Summary
👥 A game for 2 – 5 players
⏳ Play time is around 20 minutes
🏢 Publisher is Allplay
Introduction
In Mountain Goats, it’s all about timing, tension, and outsmarting your opponents 🐐⛰️
Climb six different mountains and make sure your goats reach the summit at exactly the right moment. Because at the top, there’s only room for one… and before you know it, you might get knocked back down. It’s a playful battle where you balance scoring points, watching your rivals, and pushing each other off the mountain with just the right amount of cheeky interaction.
Let’s get in on the table
Place the six mountain cards in a row in ascending order from 5 to 10. Under each mountain card, place the matching numbered cards in a column. Each player places one goat of their color at the bottom of every mountain.
Above each column, place the corresponding point tokens. Also set aside the bonus point tokens and the four dice.
The game is played over a number of rounds until all bonus point tokens have been claimed, or when the point tokens on three mountains have run out. The current round is then completed so that each player has had an equal number of turns.
On your turn, roll the four dice. If you roll multiple ones, you may change all but one of them to any value or values of your choice. Then create one or more groups of dice, as long as each group has a total value between 5 and 10. For every group that totals 5 through 10, you may move your goat one space up the corresponding mountain.
Multiple players may climb the same mountain, but there is only room for one goat at the summit. As soon as you reach the top, you immediately score the point token for that mountain. If another goat is already there, it is sent back down to the bottom.
If you manage to collect a complete set of point tokens with the values 5 through 10, you receive a bonus point token with the highest available value. 🐐🎲
Conclusion & our score
Difficulty: 1.22/ 5
Re-playability: 7
Our score: 7,5 out of 10 dice
Mountain Goats is best compared to Can’t Stop, and that makes perfect sense. Still, this game offers something slightly different. Not just because of the theme, since both games have you climbing mountains, but because Mountain Goats is much less about push your luck. That makes it a bit more accessible, while still being a highly interactive dice game where timing, smart decisions, and knocking each other off the mountain take center stage.
It feels like a slightly calmer version of the well-known dice climbing game, although Can’t Stop remains one of my favorite quick, on-the-go fillers. In Mountain Goats, you are not pushing your luck. Instead, you need to carefully consider how to group your dice and when to secure the summit. That creates a different kind of tension, but one that is just as enjoyable.
The game lasts just a fraction longer than you might expect, but it is definitely a keeper. It is easy to teach, quick to get to the table, and very accessible for both families and more experienced players. The components are solid, the artwork is playful, and the compact box makes it perfect to take with you.
The racing element and the ability to knock other goats off the mountain create fun interaction. Kids especially love this part, and it often leads to hilarious moments. With the Mountain Goats Expansion Pack, the game can even be played with five players.
For true Can’t Stop fans, the original may always remain on top. But as a fresh, accessible, and interactive dice game, Mountain Goats absolutely deserves a spot on your shelf. 🐐⛰️
We want to thank Allplay for this review copy and the opportunity to write about it.
