Thieves Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contained in the Box
• The Basics of Play
• Goals
• Obstacles
• Rules of Movement and the Dice
• First Stealing the Gold
• Stealing from the Opponent
• Movement with the Gold
• The Imperative of Movement
• Forbidden Movements
• Winning the Game
• Intensifying the Game
• Recommended Strategies

Contained in the Box

• The game board - the labyrinthine lair of the dragon.
• Cast metal coin - the dragon's precious hoard of gold.
• Eight hardwood pieces - four pale and four dark for each gang.
• Pair of custom dice - the keys to the labyrinth's doors.

To ensure fair play of the dice, you may purchase a pair of trip lip dice cups via our website. These are styled to match the board, come with spare dice, and will fit side by side in the Thieves box.

The Basics of Play

Black squares are the walls of the labyrinth, the white squares are its pathways, and colour squares are locked doorways. In turns, the matching colour keys on the dice may unlock two of these - so that two thieves can move from one pathway to another (no more than once each), or steal the gold, or pass it to an accomplice. White are universal keys that enable the same actions as the colours. Black keys open the labyrinth's central square, to first steal the gold, and later open an exit for the thief carrying it to escape and win - nothing else.

To steal the gold, a thief must get to a pathway next to it and have a key to the doorway. That achieved, the gold can be taken and placed on the thief, and this is carried until passed to an accomplice or stolen. Thieves may steal or pass the gold in the same turn as they move. Escaping requires three things: the thief with the gold is on their exit, and has both an accomplice in the exit area and a black key.

Only one thief is allowed on each pathway. Players cannot place a thief on an opponent's exit pathway, or more than one on any of the three surrounding it. Players cannot place more than two thieves on the four pathways of their exit. Passing the gold back and forth between thieves in the same turn is forbidden. Finally, except when pathways are blocked or unavailable, players MUST always use the keys the dice deliver. Now flip a coin to decide who begins.

Goals

Using their thieves, players have three goals:

• To steal the gold
• To keep the gold
• To escape the labyrinth with the gold

Obstacles

There are three obstacles to achieving these goals:

• The rules of movement
• Luck with the dice
• The opponent

Rules of Movement and the Dice

Each player's turn begins with rolling the pair of dice. The two colours that face up are keys to the coloured doorways. Players may use these once each to enable their thieves' movements or actions - individual thieves can only be moved from one white pathway to another in each turn, never two.

Red, yellow, green & blue keys - These unlock their matching doorways, enabling movement of thieves from one pathway to another, stealing gold, and passing it from one thief to another.

White keys - These are universal keys that unlock any colour of doorway and enable the same actions as the colour keys, but not those of the black keys.

Black keys - These are the only keys that can open the central black square of the labyrinth and its two exits: see First Stealing the Gold and Winning the Game. In all other situations, they don't enable action.

Players will not always be able to use the keys the dice give them:

• If the pathways behind available doorways are occupied
• If they do not have the keys for the available doorways

In these situations, they lose the opportunity for action in that turn.

First Stealing the Gold

A player must first get a thief to one of the four pathways that surround the labyrinth's central black square. To be able to steal the gold from it they must, in one of their turns, roll a black key.

Once they have that, the player can take the gold and place it on the back of their thief, who now carries it until either escaping from the labyrinth, passing it to an accomplice, or its theft by the opponent.

Stealing from the Opponent

A player must first get a thief to a pathway adjacent to the opponent's thief carrying the gold. To be able to steal it they need a key that unlocks the doorway between them.

Moving and stealing the gold - Use one key to open the doorway to move the thief into position, then use the second key to open another doorway to steal the gold.

Stealing the gold and moving - Use one key to open the doorway to steal the gold, then use the second key to open another doorway to move this thief away with it.

Stealing and passing the gold - Use one key to open the doorway to steal the gold, then use the second key to open another doorway to pass it to an accomplice.

Movement with the Gold

Players can move the gold twice in a turn if they have the keys from the dice and the doorways and pathways are available.

Moving and passing - Use one key to open the doorway to move the thief carrying the gold, then use the second key to open another doorway to pass the gold to an accomplice.

Passing and moving - Use one key to open a doorway to pass the gold on to an accomplice, then use the second key to open another doorway to move this thief away.

Passing and passing - Use one key to open a doorway to pass the gold to an accomplice, then use the second key to open another doorway to pass the gold on again.

The Imperative of Movement

In all situations, unless pathways are blocked or unavailable, players MUST use both colour keys delivered by the dice in their turn - even if doing so means they must move their thieves or pass the gold in directions they do not want.

Forbidden Movements

To challenge players' ingenuity

• Placing more than one thief at a time on a pathway is forbidden.
• Passing and returning the gold in the same turn is forbidden.
• Passing the gold to any of the opponent's thieves is forbidden.

To prevent stalemate

• Placing a thief on the opponent's exit is forbidden.
• Placing more than one thief at a time on the three pathways surrounding an opponent's exit is forbidden.

To ensure reversals of fortune

• So that stealing the gold is always possible, even when a thief carrying it is on their exit, placing more than one accomplice on the three surrounding pathways is forbidden.

Winning the Game

To escape the labyrinth with the gold players must achieve three things:

1. Their thief carrying the gold is on their exit pathway.
2. An accomplice is on one of the three surrounding pathways.
3. They have a black key either:
   • In the same turn as they move their thief with the gold onto their exit pathway
   • In the same turn as they move an accomplice to one of the three surrounding pathways
   • In a later turn while the thief with the gold and the accomplice are still in place.

When a player achieves all three simultaneously, they can move their thief carrying the gold over the corner dragon symbol, to leave the labyrinth and win the game.

Intensifying the Game

Players may limit the time to decide and make moves to only ten seconds. After this time players lose either one or both opportunities to move or take action in that turn - use a timer app to keep track.

Players can bet on the outcome of a game, but they must agree on the stakes at the start. In their turn, before they roll the dice, players may also challenge their opponent to a doubling of the bet. Not accepting the challenge results in that player forfeiting the game and paying the stake agreed earlier. The right to re-double the bet alternates between players - use a doubling dice to record increases.

Recommended Strategies

Here are three ways players can increase their chances of winning:

1. Directing two thieves to steal the gold - Three advantages:

   • Doubling chance of success - The keys the dice give in a turn can usually be used by at least one thief to make progress or take action.
   • Blocking pursuit - Once one thief has stolen the gold, their accomplice may be used to block the opponent's thieves access to it.
   • Passing - Once one thief has the gold, they might immediately pass it to their accomplice - to put this one pathway further away from the opponent's thieves and one closer to their exit.

2. Directing one thief to patrol the opponent's exit - Two advantages:

   • Blocking or slowing progress - In seeking to escape with the gold, the opponent's thief must keep changing their route to avoid this threat.
   • Stealing - As the opponent's thief with the gold must eventually pass to reach their exit, opportunities for theft are inevitable.

3. Directing one thief to patrol the player's own exit - Two advantages:

   • Passing and blocking - The thief carrying the gold can pass to this accomplice, or use it to block the opponent's pursuing thieves.
   • Enabling a quick escape - As an accomplice must be on one of the three pathways around the exit for it to open with a black key, having this thief in place prevents delay.