Sniper Elite: The Board Game

I recently got Sniper Elite and played with my game group. We had a blast. Playing true hidden movement with real people was great. It felt really thematic and tactical. The sniper has to give just enough info so the defenders can use deduction to find him, and the sniper has to smartly choose when to do certain actions so he doesn't give out too much info.

Sniper Elite is one of few games with hidden movement that has a sweet spot for complexity and time to play. One player takes on the role of the Sniper/Sabatour trying to meet two objectives on a map with both indoor and outdoor locations. Up to three other players take on the role of the defenders trying to catch the Sniper while they move. Sniper player has a separate board to mark down their moves/location while trying to be stealthy to avoid detection or in some cases taking out the enemy to clear a path to their objectives. Alot of tension for both sides as there are only a limited number of turns (10 per objective) for the Sniper to complete their objectives. Sniper player wins if they can complete both. Defender player(s) win if time runs out or they wound the Sniper twice. Quick playing, tension for both sides. Highly recommended to buy the Expansion - Eagle's Nest with the base game to double your maps (2+2) and more Sniper types.

Don't be fooled by the IP, this doesn't feel like a cash grab. I haven't played any of the video games this is named after but I'm glad I gave it a shot. This game has been a huge hit with my gaming group. A fairly low rules overhead but tons of interesting options have made for an exciting and engaging game every time. I think both the sniper and the defenders spend most of the game thinking there is no way they will be able to win and slowly gaining more confidence. You do need to accept that some times a scenario will happen where a game can end quickly from a sniper being caught and killed. I have not had that happen personally yet, and have been happily surprised how evasive even a located sniper can be - but I have seen a few playthroughs where it did happen so it's important to note.

Everything about this game is amazing. The mechanics, the theme, the player interaction, and with the expansion OH MY GOD what an experience. If you like (or even don’t like) hidden movement games, this is a game to get.

I will say here I have not played this game yet but I’ve looked through it and I’m impressed. First quality product! Nice, thick game boards whose art work is great. Just viewing the board gives you the feel of a WWII town setting. Rule books are well done and easy to read. Nice color use with examples down the outside edge of the pages and inward columns of text. Thus, only one column of rules to read per page. Rules look pretty straight forward and easy to understand. To play solo you get a separate rule book that adds to the rules for the two player game. The cards are first rate and I love the singe die that comes with the game. A speciality die that uses chevrons instead of numbers 1 thru 3. And those chevrons are deeply cut into the die face and then painted white with the body being black. Those chevrons will not wear off! Then there are the miniatures. Nice miniatures; not 3D wargaming quality in detail but still there is detail. And surprisingly to me, they are highlighted! Not just a simple even grey color all over. The wrinkles in cloth and belt lines and weapon lines all stand out due to the shading. Nicely done! Since they are German soldiers they grey looks about right and if one wish to paint them only the skin tones, wood tones, and metal tones would need to be added. If it plays anything like it looks I’ll be pleased. This rated 8.1 on BGG with 185 reviews which cinched my buying it. It should be a good game.