Game: Stop Thief

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arnaudel — 2008-08-14T19:42:39+00:00

Box Cover of the french edition

Thread: Re: User Review

bkdkk — 2008-02-02T23:51:13+00:00

I fondly remember this game from my childhood. Unfortunately, it is one of those that got sent to the goodwill or other such organizations during a preparation for a move to a new house.

Fun trying to figure out where the thief could be based on his footsteps or window breaking, etc.

Thread: Re: Subways & Detective Agency

Skadar — 2007-10-08T01:56:46+00:00

We always start on the image of the Detective Agency.

But for the Subways, the game works either way... you just need to make it clear how you are going to play it the first time somebody takes the Subway. I'm pretty sure we play that the Subway image is an extra step needed to actually board the Subway. And you appear instantly on the image at another board location and then step off the Subway onto the corner space.

This game holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and I still play it every once and a while. And I'll keep playing it until the scanner breaks one day.

Thread: Subways & Detective Agency

Scuzball — 2007-10-07T20:25:51+00:00

I just found this game at a rummage sale, and it's a good time to be had passing the tricorder around. But when it says you start on the Detective Agency, do you start on the numbered square in front of it, or off the street on the illustration?

Same with subways. Do you enter on the corner space that's numbered, or have to exit that space onto the illustration. Small nitpick that came about from being 1 square away from the destination!

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ColMustard — 2007-08-28T15:39:28+00:00

A sample Thief Card - front and back.

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ColMustard — 2007-08-28T15:38:01+00:00

Four of the eight detective badges players use.

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ColMustard — 2007-08-28T15:36:46+00:00

The paper money used in the game.

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ColMustard — 2007-08-28T15:31:59+00:00

Sample Thief Card - front and back.

Thread: Early 60's UK game of same name - any info?

RoboTombo — 2007-07-21T23:07:36+00:00

My family lived in England in the early 60's and I remember growing up with a boardgame called "Stop Thief!" I can't find any info about it and it's not listed on Boardgame Geek. It was a roll and move gaem. The game board was a top-down view of city streets and blocks. ONe player took the role of police and the others were all thieves. The thieves would move to various locations like banks, etc, to steal money, while the cops would use patrol cars to try and catch them. It was a very entertaining game and I've been trying to locate it for many years. Anyone know anything about it?

Thanks!

Thread: Re: Removing cards makes for a better game

reapersaurus — 2007-06-18T06:16:58+00:00

The point of the game isn't just to catch the thief - it's also a race between the other detectives.
So removing the tip and turn cards removes a strategic element of using them at a judicious time and beating your fellow detectives to nabbing the crook.

I don't see how this change would improve strategy for Stop Thief, but I appreciate attempts at modifying the game. This is a classic one.

Thread: Re: Removing cards makes for a better game

Ninjabob — 2007-06-18T06:13:33+00:00

I still play this with my kids and we have a blast.

Thread: Removing cards makes for a better game

Skadar — 2007-06-18T05:35:11+00:00

I really enjoy Stop Thief. I've recently introduced my copy to my group and we played it the other night. Right away, we recognized some ways to make it a "better" game. Here are my recommendations:

Remove all FREE TIP cards from the Sleuth Deck.
Remove all TAKE ANOTHER TURN cards as well.

With tips harder to come by, the game begins to require concentration to track the thief. We played this way a few hours ago and enjoyed it.

My Crime Scanner is still going strong after 28 years!

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IntvGene — 2007-05-10T22:53:43+00:00

Thread: Re: More than a "cheap" noisy gimmick

der_chad — 2007-02-01T16:07:15+00:00

I loved this as a kid, it is still a fun game with kids and I would play it no problem today.

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herman_the_german — 2006-12-05T20:24:23+00:00

The pawns do not look loke the ones pictured in the box.

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herman_the_german — 2006-12-05T20:08:13+00:00

The pawns do not look loke the ones pictured in the box.

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blindspot — 2006-06-26T01:19:05+00:00

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blindspot — 2006-06-26T01:19:00+00:00

Thread: Re: More than a "cheap" noisy gimmick

Skadar — 2006-05-30T17:19:28+00:00

Stop Thief is still a hit in my family. We bring it out every once and while and happily play it.

I had the game as a kid and subsequently lost it during a move. A few years ago I re-bought it on eBay and it is as fun as ever. I guess we will keep playing it until the electronics fail.

I've found that some people either "get" the game or they don't. Those who are adept at visualizing the movement of the thief (and fully understand the movement rules) are the ones who win. Anyone who is slightly shaky with the visualization can quickly lose track of the thief. Then there are those pesky subways... completely messing it up for everyone.

Get this one on eBay and have fun.

Thread: Re: More than a "cheap" noisy gimmick

Dave Sokolowski — 2006-05-05T17:59:41+00:00

I loved this game so much when I had it back in the 80s.... Loved it so much I came up with a combat variant whereby detectives could shoot at each other to deter them from following each other too closely. Man I loved this game.

Thread: More than a "cheap" noisy gimmick

jollypirate — 2006-05-03T15:37:08+00:00

I remember wanting this game badly as a kid. I was a big fan of clue, and here you had a computer that moved the thief around for you while making great sound effect.

So when I had a chance to pick this game up for a couple dollars, I jumped at it.

The sound effects now are so laughably bad, they add a great deal to the charm of the game, and while at first you'll swear you never be able to match which random beeps signify a door opening, and which ones mean the thief is running down a street, it starts to come together pretty readily. Also, luckily, the controller tells you on the screen what the sound meant, so you aren't solely left to auditory clues.

But I'm getting a head of myself.

The game is essentially one of deduction. The computer tells you in which building or street a crime has been committed, and from the limited number of crime spots on the board, the players start to deduce where the criminal could be. Each time someone takes a turn, the thief moves and gives a new clue (actually, sometime the thief frustrates you and doesn't move...so no new info that turn) such as a door opening or a window breaking. Sometimes this logically eliminates a possible starting point (e.g. no window next to one crime spae) but generally it is hard to narrow the location of the thief down to just one spot.

Every player also has 3 cards (at all times) which can be used for extra movements or for a tip, which gives the exact location of the thief. Of course, if you can't reach the thief on the found you played the card, his actual location can once again be hidden by movement.

If you know--or think you know--where the thief is, at the end of your turn you can try to arrest the thief. If right, the thief still might elude the cops, run far away, and start the chase again, but if caught you get the reward money posted (plus $100 for every crime the thief commits while you are hunting it). If you are wrong though, you lose your dective license (a turn and $100) for "false arrest."

A neat game with nice pieces. Surprisingly well done. It engaged everyone at our table, and the funky "retro" sounds add to the game more than being annoying.

Probably one of the more "educational" games out there, as the deductive reasoning you must use is really first rate. Good for a wide variety of ages.

Thread: Stop Theif: Session Report

gschloesser — 2006-02-14T18:00:32+00:00

Gail, Jennifer, Keith, and Gail decided to give Stop Thief! a whirl. Stop Thief! is a boardgame where 2-4 players use audible sound clues from a handheld electronic device and deduction to track down and arrest 'the thief' somewhere on the board.

Keith was the first report the thief's correct location to the police, but the clever criminal managed to escape the cops' drag net and went on to commit more crimes which increased the reward money.

Gail finally managed to help law enforcement nab the thief after quite a crime spree and went on to make several more successful arrests to win the game.

Finals: Gail $2600, Jennifer $1650, Paul $1100, Keith $200
Ratings: Paul 9, Keith 9, Jennifer 8.5, Gail 8
Poor Keith lost his detective's license for false arrests!

Thread: Re: User Review

5-star — 2006-01-12T20:32:58+00:00

I absolutely love this game! My original copy from my childhood days still works perfectly. I loved your insight into the use of the cards, which are very powerful, esp. "Lose A Turn," "Take Another Turn," "Free Tip," and the king - "Move Anywhere." Also any card that lets you move even a few extra spaces could be the key to a collar. Even the card that takes $500 from another detective can be pretty harsh. We always raised the required amount of $$$ to win to play longer games with more collars. I always felt that the longer you played the more chances the computer would allow a crook or two ellude capture and go on a crime spree! Very fun family game.

Thread: Re: User Review

okiedokie — 2006-01-11T16:36:50+00:00

Some good ideas, have you tried any of them?

Thanks for your insights into this fun vintage game

Thread: User Review

elcomadreja2 — 2004-08-23T15:31:25+00:00

In, short, a very fun family game. This game has allot of bits: unique playing pieces, detective licenses, wanted posters, monopoly like money, and a stack of event cards (like 'lose a turn'). How do you win? By getting enough money from arresting thieves. This almost always means that the first person to catch 3 thieves wins.

I recently acquired a set of ebay for about 30$ total because I remember having this around when I was a kid. The hand-held electronic device had broken a long time ago. It had had its far share of abuse. To a kid, which I was at the time, the handheld device was very cool. I would sit at the board for hours just trying to catch the thief. He seems a bit easier to catch now...

After having played the actual *game* this week, 2-player, it was still quite enjoyable. The situation now arises where you know where the thief is, but can't get to him, and the next turn you lose track again. The handheld device really gives the feeling that there is an extra player at the table that has an invisible playing piece.

The game quickly turned into a bluff/probability game which stands to give it high replayablity. Because of the high number of 'tip' cards there will be several points in the game where only 1 person knows exactly where the thief is and everybody else knows it. If they get their timing right, they can be misleading.
As far as some simple statistics, we had a game where we both knew that the thief could only be in 1 of 2 possible places. I however, having tipped in, knew exactly where he was, and could reach him in my next turn. So what does my opponent do? Figures that they have a 50/50 chance of losing 100$ for false arrest or swindling me out of my winnings ($1200). That's an easy one; it can get a bit deeper than that.

I feel that I may tweak some of the rules still to stir up a few things. For example, you start with 3 event cards, can only play one a turn, and immediately get one back. What results is that you play one nearly every turn almost without thought. So I might try, only getting a new one when you make an arrest or something like that. Other things would be adjusting the values for false arrest, arrests themselves, tips, or getting *something* when the thief gets away. So now, you see, the first one to get 3 thieves does not automatically win.

Thread: Quick Comments

davidgpeterson — 2003-12-22T21:28:26+00:00

The Heart and Soul of Stop Thief is the Crime Computer - a hand held electronic device that almost resembles an old cell phone. In the game players rely on computerized sounds which give clues to the activities of an ivisible thief somewhere on the board.

The board is split into several elements - four buildings (a bank, a jewelry store, etc - typical places a thief would strike), streets that divide the buildings, and subways. There's even a newspaper stand where the thief can strike if he manages to get out of a building undetected. The job of the players is to be the first investigator to catch the thief.

Before I continue I should note that the game looks great - the board is very well done, each investigator can choose an identity card of their liking - each with a particular character that they assume the role of. My favorite is "Shear Luck Holmes" (you get the picture). In addition there is a deck of thief cards - each thief has its own reward associated with it. Whoever catches the thief gets the reward. These cards are equally well done as the investigator's ID cards.

The players then use the crime computer to solve the location of the thief. Players hit a button and the scanner makes a sound associated with an action taken by the thief. For example, the thief can move, commit a robbery, jump through a window, move through a door, take the subway, run down the street, etc. Each player then examines the board and tries to associate the series of clue sounds with the pattern of possible actions on the board.

This game is a ball!! Not a lot of strategy and once you get good it's pretty easy to find the thief. But it's really a lot of fun and has a fantastic theme.

Enjoy!
Dave

Thread: Quick Comments

theokester — 2003-07-15T19:41:45+00:00

Another great game memory from my childhood. This game requires a keen ear and a good memory to track an invisible thief through a small city.

Gameplay is simple to learn. The concept can be picked up in a matter of minutes. Tracking the thief can also be a fairly simple task. The difficulty comes in getting your detective within range to make the arrest and being absolutely certain you have the right spot (so you don't get a temporary suspension and loss of license).

All in all, this is a fun game that can be played again and again. The simple concepts that were so impressive years ago have stood strong through time and even though they aren't as impressive as they used to be, the concepts themselves can still make for an entertaining game session.

My personal favorite aspect of this game is when you track the thief to the right location but he manages to slip away from you during a shootout and runs halfway across the board to hide from you again.