— Sigmond “Gruff” Freiud
Nothing is as it seems and the Shepherds of Woe are about to discover that. For generations, they have battled the trolls, and in some cases each other, for control of the rich grasslands. Little did they know that the trolls guarded something as well. With their defeat, something has emerged, and with it, the madness that it brings.
Gruff: Whispers of Madness is a stand-alone expansion that is fully compatible with the original Gruff and the other previous expansions. Whispers of Madness introduces Betwixt along with five new shepherds, 15 new gruffs, and three new trolls. Most importantly, it introduces a new mechanic, sanity and madness.
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A shepherd’s sanity and madness affects the game play. As the players move through the game play, a shepherd is considered sane when their crazy is below 30. When that threshold is hit, or exceeded, the shepherd becomes mad. Truly mad. When that happens, certain cards the player plays will have different effects. In effect, potentially changing the way the game is being played.
Reflections on Gruff: Whispers of Madness
Along with the other mechanics of the game, like your opponent potentially moving side to side before an attack or gruff stats being attacked changing with a single card being played, the mechanic of sanity and madness introduces yet another unpredictable element of play. This unpredictability continues to keep the game fresh and strategic.
About the Game
- Game: Gruff: Whispers of Madness
- Publisher: Studio Woe
- Number of Players: 2–4 Players
- Designer: Brent Critchfield
- Artists: Avery Coleman, Virginia Critchfield
- Where to Buy: Online store
- Cost: $35
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Additional Reviews for Gruff:
Gruff, Tactical Card Game
The folks at Studio Woe took the tale of the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” and mutated it into a 2 player, competitive, asynchronous, deck-building card game.
Gruff: Clash of the Battle Goats
Competitive, tactical card game with 6 shepherds, 6 gruffs, and faction rules in a stand-alone expansion.
Gruff: Rage of the Trolls
This stand-alone expansion adds 6 goats, 5 shepherds, and 4 troll boss-fights plus solo and co-operative rules.
Gruff: Stuff of Nightmares.
A stand-alone expansion that adds 15 new goats, 8 new shepherds, 3 trolls, and a new faction of plushy nightmare goats called The Stuffkin.