Peek Before You Commit
Look before you open the door, at the cost of time and a little exposure.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Information · Risk · Planning
No.108Thief01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Stop at a door or corner
- 02Pay to peek
- 03Gain local intel
- 04Enter or detour
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
Your agent has 6 AP and two doors; a peek costs 1, entering costs 2.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
You peek left (5 AP left) and see a guard with his back to the door.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
You enter left and act behind him, leaving 3 AP.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
The right door is still unknown; next turn you decide whether it's worth another point.
How it plays
Unseen areas stay blank or fuzzy until viewed; peeking at a door or corner spends action points or time to reveal a slice. It shows enemy positions and facing, but an enemy looking straight at you may catch the peek.
What the player weighs
- Every peek costs turn resources, so scouting slows progress
- Skipping the peek saves resources but risks walking into a guard
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Thief
Garrett can lean left, right and forward to scout around corners without leaving shadow.
Invisible, Inc.
Agents can peek through doors and around corners to reveal the area, a core intel action in turn planning.
The difference worth noticing
Thief's peek is a real-time body move; Invisible, Inc. turns it into a turn resource to budget.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Peeked areas stick on your map, but guard positions are frozen at that moment, so old map info can lie to you.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Disguise Access Rights
Every outfit unlocks a different map, but someone always sees through it.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Locate the needed outfit
- 02Subdue or steal to change
- 03Enter newly allowed zones
- 04Avoid those who see through
Dragging and Hiding Bodies
Taking out a guard is half the job; hiding him is the other half.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Drop an isolated enemy
- 02Drag them at slow speed
- 03Stash them in cover
- 04Confirm nobody saw
Hiding Spots and Exit Timing
Getting in is easy; picking the right moment to come out is the game.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Find cover under pressure
- 02Hide and watch
- 03Wait for a patrol gap
- 04Exit and advance