Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats (2017)

About this game

Clash is a tactical card game of brutal goat combat. The game can be learned in just a few minutes but has a tremendous amount of depth. The box contains enough content for 2 players to immediately play out of the same box, or you can combine Clash with our previous game Gruff to unlock nearly limitless deck-building options and multiplayer modes. In Clash you take the role of a shepherd with a custom team of Battle Goats (called gruffs). In gameplay terms you will choose a Shepherd card (Which represents your health and other stats) and 3 Goat cards. In Shuffle-building style each of the goat cards also comes with a goat deck. Pick 8 cards per goat to create your deck of 24. Players take turns activating goats, playing cards then launching attacks at your opponent. However, when a gruff attacks it does not deal damage until the beginning of your next turn allowing your opponent a turn to dodge, deflect, or counterattack! A Player wins when they can break through the enemy line of defenses and kill the enemy shepherd, or if you successfully kill all 3 enemy gruffs.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 3.0/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 11 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.