Go Goblin, Go!
Go Goblin, Go! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Game board: The game board has three sections. The Tunnel where goblins race toward the pit of fire, the Motivation Board shows how many rocks each goblin needs to move and the Commands show which commands each goblin will follow.
Goblin markers: Each goblin (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and black) has two markers, a pawn to show their position on the main track (The Tunnel) and a cube to show their level on the Motivation Board.
Command tiles: Every command tile has two different numbers from 1 to 6 to correspond with die rolls. These are placed on the Command track.
Goblin cards: There are 36 total cards (six sets of six cards each). Each card shows which color goblin the card corresponds to and the ability that card grants that goblin. There are six different goblin abilities and each goblin has a different ability with each set of cards.
Other pieces: Several rock counters and one standard six-sided die.
Game Set-Up
Place the board within reach of all players. Place the six goblin pawns on the START space of The Tunnel, randomly place one goblin cube on each space of the Motivation Board and randomly distribute two command tiles to each space of the command track.
Give three rocks tokens to each player for their personal supply. Place the remaining rock tokens in a pile near the board.
Separate the Goblin cards into six sets based on the letter in the upper left corner (i.e. the "A" set, the "B" set, the "C" set, etc.) Place each set of goblin cards face down and each player randomly chooses one set. Each player selects three of the cards from their set to place face down in front of themselves. These are the goblins players will score with at the end of the game. All unused cards are returned to the box.
The youngest player goes first. They take the die and start the game.
Play
Players' turns are simple. Start by rolling the die then choose whether to move a goblin forward on the main track or collect rocks. Once either action is taken the die passes to the next clockwise player who takes the next turn. This continues until the game ends (when the first goblin is moved into the pit of fire).
A player must always roll the die at the beginning of their turn. The die roll shows which goblin(s) you may move or how many rocks you may collect.
Collecting rocks: If you decide to collect rocks for your turn, you take as many rocks from the main supply as are shown on the die and your turn is over.
Moving a goblin: If you decide to move a goblin in The Tunnel: Start by checking which goblins have command tiles that correspond to your die roll. These are the goblins you may move this turn. Example: You roll a 3. There is a 3 command tile on the red, blue, green and black. Now, check the motivation board to see how motivated these goblins are. A goblin's motivation shows how many rocks must be thrown at it before it will move. Example: The red is on 5, blue is on 3, green is on 2 and black is on 0.
After you choose a goblin, pay as many rocks to the main supply equal to it's motivation level. Next, set aside that goblin's cube from the motivation board, move less motivated (higher-numbered) goblins' cubes down a number to fill in the space and place the set aside cube on the 5 space of the motivation board. (See illustration on next page.)
Once rocks have been thrown, the goblin will move. It will move once for each command it has which corresponds to the die roll. (It is possibile to have a number occur twice on one goblin's command color. In this case, the player will pay once but that goblin will move twice.) Each time a goblin moves it will go forward one space. Since the mine tunnel is a narrow one, only two goblins can fit on any space. When a goblin moves onto a space which already has two goblins on it, move it forward until it reaches a space with fewer than two goblins.
Using card abilities: A player has the option to use a goblin's ability before or after moving a goblin on their turn. They may use one ability per turn. Any ability may be used only once per game. The goblin whose ability is used does not necessarily have to be the goblin moved that turn. Once the ability is used, that goblin's card is turned face up. It will remain face up for the rest of the game. The text on the card will describe the ability and how it is used.
Once a goblin has been moved and the decision of whether or not to use an ability has been made, the turn is over. The next player (in a clockwise direction) takes the die and it is their turn.
Motivation Cube Advancement
Illustration note (sidebar on the printed page): If the player decides to pay 2 rocks to move the green goblin, he first pays the 2 rocks to the common rock supply and moves the green goblin according to the movement rules. After moving the goblin, he then moves the green "Motivation Cube" to space 5. To make room, the blue, orange and red cubes are each advanced one space. This means that if the green goblin wants to move again next turn, it will will cost 5 rocks. The blue will cost 2 rocks, the orange will cost 3 and the red will cost 4 rocks if they wish to move next turn.
Endgame
The game ends as soon as one goblin is moved into the pit of fire. This goblin is dead and will not score any points for a player who had selected its card at the start of the game.
Players reveal which goblins they chose during set up. Each player now gains points based on which spaces of the tunnel their goblins ended on. Every space has a number which is how many points a goblin on that space is worth. The player with the highest points total wins the game, with ties going to the player with more rocks left.
Goblin Abilities
Here are some clarifications about how different goblin abilities are played.
"Move the red goblin back 1 space."
The goblin only moves away from the pit of fire. This movement does not require any command tiles to match the die roll or any rocks to be spent. The goblin still jumps over spaces with two goblins in them.
"You may move a goblin on the space in front of the orange goblin forward one space."
The player chooses and moves one goblin in the next space ahead of the named goblin. Again, neither command nor rocks are needed for this move and the goblin will jump over a full space. Also, this movement may NOT move the goblin into the pit of fire.
"The yellow goblin may trade places with a goblin directly in front of or behind it."
The player chooses one goblin in either space adjacent to the named goblin. These goblins simply switch their positions on the main track, no rocks or commands are necessary.
"The green goblin may move for free this turn."
This movement is normal with one exception. The named goblin is treated as though its cube were on the 0 space of the motivation track. It still needs to have a command tile which matches the die roll, and its cube is still moved to the 5 space of the motivation track.
"The blue goblin confuses one of the other goblins. The yellow goblin may trade one or both of their commands with any other goblin."
Playing this card lets a player change the command tiles on the command track. The acting player chooses one goblin in addition to the named goblin, and rearranges these two goblins' command tiles as he/she sees fit. When this ability is resolved both goblins must each have two command tiles.
"If the black goblin falls into the pit first, it is worth 8 points!"
This card is not used during a players turn, but is instead played at the end of the game when scores are being determined. This ability only ensures that the named goblin is still worth 8 points even though it's been cast into the pit of fire. If it is still on the main track at the end of the game it is scored normally.