GobbleStones
GobbleStones Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 9 double-sided Board squares
- 100 colored tiles (20 each of 5 colors)
- 4 tile racks
- Tile Bag
- Score pad
Setup
Each game is played on a board made up of 9 Board squares set adjacent to each other. Each Board square has 25 colored Stone squares with numbers inside representing their value. Randomly select 9 of the Board squares (use either side) and place them so they form a 3x3 board. Give each player a tile rack.
Everyone draws 5 colored tiles from the bag and places them on their racks. Place the tiles in the rack vertically. The youngest person goes first. For just their first play, at least one tile must be placed in the center space of one of the boards.
Placement Rules
Now and thereafter, all tiles must be placed according to the following placement rules:
- Play at least one tile adjacent to one existing tile and tiles must be played in a straight (orthogonal) row. (no skipping spaces!) Goblins are always efficient when gobbling.
- Tiles played must match the color of the space they are played on.
- You can never place a tile so that a 2 x 2 square of covered spaces is formed. Don't be a Greedy Goblin! (While Goblin magic allows them to replicate their fields for the next meal, some stones must always be left behind in order to rebuild.)
Play
On your turn you must place 0-5 tiles in a straight row on the board. Each stone covered is a stone you ate! Immediately score the sum of the numbers of the squares you covered.
Ah, but a stuffed goblin is a slow goblin! Draw new tiles based on the number you played subtracted from 5. This means that playing no tiles allows you to draw five tiles, and if you play five tiles you will draw zero. Likewise playing two tiles means you draw three, etc.
| Tiles Played | Tiles you Draw |
|---|---|
| 0 | 5 |
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 0 |
When you are done, the player to your left takes their turn and so on.
Game End
The game is over when one player places his last tile and cannot redraw the total needed because the bag is empty or does not contain the number of tiles required to be drawn. In the rare event that a player plays his last 5 tiles and doesn't draw, play continues until a player needs to draw or it is the turn of the player who has no tiles left. Players with remaining tiles get a bonus of one point for each. The player with the most points is the fattest Goblin and wins!
Bluffing Variant
In this variant, all of the tiles are played face down. You still want to match the colors on the board just like in the normal game. But if you're sneaky, maybe not?
After you play your tiles, your opponents can decide to trust that you've played correctly, in which case you are NOT challenged, and your turn ends.
However, if one of your opponents thinks you're bluffing, they can challenge your entire play. (If multiple players challenge at the same time, then the first player clockwise is the challenger.) When a challenge happens, all of the tiles you played on your turn are turned face up. Now, one of two things will happen:
- a. The tiles were played correctly. Good for you! The player who challenged you loses a number of points equal to the ones you earned.
- b. At least one tile was played incorrectly. Bad for you! You put the tiles back into your rack, lose any points earned and your turn ends.