LudiCreations crowdfunding card game Steal This Game after Essen robbery

Indie publisher LudiCreations has launched a crowdfunding campaign to recoup losses after it was robbed at this year’s Essen Spiel.

On the Saturday afternoon of the show – the busiest day for traders – a thief stole the firm’s cash box and all the money inside, described as a “significant loss” by Ludi.

According to the publisher and venue security, the crime was likely committed by a professional thief rather than an opportunistic gamer, but it obviously doesn’t make the hit easier to take.

To try and recover some of the cash taken, Ludi created a nanogame based on its experience called Steal This Game, which fits on the back of a postcard and can be played in five minutes.

The title was designed by David Turczi and created on the same night of the robbery and pits two players against each other, one taking on the role of an exhibitor and the other as a thief.

The thief rolls a pair of dice to try and identify which cash box the exhibitor is keeping its money inside. If the thief is caught in the act, they get one last chance to guess the correct box and win, otherwise losing.

The game costs $5 on Kickstarter, although Ludi is encouraging fans to offer more to help cover its financial hit. Pledging over $14 will net you a copy of Steal This Game plus another of the publisher’s titles – Microfilms, Kune v Lakia or They Who Were 8.

At the time of writing, almost $20,000 has been raised by the campaign with 12 days to go.