Best system for Heist games

[Fri]

I know that game premise is independent of systems, and any premise can work with any premise with the right kind of players.

I'm just wondering though, what system in your opinion work best for heist-type adventure, where the characters prepare some sort of elaborate plan with silly disguises and bluff and casing and such, before finding that their plan actually fails and they got accosted by the guard, only to show that it's actually their plan all along.

You know, Ocean Eleven, Mission: Impossible series (not the movie), Leverage etc.

[nrg89]

I would run World of Darkness or Savage Worlds.

WoD because of the rules for social interaction and such. Also, the number of successes can represent units of time the other characters have to complete their tasks.

SW if you want a more pulpy feel, think bank robbers during the Public Enemy Era. It's a lightning quick and simple system so characters can move on from task to task, and resolve combat that arises when they fail, without slowing down the game much.

[Earthwalker]

Two Options from me.

Shadowrun - See it has a setting baked in but it is about criminals breaking into places and stealing stuff. You might have to tell your players you are looking more for Oceans 11 than say splatterpunk bloodbath before starting.

Leverage - I have never played this game but I suggest you give it a look. Someone else on the boards might know more. I mention it as the game as it is suppose to be just what you are looking for. Down to the masterminds ability to announce a new plan after things go wrong (making it the original plan in the first place)

[Jenrock]

I'll second Leverage. Characters have abilities and roles- Hacker, Hitter, Grifter, Thief, Mastermind. Every role has a die associated with it (so your hitter might double as a grifter in a pinch). There are also flashback mechanics to get characters out of trouble (making it appear, in game, that the characters are brilliant thieves). I've never played it, but the book has numerous suggestions for quick, easy play, and the Cortex+ forums are full of people saying they write info down on about 3 index cards and run an entire game with just that information.

[ComradeBear]

If you want a splash of Criminal Underground and Gang-building to go with your heists, and enjoy the aesthetic of Dishonored, you could try Blades In The Dark. It's not generic at all, but what it does, it does REALLY well.

[Afgncaap5]

I'm gonna suggest Adventure!, either the original or the d20 retrofit. It has a lot of the strengths of World of Darkness (the original being made with the storyteller system probably helps with that...) but it's geared specifically for pulp action and intrigue.