Galdor's Grip

How does it feel to have your mind invaded by a demented telepath?

How long will you let the telepath rule over your mind while he tries to unleash all the evil in your mind that you locked up ages ago? It’s time to reorient your mind to permanently trap the intruder, and set yourself free!

Galdor’s Grip is a solo fantasy card game designed by Gregg Jewel, where all you need is 18 cards to play, on the game canvas that is your hand. No gaming surface is needed to play this game, enabling it to be played and carried anywhere you like. The game is based on manipulation and orientation of cards, so those who have tried All is Bomb may find some similarities between the two games.

For our team, Galdor’s Grip is a game we choose to play either in quiet evenings or when we are commuting. I’ve always been a big fan of games that make you think ahead of time, and Galdor’s Grip is on the list. For those who are new to print-and-play games, Galdor’s Grip is highly recommended; but a little heads up, it’s pretty challenging!

All you need to play Galdor’s Grip

There is only one component in this game, 18 both-sided cards. So all you have to do is print 4 pages to print both sides of the cards. Which material you print the cards on, and how you assemble them really depends on your crafting capability:

Amateur

Are you a self-claimed minimalist? Or a noob at crafting things? Then go color-printing the cards on offset A4 papers, cut out the cards using a pair of scissors, and assemble the front and back of each card inside a card sleeve. These transparent card sleeves will contain both sides of the cards, most often accompanied by a support in the middle of the prints that will make the card sturdy. For example- if you have a spare deck of cards around, then take one card and put it inside the sleeve, and then sandwich it by putting the front and backside of a card from Galdor’s Grip on either side of it. 

So if you are going this route, you need to color-print four A4 pages that contain the card layout for the game, 18 card sleeves, and 18 spare cards from a deck. You can easily purchase card sleeves from Amazon, and as far as a decent printer is concerned- we recommend the Canon PIXMA G6020 Inkjet printer.

A Crafter

If you are a crafter, then you can explore making cards out of cardstock papers. Once printed, you can either cut out the cards and assemble them inside card sleeves, or glue the two sides of a card together using glue. Our little team takes pride in its craftsmanship, so we went on to create an aesthetic version using cardstock papers and glue, and we enjoyed the making process more than we anticipated. But after trying out a few rounds of the game with this glued, aesthetic deck of cards, we came to realize that card sleeves are more desirable in this game since you need to continuously move cards throughout the game.

The game experience gets compromised if there are lot of friction among cards, which is a common case for exposed, unlaminated cardstock cards. Also, card sleeves are desirable particularly if you have a habit of eating or drinking during gameplay, so all the more reasons to hinge towards the card sleeves. We have a detailed blog on when to laminate game components, check it out if you want to know more about it!  

With the 18 cards by your side, it’s time to immerse yourself in a detailed playthrough video. We highly recommend taking your time while learning the game, as it will take a few rounds of trying it out to fully get a grasp of it. Thanks to Sir Thecos, we found a gem of a gameplay video for Galdor’s Grip, which you can explore at the end of this blog.

What we like about Galdor’s Grip

It makes you think

Every move in this game is crucial. Each move may have multiple ways to choose from, and they will directly impact your chances of winning or losing the game. The gameplay itself does not take long, but in each round, you have to be pretty sharp between your ears to pull off the exact moves that will be favorable for you. Galdor’s Grip will also prompt you to think ahead of time, so if you are gifted with farsightedness then you are in with a strong chance!

Not easy to win

I still remember my first ten attempts at Galdor’s Grip, out of which I only won once! But what really kept me going was how I learned something new on each round. I realized going with the flow is not how this game works; you have to take your time on each round and understand the impact each decision will make. Every card has its specialty, so knowing when to and when not to play the cards is also crucial. As you slowly get the jist of the game, and as the game unravels in your favor- this game gets quite catchy! It grows onto you over time, so don’t give up after losing a few times. It is a game that you are not winning on chance!

PS- You can try a few rounds on easy mode; one of the conditions of winning the game is getting 9 stars, so you can be easy on yourself and aim lower, like 6 stars. It is not in the rules of the game, but it might keep you motivated!

Substituted my Rubik’s Cube!

Print-and-play games can often be quite handy in size, but I never stumbled upon a game that requires no flat surface to play- till I got a grip (pun intended) of this game. It rests quietly in my bag pack, to be unleashed anytime I feel like giving the cards a shuffle and conquering the demons nesting in my mind! I tried this game while commuting for work, during work breaks, and also on plenty of quiet evenings over a cup of tea- and it is not very far from becoming a constant companion of mine. The reactions of people on public transport when I play Galdor’s Grip are priceless- they look at me like I’m some magician unraveling the mysteries of the Universe!

The Expansion

Oh yes, it gets better. Once you have mastered the regular deck, you can swap a few cards from the regular cards with the expansion set, and give it a shot. It adds new dimensions to this game, but we only recommend exploring the expansion set once you have mastered the regular set. Only then you can be branded as worthy of the expanded set! I am yet to be worthy, so the instant I am, I will post a detailed review of the Expansion set as well.

Where to get it from

Are you ready to battle the evil in your mind? You better be, for you don’t need to battle with your wallet to get this game. It is available, for free, at Itch.io. Hats off to Gregg Jewell for making such an amazing game that has become a regular part of my life, and I’m sure it will be on your go-to list for print-and-play games in no time!   

Overview | Galdor's Grip

Publisher: Gregg Jewell
Number of players:
1
Difficulty level: Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 3 rounds
Game duration: 10 to 20 minutes
Price: Free 
Download from: Itch.io
Theme: Card orientation and Manipulation
Number of pages and color: 4 (color print) for Regular Set
Assembling difficulty level: Medium
Lamination: Not recommended
Additional elements required: 18 Card Sleeves
Time to learn: Within 30 minutes
Travel-friendly: 10/10 (the best)
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 9.5/10

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