Another board game has been pulled from the vaults of history, as Restoration Games is producing an updated and modernized version of the 1979 Parker Brothers game Stop Thief.  The new version, to be called Stop Thief!  with an exclamation mark to distinguish it from the original, will premier at Gen Con this summer.

The original Parker version of the game, designed by Dr. Robert Doyle, used a handheld battery-powered electronic device called the “crime scanner” to track the movements of the invisible thief on the board, while the players used a “roll and move” system to try to move their pawn onto the same space that the thief “occupied.”  The only clues they had available were the sound effects produced by the crime scanner.

In Restoration Games’ version, created by Justin Jacobson and Rob Daviau (Pandemic Legacy), the crime scanner has been replaced by a free, downloadable app, which will produced the sounds in higher quality as well as provide optional visual clues for the hearing impaired.  The app, being produced in partnership with app developer Hidden Achievement, will have multiple difficulty levels, a cooperative version, a solo play option, and a one-versus-many play mode where one player assumes the role of the thief.  None of these were part of the original Parker version of the game.

In addition to the app, the new Stop Thief!  replaces the roll-and-move mechanic by giving each player their own custom deck of movement cards, each with unique special abilities and movement options.  The game will have all-new artwork and a streamlined area movement system instead of a square movement grid.  MSRP is $29.99.

Restoration Games is funding the project through a Kickstarter campaign, which beat its $25,000 goal in the first day and attracted over $90,000 from more than 2,000 backers.  The campaign has a retailer-only backer package, which includes a case of games at wholesale discount plus a free demo copy of the game.  The game will release into the trade following backer fulfillment, expected in August or September.

Restoration Games was founded by Jacobson and Daviau for the purpose of producing updated versions of games that have long been out of print.  The company’s first titles will release at Gen Con this year.

Daviau’s co-designed Pandemic Legacy – Season 2 is scheduled to release in the third quarter as well (see “‘Pandemic Legacy – Season 2’ Revealed”).