Top Board Games For The Sneakiest Of Rogues

As essential as they are vilified, Rogues are as sneaky as they are fun to play. But while thievery, backstabbing, and stealth may work well while roleplaying… few board games let you enjoy the power fantasy of skulking around with a cloak and dagger looking to stab some rats. 

So, here are eight of our favorite games that reward the tricksiest of players, starting with- 

Bluster and bluffing become your best friend. Designed by the infamous Bruno Faidutti, Citadels asks players to help build a city by being as sneaky as possible. Each turn has players take up a different role as one of the city’s founders. This includes you grabbing gold as the merchant, hoovering up resources for connections as the King, and more. But the best roles are the scummiest. The Assassin lets players kill their opponents skip their turn and the iconic Thief lets you grab your best friend’s gold. Lie, cheat, and rob. Sounds about right.  

Recently re-released by Gale Force 9, the Dune boardgame has had endured more iterations that Paul Atreides has ‘enjoyed’ lines of spice. A diamond-hard game of manipulation and resource management, the game rewards thematic play with each of the game’s Houses enjoying unique player powers. For the noble Atreides use their cosmic insight to predict spice blows and the Fremen win by default and play a game of attrition. However, the duplicitous House Harkonnen is able to hold twice as many ‘treachery cards’, get an extra card for free each turn, and can insta-kill leaders from the opposition if they win a scrap. Et tu, Baron. Just be sure that you’ve got a table that can accommodate the game’s collection of moving parts and pieces. Because you will be arguing over maps. A lot.  

Making murder into a justifiable artform, the unfortunately acronymmed BO sees your group plot the death of Hitler, following a stunning amount of historic precedent. While this is less about direct combat, knives, and bows, this stunning recreates the tension and release of carrying out illicit actions under an oppressive regime. This sees your group respond to events from German history, manage their suspicion, and game the system to bring their ‘plot’ (re: murder) card to fruition. Rewarding cool heads, zeal, and a merciless lack of hesitation – orchestra is perfect for any group looking to break the rules and some Nazi skulls.   

The godmother of all worker placement games; Troyes is unforgiving and relentless when it comes to forcing payers to pay for their mistakes…or let others profit off your own. Now over a decade old, it’s not surprising to see why the game has earned its reputation. Played across a razor-thin 4-6 rounds, the game asks you to accrue wealth and influence…the latter of which can easily be pilfered. While victory points are the aim of the game, Troyes allows for an astonishing amount of player interaction that rewards mind-games and tricksy plays, letting your opponents buy your dice, take advantage of your secret ‘role’ you were given at the start of the game, and more. A true delight just watch your money when you’re playing.      

When it comes to ‘traditional’ rogue actions, few games get it right better than Fantasy Flight’s iconic LCG. Play is competitive, with each individual building their own deck to suit their playstyle. Maybe you’re a hard-boiled cop who collects kills and clues, or maybe a librarian who knows secrets and how to stay alive. Or maybe you’re a down-on-his luck gambler who believes the best response against unknowable evil is to stab it in the back. A rogue is an essential add to any team, allowing players to flee, gamble everything on a draw, or just score a juicy crit on an Elder God. Whatever your style, you’re good to go.    

Murder. Deception. Intrigue. The original Coup is omnipresent in collections for a number of very good reasons. But even the best games can become stale over time and, despite your best efforts, the game of bluffing and backstabbing can run the risk of growing stale. Thankfully – there’s a solution. Add in the Reformation expansion, and the game’s murky waters are muddied even further. This adds the additional wrinkle of factions and loyalties, letting you play one side off against the other or lean in for a sneaky assassination when it suits best. These provide protection in the early game and make the game viable for higher player counts. Though it’s worth remembering that there’s no prize for coming second place. Adding depth without additional layers of complexity is close to miraculous, and definitely makes it a great pick for groups that feel they’ve ‘solved’ the original.       

An asymmetric delight, Vast grabs a handful of fantasy tropes and shoves them into the close confines of a magic cave. Playing up to 5, the game offers a unique cocktail of objectives and conflicts each session as players take on the roles of Knights, Dragons, Goblins, the Cave itself. And our personal favourite, the thief. While many of the roles conflict with each other (Knight kills dragon, Goblin kills Knight etc), the Thief has the highly thematic task of sneaking past everyone, stealing everything that isn’t nailed down, and scarpering as fast as they can. This lets you fiddle about with your stats every turn and keep the other players guessing, turning you from a mild annoyance that can be ignored to a treacherous maniac who has to be stopped now or the game is over! Throw in a little backstabbing and pickpocketing and you’re set.  

One of the most beloved indie RPG’s of the last decade, BitD not only still has legs, but light fingers too. Setting players in the slippers of a school of bandits, players plan heist after heist as the group takes scores and steals away anything that would stand in the way of a frictionless narrative. This includes being laser-focused on your storytelling, making admin, and planning simple, and give everything you need to start building your own homebrew capers with confidence. I’d pick up a copy,  but I think I misplaced my wallet. Must be around here somewhere. Unless…ah. Crap. 

What board games bring out your sneaky rogue side? Tell us in the comments!