12 Thieves

Bribe the guards, plant your thieves and clear out four palaces before anyone else does.

👥 2–4 players⏱ approx. 45 min🪄 A round to warm up8+

SdJ 2007 · nominated★ 5.9 · BGG #4,211

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.

See how it plays

About this game

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.

Every palace is a small tug-of-war over influenceTiming your hand matters more than card powerAround 45 minutes, best at three

Get it

from $65

from $65 · Amazon.com BGG