Gauntlet v0.7.1

New to Gauntlet? Start here.

Your first game starts here.

Learn the simple core of the game, choose a side, learn the one extra layer your side adds, and start playing. You can look up the details when you need them.

Begin Open the rulebook
  1. 1Know the goalSee the battlefield and how you win.
  2. 2Choose a sidePick a faction and one of its two Leaders.
  3. 3Learn to playSee what you do on a turn and in a battle.
  4. 4Learn your factionSee the one extra system your chosen side adds.
  5. 5PlaySet up a physical or Tabletop Simulator game.

Step 1 · Know the goal

Cross the battlefield. Push your opponent back. Take their ground.

Gauntlet is a two-player tactical card game played across six Territory cards—three from each player.

The game is a tug-of-war across six Territories.

You start at one end. Your opponent starts at the other. On your turn, draw a card, take up to one Action, and choose whether to move forward, stay put, or fall back.

If you move into your opponent, you fight. Win, and you push them back. Hold the enemy ground you took until a later turn and you capture it.

Keep going until you control the entire battlefield by capturing your opponent's Territories or push them completely off the battlefield and win one final battle. That's the shared game. Five factions also have their own additional way to win.

What each player needs

  • One faction and one Leader
  • One recommended 30-card starter Deck
  • Three different Territories
  • One Player Token and one six-sided die
  • Any trackers, references, or supplemental cards used by that faction

The Deckbuilder print package includes the chosen Leader, playable cards, Territories, strategy summary, and required printable faction components. Tokens and dice are supplied separately.

You do not need to learn the whole rulebook first. This page teaches the normal game. When a card creates an unusual interaction, read the card and use the Rulebook or Rules Arbiter to settle the details.

Step 2 · Choose a side

Which institution will you lead?

Pick what sounds fun. Gauntlet players can build custom Decks from a large pool of cards, but for your first game we provide a pre-built recommended Deck for the faction and Leader you choose.

Choose a faction

Learning curve shows how much faction-specific machinery you will learn on top of the shared game. It does not indicate strength or intelligence.

Choose one of that faction's Leaders

Choose a faction first.

Step 3 · Learn to play

You can learn the first game in a few minutes.

Learn the normal case and start playing. The cards tell you when they change the normal rules.

Most turns

Capture. Draw. Act. Move.

If you held enemy ground from an earlier turn, you may be able to capture it first. Then draw one card. You get one Action, which you can use before or after moving. Move forward, stay put, or fall back. If you move into your opponent, fight immediately. At the end of the turn, discard down to three cards.

01

Set up the battlefield

  1. Each player takes a faction, Leader, starter Deck, three Territories, token, and die.
  2. Shuffle your Deck. Draw four cards, discard one face up, and keep three.
  3. After seeing your Hand, secretly arrange your three Territories in a line.
  4. Join both players' lines into one six-Territory battlefield, reveal them, put each token at its own end, and roll for first player.
02

Take your turn

Draw one card, then take up to one Action during the turn. You may use it before you move or save it until afterward.

An Action is usually playing a card for its Action effect, banking a card face up as an Asset, or using something marked 1 Action.

After movement and any remaining Action, end your turn and discard down to three cards.

03

Move

Choose one:

  • Advance: move one position toward your opponent.
  • Hold: stay where you are.
  • Fall Back: move one position toward your own end.

If you Advance into your opponent's position, stop and fight a battle.

04

Fight

Before the die roll, each player can commit up to two cards:

  1. You may set one eligible card from your Hand face down. This is your Gambit.
  2. Set your Hand aside and draw three temporary cards. Reveal and resolve the Gambits.
  3. You may choose one eligible card from those three and set it face down. This is your Tactic. Reveal and resolve the Tactics.
  4. Roll a die and compare totals. Higher total wins; the loser retreats. When you are defending ground you control, you normally win a tied total.

After the battle, your Gambit normally goes to your Graveyard; your Tactic and unused temporary cards go to your Discard Pile.

The Discard Pile is recyclable: when your Draw Pile runs out, it can be reshuffled. Cards in the Graveyard are normally out of circulation and are not reshuffled unless an effect moves them.

That's the normal battle. The cards will tell you when they add or change something.

05

Take ground and win

If you win while attacking an enemy Territory, the defender retreats and you stay there. The Territory is not yours yet.

If you still hold that ground when a later turn begins, capture the next enemy Territory in your line and turn it to face you.

Capture the Territory at your opponent's end to win. If you push them completely off the battlefield, another Advance forces one final battle—a Last Stand. Win it and you win the game.

That's enough to start. Draw, take one Action, move, and fight when you collide. Win battles to push the opponent back; hold their ground to capture it. Look up exceptions when they actually happen.

Step 4 · Learn your faction

Now add one more layer.

You already know Gauntlet. This section teaches only what your chosen faction adds to that shared game, then gives first-game guidance for your chosen Leader.

Choose a faction above. Your faction lesson will appear here. Choose a Leader as well and it will add first-game guidance tailored to that Leader.