steadily increases their control over a neighbourhood, they will attract the attention of rival bosses, who may try to extort money from the boss or attempt to seize their rackets. Deciding how to handle rivals - whether that involves forming alliances with them, paying or threatening them into backing off, or simply killing them and assuming control of their empires - is an important aspect of Empire of Sin. Alcohol is the most vital component of any boss' empire; without enough to sell, rackets will be unable to generate substantial profits. Each neighborhood has locations where speakeasies and breweries can be established to produce and sell alcohol, and the boss must invest considerable sums to protect them and increase their production capabilities. Alcohol can also be given to the player by allies or received as part of a reward for completing certain missions. Alcohol is graded by its quality, from low-quality "swill" that can be made cheaply but will not sell for much to "premium" and "top-shelf" alcohol that is more expensive and riskier to manufacture but can be sold for high prices. Taking over rackets or occupied buildings, as well as getting into shootouts with rival gangs or law enforcement officers, enters the boss and their crew into a turn-based strategy game similar to X-Com. Members of the crew must be positioned before they can attack or accept any of the player's orders, and can be armed with a variety of weapons, body armor, explosives, and healing items purchased from black market dealers. Combat is also impacted by various traits and perks the characters have, and may cause them to act differently from the player's orders. For example, a character with the "Hair Trigger" trait may fire their weapon out in the open rather than moving to cover when ordered. These traits can change over the course of a game; for example, an underling may become more accustomed to solving problems through violent means the more they are put in such conditions. The primary focus of Empire of Sin is to grow the boss' empire through conquest and effective management. Funds earned from rackets can be used to pay off cops, hire lawyers to keep underlings out of trouble, recruit advisors and underbosses who can reduce the player's workload by assuming some responsibilities of managing the empire, and plant moles in other gangs to disrupt their operations. The game