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- BGG #10,644
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Akaba
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Gary Gouda
2011
Rules assistance for Gary Gouda
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 10 min
- 4+
- Complexity 1.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Gary Gouda
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gary Gouda is a board game released in 2011 for 2–4 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 4 and up. It was designed by Guido Hoffmann and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Memory, and Pick-up and Deliver.
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About the game
Shoo, get away! Was that really Gary Gouda, the mouse, cheese-hunting again? The greedy mouse just can't stop! Not one piece of cheese is safe, and he risks becoming stuck in the mouse holes with his big belly. He really should have memorized by now which holes he can pass through after eating one, two, or more pieces of cheese! He also has to avoid the quick pet cat, Kiki, who always seems to be ready to pounce on the next mouse hole. Who can help Gary memorize the best way to the target mouse hole and collect the most pieces of cheese? The bottom of the Gary Gouda box contains the game board, which resembles an apartment with 16 rooms arranged in a square and archways connecting each pair of rooms. Before the game begins, players slide archway tiles into the walls to adjust the heights of the various archways at random. The cat token is placed in front of any orange mouse hole to keep his eyes out for Gary. On a turn, a player wants to move Gary from a corner of the house, pick up at least one pieces of cheese, and make it safely to the target corner without being seen by Kiki. To set up a player's turn, he draws four cheese slices, then places them in the rooms designated on the slices; he rolls the color die to determine where Gary starts and where he must move to. He is then free to move Gary through any archways possible – as long as he doesn't enter Kiki's sight – to reach one or more pieces of cheese. Gary eats this cheese immediately, with the player stacking Gary on the cheese slice to make the mouse fatter. If Gary ever gets stuck trying to fit through an archway, then the player's turn ends and any cheese on Gary is removed from the game; if a player reaches the corner, he claims any cheese eaten. The game ends when a player can't place out four slices of cheese. Whoever has collected the most cheese wins!
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- HABA
Questions and answers
Gary Gouda supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Gary Gouda is 10 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Gary Gouda for ages 4 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Gary Gouda has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Gary Gouda belongs to these categories: Animals, Children's Game, and Memory. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Memory, and Pick-up and Deliver. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Gary Gouda are: Guido Hoffmann. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Gary Gouda as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.