The Perfect Heist

Anything like this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/towerguardgames/train-heist-a-co-op...

This was named one of the HOT games by BGG. Maybe that's where you got some of your inspiration?!?!

Then again, maybe not...

Hey, I'm always glad to brainstorm game ideas!

I like the title. It makes me think of Ocean's 11-12-13 or the TV show Leverage -- schemes that are ridiculously overly complicated but fun.

I could see it as a co-op game, where you have the "roles" as in Leverage (which are almost exactly the d20 Modern core classes). Different challenges come up in different locations which need one skill or another, but you also have a time limit. You have to decide whether to take the time to move the best character to the location, or take a chance with a lesser-skilled character for a particular challenge. It would have to include some randomness in terms of where challenges come up, but not complete randomness, so that planning and cleverness pays off.

For that matter, I could see a really interesting d20 Modern extended scenario, set in the 1950's perhaps, but that's not what you're asking.

As for a collection game, I don't really see it fitting the title. You certainly could make a game where players are thieves and they are competing to steal the most overall value, but that's not "The Perfect Heist" that's more of a series of small heists. To match the title, the game needs to center around just one big heist.

Each player represents a different team, all trying to do the same big heist.

You start the game by selecting cards that represent the requirements to succeed on the heist, like the different requirements you've suggested. Each player gets to look at some of the requirements, but has to guess at the others. The game could include a bidding component for some of the elements, so there would be a bluffing component -- if you start bidding big on getting the top safecracker on to your team, maybe that's because you saw a requirement of "Safecracker: 15" or maybe you're just trying to bid it up so others waste their money outbidding you.

There also should be some other actions available, such as stealing tools or recruiting members from each other, getting to look at another player's "case report" (i.e. the list of components that he got to see), etc. I don't know if these are also among the cards you bid on, or if they come into play some other way. I can see advantages of either approach.

Once one player thinks that he has all the components needed to pull off the heist, he gets to look at all the components needed and match them off with the components that he has. There has to be a way for him to do this behind a screen or something, so that if he guessed wrong and doesn't have everything, the remaining players get to continue the game.

This could be quite fun. I like the idea of the GM getting a chance to win the game as well, though balancing the game would be important.

I'm imagining this as a semi-coop. Each member of the team has a few random special abilities (in the form of cards that are drawn secretly or openly drafted during the set up phase), but no one would probably have the correct set of special abilities to make it through whatever obstacles or security systems are in play that particular game. The team would be forced to rely on each other most of the game, but only one person would be able to keep the treasure, essentially making the game have 2 phases.

The fun comes from the tension between keeping your abilities secret (and perhaps having to face tougher obstacles) or showing your abilities, thereby telegraphing what strategy you may be pursuing.

-Werhner

I also thought of Leverage, mostly because my wife and I are watching it on Netflix right now.