Objective

In Caper: Europe, two players take on the roles of criminal masterminds planning heists in major European cities. The goal is to score the most points by hiring the right thieves, equipping them with gear, and successfully stealing goods across three different locations.

Quick Setup

• Locations: Place 3 Location cards in the center. Each receives 4 random Stolen Goods markers.
• Trackers: Set a Caper Tracker at the center of the track for each location.
• Supply: Place 10 coins in a common pool.
• Decks: Use the Thief and Gear decks (consisting of core cards and city-specific cards for the chosen city).

Game Flow

The game lasts 6 rounds, alternating between Thief rounds and Gear rounds. Each round follows this structure:

1. Deal Cards: The Round Tracker indicates the type (Thief or Gear) and number of cards (e.g., 4) each player receives.
2. Drafting Phase (Play & Swap):
   • Both players simultaneously play one card from their hand.
   • Players then exchange their remaining hand with their opponent.
   • This repeats until each player has only one card left.
3. Round End: The final card in hand is discarded face-up (not played). Advance the Round Tracker.

Thief Rounds (1, 3, 5)

• Play a Thief to one of the three locations on your side of the board.
• Each location has a maximum capacity of 3 Thieves.
• When played, immediately collect any coins shown in the top-left corner of the card.

Gear Rounds (2, 4, 6)

• Play a Gear card onto one of your previously placed Thieves.
• Each Thief can carry a maximum of 3 Gear cards.
• Many Gear cards have a cost (shown top-left) that must be paid in coins to the supply.
• Alternative Action: Instead of playing a card, you may discard a card to the hideout to gain 1 coin from the supply.

Key Details

The 5 Basic Symbols

Effects trigger either immediately when played or as part of ongoing "Set Effects":

• Caper (Purple): Move the location's tracker one space toward your side.
• Coin (Yellow): Take one coin from the supply.
• Burn (Red): Discard the opponent's topmost Gear card at that location. The opponent must revert any immediate effects (e.g., move the Caper tracker back).
• Stolen Good (Green): Take a matching marker from the location to your hideout.
• Points (Star): Grants victory points during the final scoring.

Colors and Set Effects

Cards belong to specific colors (Green, Purple, Orange, Yellow, and City-specific Blue). Many cards feature "Set Effects":

• Ongoing Effects: Trigger every time a card of the required color is added to that crew at that location.
• End-game Effects: Calculated only during final scoring (e.g., "2 points per Green card").
• Sets: Some cards grant bonus points for specific combinations of different colors.

Winning a Location

The player who has the Caper tracker on their side of the track at the end of the game wins the location:

• You receive the victory points printed on the Location card.
• You trigger the unique end-game effect of that Location.
• You receive bonus points based on how far the tracker moved (stars shown on the track).

Game End and Scoring

After the 6th round, points are calculated in four categories:

1. Locations: Points for locations won + Location end-game effects + bonus stars from the Caper track.
2. Thieves & Gear: All points printed on cards + points from Set Effects.
3. Stolen Goods: Sort your markers into sets of unique types:
   • 1 unique good: 2 points.
   • Set of 2 different goods: 5 points.
   • Set of 3 different goods: 9 points.
4. Coins: Used only as a tie-breaker.

The player with the highest total score is the winner.