Sneak, steal, and flame-throw your way to victory as rival gangs of thieves in this fantastic pick-and-pass duel 🥷🔥

Quick Info

• Caper Europe on BGG
• Designers: Unai Rubio
• Publisher: Keymaster Games
• Artists: Josh Emrich
• Release Year: 2022
• Affiliate Purchase Link
• How to Play by Watch It Played

Overview

Picture this: one city, three buildings, twelve pieces of priceless art, and two rival gangs of cunning thieves. Caper: Europe drops you into a quick and punchy 20-minute duel where each player tries to hire and equip the best gang to take control of locations while making off with their valuable goods.

Caper: Europe is a pick-and-pass drafting game designed for two players. Each match transports you to one of four iconic cities, each offering a unique complexity level. Setup is a breeze: choose your city, mix its three decks with the common ones, draw three locations—each providing special rules and opportunities—put out the control and artwork tokens, and you’re ready to plot your heist. It’s as simple as that, and takes just five minutes!

Mechanics

Once set up, the real fun begins. Check the round marker to determine which deck you’ll be drafting and who the start player is, and dive into the drafting. Each player will take the cards dealt to them, then the designated first player will pick and play a card, then the second player. This repeats until only one card is left, which is discarded. I love this little shift away from a standard simultaneous reveal like you might find in 7 Wonders. In a two-player game it doesn’t take much extra time, and it lends a bit of strategy to the choice and placement as players alternate rounds of being the one who gets to see what their opponent does before they must make their choice. This back-and-forth rhythm adds a delightful layer of tension, as you watch your opponent’s moves closely before making your own decisions.

Thieves bring you coins and scoring opportunities, while gear—which usually costs coins—helps you take control of locations, steal artwork, and secure end-game bonuses. After three thief rounds and three gear rounds, it’s time to score. Calculate your points from cards, location control, and artwork sets. The player with the most points emerges as the master thief!

Artwork and Presentation

Caper: Europe wouldn’t be the game it is without Emrich’s charming and immersive artwork. The cartoony, yet not childish, illustrations bring the game to life, making each card a joy to behold. The thematic integration of mechanics and visuals elevates the experience, crafting a delightful narrative of a high-stakes thieving duel.

This edition by Keymaster Games is a refined update of the original Caper, complete with new board and marker tokens that enhance gameplay clarity. From the stunning artwork to the functional insert, this update is a polished gem.

Review

Caper: Europe draws immediate comparisons to 7 Wonders Duel, another titan of two-player duels, because they both center on drafting. While 7 Wonders: Duel introduces an open draft from a tableau, Caper: Europe stays closer to the original 7 Wonders formula with its closed hand pick-and-pass mechanic. Oddly, Caper’s mechanics feel closer to the original 7 Wonders than 7 Wonders Duel does, and it’s quicker to set up and play than Duel (but make no mistake, I love 7 Wonders Duel!). Caper: Europe’s decision to move away from a classic simultaneous reveal gives Caper its own unique feel, and it stands easily alongside its forerunners.

The game shines in its simple mechanics that blossom into deep tactical play. As you become more familiar with the interactions between locations, thieves, and gear, you’ll uncover a rich tapestry of strategies. The tension of deciding which card to take and trying to mind-read what your opponent will take next keeps every round engaging and exciting. There are agonizing decisions to be had here as you decide between what’s best for your own tableaus and peeking over to your opponent’s.

The four cities available each provide emphasized mechanics and unique synergies to the decks of varying complexity. With a new player, you won’t have much extra to teach when using the Paris decks, while the most complex city, London, adds a whole new mechanic of stashing away coins out of the game economy for extra endgame points. The variety keeps the game fresh and ensures replayability.

However, the game does rely heavily on varied iconography, which can be a hurdle for new and young players. The included player aids and reference cards help mitigate this, and Keymaster Games has a comprehensive online guide to assist with any confusion. Once you get the hang of it, the icons become more digestible, but if you return from a long absence, you may find some of them difficult to parse once again.

With quick setup, intuitive mechanics, and a rich strategic depth, Caper: Europe is a standout in the world of two-player games. It’s stylish, smart, quick, and endlessly fun. It’s become one of my absolute favorite filler games. The only thing missing? Expansions.

…

Seriously, Keymaster, where are the expansions?