Overview
Pilfer is a heist game all about the execution. Players take control of a team of up to 8 characters as they plan, set up, and execute heists to perfection (or otherwise.) As the characters gain experience and equipment, more heist locations become available, with increasingly valuable loot and options available for players to experiment with. In an RPG fashion, player characters can receive different level paths depending on what kind of team the player wishes to put together.
Core Mechanics
The game is controlled from a tactical view of the 3D environment. Players move their characters through locations in real time, but are able to pause the game and sequence some commands before unpausing and watching the action unfold. Because an emphasis of the game is preparation beforehand, players may view systems like guard patrol routes or alarm networks. These provide players with more information when they attempt to sequence these commands, and more options when they carry out their heists. Different characters possess different trees of abilities - some might be better at sneaking, while others are better at fencing stolen goods. The goods that characters loot during heists scale in difficulty to fence - with some taking a decent amount of time to make a profit from. Because there is a downtime between when players receive their money from their spoils, players also have to manage the finances of their group. This is where the management aspect of the game becomes another important component. Players have to manage an internal 'hideout', which can be in a variety of locations around the world. Players have to cater to and support their team's desires, otherwise their level of happiness may affect jobs that they go on.
Environment
The environments that players heist in are key to developing the atmosphere of the game. Heist locations range from exotic hotels to typical bank vaults. Players will be able to experience a wide variety of locales to pilfer and plunder across the globe. Different environments also offer unique challenges that affect the gameplay - a heist on a ship may cause a member of the party to become seasick. A heist in a bank, for example, may draw more heat than a stick-up at a gas station. As a group's notoriety increases, the range of environments the player experiences increases, with more and more far-flung places available as players increase in experience, skill and gear availability.Game plays similar to Monaco in terms of the map and positioning.
