How to play

Goat Card Game

3 to 8 players, age 7 and up.

GOAT is our party card game for 3 to 8 players, ages 7 and up, that puts a twist on classic charades. Players take turns acting out an action card paired with modifier cards submitted by the group. You score points when actors pick your modifiers, and players vote on the top actor at the end of the game to award a bonus.

Setup and Contents

Contents include 90 action cards, 102 modifier cards, and the GOAT medal. We also include three blank action cards and three blank modifier cards that you can fill in with your own ideas. To set up, shuffle our action deck and our modifier deck separately, then place them on opposite ends of the table. We deal five modifier cards to each player to start their hand.

How a Turn Works

Each player acts once per game, starting with the oldest player. The actor draws three action cards, chooses one to play face up on the table, and places the other two on the bottom of the action deck. The other players each pass one modifier card face down to the actor, then draw back up to five cards. In a three-player game, other players pass two modifier cards instead and draw two. The actor shuffles the received modifier cards, flips them face up, and chooses at least one to perform with their action card.

Performing and Scoring Points

The actor performs the chosen action combined with the selected modifier or modifiers. After the performance, players whose modifier cards were chosen take those cards into their personal point pile. Each chosen card is worth one point. Unused modifier cards return to the bottom of the modifier deck. The actor keeps their action card in front of them as a reminder for end-game voting. Play then passes to the left until everyone has acted once.

The GOAT Vote and Winning

Once all players have taken a turn acting, everyone votes on their favorite performance. Players chant G-O-A-T together and point at their top actor on the letter T. The actor with the most votes receives the two-point performance bonus. Each player counts the modifier cards in their point pile and adds the bonus if they won the vote. The player with the highest score wins the game and takes the GOAT medal. If there is a tie, tied players settle it with a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

The official rulesheet (PDF)