Though typically thought of as modern-day faire, a heist (or caper) game is typically a 4 to 16 hour RPG adventure that can take place in any genre. While a con or scam usually involves one two three primary characters with charisma and pickpocket/slight of hand, a good heist adventure requires a full team with multiple and often varied skillsets. And, unlike a robbery adventure, gunplay is typically downplayed for a heist (though there’s still often a call for violence and plenty of action beats). This week, I outline some of the key components for a heist adventure. Next week, I’ll discuss how to incorporate a heist into some of the more popular gaming genres as well as some variations on the heist game.
The heist adventure is one of the most challenging types of adventures to run as a GM. It requires a large amount of forethought and planning, but also fast improvisational skills to avoid player “railroading.” One of the key failings I’ve seen from pre-published heist adventures is the tendency to only have one solution. Pre-published adventures of the heist variety, more than any other pre-published adventure should always be taken as a collection of blueprints and suggestions than run as-is.
The Team
Like a classic fantasy adventure wanting/needing a fighter, thief, wizard, and cleric, a good heist adventure should require characters with different skillsets. Characters may (and will often) have overlapping skills and each character will likely have more than a single skillset below; especially if the campaign is set around heist adventures, but a typical caper should revolve around characters with the following skills:
- Planning – masterminding a heist is essential; at least one character should have a combination of intelligence and wisdom to formulate ideas for a heist
- Fast-Talk/Bluffing – characters will need to ingratiate themselves into challenging areas and use their wits to get themselves out of sticky situations; a least one con-artist character should be included when planning a heist scenario
- Breaking and Entering – lock picking, stealth, and agility are key skills and stats in a heist, as the prize object should be guarded physically and behind locked door(s)
- Light-fingeredness – while B&E is more “up front,” at least one aspect of a good heist adventure should include some form of pick-pocketing or light-fingered subterfuge; in films, this is typically used when stealing keys or IDs
- Gadgets/Hacking/Magic – the specific needs depend on the genre, but a heist should require some gimmickry that no amount of lock-picking or pick-pocketing can handle; these are challenges that may require more esoteric skills or inventions
- Muscle – while a standard heist adventure should have a zero, or at least limited, body count, there will still be a need for characters with fighting or physical abilities
- Driver/Getaway – the crew will need a way to return to their base when everything is done; this requires at least one character with superior transportation skills or devices (or spells)
- Artistry – this type of skill can come in many forms and be used in different ways, depending on the adventure and plans; typically this skill consists of forgery or re-creation of some sort
- Disguise/Acting – often paired with fast-talk, a heist should utilize disguise and acting skills; one character will have to dress and act in a manner to fool another for a longer period of time than a general bluff
The Mark/The Score
What sets a heist adventure apart from a standard con, robbery, or smash-and-grab adventure is that the goal should typically be thought of as untouchable and a death toll or harming of innocents should not be allowed. Because of this, the adventure will require planning and characters with different skillsets (see above). Heists usually come in two flavors: The Mark and The Score. A heist using The Mark may have a score, and a heist with the intention of The Score will likely require a mark, but the objective and reasoning behind the two types of plot vary.
The Mark
In a heist adventure with The Mark, the plot revolves around bringing down a person/group. Going up against The Mark is usually a matter of revenge or justice, with any sort of payoff being secondary. Heists against The Mark mean that the item(s) in question are valuable to the target, specifically, and the loss of the McGuffin will cause some sort of ruin to them (be it financial, creditability, or personal).
The Score
The Score focuses on the item(s) of the heist itself; it may bring a big payoff to the characters or put them on the path to the next part of a campaign. The prize is the focus and, when plotting, should be more important than who holds it. A heist with The Score in mind may feel a bit more impersonal than a heist using The Mark, so it’s important that the item in mind is crucial and can’t be obtained elsewhere or more easily. This is why many heist-type movies where the caper is about being paid off more typically revolve around the fallout after the heist. For gaming purposes, a plot with The Score may be weaker, but no less fun or challenging.
Scouting and Planning
Once the objective has been established, characters will need to assess the “impossible” situation and best determine how to accomplish the heist. This involves scouting (examining the target) and planning (figuring out what skills work best). This is often the biggest challenge for the GM and players of a heist adventure. The challenge should be built around the skills of the player characters, but not be planned with only one possible “win” scenario. Props like blueprints, IDs, and pictures of the prize and mark are extremely useful. As a GM, planning is when I not only allow, but encourage, meta-gaming so players can ensure all their characters have something useful to do. If a specific PC is thought to be the “mastermind,” I suggest that any well-thought ideas be re-iterated via that character.
Recruiting: PCs, Allies, and Patsies
Once the players have an idea of how to accomplish the heist, they may need the assistance of additional characters. This can be a way to introduce new PCs to a campaign, establish new NPCs, or bring back table favorite NPCs. It will also be likely that the characters will need to plan for some characters to serve as distractions or take the fall in some way. Unless the player plans to be OK with their character being “retired,” or the game is a one-shot, should no PC be set up as a patsy. Note that scouting and planning can and will likely overlap with the recruitment phase.
Security and Opposition
In scouting, players will get an idea of the general opposition protecting the McGuffin; this should be a combination of people (guards, staff, civilians, post-theft retaliation) as well as physical/technological/magical challenges (security cameras, locks, safes, traps). Players should not have their characters attempt a heist blindly, but no matter how successful their scouting is, they shouldn’t know everything about the opposition (see Misfortunes and Reversals, below).
The Heist Within a Heist
Often, in order to accomplish a heist, an additional theft will be required. This may be the theft of a rare item that’s become essential in the group’s planning or it may be a dry run to test the group’s skills and cohesiveness. The Heist Within a Heist is not a required part of a heist adventure; but if adventure being played isn’t part of a campaign of heists or relies on limited playing time, I recommend including as it can be used to foreshadow some of the trials of the main heist.
Misfortunes and Reversals
Inevitably, things will go wrong; there should be no such thing as a clean heist. A heist where everything goes wrong should only occur in comedy games or if the players are well aware in advance, but there should at least be some missteps or surprises along the way where the players need to shift gears or re-plan on the fly. These misfortunes often come as surprise change from the scouting: a guard shift change due to someone being sick or an event that alters the guard schedule, new security devices put in place or previously unrevealed, or an NPC rival or ally getting in the way. When the player’s plotting backfires due to a series of bad rolls, this can be a delicious delight to the GM, but neither the surprises nor the string of dice issues should actually stop the players from succeeding. No matter how much time was spent planning, however, it’s this phase of the heist that will force both the GM and the players to think on their feet and improvise immediately.
The Race and Rivals
It’s best if a heist adventure is, for the characters, also up against some sort of clock. Perhaps the sought-after item is only available for a limited time or there’s a specific opportunity due to lax security (usually because of a party or show at/around the target) or it may be that the characters are facing a rival faction that is also after the item and only one crew will succeed. This sense of immediacy allows for those misfortunes and reversals to feel natural and not simply a GM fiat against players; it also helps prevent players from over-planning or spending too much of the adventure doing the prep-work. When a character is on the clock, players should be as well (though not at a 1:1 time ratio).
The Getaway
Once the players have the McGuffin, they will need to retreat to a safe space. A final component of the heist should be the getaway. This may be a clean getaway that utilizes well-executed planning and deception, a firefight with security (not recommended, but this can occur in the case of too many misfortunes), or a runaway/chase scenario. This is often where players and characters alike fail to plan: they may determine how to get their hands on the item, but neglect to think about how to get it out or keep it out.
After the Caper
The Score has been gained, The Mark laid low, the characters have returned to base, and the rivals and patsies put away (for now). The heist is complete, right? In a limited run adventure, yes. In a campaign, possibly not. A campaign should include consequences—not always immediate, but the heist should plant the seeds for additional adventures. Perhaps a recruited ally now has “dirt” they may use on the PCs or befriends them enough to call on them for help. Conceivably, a recruited “ally,” steals the score from the PCs. Maybe the mark or the mark’s allies becomes a new enemy. It could be that their rivals have better ideas of how the characters operate so they can try to beat them in the future. And/or all of the above. Any adventure in a campaign should not feel like a “bottle episode,” and a heist offers a multitude of hooks for future options.
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