Burgle Bros.
COOPERATIVE HEIST BOARD GAME (2015) by TIM FOWERS (FUGITIVE, PAPERBACK) — players are a crew of thieves cracking open a 3-story building (bank), cracking safes, avoiding guards + escaping via helicopter on the roof. Signature: 3D BUILDING built from tile layout representing floors; tokens track guards patrolling autonomously. Tense stealth + tile-reveal + player-planning. Family-friendly heist theme; won multiple design awards + fostered a franchise (Burgle Bros. 2 in 2020).
Quick facts
Category
Board Games
Type
Team sport
Players
1–4
Duration
~60 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Estimated origin
2015 Fowers Games Kickstarter + retail; Burgle Bros. 2: The Casino Capers 2020 follow-up
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Crack every safe on each floor + escape via helicopter on roof without being caught 3 times.
Rules
Basic rules
Each floor = 4x4 face-down tile grid; players start on stairwell + explore
Signature exploration.
Each character has 4 ACTIONS per turn: MOVE, PEEK, HACK (safe), etc.
Standard turn.
GUARDS patrol autonomously — each guard has patrol deck showing path
Signature guard AI.
TILES trigger events (alarms, motion detectors, cameras, safes, walls)
Signature tile events.
CATCHES: 3 catches = LOSE (all players lose)
Cooperative loss.
WIN: crack ALL 3 safes + reach helipad; escape together in helicopter
Cooperative win.
Scoring
Coop win/lose — no scoring beyond survival.
Win condition · All players cracked all safes + escape helipad.
Equipment
3-floor building tile grid (each floor = 4x4 tiles) + guard tokens + character boards
Signature 3D building
Safe crack + tool + gadget cards + walkie-talkies + stairs
Standard heist tools
Terminology
- Safe crack
- Complete a safe by rolling required dice on the tile — main puzzle.
- Patrol deck
- Each guard follows a patrol pattern shuffled per game.
- Peek
- Reveal adjacent tile to plan; safer than moving into unknown.
- Catch
- Guard catches player; each character has 3 lives (catches).
- Tim Fowers
- American designer of Burgle Bros., Paperback, Fugitive, Sabotage.
Where it is played
Sources & provenance
- Fowers Games — Burgle Bros.— Fowers Games
- BoardGameGeek— BGG