Rules
The goal of GUBs is to have the most free or protected GUBs at the end of the game. The game is over when all three letter cards have been drawn from the deck, spelling the word GUB.
To start the game, remove one GUB card from the deck for each player and place it in front of them. Remove the three letter cards from the deck and shuffle. Deal 3 cards to each player to form a starting hand. Any Event cards are shuffled back into the deck but are not replaced. These cards are marked by an "explosion" symbol. Add the letters back into the deck and shuffle thoroughly.
On a player's turn, they MAY draw a card, however you cannot skip drawing two turns in a row. That player may then play as many cards as he likes. Its perfectly normal to not play any or to play your entire hand. The last phase is to discard down to 8 cards. I've never seen anyone get above 6, but this is a good rule to keep people from holding too many cards.
There are several different types of cards that make up the game. The main type is the Gub cards.
These cards have no text and merely show a picture of a Gub. Any unprotected Gub on the table is a free Gub. The object of the game is to get more of these guys on your side of the table at the end of the game. As such, other players will try to kill or steal your Gubs. You need to keep your Gubs safe, which leads us to....
Barricades. These cards are played on top of your free Gubs and make them protected. This removes a lot of your opponent's ability to steal or kill your Gubs. They are not totally safe because two of the Barricades (Mushrooms and Toad Riders) can actually be played to remove other Barricades. Your opponents can play Barricades from their hands to remove yours, thus exposing the Gubs hiding underneath and making them vulnerable to....
Traps (a type of Hazard). The two types of traps are Rings and Sud Sprouts. A Sud Sprout is used to trap a Gub. If a Gub is trapped, it does not count towards your total at the end of the game. Sud Sprout can only be played on an unprotected Gub. The Gub stays on its owner's side. Rings are a stronger type of trap. There are Single, Double and Triple Rings which trap 1, 2, or 3 Gubs respectively. When a Ring is played, the free Gubs it targets are taken to the Ring player's side. They are still considered trapped and won't count towards your total at the end of the game. The Double and Triple Rings can take Gubs away from multiple opponents making these more valuable in multiplayer games. Traps are powerful, but some can be broken with....
Tools. There are various Tool cards which aid the Gubs in their daily life. The Haki Flute destroys any Ring card and brings all Gubs attached to it to the Flute player's side. There is also a Spear which is used to discard a Sud Sprout or to kill a free Gub. After all, a Gub's life is dangerous. They always have to be on the lookout for....
Hazards. Hazards can range from cards like Lure, which steals a free Gub, to Flash Flood which shuffles all free Gubs back into the deck. This is a broad category with some of the cards having sweeping effects. These cards, with the exception of Lure and Super Lure, generally affect all players. While strong, they can be stopped by...
Interrupts. Almost every game has its "Counterspell" and Gubs is no exception. Blindfold counters Lure or Super Lure. Feather cancels any Hazard card as its played. Cricket Song is a wild card that can be played as any Hazard or Tool which leaves play instantly. Flop Boat is used to temporarily cancel....
Event cards. Event cards are powerful cards that must be played as soon as they are drawn. Many times this won't help you very much, and may actually ruin your chances. Cards like Dangerous Alchemy discard all cards on your side. This is a great example of why it can be a good idea to skip your Draw step. The Letter cards are also Events. As stated previously, there are 3 in the deck: G, U, and B. When the third one is drawn, the game ends. The player with the most free and protected Gubs on their side is the winner.
Components
GUBs is a card game. You get a nicely designed deck box, a rule sheet, and a deck of 72 cards.
The rule sheet, which can be downloaded here, is a one page guide telling you almost everything you need to know. There are accurate descriptions of the game phases, and a partial list of the cards so first time players can figure out what's going on pretty quickly. Kudos to the designer for laying out a nice amount of information in a one-page rule sheet.
As a card game, the only real component we should be worried about is the cards themselves. GUBS is printed on a pretty good cardstock. Its just a tiny bit thinner than normal playing cards, but much thicker than games like Gravediggers which is printed on thick paper. The GUBs cards have a nice matte finish which makes them shuffle nicely. Although the stock is slightly thinner than I would prefer, its not bad by any means. The cards are coated well and this combination should hold up for some time.
The one feature of the components which caught my eye right away is the art. The artwork was all done by the designer. The card backs are a wonderful collage of mushrooms and gems done in deep browns and electric greens. This is all bordered by a black border which servers to really accentuate the colors. The artwork on the front of the cards really serves to bring you into the world of the GUBs. The creatures themselves are pink humanoids with antennae. They have no mouths or noses but have enormous eyes. They live in a world where they hide behind Mushrooms and are protected by Velvet Moths and Toads. These simple creatures elect the wisest of them to become their Esteemed Elder.
The designer does a terrific job of creating a strangely unique universe and somehow tying it into the game. As bizarre as it all is, it starts to make sense after you play a couple time and read the quotes on the cards. Life is apparently very difficult if you're a Gub.
Gameplay
GUBs is a pretty quick game. On a player's turn, he may draw a card and then play cards from his hand. Even with a full hand of 8 cards, this shouldn't take long. Later in the game after players have emptied their hands, most turns will consist of draw-go until something good comes up. The game flies by with two or three players but even with 6 players, a game shouldn't take more than 30 minutes. If the letters all get drawn early, the game could end even faster.
GUBs is indeed a game of wit and luck. The simple interaction of the cards makes all kinds of combos possible. You could use a Triple Ring to trap 3 Gubs and bring them to your side and then play the Haki Flute to free them all. Or use Retreat and pick up all three Gubs and your Ring! Use a Toad Rider to get rid of a Velvet Moth and kill your opponents Gub with a Spear. Drop a couple of Mushrooms on your opponent's free Gubs and then play an Omen Beetle. The choices are almost endless and allow a lot of different things to happen in one game. This is a credit to the flexibility inherent in the system.
While wit and strategy play a large part, luck also has a hand in determining the winner. One of the most hated cards in my group was Dangerous Alchemy. Dangerous Alchemy is an Event, so it gets played when its drawn. DA destroys all the cards that player has in play. Unless you have the Flop Boat, there's almost nothing you can do to stop it. On the flip side is the Esteemed Elder. This guy is the Gub King and is impervious to almost any attack. He can't be Speared, Lured, or Ringed. He doesn't need a Barricade. He can only be killed by Lightning. Even the dreaded Dangerous Alchemy is no match for the power of the Esteemed Elder. I believe the instant acting nature of Events is why the designer chose to allow players to skip drawing a card every other turn. If you're getting near the end of the deck and you haven't seen DA yet, perhaps its best to skip your next draw in hopes that your opponent will be the unlucky victim. Another option would be to use Scout, which lets you look at the top 2 cards of the deck or your opponent's hand, to peek at the deck. If the next card you would draw is a bad one, then don't draw it.
The one aspect of GUBs which I'm fairly sure will polarize the community is the dreaded Letter cards. These cards, when all have been drawn, end the game. It could happen in the first three turns, in the last couple turns, or anywhere in the middle. You never really know when one is coming and unless you have the Flop Boat, you're powerless to stop it. This presents an interesting mechanic which I personally enjoy. Until the first letter is drawn, most people play fairly defensive. When the first letter hits, the general atmosphere shifts to the aggressive side. When the second letter hits, its all out war. This creates distinct phases in the game but allows them to happen at any time creating a tension every time a card is drawn. I really enjoy this but can see how some people will look down on it as being too random.
In theory, this game could be played with open negotiation in multi-player games. I think this could prove to be a great variant because of the time factor mentioned above.
Compare it to...
In a loose fashion, this game reminds me of Nuclear War. While not quite as aggressive, GUBs has a similar feel of not knowing who is going to attack you next. The endgame is completely different and so are the tactics, but I get the same general vibe.
Overall
GUBs is a terrific little game. There are some decisions to be made but none of them are brain burners. The element of luck is heavy in this game, but the gameplay and theme are so enjoyable that it seems like a perfect fit. After all, anything can happen when you cross the street so it seems perfectly likely that a Flash Flood can rip through the Gub Kingdom at any given moment.
Kudos really need to be paid to the designer for the terrific artwork and presentation. For a self-published game, GUBs delivers more bang for your buck than many large budget publications. The cardstock is strong and the art is terrific.
I rate GUBs a 7.5/10. I really enjoy the game and find myself wanting to play it often, especially with larger groups. This is an excellent filler and one of the few that will handle six players with no appreciable scaling issues. The game is too light/luck driven to be a main course, but it would fit wonderfully between heavier titles.
I should also mention that this game could be a great gateway game. The cute little Gubs will certainly appeal to most females. The gameplay is easy enough that kids as young as 8 (or younger, if they're good readers) should be able to play without too much difficulty. I would highly recommend this game for a family looking for a new game to play, to a gamer to use as a gateway game, or as a filler for game nights.
Posted Wed Oct 10,2007 09:52 pm
