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GUBS
GUBS advertises itself as a game of wit and luck. Is this a fair summary? Read on below to find out.
The Game and Set Up
GUBS is a set collection and take that game from Gamewright. It plays with 2-6 players and plays in about 20 minutes.
In GUBS, you are trying to build the biggest Gubs colony. This is done by having the most free and protected Gubs in front of you at the end of the game. Players have the ability to trap the Gubs of other players, taking them out of contention for scoring, or lure Gubs to their side from an opposing player. You can also play barricades to protect your Gubs and prevent them being trapped by another player. There are also tool cards within the deck which can be used to destroy the traps. As well as the standard Gubs, there is one Esteemed Elder Gub, who is still worth one point at the end of the game but who is immune to traps, lures and most events.
Each player starts the game with one standard Gub card in front of them. The letter G, U and B cards are removed from the deck and the deck is shuffled. Then insert the letter cards back into the deck -one near the top, one in the middle and one near the bottom. Shuffle the deck again.
The players are each dealt a hand of 3 cards. If the card is an event card it should be placed into the deck and a new card dealt. The deck is placed in the middle of the table and you are ready to begin.
How to Play
Each turn is made up of three steps, although not all steps have to take place each turn.
Firstly you draw one card. You can decide not to draw a card but you cannot skip the draw phase two turns in a row. Some cards are marked with a lightning bolt symbol. These are event cards and must be played immediately. There are interrupt cards which can be used in response to certain event cards, however, there are only a few of these. If you draw a letter card (G, U or B) this is placed face up on the table.
Then you play as many or as few cards from your hand as you want. Sometimes it can be beneficial not to play a card to help save up for a big turn later on. Once you have finished playing cards, you must discard down to eight cards if you have more than this in your hand. Play then passes to the next player.
The game ends when the third letter card is drawn from the deck. Each player then adds up the number of free and protected Gubs in front of them, trapped Gubs do not count, and the player with the highest number of Gubs wins. If there is a tie, the player with the Esteemed Elder in play wins. If no player has the Esteemed Elder the player with the fewest cards in their hand wins.
Final Thoughts
GUBS is a lot of fun to play. The whimsical theme means that whilst there is a take-that aspect to the game, it is hard to take it too seriously when your Gub is caught in a sud spout.
Granted, this is not a complex game and it is heavily reliant on luck as to which cards you draw. Also, whilst I am happy to play it, I know that the gameplay options don’t really change each time. So for some people games may feel a little too alike. I find that the simplicity of the game and the feeling of playing a game which you know very well, make GUBS a perfect filler game, or a great suggestion to scratch the mid-week evening board game itch.
Another bonus of the game’s lack of complexity is the ease of learning. I found that after a very quick read of the rules I was ready to get stuck in. The text on the cards is easy to read and clearly explains what each card does and in case of queries the rule book sets out what each card does.
The artwork fits in really well with the theme, and I really enjoy the flavour text on the cards which further enhances the theme. The components are simply a deck of cards but even these are linen-feel, which, to me, adds an extra slice of enjoyment to GUBS.
If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted, small game then you should give GUBS a go!
