Den of Thieves

by Scott David Gray

Category: Non-collectible card game
Genre: Humorous criminal hijinks
Price: $7.95

The criminal element of the city is in a race to steal the most -- from the bank or each other. Bluff and backstab your way to victory, using such cards as the Bunko Artist, the Highwayman, and the Woman of Easy Virtue.

Den of Thieves is a strategic card game for 2 to 5 players. A second deck of Den of Thieves or Rival Den of Thieves can be added for games of up to 10 players.

Game Play

Each player has a small band of criminals at his disposal, each one with his or her own specialty. Some cards are designed to increase your wealth or decrease your opponents' wealth (such as the Beggar or the Taxman), others to improve your position or to remove potential threats (such as the Shadow or the Thug).

At the start of every turn, each player's den is visible to all of the other players. You choose your strategy as to which crook to send out based on what you think your opponents will be doing.

Once everyone has decided which card to play, the cards are all turned over, and the chosen card set apart from the rest of the den. The first player then reveals his chosen card and takes the appropriate action as indicated on the card. Play then proceeds clockwise to the next player.

After everyone has gone, each player must discard down to three den cards, drawing a fourth at the start of the new turn. Thus the thieves at your disposal will change over the course of play.

The player who has the most coins, but at least 10, at the end of a turn, wins.

"Den of Thieves and Rival Den of Thieves are something genuinely different and innovative ... these games offer cutthroat cardplay and a clever premise."
      -Bill Bodden, Scrye magazine, issue #64 (October 2003)

Read Tom Vasel's review on BoardGameGeek.

Read Demian Katz's review on Ogrecave.

Other games available from Rogue Publishing.

To order this game, please click here.