Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule!
Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Cards
This game consists of 20 unique cards. Each card has two sides, one representing a goblin, the other representing a fairy. When a card is goblin-side-up, it is called a "Goblin." When a card is fairy-side-up, it is called a "Fairy." Cards with stars around the edges are called "Star Cards."
Each side of a card has one of 4 Symbols. The Symbols are "Sun," "Moon," "Mushroom," and "Frog." If a card has a Sun Symbol, then the opposite side is always a Moon Symbol. If a card has a Mushroom Symbol, then the opposite side is always a Frog Symbol.
The names of the Fairies and Goblins are divided into 5 different rhyming groups. All names end in one of these five sounds: "oop," "elly," "ock," "our," or "ew." No two cards share the same combination of Goblin and Fairy rhyming groups. No card has the same rhyming group on both sides.
Setting Up The Game
Players sit in a circle and take turns going in clockwise order. All players can see each other's cards on the table at all times, so there is no secrecy. However, it is against the rules to look at the face-down side of any card once the game has started.
When dealing, all cards in the deck should be goblin-side-up. At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt one random Goblin Star Card. Any un-dealt Goblin Star Cards are then set aside, out of the game. The remaining cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt 3 more Goblin Cards from the deck, starting with the player to the dealer's left.
Once each player has 4 Goblins, deal 4 Fairies from the deck to the "Fairy Ring," in the middle of the play space. All remaining cards are set aside, out of the game. Then determine which player goes first. You can do this by playing rock-paper-scissors, letting the youngest player go first, or by seeing who can say "Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule" the fastest!
How To Play
The goal of the game is to be the first player with NO Goblins when your turn is over, or be the first player to have 6 Fairies when your turn is over.
Step 1) Add - On your turn, you must add 1 of your cards to the Fairy Ring. You can add any 1 of your cards, either a Goblin or a Fairy.
Step 2) Flip - If the names of any cards in the Fairy Ring rhyme with the name of the card you added, flip them over: Goblins become Fairies and Fairies become Goblins. Read the names of the rhyming cards out loud as you flip them. The added card does not flip over.
Step 3) Take - After the rhyming cards have been flipped over, you must take all cards from the Fairy Ring which match the Symbol of the card you added. (Example: all other Sun Symbol cards when you added a Sun Symbol card.) You do not take back the card you added.
Star Cards are special. When you add a Star Card to the Fairy Ring, ALL other cards in the Ring are flipped over, regardless of whether or not they rhyme with the added card. Then take all cards with a Symbol that matches the card you added, as usual.
After a player has finished taking cards from the Fairy Ring, the next player starts their turn, going in clockwise order. The game continues until one player achieves either of the two win conditions.
Winning
Win Condition #1: At the end of your turn, if you have NO Goblins, you win! It is okay if you have Fairies when your turn is over. As long as you have no Goblins, you win!
Win Condition #2: At the end of your turn, if you have 6 Fairies, you win! It does not matter how many Goblins you have when your turn is over. As long as you have 6 Fairies, you win!
Fairy Solitaire
The rules above are for games with 2 to 4 players. Goblins Drool, Fairies Rule! can be played by a single player, much like Solitaire. The rules for a 1-Player game stay mostly the same, with a few changes:
Set-up
At the beginning of the game, deal yourself one random Goblin Star Card. Any un-dealt Goblin Star Cards are then set aside, out of the game. Shuffle the remaining cards, and then deal yourself 4 more Goblins from the deck. You start with a total of 5 Goblins.
Next, deal 5 Fairies from the deck to the Fairy Ring in the middle of the play space. All remaining cards are set aside, out of the game.
How To Play
The game is played the same as before, with the only difference being that you are the only player. You must add 1 of your cards to the Fairy Ring on each turn, and then flip and take cards as usual.
You win by having NO Goblins when your turn is over. It is okay if you have Fairies when your turn is over. As long as you have no Goblins, you win!
Special Challenge #1: Each time you play, see if you can win in fewer turns than the time before.
Special Challenge #2: You can increase the challenge by adding more Fairies and Goblins. Can you win if you start with 6 Goblins in front of you and 6 Fairies in the Fairy Ring? How about 7 Goblins and 7 Fairies?
Special Challenge #3: Can you achieve a flawless victory? To do this, you need to keep playing until you have no Goblins in front of you, AND there are no Goblins in the Fairy Ring when your turn is over. In other words, every card needs to be flipped over to the Fairy side. This is quite tricky… but you can do it!
If you give up, then the Goblins will run amok and cause you endless amounts of mischief… You have been warned!
Team Goblin Variant
Are you Team Goblin? If so, we have just the game variant for you! A gang of gruesome goblins is sneaking out of the goblin cave and tricking fairies into taking their place… Help them succeed in this mischievous plot!
Set-up
Setting up is similar to the normal version of the game, except this time, the Goblins are replaced by Fairies and the Fairies are replaced by Goblins. Each player is dealt one random Fairy Star Card. Any un-dealt Fairy Star Cards are then set aside, out of the game. The remaining cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt 3 more Fairy Cards from the deck, starting with the player to the dealer's left.
Once each player has 4 Fairies, deal 4 Goblins from the deck to the "Goblin Cave," in the middle of the play space. All remaining cards are set aside, out of the game. Then determine which player goes first.
How To Play
The game is played the same as before, but the goals have changed:
Win Condition #1: At the end of your turn, if you have NO Fairies, you win! It is okay if you have Goblins when your turn is over. As long as you have no Fairies, you win!
Win Condition #2: At the end of your turn, if you have 6 Goblins, you win! It does not matter how many Fairies you have when your turn is over. As long as you have 6 Goblins, you win!
The Poem
You can add more rhyming to your game by reciting this poem each time a player takes their turn. It can be sung to the same melody as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and the Alphabet Song.
Fairy, Fairy, place your card In the center to discard
Flip the cards that match your rhyme Look for frogs, 'shrooms, moons and shines
Take the cards whose symbols match Win the game when Goblins catch!
Rhyming Guide
Here are all of the Goblin and Fairy names, split up into the 5 rhyming groups (fairies in italics):
Dusty Dour, Nappy Hour, Needs a Shower, Cringe and Cower, Petal Flower, Sweet and Sour, Dewdrop Shower, Pixie Power
Chicken Pock, Cobweb Shock, Cuckoo Clock, Old Man Sock, Candy Rock, Poppy Smock, Hickory Dock, Goldie Lock
Gobble T. Goop, Dastardly Droop, Salamander Snoop, Goblin Soup, Lemon Loop, Rainbow Swoop, Hula Hoop, Vanilla Scoop
Earwax Stew, Spidery Glue, Full Moon Moo, O.P. You, Baby Blue, Willow Sue, Morning Dew, Penny Clue
Nervous Nelly, Vermin Vermicelli, He So Smelly, Big Big Belly, Kokopelli, Snowflake Shelly, Lucky O'Kelly, P.B. and Jelly
Winning Tips
Hold on to your Star Cards until you are in a pinch. They will flip all of the other cards in the Fairy Ring over, regardless of the rhymes. When none of your other cards gives you a good outcome, or you seem to be in a stalemate with your opponents, tossing in a Star Card can change the game for you.
If you cannot get rid of any of your Goblins without taking even more Goblins, consider getting rid of a Fairy instead. It will not get you closer to winning, but it might keep you from getting even further away. Adding a new Fairy to the Ring might also help slow your opponents down if it turns into a Goblin that one of them has to take.
Always pay attention to how many Goblins each of the other players has. When a player has only 1 or 2 Goblins left, they are close to winning. You can try to slow that player down by adding to the Ring a Goblin which shares a symbol with one of his Goblins. If it doesn't get flipped or taken by another player, they will have to take it.
When flipped, a Fairy of one symbol will turn into a Goblin of the opposite symbol. For example, a Moon Fairy will become a Sun Goblin. Remember this to set your opponents up with tricky traps!
If you find yourself in a loop where you are getting rid of and then taking back the same Goblins on every other turn, it might be time to take drastic measures! Adding a new Fairy or Goblin to the Ring which forces you to take back even MORE Goblins could be the solution. This can set you back a turn or two, but changing up the Ring might just set you on the right path to eventually winning.