Gouda Gouda
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Five hungry mice. A lurking cat. And that cheese in the middle that no one can reach for more than one turn.
What it's about
The most chaotic and fun cheese race on the table
Gouda! Gouda! was created in 2001 as the winner of the prestigious Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société, designed by Frédéric Moyersoen. The Playte version brings this classic light game in a modern, compact, and immediately playable re-edition.
Each player leads a team of five mice racing towards the cheese pieces scattered on the board. You roll your custom dice — green advances, red retreats, yellow does nothing — and choose how to use each result. But beware: other players can also use their dice to move your mice in the wrong direction. And the wooden cat is always lurking, ready to block anyone who gets too close.
The player who collects the most cheese tiles when the supply runs out wins. Simple to explain, impossible to predict.
The spirit of the game
The mouse you were moving to the cheese for three turns? Someone just sent it to the other side of the board with a red die. This is Gouda! Gouda! — and this is exactly why you laugh about it instead of getting angry.
The secret of Gouda! Gouda! in one line
A game where strategy matters — but chaos is the true rule. Whoever understands this first also understands why you win laughing and lose laughing just the same.
From the game experience
Gouda! Gouda!
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsWhat's in the box
The tools of the race
5 custom dice
Three faces, three destinies: green advances the mouse, red sends it back, yellow does nothing. Simple in theory — complicated when you choose who to move.
25 wooden mice
Five mice per player, each with its own color. All racing. All vulnerable to opponents' moves. No one is safe until they reach the cheese.
6 cheese tiles
The prize of the race. Be the first to arrive with one of your mice and the tile is yours. When the tiles run out, they are counted — and whoever has the most wins everything.
The wooden cat
The Cat Attack version adds the cat: a wooden piece that moves on the board and can block mice closest to the cheese. The unforeseen element that makes everything even more unstable.
You don't need to explain anything. Place the mice, roll the dice, start. Chaos does the rest — and so do the memories.
🎲Components7 types · 44 total pieces
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Everyone in line, nobody knows what to expect yet
The mice are in position. The cheese is there, in the center of the board. It looks easy. The rules were explained in two minutes. Someone already has the die in their hand. The game hasn't even started and someone is already aiming for the closest cheese.
The first red die — and someone is already protesting
Three green, one red. Someone uses the red one on someone else's mouse — the most advanced mouse, of course. The first indignant reaction at the table. Laughter. Right away, it's clear this isn't a quiet game.
The cat moves — and someone screams
The die activates the cat. The cat advances towards the mouse that was one step away from the cheese. The mouse is blocked. Its owner stares at the board with an expression that says more than any comment. The table explodes.
Three cheeses left — and all five players are aiming for them
The board has emptied. Three cheese tokens, five players, all mice in the race. Every die becomes a life-or-death decision — and every red die used on the right opponent can turn the tide in one turn.
The last cheese is taken — and the tokens are counted
The board is empty. The cheeses are counted. Someone has three, someone one, someone none — but has already repositioned their mice. The cheese tokens are redistributed. It starts again.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Three phases, no manual to reread halfway through the game. Right from the start.
Roll the dice of your color. Green advances a mouse by one space, red sends it back, yellow does nothing. See what you got — and then decide how to use it.
You can use green dice on your mice — or on your opponents'. The same goes for red dice: you send back one of your struggling mice or an opponent's mouse that is winning. The cat is activated with special faces.
If one of your mice reaches the cheese space first, you take the token — it's yours. Then the next cheese is revealed and the race begins again.
Once all cheese tokens are exhausted, they are counted. Whoever has the most wins. A tie? A tie-breaker criterion is used or you play again — which is the best answer in any case.
Why it's different from others
Six elements that make a difference
Dice you can use on others
You don't just roll. Every die is a choice: move your mice or those of others. A red die in an opponent's hand is the table's worst nightmare — your leading mouse can end up at the back in a second.
The cat changes everything
The Cat Attack version adds a wooden piece that no one really controls — it moves with the die and blocks anyone who gets too close to the cheese. Unpredictable, frustrating, and irresistible.
Rules in two minutes
Green advances, red retreats, yellow does nothing. Be the first to reach the cheese and take it. Run out of cheese? Whoever has the most wins. That's it. There's nothing else to learn before starting.
International Award 2001
Gouda! Gouda! won the Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société in 2001. Not for complexity — but for how well it works at the table. The judges knew it. Those who play it notice it immediately.
Each game lasts 30 minutes
Long enough to make sense, short enough to play two in a row. The natural rhythm of the game is "just one more." And almost always, you only stop because you have to, not because you want to.
Works with anyone
No advantage for frequent players — the dice level everything. An 8-year-old and an experienced player sit at the same table and both have fun, for completely different reasons.
How it ends
One way to win, infinite ways to lose your advantage
Collecting cheese is easy. Keeping it is impossible — because the other players are already planning how to send your mice back to the other side of the board.
Victory
- Collect more cheese tokens than all other players
- Just be the first to reach the cheese space with any of your five mice
- The game ends when the last cheese token is collected
Defeat
- Another player collected more cheeses — usually the one who seemed furthest behind
- The red die at the wrong moment sent your lead mouse to the back for three turns
- The cat placed itself exactly where it shouldn't have — as always
Gouda! Gouda! is one of those games that doesn't need explanations to convince. Just put it on the table and start — the rest comes naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gouda! Gouda! FAQ
What makes it different from a simple children's dice game?
The mechanic of using your dice on opponents completely changes the nature of the game. It's not "roll and advance" — it's "roll, evaluate who is winning, and decide whether to help myself or sabotage someone." This choice, however simple, creates tension and real interaction every turn.
Is it really suitable for the whole family, including small children?
It works very well from 8 years old and up. Below 8 years old the rules are understandable, but the logic of sabotaging others might require some guidance. With adults and children from 8 years old, it's one of the most inclusive games you can put on the table.
How much does luck determine the outcome?
Enough to make every game different, not enough to eliminate choices. Dice introduce randomness — but choosing how to use each die, on which mouse, and in which direction, is a real strategic decision. Those who play well win more often, even with less favorable dice.
Is the Playte version different from the 2002 original?
The basic mechanic is the same as Frédéric Moyersoen's original game. The Playte (Cat Attack) version adds the wooden cat as a movable element that interacts with the mice, increasing unpredictability. The components are updated compared to the original Descartes edition.
Does it work well with 2 players?
It works, but the best experience is with 4-5 players. With 2 people, the chaos is reduced and the game becomes more direct — interesting, but different from the original spirit. The real magic emerges when there are more opponents to sabotage and more temporary alliances to build and destroy.
Is it available in Italian?
This is the English edition published by Playte. The game is almost completely language-independent: no text is read during the game, and the instructions are short and visual. Also suitable for those who don't know English.
Gouda! Gouda! (Cat Attack) is a dice-rolling and racing board game for 2-5 players (ages 8+, duration ~30 min). Designed by Frédéric Moyersoen, published by Playte (2023 reissue of the original Descartes 2002). Winner of the Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société 2001. Main mechanic: dice rolling with free assignment to any mouse on the table — your own or an opponent's. Each player controls 5 wooden mice racing towards cheese tokens on a shared board, with the wooden cat moving as an unpredictable element. English edition. Available on FroGames.it.
Gouda Gouda
Frequently Asked Questions
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