Mountain Goats is a fast-paced game of timing and positioning, and it has quickly taken a spot near the top of my list of best lightweight board games. I’ve played this game dozens of times with my family and online, and even achieved a Top 10 world ranking on BGA with an ~85% win rate. What appears to be a straightforward and luck-heavy game actually packs quite a bit of strategy and intuition into a small package. Whether you’re new to the game or you’re an experienced player looking for some extra tips to put you over the top, this guide will teach you how to reach the top!
To see how I apply these strategies in-game, you can check out my YouTube video with an example game here:
Monopolize the 9’s or 10’s early
I make it a point to focus a lot of attention on the 9 and 10 columns very early in the game to collect as many tokens from those columns as possible. If my opponents don’t (or can’t) match my activity in those columns then I’ll often end up with all (or all but 1) of the tokens from at least one of those columns. This severely hamstrings my opponents for the rest of the game because:
- They are behind in total score because they lost out on valuable tokens
- Their ability to collect bonus tokens is diminished or eliminated
The second point is the most important here. There are only 5 tokens in the 10 column, so their distribution is usually the determining factor for who can collect bonus tokens. If you manage to grab all of the 10-column tokens, your opponents can’t ever earn a bonus token. Even if you manage to limit them to just 1, that’s a massive advantage.
At the beginning of the game, I’ll almost always force my way into the 9 and/or 10 columns, even if it means sub-optimal usage of my dice (leaving dice unused). I have found that most players don’t know how to react to this strategy and it often leads to easy wins.
Be a clear first or close second up the mountain
This strategy is most effective in 2-player games but remains effective for any game size. Mountain Goats is all about timing and maximizing the amount of time you spend on top of each mountain. To that end, you want to reach the top with nobody close behind you to knock you off. Your goal should be to reach the top of each mountain either:
- The turn after another player does, to knock them off and send them back down the mountain
- Way ahead of other players so that they have to invest a lot of time/turns into knocking you off
In general, I like to spread myself out to have my goats reach the second-highest square on each mountain and then wait for another player (especially in a 2-player game) to reach the top before me. Then, I’ll knock them off on my next turn and spend more time on that peak.
Position yourself to take the first bonus token
The most common exception to the ‘be second up the mountain’ tactic is when you’re jockeying for position to get the bonus tokens. The first token is especially valuable since it’s worth a whopping 15 points.
After securing as many 9’s and 10’s as possible, I start thinking about how to position myself to get the first bonus token. Don’t leave it up to chance by just being ‘efficient’ with your dice – be deliberate with what numbers you advance and make sure you’re advancing on every number.
Focus on numbers, not dice efficiency
In most games, maximizing efficiency is critical to success, and I see most new Mountain Goats players assume that it’s also the case for this game. They try to use all of their dice and advance their goats on the highest number(s) possible. While this is often the way to go, it’s far from the best strategy.
DID YOU KNOW? Mountain Goats has a really fun expansion pack called ‘Big Mountain’ that expands the game to 5 players and adds new gameplay elements. You can find the original Mountain Goats game and the Big Mountain Expansion Pack on Amazon.
In most cases, you should prioritize advancing on numbers you actually need to secure your objectives. Don’t worry about leaving some dice unused. Early in the game, I like to go for 9’s and 10’s, even if that means not using one of my dice. Similarly, later in the game, I will jockey for position on lower numbers to reach peaks right after my opponent or to secure a valuable bonus token. Timing and positioning are much more important than dice efficiency!
Don’t rush taking numbers under no pressure
When you have a goat at the top of a mountain peak, the temptation is usually to hammer away at that peak and grab as many points as possible while you’re there. However, it’s often better to continue jockeying for position on other numbers when possible – especially for numbers 5 through 8.
For example, let’s say you’re at the top of the 7 column and all of your opponents are still at the bottom. You’re under no immediate pressure there to grab more 7’s before being knocked off. Unless you need another 7 for an additional bonus token, why not use that time to position yourself near some other peaks?
Then, if and when an opponent chooses to invest some time into climbing the 7 peak again you just grab some additional 7 tokens before they reach the top. Sometimes you can even grab all of the remaining tokens on that peak, meaning your opponent has essentially wasted time trying to reach the top again.
Finish numbers quickly if you’re leading
If you get off to a big lead then it’s almost always in your best interest to finish off numbers quickly and end the game. This happens frequently when you aggressively go after 9’s and 10’s because two columns are already empty and you have a ton of high-value tokens.
CHECK IT OUT: If you like dice-rolling games where you climb to the top of the board, you’ll also love Can’t Stop which you can find on Amazon. Of course, before you play you should also check out my Complete Can’t Stop Strategy Guide so you can dominate from the get-go.
If your opponent has already chipped away at another column, make it a priority to knock them off that peak and keep taking from it until the game ends. An added bonus of this strategy is that if they manage to knock you back off of that peak they won’t be able to finish it unless they’ve somehow managed to re-take the lead.
Don’t invest in numbers with few remaining tokens
Reaching the top of a peak takes time, so you have to be judicious about where you invest your time and resources. If, for example, an opponent knocks you off of the 8 peak and there is only 1 token left there, it’s probably not worth it to try to reach the top again. It would take a significant investment of dice to reach the top, and your opponent is extremely likely to just take the last 8 token before you get there. Plus, even if you do reach the top, the most points you’ll get from that investment is 8 (unless you need it for a bonus).
Don’t rely on late-game bonus tokens
In my experience, games usually end because 3 columns have been exhausted. It’s fairly rare, especially in 2-player games, for games to end because all bonus tokens have been taken. Therefore, you shouldn’t plan for or rely on taking the 4th (or even the 3rd) bonus token in most games.
I like to make it a goal to have at least 2 of every number by the end of a game because it gives me the opportunity to get the first and second bonus tokens. I don’t place as much emphasis on gaining a 3rd token of each number (except for 9’s and 10’s because I’ll take all I can get) because the third bonus token isn’t reached very often.
Target the leader in games with 3+ players
In games with more than 2 players, make it a point to target the current leader (or whoever is in second if you’re leading). Position yourself directly below them on each peak so that you can quickly unseat them when they reach the top. Race to complete a bonus token before they do. Just generally make life more difficult for them since they pose the biggest threat to your victory.
Some columns are worth more than others
My final tip involves a bit of math, but is worth keeping in the back of your mind. The total values of each column are different, and they vary depending on how many players are in the game. A column’s total value is defined by:
- (The column’s number) x (The total number of tokens in that column)
Below are charts that show the total column values for games at each player count. As you can see, in a 2-player game the most valuable columns are 7 and 8 with a total value of 56. This shifts slightly in a 3 player game, where columns 7, 8, and 9 are the most valuable. In general, columns near the middle of the board are more valuable than columns on the flanks.
It’s worth noting that these are the values at the beginning of the game. As tokens are claimed during the game the value of each column drops. This is valuable information because sometimes you’ll have to choose which column to focus on. All else being equal (the placement of goats), choose to invest in the column that is worth the most points since it gives you the highest upside if that peak remains unchallenged.
2 Player Game
| Number | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| # of Tokens (2 player game) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Total Column Value | 50 | 54 | 56 | 56 | 54 | 50 |
3 Player Game
| Number | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| # of Tokens (3 player game) | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Total Column Value | 55 | 60 | 63 | 64 | 63 | 60 |
4 Player Game
| Number | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| # of Tokens (4 player game) | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Total Column Value | 60 | 66 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 70 |
Thanks for reading! Did I miss something, or do you have your own tips to add? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
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