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?
Trash Lords is a push-your-luck, take-that, hand management game for 3-5 players. Each player takes on the role of one of 12 transient characters who stalk the back alleys and gutters, rifling through dumpsters in search of valuable trash.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
Trash Lords is a push-your-luck, take-that, hand management game for 3-5 players. Each player takes on the role of one of 12 transient characters who stalk the back alleys and gutters, rifling through dumpsters in search of valuable trash. Whether you’re a crust punk, a hobo rail-rider, a trust fund poseur, or Woody Guthrie’s actual ghost, all players have the same ultimate goal: rootin’ around in the trash til you’ve collected the booze, smokes, snax, and dope you need to summon the TRASH LORD and be anointed his one true glorious Trash Child. Players can take up to 4 actions on their turn (skitch from venue to venue, dig for things in the dumpsters, trash cards from their hand to take advantage of special actions, stash things they've collected in the Squat, sacrifice cards for special "blessings" from the Trash Lord, panhandle to get more HP, and more). The first player to have all 4 things (booze, snax, smokes, and dope) in their stash and play a SUMMON card at the Altar wins the game. Each dumpster is different, and some more dangerous. Digging deeper can yield more rewards, but it’s also askin’ for trouble. This town is lousy with cops, and the nefarious garbage critters known as Trashlings are waiting in the shadows to swipe your beautiful junk. Even your fellow street urchins might just get wasted and jump you if your stash is lookin’ a little too tempting. If you run out of HP, you're dead. Players must carefully manage their turns and constantly be on the move (and on their guard) as they booze, scrap, panhandle, and race to be the first to summon the TRASH LORD (peace be upon him).