Allplay’s small box line has gotten lots of love from the Meeple Mountain team. Dandelions, Big Top, Mori, Things in Rings, Waddle, and most recently Ruins, and Oddland. They’re a high-value, low-cost way to game in style. And I do mean style. While they might use simple components, the quality is top-notch; and Mountain Goats is no exception.
Join me on the mountaintop with Mountain Goats.
Being at the top is marvelous!
Mountain Goats is a dice and set collection game with a simple premise. Roll 4 dice, then group them into any configuration you like. The total value of all the pips in each group allows you to move one of your goats up the slopes of one of six different mountain ranges. A group with a value of 5 allows you to move forward on the “5” range, while a group with a value of 10 allows you to move forward on the “10” range. When you make it to the top of one of the stacks, you’ll take a chip with that stack’s value on it. The 5 stack gets you 5 points; the 10 stack earns you 10 points.
Simple so far, right?
But being at the bottom sucks!
If you’re already at the top of a stack, and one of your dice groups matches that stack, you get another token from that stack. But if another player makes it to the top of a stack that you’re currently on, you slide all the way down, and they become top dog…err goat.
Did you say something about set collection?
In addition to the points you get from each individual chip, you can also earn a bonus chip if you collect one of each of the different stack tokens. These bonus chips start at 15 points and go down in value as players collect them. You can even earn more than one if you’re lucky.
I only care about winning
Play continues until either all the bonus tokens are gone, or all point tokens from 3 different mountains have been claimed. Add up your points and crown the king of the mountain.
It’s Cold at Night, Mountain Goats can keep you warm
Unless you’re cold-hearted, or just straight up hate dice games, it’s hard not to love Mountain Goats. With a play time of around 20 minutes, a price point about the same, and a size smaller than the newest Stephen King novel, Mountain Goats is right for everyone.
Turns are breezy: you’re rolling 4 dice, and there’s only so many groupings you can make, especially since the groups have to add up to at least 5, and no more than 10. And it’s oh-so satisfying when you get 4 5s and ZOOM up the 5 track.
And lest you think there’s no strategy at all, let me remind you that being able to visualize all the combinations of the dice is key. Do you want to move up 3 goats, or would you rather take one all the way to the top? Should you take the top and bump someone all the way down the mountain, or move multiple goats into position for the next turn?
I haven’t even commented on the artwork, but I love love love it! The artists and designers did such a great job with this title, along with GPS, Sequoia, and Dandelions (all from the same crowdfunding campaign).
And even better, Allplay has just announced they’ll be running a Kickstarter campaign for Mountain Goats: Legacy! This is going to be a “campaign-style” game, in which decisions you make in one game affect future games.
So if you’re looking for a small, lightweight game that’s big on fun, check out Mountain Goats!
