Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
You’ve never really had any grand super villain ambitions. Nah, that's not your thing.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Majority
Compete to have the strongest presence in areas that award control or points.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Open Drafting
Select cards or items from a shared face-up display.
Push Your Luck
Choose whether to secure current gains or risk them for a larger reward.
Tile Placement
Place tiles to build a shared or personal spatial arrangement.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Read the full game description
You’ve never really had any grand super villain ambitions. Nah, that's not your thing. You're just an honest contractor trying to get by, only without scruples and not overly concerned with safety precautions or work conditions. You take a very special kind of pride in always running in head first, literally, no questions asked. Just enjoying the thrill of the moment and the luxury of not having to make plans further ahead than a couple of hours. What’s so terribly wrong about that? Goons is a euro-style strategy board game in which the players will try out new thrilling careers as henchmen throwing themselves right into the heat of the fire! The goal is to cleverly manage your energy, earn as much cash as possible, get cool new gear, increase your reputation on the streets, and back the villains that will be the most beneficial for you in order to get as much victory points as possible. On a player’s turn they will combine two actions by drafting an action cube from the game board and place it on an action space on their crib board. Actions include going to The Dojo to increase your energy, shopping for new gear at The Supermarket, earn a little extra at the local Diner, or mixing things up on the game board at The Nightclub. Players can also go hustling on the streets and advance on different hustle tracks for all sorts of rewards and compete for the top spot. But most importantly, players will use their actions to commit to different daring villain schemes by placing energy markers on them to increase the chances of success and rewards. Each villain has a unique deck of schemes with a special theme and game mechanic offering different risk and rewards for every round. So players will have to consider carefully which ones to support… Will you take a risk with Kid Random's schemes for a potential bigger reward, go trade with Jolly Butcher, or play it safe with The Doctor? It's up to you! The game is divided into 3 rounds and the goon with the most victory points at the end of the game is really awesome and wins the game! -description from designer