
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,880
- BGG rating
- 6.6
The Great Dalmuti
- 4–8 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 1995

2013
Rules assistance for Ghooost!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ghooost! is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Richard Garfield and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Single Loser Game, and Ladder Climbing.
Ghooost! is a fast, easy-to-learn card game with a Halloween-based theme and lots of twists and turns! Play your cards wisely to get rid of all the ghosts, undead, vampires, zombies and other spooky creatures haunting your mansion. Block your opponents while they're trying to drive spirits out of their home and into your backyard – but beware as the scariest ghosts will not be driven away so easily... In game terms, your goal in Ghooost! is to get rid of all of your cards in hand and in your mansion by playing a card (or several matching cards) equal to or higher than the one(s) played previously. To set up, each player has four ghost cards in hand and 4-12 cards in his mansion. Ghost cards come in four suits and have values ranging from 1 to 14, with a few cards having special powers; scary (red) ghosts, for example, can be topped only by fearless ghosts, other scary ghosts, or a ghost quartet, while fearless ghosts can be played no matter what's on top of the Cemetery (discard pile). A game consists of two stages. In the first stage, players draw or play cards to prepare their hand of cards for the second stage. On a turn, a player takes one of three actions: Play one or more matching cards on the Cemetery equal to or higher than the cards played previously, then refill your hand to four cards by drawing from the Crypt (deck). Take all the cards from the Cemetery into your hand; any card can be played on an empty Cemetery. Draw one card from the Crypt and try to play it, taking all the cards from the Cemetery into your hand if the play isn't valid. Once the Crypt is empty, the second stage begins and players take turns either playing valid cards into the Cemetery or taking all cards from the Cemetery into their hand. If a player plays two or three matching ghosts, he takes another turn immediately; if he plays four cards that match (or plays cards that complete a quartet), those cards and the Cemetery are removed from play, then he takes another turn. If a player's hand is empty, he draws the top card from his mansion, playing it if valid and taking all the Cemetery cards into his hand if not. If a player empties his hand and mansion, he's out and the others keep playing. Play continues until only one player has cards in hand; this player loses the game and everyone else wins. Ghooost! includes a scoring system that allows for multiple rounds.
Ghooost! supports 2–6 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 Ghooost! is 20 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 Ghooost! for ages 8 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.
Ghooost! has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Ghooost! belongs to these categories: Card Game and Horror. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Single Loser Game, and Ladder Climbing. 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 Ghooost! are: Richard Garfield. 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 Ghooost! 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.