Mountain Goats is a game very near and dear to my heart. This was a Kickstarter I backed in 2020 that is now available for order online. The selling point of this game, along with the other two I got at the same time, is that they’re quick to learn and don’t last too long. It was gently suggested that these would be amazing for children—which I don’t disagree with—but I just love an easy-to-learn game that is so easy to get others into!
Mountain Goats is a competitive game for two to four players where you create a little mountain range from the cards provided. You have six little goat ‘meeples’, one for each mountain. You roll four six-sided dice and use the number you roll to match the mountain number and move your goat up the mountain! When you reach the top, you get points; the game ends when three of the mountains no longer have point tokens, or when all the bonus point tokens are gone.
I’ll tell you right now, I’d recommend this game based purely on how adorable the goat meeples are, because they are the cutest. I do spend half the game trying to stack them on top of each other. I love this game for its bright colours, ease of learning, and, when played with full attention, quick play time—about twenty minutes. I’ll freely admit: it takes us about forty minutes, but that’s because we usually have wine. A lot of the board games I play are complex strategy games, so having something a little more on the simple side is great. This is also a really great game to ease people into board games if they are intimidated by the idea of playing longer-format games.
If you want something incredibly travel sized, chilled out with very simple mechanics to learn and use, and an adorable art style, I highly recommend Mountain Goats.
Seriously, the goats are adorable.
This article was brought to you by Alex Wren, Social Media Area Head in Promotions for Glasgow 2024. Alex lives in the Glasgow area and is currently doing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. When she isn’t being our fabulous overlady of social media, she enjoys cosplay, running, and playing Dungeons & Dragons, video games, and board games. The Rookie’s Guide to Games Series is her excuse to try new games and expand her collection. You can find more posts from the series, HERE.
The 82nd Worldcon will take place in Glasgow, August 8–12, 2024. We can’t wait to welcome you to Glasgow and the SEC/Armadillo for a Worldcon for Our Futures.