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Rainy days can be a pain, especially with kids to entertain. I’m not sure that’s an actual expression, but this weekend it was certainly true as my nine-year-old daughter had friends over for the day, and it was tipping it down outside. Luckily for me, I had recently been contacted to run the rule over a preview copy of Gobblin Goblins, a new card game that was about to hit Kickstarter and armed with this I set about the task of trying to keep the peace in a house full of bored kids…..
Playing Gobblin Goblins
Gobblin Goblins is a card game for 2-12 players, designed by Angela Dickens and the delightfully disgusting artwork supplied by Dan Prowse. With six of us sitting around the table to play, the kids found the artwork pretty absorbing, taking their time to read through the descriptions and characters as they selected which of the 12 Goblin cards they wanted to take as their own.
With Goblins selected, special powers discussed in-depth, and the particular food preferences of each character analysed, I dealt out five cards per player and the feeding frenzy began.
The gameplay was pretty easy to pick up, and very enjoyable to boot. Players take turns in actioning a card from their hand, be it a Food, Action or Distraction card, collecting food into groups of three and devouring them to build up points.
The foody foibles of the various Goblins means that favourite foods score more points, whilst allergic categories lose you points. Wild cards with extra point values (the much sought after Tasty Biscuit, while we devoured Wagon Wheels) can make a big difference, as can the Distraction cards which can change the game and seem very valuable.
Gobblin Goblins was easy to pick up for the kids, and they had a great time playing it whilst I at the same time could see the levels of tactical play that could make it into a great game to play with adult friends. After a successful afternoon playing with the kids, I gave Gobblin Goblins a whirl with my gaming group and we spent a good few hours playing. The tactical side of the gameplay is great to get your teeth into, allowing for a fun, competitive game with a relatively simple rule set to pick up and play quickly.
Thoughts on Gobblin Goblins
Overall, I’d say Gobblin Goblins offers a great deal for both adult and junior players. The artwork is charming and unique, certainly a talking point for all the players that joined in my test games, whilst the game mechanics are simple enough for kids to enjoy whilst having enough tactical layers to offer plenty to more experienced card gamers.
All players enjoyed the grotesque delights of the menu on offer to the Goblin characters, the concept of devouring mud pies and bogeys is of universal appeal. The large number of players it can accommodate makes it a great party game whilst still holding its appeal in the three and four player games I took part in.
The Gobblin Goblins Kickstarter is live until November 26 and pledges for a single copy start at just £10 (plus P&P)!