Goblin Tax Fraud: The Astonishing Power Of TTRPG Props

Prop-based games are a great way to ease new players into the TTRPG world. Having a physical object to react to helps guide the roleplay, allowing new players to overcome the decision paralysis that can often come with early forays into roleplaying and theater of the mind. Goblin Tax Fraud is a great example of how a good, well-themed prop can enhance a game experience.

In Goblin Tax Fraud, each player plays as a goblin tax collector, aiming to gather as much tax revenue as possible via creative use of the goblin tax code. At the start of each round, money (called Grimb in the game) gets placed on the table, and each player has to try and claim it for themselves by creatively interpreting the Goblin Tax code. While this goes on, players can also steal money from one another through clever use of the tax code and blatant theft, adding another layer of complexity and intrigue to the game.

Props Enhance The Gameplay Experience

But three decisions massively enhance Goblin Tax Fraud and turn a simple party game into an excellent introductory roleplaying game. The first is how the game handles money. In Goblin Tax Fraud, money isn’t merely an abstract number on a character sheet. Instead, players gather items from around the playspace and use these as currency, with the rules noting that pens, erasers, keychains, candy, or even dice could be used. While this decision may seem small, using a physical prop gives Goblin Tax Fraud a lot of extra weight, enhancing the game’s intensity and chaotic atmosphere while opening up more opportunities for gambits and roleplay.

This design decision informs Goblin Tax Fraud’s best element, its scoring system. At the end of each collection, each player must choose one of their Grimb and offer it to the Goblin King. The player who presents the best Grimb (decided via GM decision or player vote) wins the round and gets a reward of their choice. This gives the game a layer of strategy as, rather than trying to grab every Grimb, players quickly start focusing on the ones they think can win the round, leading to plenty of comedic chaos. Plus, this phase acts as a great, low-pressure introduction to roleplay, as after the first round, players will naturally start coming up with arguments for why their Grimb is the best. This means that players will get to practice and develop crucial roleplaying skills naturally, removing much of the self-imposed pressure new players feel when dipping their toes into roleplaying games.

A No-Pressure Introduction To Roleplaying

The game’s Tax Code system is also a fun addition. At the start of the game, the Tax Code contains 8 basic rules that cover what a player has to do to claim a Grimb and what happens if a player is caught trying to take a Grimb from another player. Every round, each player is allowed to add one new rule to the tax code that remains for the rest of the game, meaning that the game quickly spirals into delightful chaos as players find new ways to apply the old rules and come up with new ones to trip up the other players.

Like the scoring system, this system also helps ease people into roleplaying. The longer the game goes, the more people will try to tiptoe around the rules, leading to them unknowingly practicing roleplaying skills like active listening and quick improvisation in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Plus, the game’s chaotic structure allows quieter players to drop into the background if they feel overwhelmed, letting them slowly build their confidence through short bursts of roleplay.

However, Goblin Tax Fraud isn’t without its flaws. The biggest is that the rules can be a little unclear on the first read-through, especially due to the order the rules are presented. Thankfully, the game quickly becomes intuitive during play, meaning that once one person works the rules out the game can get going quickly. Because of this, Goblin Tax Fraud is the perfect game for unplanned game nights, especially because its focus on random props means it can be played with whatever you have to hand.

Goblin Tax Fraud shows how props can enhance a game and transform the experience. While Goblin Tax Fraud is fun without the props, the game reaches a whole new level when they are added, as the added weight the props bring motivates players to try new things and helps them immerse themselves in the game and its mechanics.