
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,611
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Guild Ball: Kick Off!
- 2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2016

Rules assistance for Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook is an expansion for Guild Ball released in 2020 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Richard Loxam and Mat Hart and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Action Points.
“Folks will flock to the stands to see these guys play …” - Lucky, Free Agent Guiding her team through the dangers of the Guild Ball pitch, Herder isn’t sheepish about ramming in a crowd-pleasing goal. Her Shepherds work together to win, bolstered by a farmyard of animals and a football legend for a teammate. Woe betide any foe who injures one of their players, for the culprit may find out this team are really wolves in sheep’s clothing. This set includes seven players: Herder, Babe, Hook and Crook, Lamb, Ram, and Shearer. Also included is a 3D terrain piece, a goalpost, and a ball. All miniatures are cast in coloured resin. —description from the publisher
Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook is 60 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 Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook for ages 12 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.
Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook belongs to these categories: Miniatures, Medieval, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Action Points. 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 Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook are: Richard Loxam and Mat Hart. 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 Guild Ball: The Shepherd's Guild – By Hook or By Crook as an expansion for Guild Ball. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Guild Ball to use it. Check that your edition of Guild Ball is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.