Goons Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
• Setup
• Flow of the Game
  • Breakdown of a Turn
  • Goon Abilities
• Actions
  • Work Out at the Dojo (Red Location Action)
  • Earn Extra at the Diner (Yellow Location Action)
  • Get New Stuff at the Supermarket (Green Location Action)
  • Mix Things Up at the Nightclub (Blue Location Action)
  • Junk Cubes! (No Action)
  • Commit Action
  • Hustle Track Action
• Villain Resolution
• Villain Schemes
  • Blind Razor
  • The Doctor
  • Jolly Butcher
  • Kid Random
  • Lady Darmondy
  • Mary Klyde
• Item Cards
• End of the Game
• Summary
  • Turn Breakdown
  • Possible Actions
  • Endgame Scoring
  • Glossary

Components

• 1 Game Board and 1 Game Board Grid
• 4 Crib Boards and 5 Crib Board Grids
• 20 x 4 Action Cubes
• 20 Junk Cubes
• 20 x 4 Energy Markers (limited resource)
• 20 x 5 Colour Blind Friendly Action Tokens (can be used instead of the Cubes without the Grids)
• 28 Item Cards
• 6 Goon Cards
• 5 x 6 Villain Decks
• 5 x 5 Goon Tokens
• 2 x 10 Villain Tokens (limited resource)
• 6 Villain Dice (unlimited resource)
• 1 Villain Bag
• 38 Money Tokens (unlimited resource)
• 80 Auction Tokens (unlimited resource)

Overview

In Goons, Players will try out new thrilling careers as henchmen throwing themselves right into the heat of the fire by joining different Villain's wacky Schemes. The goal is to earn as much cash as possible, get the snazziest gear and rise in status with the local Villains!

On a Player's turn they will cleverly try and combine two Actions by drafting an Action Cube from the City Board and place it on an Action Space on their Crib Board!

Actions include going to The Dojo to increase your Energy, shopping for new gear at The Supermarket, earn a little extra at The Local Diner, mixing things up on the Game Board at The Nightclub, or go hustling on the streets!

But most importantly, Players will use their Actions to Commit to different daring Villain Schemes by placing Energy Markers on them to increase the chances of success and rewards!

Each Villain in the game has a unique theme and scoring mechanic, so Players will have to consider carefully which ones to support.

The Goon with the most ★ (Victory Points) at the end of the game is really awesome and wins the whole shebang!

Setup

1. Put the Game Board out in the middle of the table with the Game Board Grid on top. Shuffle all Action Cubes with the Junk Cubes and put them out randomly on the Grid. Be sure to not put any Junk Cubes on any outer corner space.
2. Shuffle 4 Villain Decks (decide by choice based on player preference or randomly) and randomly put them on the spaces for Villains in the corners of the Game Board. Draw the top Cards and put them next to the Villain on the assigned Scheme spaces.
3. If using Kid Random, put the Villain Dice next to him. If using Lady Darmondy, put the Auction Tokens next to her. If using Blind Razor, put the Villain Cubes (Tokens) & Bag next to him.
4. Prepare the Common Supply and put the Energy Markers next to the red corner of the Game Board, and the Money Tokens next to the yellow corner.
5. For the green corner, shuffle the Item Cards into a Deck and draw 4 Cards to put on display next to it.
6. Randomly decide upon a First Player and choose Goon Cards in clockwise Turn Order starting with the First Player. Place the Goon Card (with the Goon Ability symbol face up) on each Player's Crib Board (the 5th row of the Crib Board is ONLY used in 2 player games) and put the Crib Board Grids on top of them. Place the Goon Tokens matching the Players' colours on the Score Track.
7. Depending on Player Count, give each Player 4 extra Goon Tokens and the following from the Common Supply:
   • 2 Players: 9 Energy Markers & 2 Money Tokens
   • 3+ Players: 7 Energy Markers & 1 Money Token

Well done, you're good to go!

Flow of the Game

The Game consists of 3 Rounds in which Players take 4 Turns each (5 Turns in a 2 Player Game) in clockwise Turn Order, performing 2 Actions each. Every round ends with a Villain Resolution. After 3 Rounds, Players tally up the Score and the Player with the most ★ wins the Game!

Breakdown of a Turn

On a Player's turn, the Player explores the city's options by taking an Action Cube from the Game Board. The Players are only allowed to take an Action Cube from an outer corner space, or directly adjacent (not diagonally) to an empty space.

The Player then places the Action Cube on an empty Action Space in the row of the current turn on their Crib Board. In any order of their choice, the Player performs two Actions correlating to the colours of the Action Space and the Action Cube.

Example: the player could take the blue action Cube in the leftmost lower corner, or any of the ACTION Cubes adjacent to empty spaces.

Example: as his second turn, the Purple player performs a blue action and a yellow action by placing the Blue Action Cube on the yellow Action space on the Crib Board. The Cubes will stay there throughout the game.

Goon Abilities

Each Player has a Goon Ability in the form of 2 different coloured Cubes on their Goon Card. They may use it on their Turn once per Game by taking any Action Cube from the Game Board that matches 1 of the 2 colours (without the restriction of having to take an Action Cube next to an empty space), perform the Action, and remove the Action Cube from the Game. Once used, the Player flips their Card.

Example: The Purple Player decides to also use his Goon ability by adding a Green Action to his turn by taking a Green Action Cube from the Game Board, performing the action and flipping his card.

Actions

Work Out at the Dojo (Red Location Action)

Take an Energy Marker of your own colour from the Common Supply and add it to your Personal Supply.

You'll need Energy to participate in Villain Schemes, so Players should always make sure to not run out!

Earn Extra at the Diner (Yellow Location Action)

Take 1 Money Token from the Common Supply and add it to your Personal Supply.

Money can be used to buy Items at the Supermarket and they are also worth ★ (1 ★ for every 2 Money).

Get New Stuff at the Supermarket (Green Location Action)

Buy one of the available Items and add it to your Personal Supply. Draw a new Item Card to replace the one just bought. A Player is allowed to have multiple copies of the same Item (for the ★), but the abilities of the Item do not stack.

Items give players some really handy powers to use throughout the game. They are also worth quite a lot of ★. So make sure to get some nice gear instead of piling up dough!

Mix Things Up at the Nightclub (Blue Location Action)

Either move an Action Cube or Junk Cube from the Game Board (only from outer corners and Cubes next to empty spaces) to another space on the Game Board (you may never move a Cube so it makes it impossible to take a Cube from the Game Board) OR move up to 2 of your Energy Markers from Schemes to another Scheme (you may also take them back to your Personal Supply).

The Night Club is a great location if you're having a change of heart regarding schemes, need to get some annoying Junk Cubes out of the way, or increase/lower the ★ value of a Villain. Don't underestimate it!

Junk Cubes! (No Action)

The Black Cubes on the Game Board are considered Junk and not Action Cubes. They cannot be taken and don't serve any other purpose than being in the way!

Commit Action

Move up to 2 Energy Markers from your Personal Supply to a Villain that matches the colour of the Action used.

Place the Energy Markers in a pile in the leftmost empty circular space next to the Villain's Scheme unless you've previously Committed to the Scheme. If you have, you build up on your previous pile by stacking the Energy Markers on top. Each space can only contain Energy Markers of one Player and the number of Markers it can hold is unlimited.

Sort all of the piles of Energy Markers Committed to the Scheme in descending order on the numbered circular spaces, keeping the biggest piles of Energy to the left. Do not change the order of piles with an equal amount of Energy Markers (you have to Commit more Energy than another Player to change the order between them). This is called the COMMIT ORDER.

Example: the Teal player uses both her blue actions to commit by placing a total of 4 Energy markers on the blue villain's scheme. As she now has the most Energy on the Scheme, she places herself in the far left space and slides her opponents one space to the right.

Participating in Villain Schemes is the main way of receiving ★, Energy, Money, and hustle track advancement in the game. So make sure to back the Schemes that are the most beneficial to you!

Hustle Track Action

Advance one space upwards on the Hustle Track matching the colour of the Action used with one of your Goon Tokens and receive the depicted reward next to the space (if any). All rewards are immediately rewarded except for the 5 ★ space, which is received during the end game scoring if the Player is still on the space. If you receive Hustle Track advancement as a reward (from a Scheme or for advancing on a Hustle Track), you may distribute the advancements freely regardless of colour.

The symbol representing the Hustle Track: if it has a number inside, it means that you will be able to advance that many spaces on whichever tracks you want.

When advancing on a Hustle Track for the very first time, place your Goon Token on the first space on the bottom of the track.

Example: the white player doesn't want to use The Supermarket or Commit Energy to the Green Villain's Scheme, so she advances one space on the Hustle Track to receive 1 Energy, as she is already on the third space on the Green Track.

If none of the options above is to your liking, you can go hustling in one of the districts! Something is better than nothing... right?

Villain Resolution

When each Player has taken all their Turns, the Round ends with a resolution of all Villain Schemes that have Energy Markers on them in Clockwise Order starting with the red corner of the Game Board. The Player with the most Energy on a Scheme is always the Player resolving the Scheme. Follow the instructions of the Scheme and resolve and reward accordingly (add Money and Energy Markers to the Players' Supply and register ★ on the Score Track).

The reward for the ★ X symbol is the amount of visible ★ with the Villain's colour as background on the Game Board. +/- modifying this value (the value can never be lower than 0). Each Goon also gets to add the visible ★ from their Crib Board to their own reward (the 5th row of the Crib Boards is only counted in 2 player games). Energy Markers committed to a successful Scheme are always discarded afterwards to the Common Supply.

But if there is not enough Energy on a Scheme to resolve it, or if the Scheme's resolution fails, the Scheme is unsuccessful and Players return all of their Committed Energy to their Personal Supply (The Villains take care of the hospital bill as compensation). Players also get to return their Energy if they don't receive a reward from a Scheme they are participating in.

Unless it's the end of the third Round, draw a new Scheme for every Villain, refresh the Players' exhausted Item Cards by flipping them back, and discard all Item Cards in the Supermarket and draw 4 new ones. Begin a new Round with the Player with the most ★ on the Score Track as the First Player (if tied, the Player with the most Energy will be First Player. If still tied, the previous First Player decides).

If it is the end of the third Round, proceed to End Game Scoring!

Example: the pink player resolves Kid Random's Scheme by rolling a total of 3 dice as there are 3 Energy Markers on the Scheme (1 die for every 1 Energy). The total of the dice roll is 13 which means it succeeds in reaching the 12+ goal. The pink player is rewarded with a total of 9 ★ (6 ★ for the visible ★ with red background on the Game Board + 3 ★ as the Pink Player also has 3 visible ★ with red background on his Crib Board) as well as 2 Energy. The purple player is rewarded 7 Energy Markers for being in second place. No one receives the third reward.

Villain Schemes

Each Villain has a unique deck of Schemes with a special theme and game mechanic, and some even use extra components. So make sure to carefully go through each Scheme on display so all Players understand them. Some seem deceivingly similar, but there are often small twists and variations that can have a big impact on the outcome!

There are a total of 30 Schemes available in the game presenting different risk & reward! (The rewards of each Scheme are shown as icons on the cards.)

Blind Razor

Players will venture into the unknown when resolving Blind Razor's Schemes and rely on odds when blindly drawing from a Bag!

Blind Razor Schemes are resolved by players placing the depicted amount of Villain Tokens (either Blank Tokens or Skull Tokens) into the Villain Bag. Players will then draw the depicted amount of requested Villain Tokens and claim the Reward based on the result and the Commit Order during the Villain Resolution. Players may in the Commit Order spend Energy from their personal supply to draw an additional Villain Token for the depicted amount of Energy.

Recommended for: Players enjoying betting on odds and taking a risk! Randomness: Medium High. Complexity: 3 stars.

• The Breakout: 1 Skull Token for every 2 Energy committed to the Scheme goes into the Bag together with 5 Blank Tokens. 4 Villain Tokens are then randomly drawn from the bag. The amount of Skull Tokens dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.
• Feeding the Fishes: 1 Skull Token for every Energy committed to the Scheme goes into the Bag together with 5 Blank Tokens. 5 Villain Tokens are then randomly drawn from the bag. The amount of Skull Tokens dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.
• Needle in the Hay: 1 Skull Token for every Energy committed to the Scheme goes into the Bag together with 5 Blank Tokens. Players then individually randomly draw 1 Villain Token each from the bag, without placing it back. If a player draws a Skull Token they claim the reward individually.
• The Night Raid: 1 Skull Token for every 1 Energy the contributing Players have left in their personal supply (for a maximum of 10) goes into the Bag together with 10 Blank Tokens. 6 Villain Tokens are then randomly drawn from the bag. The amount of Skull Tokens dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.
• The Prison Transport: 1 Blank Token for every Energy committed to the Scheme goes into the Bag together with 8 Skull Tokens. 5 Villain Tokens are then randomly drawn from the bag. The amount of Skull Tokens dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.

The Doctor

"What you see is what you get" is very much the truth with this Eccentric self-proclaimed Doctor, leaving nothing to chance!

THE DOCTOR's Schemes are resolved by players claiming the reward individually based on the condition of the Scheme during the Villain Resolution. Usually it is based on committed Energy, but can also be based on what the Player has in their Personal Supply.

Recommended for: Players that don't like randomness one bit. Randomness: Low. Complexity: 2 stars.

• Blackmailing, Picking up the Crumbs, The Ambush: Each player scores individually based on the Energy they each have committed to the Scheme.
• Rigged Bets: Players have to pay a one-time entry fee of 2 Energy to commit to the Scheme. Each player scores individually based on the Money they each have in their personal Supply (they are free to pick any one reward they qualify for).
• The Hideout: Players have to pay a one-time entry fee of 2 Energy to commit to the Scheme. Each player scores individually based on the Energy they each have in their personal Supply (they are free to pick any one reward they qualify for).

Jolly Butcher

Your local friendly butcher! ... With quite a lot of fishy stuff going on behind the counter! If you want something, Jolly can deliver!

JOLLY BUTCHER Schemes let players immediately make the depicted trade when committing Energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution, only one player will score ★, depending on the Commit Order.

Recommended for: Players that enjoy exchanging stuff! Randomness: Low. Complexity: 1 star.

• Clearing Out Evidence: The committing Player immediately gets to perform the depicted trade (lose 1 ★ or 1 Hustle Track advancement to gain 3 Energy) up to 2 times, each time they commit energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution only the player in last place in the Commit Order receives the ★ Reward.
• Fresh Meat: The committing Player immediately gets to perform the depicted trade (1 Money to gain 3 Energy) up to 3 times, each time they commit energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution only the player in first place in the Commit Order receives the ★ Reward.
• Returning Favours: The committing Player immediately gets to perform the depicted trade (1 Energy to gain 3 Money) up to 2 times, each time they commit energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution only the player in first place in the Commit Order receives the ★ Reward.
• The Clean Up: The committing Player immediately gets to perform the depicted trade (1 Money to gain 3 Hustle Track Advancement) up to 2 times, each time they commit energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution only the player in first place in the Commit Order receives the ★ Reward.
• Hired Muscle: The committing Player immediately gets to perform the depicted trade (2 Energy to gain 2 ★) up to 2 times, each time they commit energy to the Scheme. During the Villain Resolution only the player in last place in the Commit Order receives the ★ Reward.

Kid Random

"Living by the Dice", Kid Random's schemes is all about risk, reward and taking a leap of fate!

KID RANDOM Schemes are resolved by players rolling a specific amount of Dice based on the total committed Energy during the Villain Resolution. Roll all the Dice, total the sum and check which Reward the Players will receive based on the result and Commit Order. Participating players may in the Commit Order spend Energy from their personal supply to reroll a Die for every Energy spent (they may not reroll once a Scheme is successful).

Recommended for: Players that enjoy the thrill of the dice, high risks and challenges! Randomness: High. Complexity: 1 star.

• The Mall Hit, The Train Bust: Roll 1 Dice for every 2 Energy committed to the Scheme. The result dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.
• Sweeping the Streets, The Riot: Roll 1 Dice for every Energy committed to the Scheme. The result dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order.
• The Insurance Fraud: Roll 1 Dice for every Energy committed to the Scheme. The result dictates which reward the player receives depending on the Commit Order. In this Scheme the result needs to be 14 or lower.

Lady Darmondy

Lady Darmondy's schemes are usually really successful! But you'll need to be real cunning to walk out there with something in your pockets...

LADY DARMONDY's Schemes are resolved by Players performing a blind auction for every depicted reward based on their committed Energy. An auction is performed for every reward, left to right during the Villain Resolution, with Players secretly placing Auction Tokens in their hands, revealing their bids at the same time. If tied, the highest bidder shares (rounded down, to a minimum of 1). If all players bid 0 Auction Tokens, the Reward is lost. Auction Tokens can not be saved for later rounds.

Recommended for: Players enjoying auction mechanisms and double bluffing. Randomness: Medium. Complexity: 1 star.

• The Split, Collecting Debts, The Tunnel, Robbing the Robbers, Adrenaline Rush: During the Villain Resolution, the players will each receive twice the amount of Auction Tokens for the Energy they individually have committed to the Scheme. They will then claim the depicted rewards by performing a blind Auction for each reward, left to right.

Mary Klyde

Mary Klyde's schemes are about tactical positioning and like so many things in life, being there at the right time.

MARY KLYDE's Schemes are resolved by players claiming the depicted rewards in the Commit Order during the Villain Resolution. Each participating player gets to place 1 of their committed Energy on an available reward and immediately receive it. Players continue claiming rewards until all rewards are claimed or all committed energy has been used.

Recommended for: Competitive players that don't like randomness! Randomness: Low. Complexity: 1 star.

• The Disposal, The Holdout, The Boat Trip, The Rooftop Heist: Players claim the depicted rewards in the Commit Order during the Villain Resolution. Each participating player gets to place 1 of their committed Energy on an available reward and immediately receive it. If any rewards are left unclaimed, players continue taking turns.
• Melting Gold: Players have to pay a one-time entry fee of 2 Money to commit to the Scheme. Players claim the depicted rewards in the Commit Order during the Villain Resolution. Each participating player gets to place 1 of their committed Energy on an available reward and immediately receive it. If any rewards are left unclaimed, players continue taking turns.

Item Cards

To use an Item, simply exhaust it by rotating it 90 degrees to show that is has been used, then perform the instructions of the card. When using items with once per game abilities, flip the card upside down to remember it has been used and cannot be refreshed.

• Increases your Energy marker limit when Committing to a scheme to 3 (instead of 2).
• You may once per round take back 2 of your Energy Markers after scoring a Scheme.
• You may once per Round on your turn add 1 Energy Marker from the Common supply to a Scheme.
• You may once per Round on your turn move up to 2 Energy Marker from your supply to a Scheme.
• You may once per Round on your turn receive 1 Energy Marker from the common supply.
• You may once per Round on your turn move up to 2 of your Energy Markers from a Scheme to another Scheme.
• You may on your turn convert Money to Energy.
• You may once per game count your Energy Markers on a Scheme as Twice as much. Decide in Commit Order if to use or not.
• You may once per game on your turn receive 6 Energy from the common supply.
• You receive 2 ★ for each Scheme you're not participating in.
• You may once per Round on your turn add 2 Energy Marker from the Common supply to a Scheme.
• You may once per Round on your turn move 2 action cubes or Junk Cubes from the game board to empty spaces on the game board.
• You may once per round treat an Action Cube as any colour of your choice.
• Double the effect of a Location Action (not a Commit or Hustle Track Action) once per round.

End of the Game

After the third villain resolution round (when each player has 3 Action Cubes on each Row of their Crib Board), the Game ends and Players register the final Score by adding the following ★:

• ★ from their Item cards
• 1 ★ for every 2 Money they have left
• 1 ★ for every 3 Energy Markers they have left
• The Player that is placed highest on each respective Hustle Track receives ★ equal to the player count (ties are split rounded up). The Players also receive 5 ★ for every Hustle Track they've reached the top of.

The Player with the most ★ wins the game! In case of a tie, the Player with the most Items left wins. If still tied, the turn order breaks ties.

Example: the purple Player will score 1 ★ for the 2 money he has left, 1 ★ for the 3 Energy he has left, and 10 ★ for his Item Cards. He is positioned the highest on the Yellow Hustle Track which also gives him 4 ★ as he's playing a 4 player game.

Summary

The Game consists of 3 Rounds in which Players take 4 Turns each (5 Turns in a 2 Player Game) in clockwise Turn Order, performing 2 Actions. Every Round ends with a Villain Resolution in which the Villain Schemes are resolved in clockwise order from the top left corner. After 3 Rounds, Players tally up the Score and the Player with the most ★ wins the Game!

Turn Breakdown

Take an Action Cube from the Game Board and place it on an empty Action Space in the row of the current turn on your Crib Board. In any order of your choice, perform two Actions correlating to the colours of the Action Space and the Action Cube.

Possible Actions

• Work out at the Dojo (red location action): Take an Energy Marker of your own colour from the Common Supply and add it to your Personal Supply.
• Earn extra at the Diner (yellow location action): Take 1 Money Token from the Supply and add it to your Personal Supply.
• Get new stuff at the Supermarket (green location action): Buy one of the available Items and add it to your Personal Supply. Draw a new Item Card to replace the one just bought.
• Mix things up at the Nightclub (blue location action): Either move an Action Cube or Junk Cube from the Game Board to another space on the Game Board OR move up to 2 of your Energy Markers from Schemes to another Scheme (you may also take them back to your Personal Supply).
• Commit Action: Move up to 2 Energy Markers from your Personal Supply to a Villain that matches the colour of the Action used.
• Hustle Track Action: Advance one space upwards on the Hustle Track matching the colour of the Action used, with one of your Goon Tokens. Receive the depicted reward (if any).

Endgame Scoring

• ★ from your Item cards
• 1 ★ for every 2 Money you have left
• 1 ★ for every 3 Energy Markers you have left
• The Player that is placed highest on each respective Hustle Track receives ★ equal to the player count (ties are split rounded up). The Players also receive 5 ★ for every Hustle Track they've reached the top of.

Glossary

• Committed Energy: Placed Energy on a Villain's Scheme.
• Commit Order: The order left to right on a Villain's Scheme, determined by the most Energy committed.