Gravediggers (2005)

Overview

In Gravediggers (or Bank Robbers), players are competing to earn the most money by robbing graves (or banks). It's a hidden information, bluffing, and deduction family game.

During setup, each player receives a hand of 5 cards and 10 coins (which are hidden). Regardless of the number of players, there are always five cemeteries on the table which each receive one card at the start of the game.

On a player's turn, the player reveals one of their action tiles and performs the action on it. There are four possible actions: 1. Play a card - The player plays a card from their hand face down to one of the five cemeteries and then draws back up to five cards. 2. Look at one card - The player looks at one face down card on one of the cemeteries (while not showing it to other players). 3. Reveal one card - The player has to reveal and leave face up one of the cards laying down in one of the cemeteries. 4. Rob the cemetery - The player has to choose which cemetery the players will rob.

When robbing the cemetery, each player chooses the amount of money that they wish to invest in robbing it. Then all amounts are revealed simultaneously. All the cards that lay face down in the cemetery are revealed and the amount of money that can be robbed is shown. The player who bid the least takes his loot first. They take the money invested and the same amount from the cemetery following by other players. If there is insufficient money for one of the players, they take nothing from the cemetery, and so do the players after them.

Apart from money cards, there are also special cards which change the outcome of the robbery:

Guard - Prevent the players from stealing the money. Everyone who invested 0 in this robbery receives 5 regardless of the money in the cemetery. Bandit - Prevent the players from stealing the money and also steal the money invested in this robbery by all players. Accomplice - Reverse the order of players taking the money. Widow - Cancels all other special cards.

When the deck is depleted, play continues until one of the players uses all of their cards. After that, the players rob all the cemeteries one after another and then the game is over. The player who earned the most coins is the winner.