It's the 1920's and courtesy of the Volstead Act, liquor is out of the question - at least to the cops. You and your friends are just eager business owners, trying to run a successful speakeasy called The Opulent. This is a classy joint, not that the occasional mobster doesn't frequent the place, but this is the kind of place that movie stars visit and you'd like to keep it that way.

You focus on great atmosphere, smooth jazz music and as much liquor as you can sling without attracting attention from the Feds.

Black Locust Games has launched The Opulent on Kickstarter and it's got lots of theme to make some heads turn and trigger a board gamer's shiny syndrome. This clever boardgame is a cooperative game of resource management, where each player is assigned a vital role to ensure the working order of The Opulent.

The Doorman (or woman), obviously controls the flow of traffic into the club. The Bartender slings the best drinks they can to keep their clientele happy. The Musician is in charge of keeping the mood up in the club, as happy patrons tend to stay longer and spend more.

And finally the Manager, who obviously controls the house and makes sure that all areas are running smoothly. The game is for 2-4 people, and all four roles must be played for the game to work.

Each of these role has their own mini game running throughout your game play, that influences what you are able to do throughout the game. Whether it's putting together ingredients for someone's favorite cocktail, or constructing the perfect uptempo song or perhaps most importantly, making sure you let in the paying customers, keep out the deadbeats and definitely hide the joint's purpose from the Feds.

There is a series of objectives that you can play as stand alone gaming experiences, or use them as a campaign system of sorts to carry your resources earned into your next game.

If you're a gamer that appreciates the theme in a game, then you'll not do much better than with this one. After watching movies like Gatsby or shows like Boardwalk Empire, I was immediately drawn to this game. The art style is lovely and eye catching and the theme is carried heavily through each component of the game.

Perhaps most notable is the character cards for the patrons. Each not only has a stunning period picture on it, but the other side has a rich back story so you really get a feel for the motivations of the folks who frequent The Opulent.

It's the theme that makes me feel like this is a game that would be really easy to use to introduce your non-gaming friends to boardgames. If they like this theme, they'll love this, and before you know it, they may even discover they love to play games!

Will you and your friends be trying to run your own speakeasy in The Opulent?