In Kingpin, players choose between three different crime syndicates: the Italian Mafia, the Russian Mob, and the Yakuza. Each organization has different pieces, changing the style of each game. The Yakuza prefers quiet assassinations, the Russian Mob overcomes it's opponents with sheer firepower, and the Mafia specializes in swift drive-by shootings. The game "neo noir" theme borrows heavily from cult gangster movies and graphic novels, such as the works of Quentin Tarantino or Frank Miller.
Three important features of the game are: a two-sided game board, featuring two different maps, three victory conditions available for the players, and the lack of randomness during play. The authors describe it as a fast-paced game of nerves, somewhere between a Mexican standoff and a game of chess, where the rooks and bishops run around with Tommy-guns.
Because of the suggestive theme, the publisher considered this title unsuitable for children under 15 years of age.
