Game Play Review - Stop Thief!

We played the new, fully restored version of Stop Thief! by Restoration Games, which is a remake of the original 1979 game. The premise of the game is players take on the role of investigators tracking down a group of thieves. This game can be played in competitive or cooperative mode. In competitive mode, the first player to acquire the amount specified for the number of players, is the winner. In cooperative mode, the group wins if they catch all the thieves before the starting loot runs out - meaning the thieves already took it all.

This post is broken into the following 3 sections, feel free to jump directly to one:

1. General summary - consisting of information about overall enjoyment, theme, replayability, and upgrades
2. Complexity - consisting of information about the rulebook, setup, player turns, and overall learning curve
3. Player turns - consisting of game type, game flow, rule you are likely to miss, and favorite aspect

Number of players we had: 4
Our play time (not including setup): 55 minutes
Mode played: Cooperative

Overall enjoyment

Overall we enjoyed playing this game. While it is not at all difficult to learn, there are challenging aspects introduced throughout the game that maintain player interest. This game has a great balance between forcing you to be strategic, taking educated guesses and even having a little bit of luck, all without being overly complicated.

Stop Thief! is similar to Last Friday and Fury of Dracula, but simpler, faster to setup and play, as well as being app-driven. We love the digital app aspect of this game - it does not detract from the suspension of disbelief, but rather adds to it with cool sound effects and suspense. When you catch your first thief you will see exactly what I'm talking about!

While I can see the lure of playing this game competitively, it is such a fantastic game when played cooperatively. Not only are you working as a team, but every player is participating, divulging strategies, and narrowing down possibilities the entire time. It is a cooperative game in the absolute truest sense of the word.

If we had to pick something that was frustrating about this game it would be that when playing cooperatively the loot can go fast with four players as the gang of thieves gets further from each player between their turns.

Theme

Regardless of the mode, the theme of this game is that each player is working as an investigator trying to catch thieves. The board is broken into four different sections of colored buildings with streets between buildings, all surrounded by a subway starting in the center of the board and leading to each corner. Both investigators and thieves move between the streets and subway. The pathways are easy to see and follow and the numbers are coordinated by building. The investigator meeples are well made and appropriately sized for the board.

For us, our favorite part of the theme is the app. We like that the app tracks the thieves and different sounds provide clues to their current location. We all found ourselves anxiously waiting as the scenario played out when attempting an arrest.

Replayability

This game has a high replayability factor for several reasons, including:

1. There are six different investigators, each with unique abilities linked to their movement cards.
2. Each investigator's set of movement cards also have unique numbers available to them. For example, some investigator's movement cards are higher than others, meaning they can move around the board faster.
3. The game can be played in two different modes - competitively or cooperatively.
4. There are different thieves used when playing competitive mode versus cooperative mode. Additionally, not all thieves are used in competitive mode.
5. Each thief has a different restriction that affects the game while they are at large.

Upgrades

I am not aware of any available upgrades for this game.

Rulebook

The rulebook is very well organized and is set up in a way that is easy to follow. We especially appreciate how the game rules are color coordinated based on the two types of play - competitive and cooperative. This allows players to skip past the parts that do not pertain to their particular game and quickly find the instructions that do.

Setup

Game setup is easy and can be accomplished in 5-10 minutes making this a perfect game for a short game night, for people who are new to next level board gaming, or if you are trying to squeeze one more game into game night! Once this game gets going, everyone is paying attention so it would be hard to be "too tired" for this game.

Turns

Each turn is broken into two actions and one optional action. An investigator begins their turn with a movement clue about the current thief (competitive) or gang of thieves (cooperative). With that clue, the current player decides which of their movement cards and/or abilities to use to try and catch the thief. At this point, a player can optionally make an arrest by guessing where the thief is located - as long as they are within one movement of the location they are guessing.

Overall learning curve

The overall learning curve for this game is very quick. The rulebook is straightforward and succinct. The app works well and integrates well with the game. Player turns are made up of only a few actions so there is nothing overly complex. However, do not let this fool you, this game can be deceivingly strategic. Thieves can move in ways that investigators cannot, and there are temporary restrictions imposed by thieves that can really mess up the investigators plans. This makes the game more interesting though, and keeps it from feeling too easy.

Play type

This game can be played competitively or cooperatively, depending upon your game group and mood. Whichever mode you choose to play, the goals are in essence the same - catch the thieves! This game requires a lot of working out the possible options for where a thief can be, and because of this, you do not really realize how simple the player actions are - get a clue, move closer to your target.

Game flow

Since we played the cooperative mode, all player turns are essentially processed together. Each player is coordinating about where they think the thief went, and how the investigator they are playing can help surround the thief. In this way, turns feel less individual and more like everyone is playing all the time. We really like this aspect of the game as it makes it very engaging.

Engagement is similar for a competitive game, except players have to deduce possible thief locations on their own. Visually tracking these locations, without giving too much away to other players, can be challenging.

Rule you are likely to forget

There are not too many rules in this game, however, the one thing you might forget is a specific restriction imposed by a thief. This happens because you are so focused on where the thief could be, and how you might possibly catch up to one of those locations to try and make an arrest, that it can get overlooked.

Favorite aspect

Our favorite aspect of this game is that when played in cooperative mode it feels like every player is playing all the time. Working cooperatively, everyone is tracing areas of the board, pointing to possible thief locations, guessing what the next clue will be and planning out the best use of movement cards and abilities. This means there is never a lag in the game or time when players are left with nothing to do but wait for their turn.

We also really like the app. It is simple to use and yet introduces a level of depth and fun to the game.

Stop Thief! is one of those games you can play with any crowd, has lots of replayability and is not overly expensive. While the rules, actions and movements are simple, the game packs a surprising amount of strategy.