Sometimes goblins need to go to war. Goblin Grapple is a strategic card game from Silver Gaming Company which is launching on Kickstarter on May 6th. In Goblin Grapple players compete to build up their goblin armies by besting their opponents in combat. Its a family-friendly card game that kids will enjoy (ours did) and will act as a great filler game for your board game nights.
Campaign
The goal in Goblin Grapple is to race your opponents to 100 points. You do so by winning combat challenges with your opponents and capturing their goblins over a series of rounds. You start by drawing five numbered goblin cards. On your turn you draw another card and can either place a goblin card from your hand face down to defend you or challenge an opponent by placing a goblin card from your hand face up. Combat is resolved like the card game War or the board game Stratego. Higher value cards will capture lower value cards (unless the card has a power that states otherwise). Take a look at the video below for a great demo video from Silver Gaming Company themselves!
Goblin cards can be used for either offense or defense, but not both. I really enjoyed that tension because every decision I made impacted the rest of the round. Unfortunately, I felt like that tension was held back by a lack of card variety. There are only six different card types and of those card types only three of them have unique powers. I am sure this was a result of play testing and that it was a necessary concession in order to balance the game. But, that is still a limitation for me.
With that said, I don’t think that lack of variety hindered my children’s fun at all. In fact, I think that the relatively small number of card types made the game MORE fun for them. Kid’s don’t get to enjoy light gaming experiences very often. They either get forced into crunchier games with their parents or stuck with mass market “games” that are often more activities than anything else. Goblin Grapple hit a sweet spot with my boys where they could play together while chatting about other things. That’s something that they can’t normally do while still enjoying the game they are playing. That is worth the purchase all by itself in my opinion.
Travis Haglund, the designer, took some time to answer some questions for us about his game and its Kickstarter campaign. Take a look below for the Q and A!
What is the elevator pitch for Goblin Grapple?
A fast paced strategy game based on elements of Stratego and Classic War
When is your Kickstarter going live?
May 6
Where are you in production/development? How close are you to complete?
Finalized internal prototypes.
Are there any other games that you think are comparable to your game?
There are elements of Stratego in our game, but this game plays much quicker.
You’re a game designer. You could have made any game you wanted. Why did you make THIS game?
My goal with this game was to invoke suspense and laughter while player. I needed the learning curve to be low to be family friendly, but still wanted strategy for more serious gamers – plus the goblin theme!
What was your design process like?
We rapid-prototyped this game with inspiration from Stratego (one of my favorite games as a kid). I wanted the cards to be simple to learn with only a single stat per card! In order to achieve this, special goblins with abilities were added. Getting the synergy to click between them took some time, but with a lot of family and local gamers’ support I am confident in the balance now.
What is the number one reason why a family MUST purchase this game?
Its fun!
How long has this game been in development?
6 months
What obstacles did you encounter making this game?
Card Synergy
What did your first prototype look like?
We used placeholder art for the first prototype and printed it on our home printer so not the greatest. 🙂
Why did you get into making games?
To see other people enjoy something you created. It is an incredible feeling.
What other information do you want us to know about you, your company, and/or your game?
We are in this for the long run, and want to build a community slow and steady. We are always open to feedback and suggestions, so please reach out!
What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!
Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!
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