The Heist

Artist Statement:

CATS stands for concept, aim, tone and subject matter of a game and is meant to give a brief overview of what you are about to play. For “The Heist”, the concept is a collaborative role-playing game that takes players through a simulated heist. You and your group are tasked with breaking into the mansion of a millionaire to rob his vault, but when you arrive, there is a party commencing. The only way to get to the vault is to sneak your way inside by working together. While you complete the heist, strange rules start to build up every time you make a risky decision, making the final room extremely high stakes.

The aim of this game is for all of the players to make it to the final room to complete the heist together. The only way for a player to lose is for them to get caught 3 times by breaking rules, leading to them being kicked out of the game. Otherwise, the game is completely team based, so if someone fails an action, it affects everyone. In terms of story, there is an emphasis on task completion and communication with both other players and NPCs. I think that the kind of story I would want my players to create would be one with creative solutions and fun conversations full of subtext and secrecy.

The default tone of the game is high stakes and suspense as you leap right into action and are virtually in danger of being caught through the whole gameplay. Since you need to be sneaky, players should assume they will have to think out of the box and lie their way to victory. There are different variations this tone could take- for example, if your group wanted to be more comedic that is a possibility, but since it is a heist there is always a layer of suspense. There is also an added layer of caution with the mechanic of the rules in play since you need to make sure you are following them.

The subject matter of this game revolves around crime, teamwork, manipulation and communication. It is important that players know they will have to come up with solutions quickly and on the spot, and it has a much faster pace than some more relaxing role-playing games.

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I made this game because I have always been fascinated with heist movies and I thought it would be fun to set up a sort of escape room experience that can be played in a role play setting. I was definetly inspired by the game Clue in terms of the different rooms players can go to as well as the overall vibe of the game. I structured the game in the way I did based on games we have played in class and the different mechanics that I either liked or disliked. I wanted my game to be relatively easy for beginners and have a more structured plot.

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Firstly, I used a part of my shapes week in my magpie book to inspire the physical layout of the game. I drew a dollhouse in my magpie book, and I liked how I assigned a shape to each room, so I wanted to incorporate that into my game. I gave each room a specific feel so that players would have a tangible marker of their progress. I also took inspiration from the joys section of my magpie book in the form of journey completion. I had a lot of joys that revolved around working toward a task and completing it which brings joy rather than the pleasure that comes from simply completing something. I set up a journey for my players so they could hopefully experience something similar when completing the game. Finally, I used the Halloween part of my magpie book- Halloween was repeated in many sections so I thought it would be an important theme to add. I added Halloween through the costumes that the players can pick from as I thought it would add a layer of personalization and moodiness to the game. I was definetly inspired by the game Costume Quest when adding how players gain abilities based on their costume, something mentioned in one of my game reflections.

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In my game I wanted to explore the themes of secrecy and collaboration, specifically when the stakes necessitate both of those things being utilized. For visual design, I chose to first lay out the guidelines of the game in order to raise suspense before the game even begins. I found that having all of the rules and objectives laid out for the players made the game feel more like a mission with a specific ending rather than a ‘play at your own leisure’ game. To follow with the theme of a mission, the game is printed on a blueprint pattern and each section is laid out in a rigid shape to make the page look like a plan that someone would read before doing a heist. I went with straight lines as opposed to curved ones to give a sense of seriousness and a ‘down to business’ vibe. For the characters, I drew them myself to, yet again, make the design look like a plan that someone made, hence the fact that they are all little doodles and not full art pieces. Finally, I made the rooms in order of the story to keep the suspense high as you don’t know what will happen in the next room before you get there. This makes it more intense for the players as they know another obstacle is coming and that they will have to face it together.

In terms of mechanics, I chose to make the game fairly fleshed out as I mentioned before due to what I experienced in other role-playing games. I found it more fun to play a game like Dread that had a pre-made story as opposed to something like Wanderhome where the story is entirely up to the players, so I took liberty to give each location a specific objective as characters move through the game. For the character selection and the settings, I decided to leave them more ambiguous to allow for personalization. The costumes just have a name and an ability, so there is a lot of space for players to invent their own personalities and desires. Similarly, the settings have one short line of description, but otherwise it is up to the players to decide what NPCs are in the room and what the space looks like. Speaking of NPCs, I found that in the other games I played it was a bit difficult to act as an NPC, so I wanted to make them more ambiguous as well  since I was aiming for my game to be beginner friendly. Since we know we are at a costume party, I think it would be easy for a player to act as a party goer or a staff member since they are less complex characters. Finally, I included the card mechanic to encourage collaboration between players, and also make the game a bit more fun. Since the punishments for breaking the card rules typically affect the whole group, it is important for players to keep each other in check to reach the end of the heist, therefore encouraging working as a team.

I was inspired by a few pieces of media that I mentioned before (Costume Quest and Clue), but I am also of course inspired by many heist movies that I have watched over the years. Some of those include The Italian Job, the Oceans trilogy and Fast and Furious. I came up with the card mechanic before I was certain about the theme (which was oddly inspired by Cranium, not the drinking game King’s Cup), but I appreciate how it fits with the sneaky, casino, party vibe I curated. Overall, this game was just inspired by things I enjoy and I think work together well.

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I hope that players will walk away from my game feeling like they have accomplished something. I think one of the most fun elements of a game for me personally is completing a task, especially if it is difficult, so I hope that resonates with players as well. I also hope that they get to know their fellow players better through collaboration and problem solving together, and most importantly, that they have a lot of fun while doing it!