The Board Game Hands-On Preview

While folks may picture a certain gentleman spy these days when they hear IO Interactive, fans of Agent 47 and board games may want to listen to this: Hitman: The Board Game is coming, and its campaign is now live on Gamefound.

IGN had a chance to go hands-on with a preview sample to see whether this cardboard adaptation could capture the thrill of the video games. Grabbing my best red tie and bald cap, I eagerly recruited some fellow assassins, and off we went to see who was the best among us. After the blood settled, it was easy to see that even with this small snippet of what’s to come, it’s on the right track to succeed in that mission.

Published by Mood Publishing, the same publishers behind the tabletop adaptations of Deep Rock Galactic, Valheim, and Goat Simulator, Hitman: The Board Game, pits up to four players against one another in a race to see who can take out the target first. Along the way, you’ll do your best to secure helpful loot around the map, avoid guards, and don disguises all in an effort to complete that task. Think of it like a sort of Anti-Clue (or Cluedo for my overseas friends) where instead of attempting to be the first to deduce the who, what, and where questions of a murder, you are instead racing to pull off said murder and deciding on those things yourself.

The gameplay itself I found to be pretty straightforward, and the friends I brought by to try it out got the gist of things within a turn or two. Turns are composed of drawing an event card that triggers things like moving the target, staff, and guards, or respawning loot resources on the map, followed by the player taking some actions from a pool of possible ones like moving, putting on a disguise, breaking some noses, or playing helpful Agent cards with their one-time effects, all before ending their turn and the cycle repeats with the next hired killer at the table. By the second go-round, the players at my table, consisting of both Hitman vets and not, had a good grasp on how things ran, and we could all just focus on how best to tackle our target.

The big twist, and a large factor when deciding on your next course, is that actions are categorized as either being legal or illegal. Navigating the common areas, scouting around, and drawing those helpful Agent cards, or even “accidentally” dropping that coin nearby to lure staff around, are all perfectly legal and harmless, raising zero suspicion from the attentive staff and guards nearby. However, the moment you move into someplace you aren’t supposed to be in (or at least aren’t dressed the part for) or perform other more incriminating actions like stripping a body for a disguise, hiding a body, breaking property, etc., then you will start drawing attention, with those being classified as “illegal.”

Weighing your options and picking the right moment to perform these actions, positioning yourself or other nearby NPCs so that you won’t be seen committing anything illegal, makes completing your missions far easier and more manageable. It pays to be a silent assassin, as being hidden and inconspicuous makes it easier to take care of enemies too, when you finally do strike.

Combat, much like the rest of the gameplay, is straightforward, coming down to who has the bigger number: you or the NPC. With the exception of the staff (they are just innocent hardworking folk after all), all the guards and enemies have an associated “Alertness” value that you will need to overcome, with each agent having a base attack value of 1. If you’re able to sneak up and attack an enemy without their notice – such as being disguised or not found doing anything illegal – the only thing you have to factor in is this alert value. But if the guards attack you or you’re found to be doing something illegal, the guards will draw a card from an equipment deck and add its value to their alertness, making them harder to deal with.

Agents aren’t without options of their own, however, thanks to being able to find weapons themselves or discarding certain Agent Cards to boost your own attack value. Other players can even help you out if they wish, but they can just as easily help out the guards instead. These moments reminded my group of playing Munchkin, but thankfully, these interactions here never felt as mean as they do in that dungeon crawler.

The big twist is that actions are categorized as either being legal or illegal.“

The sample I played only featured a small taste of what will be in the full game, with rules and components that are still all works-in-progress and subject to change, but there was still a surprising amount to check out. In the sample box, we could pick from two contracts and one location to mix-and-match, with the final base game promising eight targets and four locations to build out your contract from.

We had plenty of variety even with the smaller offering, thanks to the different perks and unique rooms that the targets Viktor Novikov and Dalia Margolis have. Taking out Dalia requires you to collect Secret Documents that spawn around the map that can be used to either weaken her or lower her ability to spot you (it’s almost like you’re blackmailing her!), which is good because most of your disguises won’t hide your identity from her gaze.

If you feel like reliving the first level from 2016’s Hitman: Showstopper, then take on Viktor during his gala in Paris. Once again, you’ll be able to sneak around the luxurious mansion, but just be sure to avoid Viktor, who is always joined by his powerful bodyguard and will take off at the first sign of danger, meaning setting up traps or staying hidden is your best chance with him.

Mood seems to have a solid understanding of how to capture and adapt those qualities that fans of the video games associate with the Hitman series. Many of Agent 47’s classic tricks are here: knocking out enemies and stealing their outfit to disguise yourself, setting traps like poisoning a drink or dropping chandeliers, and even tossing your trusty coin to distract and lure guards out of the way.

Playing the board game gave me much of the same assassin-y goodness that I look for in the Hitman video games. Thought, preparation, and planning feel genuinely important, but much like the source games, things can turn on a dime, and you have to improvise. That twist might come from an unfortunate pull of the cards or a perfectly timed interrupt card held by another player.

Even if you have no idea who Agent 47 is, Hitman still just feels fun to play. Only one of you can be the series’ bald protagonist anyway. The core of this game is much more about the actual gameplay loop – the planning, preparation, and execution of the… execution (pun intended) – with the Hitman backdrop adding to the ambiance in spectacular fashion.

For all that I enjoy about this preview build, it’s not it’s without a few areas I hope get tweaked before the final release. As I’ve mentioned, much of the Hitman experience has been adapted pretty solidly to this bio-degradable format, but I find there to be a disappointing lack of any sort of pre-assassination prep phase, as you get in the video games. I would love to have some sort of system that lets you buy some gear before you begin, to help you plan out your mission ahead of time, while keeping it hidden from the other players to keep things extra exciting.

Secondly, considering all of the assassins are masters of their craft, I would like to see some of that come through in their gameplay, as currently the only thing that sets them apart is the art on their standees. There is an optional rule module that you can add on, Opportunity cards, that can provide your character special boons like being able to use tools to improve the damage you deal. But these are randomly drawn at the start of the game, and the possible pool is similar to the event cards, either general or location-based options. Even giving each assassin a small set of unique cards to add into the mix could help.

I also wouldn’t mind more player interaction during the game. The interrupt cards are fun and all, but it feels a bit off that you can’t interact more directly with other players when you’re in a space with them. It would be neat to have the ability to steal an item, or try to knock them out to take their disguise. Or heck, let me get into a larger joint distraction to pull more guards’ attention to help other players get away, should there be a co-operative or team game mode. There’s some potential there.

Hitman: The Board Game, even in this early state with its “work in progress” components and rules still in flux, has gotten me excited to see what the full breadth of content will look like when it starts delivering next year. Just the base game alone, with its four locations and eight targets, you would have over 1,500 variations, to say nothing of the randomized room locations.

Already, the success of the Gamefound campaign has unlocked additional cards, as well as a new optional mechanic in the form of Personal Restriction cards that both give you a benefit and a handicap, such as no longer being able to hide bodies, but certain units won’t be able to see through your disguises anymore. And for folks who want even more, expansions adding the Berlin location and three more targets to throw into the mix are on offer too, really kicking up the number of options you have to pick from when the game delivers next year. In the meantime, start brushing up on those sneaking skills, agent, you have people to kill.