
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,610
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Plunderbund
- 2–5 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2019

2025
Rules assistance for Dark Heists
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dark Heists is a board game released in 2025 for 1–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Moe Poplar and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
You are a crime lord in the world of Dark Heists. Do petty larcenies and choose from monsters, hardened criminals and crooked cops to build your gang. When you’re ready, it’s time to do a heists: ambush a funeral, collect a bounty on a dangerous ghosts or pull a honey pot scam. Then you’re ready for the big time; kill a vampire, sell some hypnotic dust or get paid to resurrect a recently deceased client. But hurry, other crime lords in the city are trying to do the same thing, and they’ll stab you in the back to stop your ascent if you don’t get them first. The crime lord with the most notoriety at the end of the game, wins. Dark Heists is a strategic deck builder game for 1 to 4 players. Ages 14 and up. Contains Mature themes. Recruit monstrous criminals and criminal monsters to do high stakes heists in this spooky deck builder game. The first player to complete three heists triggers the final round. When the last player has taken their turn, everyone counts their notoriety from crew, heists and coins and the player with the most notoriety wins. Dark Heists is a game of deck building and heists with crooked cops, horrific monsters and other criminals. Heists challenge your entire crew, requiring you to draw multiple hands and meeting thematic challenges by amassing more crime or sway in your hand, than the challenge threshold. Want zombie minions to terrify the people? generate 7 Sway. Want to kill the vampire? Generate 9 Crime. The game ends when one player completes three heists. The player with the most notoriety, gained from heists, coins and recruits, wins. —description from THE designer
Dark Heists supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Dark Heists is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Dark Heists for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Dark Heists has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Dark Heists belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Mature / Adult, and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Dark Heists are: Moe Poplar. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Dark Heists as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.