Thief in the Keep

(Check HERE to view the current rules document)

For the better part of a year now my wife Christy and I have been slowly working on a new hidden movement game we are calling Thief in the Keep. In Thief in the Keep, one player takes on the role of a thief who has been hired to steal artifacts from a wizard’s Keep while up to three other players play as the occupants of the Keep working together to catch the thief.

Early Concept of the Game Board

Our main inspiration for the game is the classic hidden movement title Letters From Whitechapel, where one player takes on the role of Jake the Ripper and up to five other players are police officers attempting to track Jack down and arrest him. We really enjoyed the deduction puzzle that the cat-and-mouse style gameplay created as-well-as the tension at the table and wanted to recreate that in our own game.

As the Thief, you are trying to not be seen while stealing ("collecting" in the rules document) three specific Artifacts randomly drawn at the beginning of the game. Moving behind furniture to hide, using smoke bombs if a line of sight is established, and even using the Artifacts you have stolen keep you out of arms reach of those hunting you allowing you to escape with your prizes.

Conversely, the three Hunters all have unique abilities that, when used in tandem, assist in closing a net around the Thief until one of them can tackle the Thief, denying them the win.

Three Examples of Artifact Cards

Early on the Thief player may feel out-numbered and underpowered; but, as the game progresses they have opportunities to collect more Artifacts (up to 5), each with a unique one-time use power. With the Hunters drawing ever closer, these Artifact powers allow the Thief to conjure new ways to confound their pursuers and make their escape.


If you are intrigued and would like to know more I encourage you to click the link at the top of this post and read through the current rules document. We currently have an in-house print-and-play ready that uses A3 (11"x17") paper for the game board and player screen, and A4 for the cards and thief movement tracker. If you are interested in playtesting please contact me with "Thief Playtesting" in the subject line. The current print-and-play only includes the cards, player screen, thief movement tracker sheets, and the game board. No components are included. If this is an issue, and you still would like to test Thief in the Keep, let me know and I will create paper cutouts that can be used.