CAPER

OBJECTIVE OF CAPER: The objective of Caper is to be the player with the most points when the game comes to an end.  

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4 Players 

MATERIALS: 3 Location Maps, 1 Caper Catalogue, 10 Coins, 4 Wooden Cubes, 5 Reference Cards, 48 Gear Cards, 24 Thief Cards, 23 Location Cards, 1 Score Board, 1 Round Tracker, and Instructions 

TYPE OF GAME: Drafting Card Game 

AUDIENCE: Ages 13 and Up 

OVERVIEW OF CAPER 

Caper is a game in which players will act as leaders that hire thieves, equipping them with gear, and stealing from various popular locations around Europe. Players may choose different cities to compete in, changing the game each time they play. Over the course of six rounds, players will see who can steal the most treasures.  

SETUP 

Players will begin setup by choose between Paris, Rome, or London as the playing area. The cards that match the chosen city are gathered, and they may be determined by the icon is found in the lower left-hand corner of the cards. The rest of the cards will not be used. It is recommended that for their first game, players should choose Paris.  

Separate the gear cards, location cards, and thieve cards into three separate decks, shuffling them well before placing them on the table. The location maps are then placed between the players. If the players need the player aid, the pink side may be used. Otherwise, the wooden side can be used. Three cards are drawn from the location deck, and one is placed on each mat.  

Finally, the round tracker is placed beside the location maps, and the wooden cube on top of the Thief round slot. Ten coins are placed beside the round tracker. The game is ready to begin. 

GAMEPLAY 

Caper is played over the course of six rounds. There are thief rounds and gear rounds. The rounds are tracked by the cube on the round tracker. Players are dealt cards equal to the round type. At the beginning of each round, cards are dealt to the players based off the round tracker. The player whose top card matches the round tracker will begin.  

The player will place a card on their side of a location, face up. The other player will repeat it. Players will then swap their hands, giving one to the other. The first player will begin, and it repeats. During the thief round, the thieves must be placed on a location beside the location map, and a location can only hold three thieves.  

During the gear phase, gear cards are played or discarded. It is placed below a thief card when it is played, with each thief being able to hold three gear cards. Thieves earn a bonus if they are equipped with three gear cards. Only the top thief card can be flipped.  

When each player only has two cards remaining, they will take their final turn of the round. They will discard their final card. The round will end, and the wooden cube is moved along the round tracker. Players will deal cards again. The game continues in this manner until the final gear round is played, as shown by the round tracker.  

END OF GAME 

After the final gear round has come to an end, the game does as well. Players will tally how many thieves they have on each location. Additional thieves are added if a thief has three gear cards. The player who has the most thieves at a location, wins it! The location is then turned to face the player who won it.  

Players should then tally their points from Location rewards, thief cards, gear cards, and stolen goods. There are three different types of stolen goods, including jewels, antiques, paintings, and wild cards. If a player has one stolen good, they score one point. If they have a set of stolen goods, they score three points. On the other hand, if they have three matching stolen goods, they score seven points.  

The player with the most points, wins the game! 

Ellie Phillips
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