The Stop Thief! Kickstarter campaign is entering its final hours. By every measure it’s been a huge success. But we’d like to finish strong, so I’m posting this to talk a little more directly about why Stop Thief! is a great game, how it fits into our plans for the company, and how you can help.
When Rob and I started Restoration Games–just about a year ago–we talked a lot about the games we liked as kids. And we talked a lot about what we liked about those games. Those discussions led us to our approach with Restoration Games. I’ve described it many times before: We take the essence of the game, strip everything else away, turn that all the way up, and build a great game around it. One of the very first games on our shortlist was Stop Thief. We knew the game was popular; we were excited about the opportunity the electronic device offered; and we knew there was a great game in there. We think we’ve achieved that, and here’s why:
For starters, Stop Thief! is unique. There are only a handful of board games that use audio deduction as a mechanism and none of any note. Stop Thief! is literally unlike any other game you have in your collection.
Stop Thief! is versatile. With the stretch goals we’ve already unlocked, we have more than a dozen different ways to play. You can lower the difficulty to play with younger kids or casual gamers. You can up the difficulty to play with your hardcore game group. Stop Thief! on expert level is as big a brain burner as the heaviest of Eurogames. You can play from 1 to 5 players now, having unlocked the solo and 1-vs-all modes. Stop Thief! is really four or five games in one.
Stop Thief! offers great value. Certainly the game’s versatility has to factor into that; your getting a lot of game in that box. The component quality is also superb: gorgeous art, thick card stock, and no paper money. All for a remarkable pledge of $29. In an age when games are creeping up into the $50, $60, $70 range, we worked hard to keep the game’s price reasonable.
Most importantly, Stop Thief! is fun. We have run close to a hundred playtests all told now. The one consistent thing we heard, over and over again, was that it was fun. Everyone said they’d play again, and we know you will too.
The success of this Kickstarter is particularly important to us because we see Stop Thief! as a cornerstone product for our company. It’s success shows us that our concept is strong but also that this game in particular can support a whole product line in the years to come. We have big plans for expansions that offer different maps in different settings, new mechanisms, even licensed versions.
And you can be a part of it. If you haven’t backed yet, please do. If you already have, please go spread the word. Link to the Kickstarter in your social media and mention the campaign it to your friends and family.
Either way, thank you so much for your time and interest and helping us build Restoration Games into something that can bring joy to gamers and families around the world.
