was a Hall of Fame catcher, and hit one of the most dramatic home runs in baseball history (the Homer in the Gloamin). Lewis "Hack" Wilson was a powerful slugger and Hall of Fame outfielder who set the still-standing single-season RBI record with 191 in 1930. Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler was a Hall of Fame outfielder.

 

Arlington Park betting cards:

Arlington Park was a real horse track that operated for nearly 100 years (1927-2021). After it opened, it quickly became a premier destination for horse racing and betting, offering a more regulated alternative to traditional bookmaking. The venue attracted both high society and everyday gamblers, and the betting rules in the game are the same that were in use in the ‘20s. The above image is from Arlington Park in 1927.

 

Club poster:

Speakeasies sold alcohol illegally during Prohibition in the United States, from 1920 to 1933. Their music and nightlife inspired the club poster in your game.

The club poster is a prop for our story, with Jon Calloway named as a performer.

 

Thanks for playing. If you’d like to continue the story, The Takedown is the next game in the Famiglia trilogy. For another evening in the same setting, our Famiglia game-night guide has food and music ideas.