Stolen Paintings (2020) Board Game

Stolen Paintings is a card game designed by Bruno Faidutti and published by Eagle-Gryphon Games in in 2020. The game revolves around players taking on the roles of art thieves trying to steal valuable paintings from a museum. With its combination of deduction, memory, and party game elements, Stolen Paintings aims to provide an engaging and strategic gameplay experience for 2 to 8 players.

Game Components of Stolen Paintings

Painting Cards

Number tokens

Score pad and pens/pencils (not provided)

Sand timer (optional)

How To Setup Stolen Paintings

To set up the game, shuffle all the Painting Cards together into one face-down deck. Each player receives a score sheet from the score pad and a pen/pencil. Randomly select a player to be the first Thief. During setup, the Thief displays a set of painting cards face up on the table, representing the Museum Exhibit.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Game Mechanics: Memory, Deduction

Game Objective: Players take turns as either the Thief or Detectives. The Thief steals 1-3 paintings from the Museum Exhibit and then auctions these paintings along with other non-stolen ones. Detectives try to identify which paintings are stolen.

Scoring:
– Detectives score points for correctly identifying stolen paintings (1 point for 1 painting, 3 points for 2 paintings, 6 points for 3 paintings, plus a +3 bonus for exact identification).
– Detectives lose 1 point for each incorrectly identified painting.
– The Thief scores 1 point for each stolen painting not identified by the Detectives.

Player Experience

In **Stolen Paintings**, players engage in a dynamic game of cat and mouse. The Thief must cunningly hide the stolen paintings among other artworks, while the Detectives must use their memory and deduction skills to uncover the theft. The game is designed for 2-8 players and takes approximately 45 minutes to play. The age recommendation is 8 years and above.

Pros

Engaging Mechanics: The combination of memory and deduction keeps players active and engaged.

High Replayability: With random painting selections each round, the game offers a new challenge every time.

Social Interaction: Promotes interaction among players as they discuss and guess the stolen paintings.

Easy to Learn: Simple rules make it accessible to a wide range of players.

Cons

Luck Element: The game can be influenced by luck, especially in the initial setup and the Thief’s selection of paintings.

Limited Depth: The gameplay mechanics, while fun, may feel somewhat superficial to players seeking complex strategies.

Component Quality: Some players might find the component quality to be average.

Personal Thoughts on Stolen Paintings

**Stolen Paintings** is ideal for families and casual gamers looking for a light-hearted, entertaining experience. It is particularly suited for those who enjoy deduction and memory games. While it may not offer the depth that hardcore gamers crave, it is an excellent addition to any game collection for its ability to foster social interaction and fun. If you’re looking for a game that is easy to learn but challenging to master, **Stolen Paintings** is a great choice.

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