Review: Among Thieves

Among Thieves

Players: 3-8
Publisher: Indie Boards & Cards
Year: 2019

A copy of this game was distributed by the publisher in exchange for this review.

Among thieves is another game set in the Dystopian universe, where players try to rob three different corporations. However, the corporations aren’t the only ones that money gets taken from, as players can also take a disproportionate part of the loot. What follows is a rough game of stealing, plundering, backstabbing and betrayal.

This game revolves around extorting money from big corporations. The goal of the game is to get as much money as possible from these powerful businesses. And if you’re at it, why not take it from your other players as well? Every turn a heist is performed and the gained money handed out. The person that decided who joins and who doesn’t, moves from player to player and as the game progresses the payout becomes larger and larger. Of course, more money on the table, also means that people are more likely to choose for their personal interests.

On a turn, the heistmaster creates a team for the heist. You want to be on the heist, because only then you can participate in the payout. However, promises are not binding, so be wary. As soon as a team is formed, a corporation is robbed. This can be one of the three corporations. The players on the heist then decide whether to be honorable or dishonorable. There are only two options in this case. Based upon the actions of the players, various things can happen. Events are resolved if they come up and the reward is handed out. Lastly, honor is gained and/or lost. The honorable players gain one honor and the dishonorable players lose one.

Cards that determine the payout.

The payout is determined by how many players were honorable. For every honorable player a card for the payout is drawn and their value is added to the total. Two honorable players means two cards for the payout, while three honorable players means three cards for the payout. I mentioned it briefly earlier, but the payout of the heist also depends on the actions of the players. If everyone is honorable, the players collect credits equal to the payout. If there was at least one dishonorable player, but not everyone, the dishonorable players gain credits equal to double the payout. They may also draw a card from the corporation that they robbed and place this behind their screen. They don’t contribute to the payout, but these cards can be beneficial at the end of the game, when determining final honor. The payout is still determined by the sum of cards for the honorable players, although the honorable players gain nothing. If everyone was dishonorable, no one gains anything.

The game can end in several ways. If a pile from one of the corporations runs out, the game ends after that turn. The player with the least honor is eliminated and the remaining player with the most money wins! However, in the three corporation decks there are three Game End cards. These are in the bottom third, but can be shuffled through the deck for a shorter game. The Corvid ending eliminates the player with the most and the player with the least honor. The remaining player with the most money wins. The Paragon ending eliminates the player with the least money and the most honorable player wins. The Le Fleur ending eliminates no players and the player with the most money wins.

A Game End card and two Event cards.

As the player screens hide the money, but not their honor, you have some information, but not everything. You don’t know how much money is hidden behind their screen, although you can make an estimate, and you don’t know how their hidden cards affect the ending of the game. I like it as you have some concrete information to work with. You have a rough estimate as how the game is progressing and you have an idea of which ending is more likely to trigger. You can act accordingly, but your plans might still be ruined by luck of the draw.

This game keeps everyone involved in the game. There’s no player elimination and as the payout increases, players have a decent chance of recovery. Two lucky heists can have people really bounce back. As such, everyone really plays until the end. Also, the top player has no immediate benefit, which is good.

This game depends a lot on how other people play. If they all play as honorable and no one tries to take anything from another, the game doesn’t really shine. The same happens if everyone is dishonorable all the time. Promises are not binding, so not all players might appreciate this sort of game. The artwork has been used in earlier games set in the Dystopian universe, such as Coup G:54 or the Resistance. While not immediately bad thing, it’s a something that we noticed.  On the other hand, new artwork might have made the game more expensive.

A comparison of the banker in Coup and that same banker in Among Thieves

Most outstanding feature?

I’d say the honor track. The addition of this in the game is nice, because now people can’t just betray everyone every turn, as then that would mean their end rather fast. Instead, there are several things that people need to keep an eye on. As it’s uncertain which ending is going to be resolved and which ending is more likely to happen, you don’t merely want just money, but also honor. As you don’t know how much honor all other players will have at the end of the game, due to the hidden cards, it’s sometimes better to be honorable rather than acquire the most money. The different, and uncertain, endings are a great addition to the game that really let this mechanic shine.

  

Overall, if some of the aspects described above, please don’t play this game. If betrayal games are not your cup of tea, you will not enjoy this game. Players try to be as mean as possible and cheat each other as much as possible. However, if this does appeal to you, then certainly give it a try. It’s a great game and you’ll have a lot of fun backstabbing (or not!) your friends!