Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats

About this board game

Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats is a tactical card game of brutal goat combat for 2 players, with games lasting about 45 minutes. Each player takes the role of a shepherd leading a custom team of three Battle Goats, known as gruffs.

To prepare, choose a Shepherd card, which represents your health and other statistics, then select three Goat cards. Each goat comes with its own deck, and you pick eight cards per goat to create a 24-card deck tailored to your team.

• Choose a shepherd and three gruffs.
• Select eight cards from each goat’s deck.
• Activate goats, play cards, and launch attacks.

Players take turns activating their goats and using cards to shape the battle. Attacks are deliberately delayed: when a gruff attacks, it does not deal damage until the beginning of your next turn. That gives your opponent an opportunity to dodge, deflect, or counterattack before the attack resolves.

Victory comes from breaking through the enemy line of defenses and killing the opposing shepherd, or from successfully killing all three enemy gruffs. The rules can be learned in just a few minutes, while the combination of different goats and cards provides considerable tactical depth.

The box includes enough content for two players to play immediately from the same box. Combine Clash with the previous Gruff game to unlock nearly limitless deck-building options and multiplayer modes. Released in 2017, Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats offers a focused two-player contest built around timing, team composition, and battlefield pressure.