12 Thieves
Bribe the guards, plant your thieves and clear out four palaces before anyone else does.
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- Designer
- Thorsten Gimmler
- Published by
- Queen Games
- Editions by
- Piatnik, Devil Dice Games
Originally published as "Der Dieb von Bagdad": each player runs a band of thieves trying to loot the palaces of Baghdad. You play cards to slip your own people into the guard corps or bribe the guards you can't replace. First to secure four pieces of treasure wins.
Who it's for
Groups who like card-driven jockeying for position and don't mind a little backstabbing over the palace walls.
Not for you if…
You want a rich thematic experience — the Baghdad setting is thin dressing over an influence game. Getting hate-targeted while in the lead is common, and with two players the tension mostly evaporates.
Vibe's take
Sharp and watchful — a lot of hovering over the hand, and a genuine sting when someone flips a palace you had all but claimed.
Nominated
Published 2006 · 20 years ago
older than 85% of games
In 2,443 collections
collected more than 36% of games
2–4 players · ages 8+
Best with 3
about 45 min
shorter than 51% of games · typical 30–90 min
Complexity: medium
One warm-up round · 1.9 out of 5 · lighter than 59%
Opinions: broad agreement
Most people rate it similarly
Language: no text
Playable without the language
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