Game profile: Ghoulash

October 24, 11:38 PMPittsburgh Board Game ExaminerRobert Moyer

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Product Image from Ghoulash.com

Played without dice, minis, or volumes of rule books, Ghoulash is a dungeon crawl boiled down to its most basic elements.

At the beginning of the game, the two players receive copy of the same Scenario Chart. Each Scenario Chart contains a preprinted map, Instructions, a wound meter to track your hit points and Ghoul icons which correspond to the number of Ghouls in the dungeon.

Similar to Battleship, there is some setup you need to do in secret before the game begins. The dungeon in which your opponent will travel will contain Encounters and it is up to you to decide where they will be on the map. These Encounters can be Items (food, treasure, first aid kit, etc), Holes (lose a turn), Debris (take 1 damage), and of course, Ghouls.

On the Scenario Sheet, each Ghoul is represented by a silhouette divided into six parts. Each part is labeled with a number 1 through 6. For example, each Ghoul’s right arm is labeled “1”, their head is labeled “2”, and the body is labeled “4” and so on. Prior to the game, you determine which of these zones will be the Ghoul’s weak spot by circling it.

"Test Drive" version of the game from Ghoulash.com.

Once the dungeons are set, you and your opponent take turns moving through them. Ghoulash includes coordinate markers to make communicating your movements easily. For example, you would tell your opponent, “I’m moving into square A2”. Your opponent will then tell you what you find there.  For example, they may say, "You don't find anything" or “You just fell on some debris, take one damage” or "Ghoul Attack!".

If you move into a square containing a Ghoul, combat immediately begins. You attack by guessing a number on the Ghoul. If you guess the number corresponding to that particular Ghoul’s weak spot, you defeat it. If you guess wrong, you take a point of wound damage. Lose all of your hit points and you’re out of the game.

However, if you are the first player to complete the scenario, you win!

Part Role Playing Game, part Battleship, Ghoulash is a fast and simple dungeon crawl for two players ages 8 and up. It won’t replace Dungeons and Dragons anytime soon, but it’s also a lot easier to take with you and play in a restaurant, in study hall, during a long family car trip…

For more info: Download the rules or a sample Scenario Chart from the Ghoulash website.