French publisher Explor8 has launched a Kickstarter campaign for The Specialists, a 1 - 4 player game about daring robberies designed by Marco Canetta, Stefania Niccolini, Dimitri Perrier, and Anne-Catherine Perrier. Featuring stunning artwork by Christine Alcouffe, the game takes place in the world of high stakes heists where players are competing to make a fortune by pulling of daring robberies and staying one step ahead of the competition. In order to be successful you need to hire the right crew and make use of their unique skill set as described by the publisher:

“A seemingly simple action, such as choosing 1 die from a small common pool, becomes surprisingly multifaceted here. 1 die, only 1 die per round. And a maximum of 12 rounds available to create the perfect gang of specialists to perform 7 heists. Each Specialist requires 1 die to be recruited and 1 die to be activated. Obviously you would like to recruit 1 Specialist per round, because only having a large gang you can make the most profitable heists. You would also like to activate her/him, because she/he will provide you with the necessary equipment. But at the beginning of each round you will get that one, single die.

You will therefore need to be able to recover other dice from bonuses or through the same effects of the specialists you have recruited. Ah, yes, the specialists... If you have many with the same competence you can get very powerful activations and unlock unique skills. But it will be hard to perform the heists, because very different skills are required in each city. If, on the other hand, your gang is varied, you will have easier access to different casinos, banks or jewelries. But will the weaker activations be enough to provide you with dice, equipment and anything you need for the next rounds? Finally, remember that you are not alone at the table and that the other gangs are not sitting back.

Which die to choose? How to create the best gang? Differentiate or specialize? Spend the dice or keep them for later? Behind a system of relatively simple rules, there are deep choices that require a good dose of strategy and planning. And the ability to face unforeseen situations. Because the dice, when thrown, do what they want...

Finally, the most difficult challenge, the solo version, in which you will have to deal with the possibility of being discovered by the Interpol or defeated by the other gangs before the game is over!”

At the time of writing the Kickstarter campaign for The Specialists has 24 days to go with an estimated delivery projected for March of 2021.

Source: Kickstarter