The Frontier Code

How to Play Goblins & Gunslingers

Every duel on the Wild Frontier follows the same ruthless code. Frontier Run uses that same combat inside a longer roguelike campaign climb.

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Frontier Run Setup Lanes Deputies Online Rules Keywords

FR Frontier Run

Frontier Run is the website's branching roguelike campaign mode. Ashfall Trail keeps the same lane combat, Mana, Gold, Deputies, and Sheriff rules as a normal duel, then wraps them in a longer solo climb.

Stage I Live

Ashfall Trail is playable now

The current browser build ships Stage I with route choices, shops, stage-only reward cards, and a proper stage clear.

Campaign Rules

Same combat, longer run

You still play by the core TCG rules, but your trail HP, route decisions, and rewards carry the run instead of resetting after one fight.

Growing

The campaign is expanding

Ashfall Trail is the first campaign stage and the foundation for a bigger roguelike frontier over time.

Start Stage I with 150 trail HP instead of the normal one-duel health flow.
Choose an issued crew so the campaign can hand out lore-specific cards, starter unlocks, and stage rewards cleanly.
Move across branching route choices that lead to battles, outposts, shops, and the stage clear.
Add stage-only reward cards during the run and decide how to preserve HP for later fights.
Classic Skirmish is still the fastest one-match duel. Frontier Run is the longer solo campaign climb.

Start a Run Choose a Sheriff

01 Setup

Each player starts with 30 Hit Points.
Build a 52-card deck using up to 2 main races. The frontier factions currently in rotation are Humans, Goblins, Desert Devils, Straw Elves, Gnomes, and Dwarves. Gnome decks can also field Golem forms -- they count as part of the Gnome faction, not a separate race choice. Beasts are wild cards -- you can mix in as many Beast cards as you want alongside your chosen races.
For online play, use only cards labeled Online Legal. Tin Plating is the current supported Item; legacy attachment Items and spreadsheet Deputy cards remain visible as tabletop references.
Select 2 Deputies that stay outside your deck and are not drawn normally. Starter decks come with their issued pair; custom decks let you choose your 2 online Deputies directly in the deck builder.
Shuffle your deck and draw 7 cards to form your opening hand.

02 Win Conditions

You win by achieving either condition:

Reduce your opponent to 0 HP through creature attacks and spell damage.
Deck Out -- if your opponent cannot draw a card during their Draw Phase, they lose.

03 Turn Structure

Draw Phase

Draw 1 card from your deck. If you cannot draw during your Draw Phase, you lose the duel.

Resource Phase

Your Mana replenishes to the turn count with no cap: turn 1 = 1 mana, turn 2 = 2 mana, and so on. Gold refreshes to 1 base plus 1 bonus for each damage instance you dealt to the enemy sheriff last turn; unspent Gold is replaced rather than added.

Action Phase

Play cards, activate abilities, and attack with your creatures. You may perform actions in any order and as many times as your resources allow.

End Phase

Your turn ends. Any "until end of turn" effects expire. Play passes to your opponent.

04 Resources: Mana & Gold

Mana

Increases by 1 each turn with no cap. Turn 1 gives 1 Mana, turn 2 gives 2, and so on. It fully replenishes at the start of each turn and pays the mana cost on cards.

Gold

Each turn, Gold refreshes to 1 base Gold plus 1 bonus Gold for every damage instance you dealt to your opponent last turn. One hit is one instance regardless of its damage amount. Unspent Gold does not bank from turn to turn. Gold pays for gold-cost cards, special abilities, and Deputy plays.

Cards cost Mana + sometimes Gold. A card listed as 3M/2G costs 3 mana and 2 gold to play.

05 The Battlefield: Lanes

The field is arranged across 7 lanes in two tiers. A Middle creature normally fights the creature in the directly opposing lane first and may hit the enemy Sheriff only when that lane is clear of an enemy creature and Cover. Flying bypasses lane Cover, while Overshot can spill through it. High-Rise attackers follow separate creature-only targeting rules. Click any lane slot below to review its role.

Opponent

♥ 30 HP

High-Rise

HR High-Rise

Middle

1 Lane 1

2 Lane 2

3 Lane 3

4 Lane 4

5 Lane 5

Battlefield

Middle

1 Lane 1

2 Lane 2

3 Lane 3

4 Lane 4

5 Lane 5

High-Rise

HR High-Rise

♥ 30 HP

You

Click a lane slot to see its attack targets

High-Rise Lanes

1 creature max per lane
Fresh High-Rise creatures dodge single-target attacks and effects until their first attack
The first attack ends that protection permanently
They can fire at other High-Rise or Middle Lane creatures, including over Cover in the middle
Board wipes still hit them, and they cannot attack the opponent directly

Middle Lanes

Up to 5 creatures across the middle
Normally fight the creature in the directly opposing lane first
May hit the enemy Sheriff only when the opposing lane is clear of enemy creatures and Cover
Flying bypasses lane Cover, while Overshot can spill through it
Standard placement -- the main battleground

06 Deputies

Deputies are your most trusted allies -- powerful units kept outside your deck. In online play, starter decks use their issued deputies, while custom saved decks choose 2 deputies from the live website roster.

Only 1 Deputy may be on the field at a time.
You can summon a Deputy from the Deputy Zone during your Action Phase by paying its Mana and Gold costs.
While a Deputy is still off-board, its Off-Board button can spend Gold for that Deputy's listed ability. Current online Deputies use the website roster, not the spreadsheet Deputy card versions.
A Deputy on the battlefield fights like a creature with its on-board stats and keywords, and its off-board ability is unavailable until it returns to the Deputy Zone.
They are never drawn from your deck and cannot be discarded from your hand.
The gallery still shows tabletop Deputy cards for reference, but website matches currently use the site deputy roster for balance and implementation.

07 Online Rules / Online Supported

Browser matches use the online-supported ruleset first. The full physical card pool still matters for collecting, lore, and future tabletop design, but the website only queues cards and mechanics that are marked live for the current engine.

Live Now

Core duels, sheriffs, and Frontier Run Stage I

Middle-lane combat, High-Rise targeting, Cover Tokens, sheriff passives, online Deputies, Frontier Run, and the supported browser card pool are the live foundation for website matches.

Partial

Some edge-case card text is still tightening up

Choose-a-target effects and temporary "until end of turn" style text work in many spots, but they are still the main area where the online ruleset is catching up. Use individual Online Legal labels.

Tabletop Only

Legacy physical cards stay visible

Legacy attachment Items and spreadsheet Deputy cards remain visible in the gallery for the broader physical vision. Tin Plating is the current exception and is active online.

Sheriffs

Choose 1 sheriff before the match. Current browser sheriffs are live: Calloway gains Gold every third turn, Zix starts with 8 cards and has one discard-for-2 draw, Malachar boosts the first attack each turn, Reedwick starts with Cover and gains later Mana when it breaks, Cogsworth starts with extra Gold and cost trims on even turns, and Ironhold starts at 35 HP with damage reduction.

Live

Deputy Zone + Off-Board Abilities

Online decks bring 2 site-roster Deputies outside the 52-card deck. During your Action Phase, an off-board Deputy can spend its listed Gold cost for its Off-Board ability, or be summoned into an empty lane if you can pay its summon cost. Only 1 Deputy can be on your field at a time.

Live

Online Supported Card Pool

Core Humans, Goblins, Desert Devils, Straw Elves, Gnomes, Golem forms, Dwarves, Beasts, all current supported Spells, and Tin Plating are active online when labeled Online Legal.

Live

Broad Targeting + Temporary Modifiers

Complex targeting language, modal spell choices, variable-count effects, and delayed cleanup text are still label-gated. Some are implemented, but do not assume every temporary stat or keyword effect is fully online.

Partial

Physical / Full Card Pool

The full pool includes reference-only legacy Items, attachment concepts, and tabletop Deputy cards. These remain outside live browser deck lists; only Tin Plating uses the current one-shot Item rules.

Tabletop

Online Legal

Creature Cards

The backbone of current online play. Faction creatures, Beasts, Gnomes, Golem forms, and Dwarves all live here.

Online Legal

Spell Cards

The active browser spell satchel. Spell-heavy decks and support packages are fair game when a card is individually marked live.

Use Card Labels

Specialist Text

Read the exact card before you queue it. The wider the targeting, timing, or temporary-effect clause, the more important the online label becomes.

Tin Plating Live

Item Cards

Tin Plating is the current online Item. Drag it to a friendly non-Feral creature to grant +1 Attack, +2 current and maximum Defense, and one non-stacking Tin Shield. It goes to discard, occupies no lane, and does not count as a Spell.

Reference Only

Spreadsheet Deputies

Online matches use the site deputy roster instead. Keep the spreadsheet versions as lore and tabletop reference cards for now.

If you want the cleanest deckbuilding path, browse the Online Legal card pool first, then compare each faction's style in the Faction Guide.

Browse Online Cards Explore Factions Play Free

08 Keywords

Ambush

This creature can attack immediately when summoned.

Quickdraw

Strikes first in combat. If the enemy dies, this creature takes no damage.

Double Barrel

Can attack twice per turn.

Overshot

Excess damage spills over to the next target or the opponent, letting heavy hits break through Cover Tokens.

Flying

Bypasses Cover Tokens entirely.

High Noon

Draw 1 card when this creature is played from hand.

Gold Rush

Gain 1 gold when this creature is played.

Warrant

Forces enemy creatures to attack this creature first (taunt).

Wanted

Cannot be targeted by single-target effects such as spells and abilities.

Cover Tokens

0/1 blocking tokens generated by card effects. Cover in a Middle attacker's opposing lane must be handled before that creature can hit your Sheriff. Flying bypasses lane Cover, Overshot can spill through it, and High-Rise attackers fire over it.

Last Stand

Triggers an effect when this creature is destroyed.

Heal

Restores HP to your hero or a friendly creature.

Venom

After this creature deals combat damage, the target suffers 1 extra Defense loss.

Feral

Friendly effects cannot target this creature.

Burrow

When this creature is summoned into the middle lane, it raises a Cover Token in its lane if there is room.

Pack

This creature gains +1 Attack for each other Beast you control.

Stampede

When this creature attacks and the defender survives, it can shove that defender into another middle lane and make it lose its next attack.

Flip

Gnome tech effects that trigger transformation-style bonuses on play.

Fortify

Enters with a permanent Defense boost.

Barricade

Enemies must attack this creature first, and it shaves 1 damage off incoming hits when possible.

Tunnel

Can be summoned into any legal lane regardless of normal blocking pressure.

Blast

Deals 1 damage to every creature in the attacked lane when this creature attacks.

Ironclad

Spell damage and destroy effects cannot finish this creature off as easily; it resists being blasted out by spells.

Overdrive

Lets you spend extra Gold on play for a stat boost if you can afford it.

Online Supported Keyword Matrix

This matrix summarizes current browser support. A card's Online Legal label still wins when a specific spell or edge-case text is broader than the keyword itself.

Keyword	Public Rules Text	Engine Status	Online Note
Ambush	Can attack immediately when summoned.	Supported	Live for online creatures and Deputies.
Quickdraw	Strikes first in combat.	Supported	Live in creature combat.
Double Barrel	Can attack twice per turn.	Supported	Live for attack-count tracking.
Overshot	Excess damage spills through.	Supported	Live for creature excess and Cover spillover.
Flying	Bypasses Cover Tokens.	Supported	Live for target selection and attacks over Cover.
High Noon	Draw 1 card when played from hand.	Supported	Live as an on-play draw trigger.
Gold Rush	Gain Gold when played.	Supported	Live as an on-play Gold trigger.
Warrant	Enemies must attack this creature first.	Supported	Live in attack targeting.
Wanted	Cannot be targeted by single-target effects.	Supported	Native Wanted is enforced; temporary Wanted-granting cards still follow Online Legal labels.
Cover Tokens	0/1 tokens that block direct attacks on your sheriff until destroyed.	Supported	Live for face protection, Flying bypass, and Overshot spillover.
Last Stand	Triggers when the creature is destroyed.	Supported	Common death triggers are live.
Heal	Restores HP or Defense.	Supported	Hero, creature, and broad friendly heal patterns are live when labeled online.
Venom	Deals extra Defense loss after combat damage.	Supported	Live after combat damage resolves.
Feral	Friendly effects cannot target this creature.	Supported	Live for friendly effect targeting.
Burrow	Raises Cover when summoned to a middle lane.	Supported	Live when the lane can take Cover.
Pack	Gains Attack from allied Beasts.	Supported	Live as a board passive.
Stampede	Shoves surviving defenders and delays their next attack.	Supported	Live in attack aftermath.
Flip	Gnome tech effects trigger transformation-style bonuses.	Partial	Creature and Deputy-triggered Flip effects are live; Flip Spell packages remain label-gated.
Flip-Charged	Golem flip-state trigger separate from plain Flip.	Partial	Parsed separately online; broad Golem Flip Spell and attachment interactions remain label-gated.
Fortify	Enters with a permanent Defense boost.	Supported	Live as a permanent on-play boost.
Barricade	Acts like Warrant and reduces incoming damage.	Supported	Live in attack targeting and combat damage.
Tunnel	Can be summoned into any legal lane.	Supported	Live for current online lane placement rules.
Blast	Splashes damage across a lane or enemy middle lane.	Supported	Live for supported creature attack patterns.
Ironclad	Cannot be finished by spell damage or destroy effects as easily.	Supported	Live against spell damage and destroy effects.
Overdrive	Spend extra Gold on play for a boost.	Supported	Live for current online Overdrive creatures.

↓ Full Rulebook

This downloadable PDF mirrors the live website rules above, including current online legality labels and deputy handling.

Download Rules PDF

Quick Answers

Rules FAQ

How does mana work in Goblins & Gunslingers?

Mana increases by 1 each turn with no cap. Turn 1 gives 1 mana, turn 2 gives 2, and so on. It fully replenishes at the start of each turn and pays the mana cost on cards.

How does gold work in Goblins & Gunslingers?

Each turn, Gold refreshes to 1 base Gold plus 1 bonus Gold for every damage instance you dealt to your opponent last turn. One hit is one instance regardless of its damage amount. Unspent Gold does not bank from turn to turn. Gold pays for gold-cost cards, special abilities, and Deputy plays.

What are Deputies in GNG?

Deputies are powerful units kept outside your deck. You select 2 Deputies that stay in a Deputy Zone and are never drawn normally. Only 1 Deputy may be on the field at a time. You can summon a Deputy by paying its costs, and some cards can call one in or trigger off-board Deputy abilities.

How does combat work in Goblins & Gunslingers?

The board has 5 Middle lanes and 2 High-Rise lanes. Middle creatures normally fight the creature in the directly opposing lane first and may attack the opponent only when that lane is clear of an enemy creature and Cover. Flying bypasses lane Cover, while Overshot can spill through it. High-Rise creatures can target enemy creatures but cannot attack the opponent directly. Their fresh single-target protection ends permanently after their first attack.

What is Frontier Run in Goblins & Gunslingers?

Frontier Run is a branching roguelike campaign mode. You start with 150 trail HP instead of the normal 30, choose a crew, and move across branching routes that lead to battles, outposts, shops, and stage bosses. It uses the same lane-combat rules as a normal duel but wraps them in a longer solo campaign climb.

How do you win a game of Goblins & Gunslingers?

You win by either reducing your opponent to 0 HP through creature attacks and spell damage, or by decking them out — if your opponent cannot draw a card during their Draw Phase, they lose.

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