The Goonies: Never Say Die

Designer: Prospero Hall

Artist: Eric Hibbeler, Henning Ludvigsen

Publisher: Funko Games

Year Published: 2022

No. of Players: 2–5

Ages: 12+ (could go younger)

Playing Time: 50 minutes (45 – 60 minutes)

Main mechanic / Theme: Adventure setting with dice rolling / The Goonies Movie

See the Goonies: Under the Goondocks review for an overview of the game experience with the expansion included.

Goonies stick together and never say die.

Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com

Overview

If you enjoyed the classic 1980s movie The Goonies you’ll want to check out the adventure game The Goonies: Never Say Die.

The Goonies game is a boardgame that has many elements of a roleplaying game. One player takes on the role of the Goondocks Master (GM) while the rest of the players take on the characters from the movie, the Goonies. The GM has an adventure they run, a set that come with the box and ones they can create themselves, that the Goonies need to complete a task to win. If the GM is able to keep the Goonies from accomplishing their task before time runs out, they win.

Set Up

Each adventure has its own set up using the materials provided as instructed in the adventure manual. But there are some basic common things do for each game.

First decide who will be the GM for the adventure. That person will need to be familiar with the adventure and build the deck of GM Cards to be used. The rest of the players select which character they are going to play.

The board is placed where it can be reached by all players. The side labeled Goondocks Master is where you place the GM screen so the GM can keep their materials secreted until the moment of discovery by the rest of the players. From behind the screen the GM will show the starting location on the board and what they other players see. They also share any starting information for everyone.

The Goonies have their objective and once they achieve it they win as long as time has not run out.

Gameplay

The game is broken into turns by the players, each of the characters and the GM. There is no set order for the players, they can choose who acts first, they take their actions then turn their character card over so it is known they are done for the turn.

To start the Goonies Round, a player gains a Wish Token and turns their card face up. In any order the Goonies (one character at a time) can take up to two actions, use item and treasure cards, Use special abilities.

The GM Round goes when the Goonies have completed their round. The GM gains a GM Token, activates available foes, draws a GM card, and plays a GM card if they want to.

The actions the Goonies can use have some shared actions with the GM, like Move and Attack. All of the are well described in the rulebook, and if you have experience playing roleplaying or other adventure board games you will find these easy to learn or teach to new players.

Mechanics

When an action requires a roll of the dice the system uses an easy two dice roll for determining success. The size of the dice used are shown on the character cards. The number can be increased to three if players work cooperatively and spend a Wish token. They can also upgrade the dice (d6 to d8 or d8 to d12) with the use of a Wish or GM token. The best any roll can have is 3d12, so this keeps from needing to over calculate the odds of what needs to be accomplished and is built into the adventures to keep a good balance of activities.

During play there are teenagers the Goonies can call upon for help a limited number of times. They can also find and use items while on their adventure.

While the Goonies are working to meet their goal, the GM uses their actions and cards to thwart their efforts so time runs out.

The cards are also well thought through and explain what they do. Our group had no problems determining actions and outcomes during the adventure.

The mechanics of the rounds determine how the action flows, but how the players act with their characters influences the direction of how the game plays. With a difference in Item and GM cards, along with a success or failure on the dice, influences how the story moves forward.

You can also develop your own adventures for The Goonies with the information provided.

Art

The artwork does well of depicting the characters and places from the movie without making a direct copy of them. The artists, Eric Hibbeler and Henning Ludvigsen, did a wonderful job in creating more of the feel of what the Goonies has always been about with their own style.

Overall

The Goonies: Never Say Die is a fun callback to the movie and the thoughts of what it would be like to go on a grand adventure in your own backyard with your friends. This gave me the feel of some of the roleplaying games that have been developed to capture the time-period of the mid-1980s. The advantage of the board game is the simplified mechanics to keep the game moving quickly.

The box is listed for players of age 12 or older. The Goonies could easily be played with younger players. We felt this could easily be played by 10-year-olds and possibly down to 8. The only real limitation would come into being able to read and comprehend some of the actions depicted on the cards.

Since The Goonies is one player, GM, versus the rest of the players, the limitations of reading and handling the actions can be addressed by determining who is playing on both sides of the GM screen. Being the GM doesn’t require knowledge of a large rule set.

I didn't take pictures during the game to use because I didn't want to give away the secrets of the adventure.

I recommend The Goonies: Never Say Die for players who like a game that requires some cooperation and a family feel. If you are a fan of the movie, then I bet you didn’t get to this point of reading this review without already knowing you were getting the game.

About the Author

Daniel Yocom does geeky things at night because his day job wouldn't let him. This dates back to the 1960s through games, books, movies, and stranger things better shared in small groups. He's written hundreds of articles about these topics for his own blog, other websites, and magazines after extensive research along with short stories. His research includes attending conventions, sharing on panels and presentations, and road-tripping with his wife. Join him at guildmastergaming.com.