Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game | Based on Original Die Hard Film from Fox | Custom Figures

Product Description

Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist Board Game is a one-versus-many game of stealth, combat, and action-tactics. Players will square off with a deck of cards and a map of Nakatomi Plaza between them. Three acts worth of goals will move them through the story of the original Die Hard film. The thieves must work together efficiently and signal each other effectively to hack through the vault's locks and stop John McClane. McClane must plot his path and manage his cards carefully to fight his way through and kill Gruber.

Features

• Relive the 1988 action movie classic Die Hard with this competitive one-versus-many-style game! Players will take on the opposing roles of John McLane, Hans Gruber, and the Thieves to manuever through Nakatomi Plaza over three suspenseful Acts.
• This game is perfect for the Die Hard fan
• Play as John McClane or Hans Gruber's team of thieves and battle your way to the top of Nakatomi Plaza
• Complete objectives and plan your attacks in order to prevent—or pull off—the heist of a lifetime!
• For 2 to 4 players | 60 to 90 minutes play time | Ages 15 and up

Top Reviews

Best Christmas boardgame I own!
by Gregg Re (4 out of 5 stars)
July 24, 2019

Pictures attached: One shows the lock cards, one shows Act 1 (setup), two other photos shot Act 2 and 3 (just the board), then I attached a picture of the McClane player board and the lock cards. Sorry these are a bit rushed, I just realized it would help to have photos.

SUMMARY:

I play a lot of boardgames -- some of my favorites are complex enthusiast games like Wildlands, Labyrinth: War on Terror, Clockwork Wars, Discworld, A Study in Emerald, Rising Sun, Root, Sekigahara, etc etc. This is not that. Right out the gate, I want to say that Die Hard is a Christmas boardgame. Also, is not a particularly deep or complex game. However, it's a lot of fun with fans of Die Hard in the mood for a light, silly, goofy game -- and it does make a few interesting design decisions I have not seen too much elsewhere. It plays from 1-4 players, with 1 player as McClane, and from 1-3 player as the thieves.

The game, to a fault, is dedicated to being 'cinematic.' Critics would say the game is 'scripted.' What this means in boardgame terms is that, rather than allow events and storylines to develop through player creativity and 'emergent' gameplay, Die Hard (sort of like the recent Jaws game, or Axis and Allies D-Day, which I also enjoy in the right contexts) heavily restricts what players' focus is on any given turn. It really wants McClane to find the shoes, and push Gruber off the roof, etc every game -- no exceptions!

In a game like the ones I mentioned earlier, YOU and your friends (or even just YOU, if it's a solitare-capable game like dawn of the zeds, Spirit Island, Hornet Leader, Thunderbirds, Nemo's War, Champions of Hara, Too Many Bones, etc) are the ones who create the narrative. You might come away from game night with a story like, "Tom really shocked everyone by backstabbing Steve at the last minute, only to learn Steve was anticipating it all along," or something like that.

But in Die Hard, you basically are living the same general story each time. There will be minor variations -- sometimes McClane will shoot more and sneak less, for instance -- but it's all in service of accomplishing the same objectives. So the question becomes, is there enough depth in those decisions you do have? I believe there is, in Die Hard -- but just barely.

The upside is that it really does feel like the movie, both in terms of the objectives overall, and the moment-to-moment skirmishes with the guards, as well as the sneaking around in the vents, shooting the glass windows, etc.

BASIC RULES OVERVIEW:

I don't want to summarize all the rules, but I'll give a quick primer. If you're new to modern boardgames, it's likely that you will want to carefully consult the manual. This is because Die hard is split into 3 acts, and the rules shift a bit between each act. However, it's pretty clearly laid out, and after a quick runthrough, you should have everything figured out and ready to play "for real."

In the game's first clever move, the board gradually unfolds to reveal more of Nakatomi Plaza as the game goes. Act one is TINY! In each act, McClane and the thieves work to complete separate objectives. For the thieves, some of their objectives (injuring McClane and cracking the safes) persist from act to act. For McClane, he has a very set number of objectives each act, and the act ends when he finishes them and escapes (Objectives for McClane include getting a radio, finding shoes, scaring hostages off the roof, pushing Gruber off the roof, etc. Objectives for the thieves include finding hostages, shooting the RPG at the SWAT tank, etc.)

Perhaps the cleverest part of this game is how the thieves decide actions, which models their difficulty of communicating. Basically, each thief card contains a number, as well as some actions. So, a card might have the number 5, and allow the thieves to shoot and move.

If you're playing with 3 thieves, the lead thief picks one action card from a hand of three, and then shows it to the other 2 thiefs; and then the other 2 thiefs each privately select one card from their own hands, and then all are revealed at once. The thieves CANNOT DISCUSS STRATEGY HERE!

After the reveal, **only the middle-numbered card is used for its "Actions"** (which can include shooting at McClane, moving, etc.). The other two cards' actions are ignored, and the numbers on the cards are used towards hacking the safe, which has a randomly selected "Combination." You need to hack 6 locks (the 7th only goes with the power outage!), which are increasingly complex. The last lock can only be solved when the FBI cuts the power to the building.

The safe combos that the thieves need to crack are generated by stacking 2 or more 'safe cards' on top of each other. Each card has some numbers on it, going horizontally .Please see attached picture of the lock cards if this is confusing -- it's hard to explain!
So, for instance, if the safe combo is 5, 7, 9 on the top row, and 4, 6, 8 on the bottom row, your thieves might play the following numbered cards -- 4,5,9. The "5" card might contain some actions, which the lead thief can use to hunt McClane. But the 4 and 9 are immediately applied to the safe -- AND, because those numbers are "adjacent" in the combination (the 5 is above the 4), both numbers are "cracked." (If the numbers aren't directly on top of or next to each other in the combination, you only pick one to crack.) Once all numbers in the safe are done, you move on to the next one. Completing objectives for the thieves gets you more safes unlocked faster.
"Actions" like shooting, punching, shoving etc are decided by dice rolls. I like that the map influences this. Line of sight is needed to shoot; obstacles in the way make the dice roll harder (and hostages are "super obstacles" that are EXTRA hard to shoot through/around in the final act!).

McClane dies if his draw pile runs out. This is somewhat similar to the old Gears of War boardgame (also good, for 1-4 players!), although unfortunately there's not really opportunities to "take risks" and use multiple cards at the expense of your health, like you could in Gears of War. Instead, this functions as a kind of stealth timer, to keep McClane moving, and to make it sting when he has to discard cards because he's taking fire.

At the same time, McClane must be aware that cards that McClane plays are carried over to future acts; cards he doesn't are wasted!! McClane, in this way, gets stronger, better equipped, more experienced as the game goes on -- just like the movie.

In one great touch, when he doesn't have his shoes, McClane must discard a card for stepping on broken glass, while the guards don't have to.

Each thief (in 3-4 player games) gets to be lead thief each turn. They pick the actions and first card picked. This is a good way to avert quarterbacking -- when one player just tells all their teammates what to do. It gives each thief player a chance to have an "executive" role on the thief side.

HOT THOUGHTS:

I love, love, love the thief action selection mechanism. It's inspired and different, and leads to funny moments. It works best with 3 thieves. With only one player as thief, it changes a bit (basically, you draw one card facedown, then one face up, then pick the third from your hand). It also has a different minor change with only 2 thieves. That's all workable and creates some drama for the thief, but it really comes alive with the full 3 thieves. Why? Because you're trying to read what the other thieves are going for! Let's say your lead thief plays a 3. Is that to crack the safe, or to push you along towards picking the action card?? This requires reading your teammates, plus the board. Love it. Makes you feel like a thief struggling as McClane hunts you.

I also love that the board expands from act to act. Eventually, you're in the climactic moment with the huge, (pretty nice looking) board, and the helipad and gruber are up top -- and McClane needs to push Gruber off to win. The board also introduces light tactical considerations, like when McClane should take a shot, or where thieves should hide behind obstacles.

I did think the art style was good, but I could see how it could be a bit abstract for some. The cards all have appropriate quotes from the movie, which helps a lot.

On the negatives or more difficult parts, I will note that I don't think the game is too replayable. This is a big risk of 'scripted' cinematic games -- it always will hit the same story beats. That said, get some drinks and put die hard on (!), and with fans of the film, this is an enjoyable way to spend an evening.

I also preferred the later acts, where the board is a bit more open, to Act 1. Act 1 is a little small, and it felt like my choice of tactics as McClane was always clear -- just rush for the objectives as quickly as I could. There wasn't the space to have tougher decisions in the initial act.

I did really enjoy how some objectives persist across multiple acts (The thieves are always trying to draw blood from McClane, and their progress in injuring him carries over from act to act, as does their progress with the safes), while other objectives need to be completed within the act. However, some of the objectives are more fun than others. Killing a thief and throwing his body out the window! Tons of fun. Shoving guards or Gruber around to get them at the edge of the building? Shooting out glass near McClane? All awesome. But, I was a little less enthused by hunting around for hostages, which involves turning over tokens and seeing if it's hostages or not.

Because the objectives are the same from game to game, there's not much variety.

I wish there was a player aid as quick reminder of what the different actions do, although they're straightforward enough it's not a big deal. But, there are some minor things to remember.Sometimes, players can forget that sneaking lets you enter an obstacle space with one, rather than two moves, for example.

Also, it can be a bit anticlimactic if McClane dies by running out of cards. If he ever cannot draw more than 2, he's out. This encourages more planning by McClane, but it can end games in a whimper.

Tons of fun, simple enough, and goofy. If it's your first boardgame in a while, it may come off as a bit rules dense, so just take it act by act.
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YIPPY-KY-YAY...you know the rest
by Jeremy J Clark (4 out of 5 stars)
August 23, 2019

What a fantastic idea it was to make a board game based on "˜Die Hard'! I played it with several friends shortly after receiving it, and we all pretty much learned the rules (which aren't that complicated) as we went along. A perfect selection to add to your Game Night repertoire (that is, if you do a Game Night). All in all, what more is there to be said except: Yippy-Ky-Yay...you know the rest.
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Loved the movie? Love this game!
by Jack Squat (5 out of 5 stars)
September 11, 2019

The Nakatomi Heist game, in 3 Acts, using a game board that partially unfolds during each Act to be fully unfolded by Act 3, plays out just like the movie struggle between Hans Gruber and gang and our favorite New York City Police Department Detective in the "wrong place at the wrong time", Lieutenant John McClane. Excellent graphics, playing cards with quotes from the movie, well sculpted mini-figures and objectives which match movie events make this game worth every penny. Gather a few Die Hard fans and don't just watch the film, play the movie!
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Hans,....Bubby!
by Dave McDonald (4 out of 5 stars)
August 16, 2019

If you are a fan of the best Christmas movie ever, and yes it is most definitely a Christmas movie, then you need this game! It is like playing through the first Die Hard game. Admittedly, it is a lighter game, but that makes it easier for less avid board gamers to get into. The miniatures are okay, but the cards with quotes from the movie are great. The mechanic of the board opening up over the 3 Acts in the game is really cool.

This will definitely be hitting my table every December!
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Very Fun, May Be for Hardcore Enthusiasts Only
by Bryan R. Powers (4 out of 5 stars)
September 3, 2019

I pre-ordered the game - I'm a huge Die Hard fan, as is my neighbor. He, his wife, my wife and I all sat down to partake when it arrived. There is a learning curve at first, it isn't as straightforward as something like Scrabble or Monopoly; the platforming element was inventive, but not intuitive. While my neighbor and I had fun dissecting how the game worked and playing through, our wives (not especially huge fans of Die Hard) were mostly along for the ride. I'd readily recommend the game to any board game enthusiasts who equally enjoy the first Die Hard film, but the crossover appeal seems limited. That said, I heartily enjoyed the game!
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A die Hard fan must have
by Nichole Talarczyk (4 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

The game is super detailed and fun but the directions are a little hard to understand to get going the first time - I highly recommend you to Bing the instruction video to make it a little more clear to get yourself started the first time . Other than that it's amazing !
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Captures the movie perfectly
by John Kaminar (4 out of 5 stars)
August 10, 2019

It's the rage now to make decent boardgames from old movie franchises, and Die Hard is no exception. It provides a asymmetric game play of one versus many, with multiple acts and different goals. It's entertaining, easy to learn, and has decent bits. It's also fairly cheap. I recommend.
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The Movie in a Game Box
by Rich or Michele Dohme (5 out of 5 stars)
August 15, 2019

We had a blast playing this game!!! Not too difficult to play. Game follows the first Die Hard movie from beginning to end. Components are nice. All in all a great game for the money. Die Hard fans should love this game!
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Didn't use it.
by Alan Tanski (5 out of 5 stars)
October 9, 2019

Don't have a review. It's a Christmas gift for my son. Arrived safely.
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fun to play...
by Kevin S. Morgan (5 out of 5 stars)
July 29, 2019

only played it once, so far, but really enjoyed it (it was almost as much fun throwing movie quotes around as we played!)

looking forward to playing again, & again!

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