Steal This Game
Steal This Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
- Provide 2 six-sided dice to use with the game. Separate the Cashier card, the 4 cash box cards and the risk token from the postcard by tearing along the perforated lines. There are also a player screen and a base for the Cashier card that may be cut out to enhance the playing experience.
- Set the postcard between the players so that the edge illustrated with the risk track is clearly visible.
- The most suspicious-looking player becomes the Thief, and the other player becomes the Exhibitor. The players may also use any other method to choose which one is which.
- The Exhibitor player takes the four cash box cards (the reverse of one has the money, while the other three are decoys) and places them, in the order of their choosing, face down in a row without letting the Thief see what is on the other side.
NOTE: The Exhibitor can always peek at the cards and see which one is the cash box full of money.
NOTE: The leftmost and rightmost cash boxes are considered to be adjacent.
- The Exhibitor then places the Cashier in front of one of the cash boxes; the Cashier protects the cash box in front of them.
Gameplay
To win the game, the Thief must bluff so that they can find the real cash box. The Exhibitor must use misdirection to conceal it and protect it before the Thief can find it.
The Thief's weapons are the dice that are used to make attempts to open cash boxes and remove decoys from the game.
The Exhibitor has decoys that confuse the Thief, as well as a Cashier that can protect one cash box at a time.
- The Thief starts the game by rolling the two dice secretly behind their hand.
- The Thief then places the risk token on one of the spaces of the RISK TRACK, thereby making a statement about their dice which may or may not be true.
- If the Thief declared that they would Prepare, Observe, or Hit, the Exhibitor then declares whether they believe the Thief or not. The following outcomes are then possible:
3.1. Option 1: The Exhibitor believes that the Thief is telling the truth.
The Thief can then perform one of two possible actions:
- 3.1.1. Look at one of the unprotected cash boxes; or
- 3.1.2. Move the Cashier to an adjacent cash box.
NOTE: The leftmost and rightmost cash boxes are considered to be adjacent.
After the Thief's action, the Exhibitor is allowed to move the Cashier one space, as per the rules above, with the exception that the Thief's move (if any) may not be reversed.
3.2. Option 2: The Exhibitor declares that the Thief is lying.
The dice are then revealed, with one of the following results:
3.2.1. The Thief was telling the truth.
The Exhibitor must choose one of the decoy cash boxes, turn it face up, and then remove it from the game. Afterwards, if the only cash box remaining is the one with the money, the Thief immediately wins the game. Otherwise, the Exhibitor may reposition the remaining cash boxes in an attempt to confuse the Thief by rapidly shifting their positions, for a maximum 10 seconds.
After this, the Exhibitor may place the Cashier in front of any remaining cash box. Finally, the Thief hides the dice again and must reroll one of them in secret.
3.2.2. The Thief was lying.
The Thief has been spotted! It's time to grab a cash box and run!
The Thief must immediately pick one of the unprotected cash boxes and reveal it. If the revealed cash box is the one with the money, the Thief immediately wins the game. Otherwise, the Exhibitor wins. Either way, if the Thief is caught lying, the game will end.
New Round
If the game did not end due to the Thief being caught lying, a new round begins.
The Thief then begins the new round by moving the risk token to a higher space on the risk track. The Exhibitor may call their bluff or let the Thief take an action, and so on.
Risk Track
The spaces on the risk track are divided into four categories:
- PREPARE (the six die-face spaces, 1 through 6): By choosing one of these spaces, the Thief is declaring that at least one of the dice is showing the chosen number.
- OBSERVE (spaces 6, 8 and 10): By choosing one of these spaces, the Thief is declaring that the sum of the dice is at least as high as the number on the space.
- HIT (the two-dice "same number" spaces): The Thief is claiming to have rolled the same number on both dice.
- STEAL (the hand symbol on the final space): The Thief immediately steals a cash box, ending the game (see STEAL section).
NOTE: The leftmost and rightmost cash boxes are considered to be adjacent.
Steal
At any time when placing the risk token, the Thief can place it on the final space of the risk track. The Thief then chooses an unprotected cash box to reveal. If it is the one with the money, the Thief wins the game immediately; otherwise, they lose.
Winning the Game
The Thief wins if the cash box with the money is revealed or if the Exhibitor has only one cash box left.
The Exhibitor wins if the Thief reveals an empty cash box.
Example of Play
Ani is the Exhibitor and places the cash in position 2 in the row of cash boxes. She chooses to place the Cashier in this position, too.
Bernd, who plays the Thief, does not know where the money is. He rolls the dice, hiding them with his hand, and gets a 3 and a 4.
He places the risk token on the third space of the risk track and announces "Prepare 3", claiming that he has at least one 3 showing on his two dice.
Ani believes him and lets Bernd take an action. Bernd could move the Cashier but instead chooses to look at the cash box in position 1; he is not allowed to look at the one in position 2, because of the Cashier present. He sees that this cash box is empty.
Ani moves the Cashier, as a bluff, to position 3. Bernd then chooses and announces "Prepare 4". Again, she believes him, and Bernd is allowed to take another action. He looks at the cash box in position 4. He sees another empty one and now knows that the money is in position 2 or 3.