Pyramid Review
Gother Than Thou Card Game
Published by Savant Garde Entertainment
Designed by R. Hunter Gough
55 card standard set; $9.95 U.S.
Much to their chagrin, it's not that hard to poke fun at the average goth.
There's just something about the tragic melodrama that they paint their world with that's so easy to make light of. Luckily, most goths have a sense of humor, and Gother Than Thou is the direct result of such humor. It's a simple and easy card game that pits players against each other to show who's the gothest of them all. It is dubbed "The most pretentious card game ever made," and in that regard it delivers with a chuckle.
The game runs for only ten bucks and comes with fifty-five cards, enough for three to five players. Game play is exceedingly simple (as the tiny rulebook will attest). Everyone in the game has three scores: Goth points, Sickness points, and Money points. Each card will increase or decrease one or more of these scores. Play goes in a circle, as players place one card from their hand into each person's fate pile, then discard one from their own. The objective is to get twenty goth points in your fate pile before anyone else does. Sickness points limit your maximum hand size, while Money points determine whether or not you're allowed the privilege of drawing from the discard pile (which can be pretty handy).
The strategy of the game is simple but fun. You want to play cards that keep your opponent's goth score low, while keeping yours high. . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: November 9, 2001
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