Not every battle is won by having the biggest army. Sometimes you just need the right Gruntz in the right place.
Gruntz by Allplay is a fantastic little abstract strategy wargame for two players that can easily be played in under 20 minutes. You're at war, deploying and moving a variety of infantry and vehicles as you try to claim victory in one of two ways.
What immediately stands out is how unique the different pieces are. Each unit has its own way of moving and interacting with the game, with surprisingly important choices along the way, such as which attachments to equip to your vehicles.
Gruntz is fun, chaotic, and surprisingly deep and tactical, making it a game that stands out from the other abstract strategy games you may have played.
What kind of game is it?
Gruntz is a 2-player abstract strategy wargame that can easily be played in under 20 minutes. Each player has the same collection of units, and the board is mirrored, meaning there is no randomness or asymmetry deciding who has the advantage. Both players have exactly the same tools, so it really comes down to how well you use them.
Each turn is simple: you get three actions, which can be either two moves followed by a deployment, or one move followed by two deployments. With such limited actions on a small board, positioning becomes incredibly important. Put a unit in the wrong place, and it might not be where you need it on your next turn.
There are two ways to win. You can get your Captain to your opponent's base, or claim three Victory Medals by controlling enough of the central points. This gives you a choice between pushing aggressively towards the enemy base or fighting for control of the battlefield.
Combat is equally straightforward, with a unit destroying another by moving onto its space if it is capable of doing so. The interesting part is learning which units can attack, which can't, and which can only be destroyed by specific others.
The vehicles add most of the game's variety. Trucks and Tanks can be equipped with one of three attachments: Cannon, Transport, or Anti-Air. Trucks are more mobile, Tanks are more durable, Cannons can destroy any land unit, Transport allows you to deploy Gruntz further forward, and Anti-Air prevents enemy aircraft from flying over your units.
You also have three aircraft, which can be deployed as Fighters or Bombers. They move around the designated airspaces and attack units beneath their flight paths, with Fighters being more versatile and Bombers specialising in vehicles.
The important thing is that vehicles are a limited resource. You only have two Trucks, three Tanks and three Aircraft, and unlike your Gruntz and Captain, destroyed vehicles and their attachments are permanently removed from the game.
It all creates something that feels a lot like chess, just with Tanks, aircraft, and a much more colourful battlefield. There is no dice rolling or hidden information to fall back on. Both players have the same tools, so victory comes down to positioning, planning and staying one step ahead of your opponent.
First impressions
Gruntz is another of Allplay's small-box games, packing a surprisingly substantial strategy game into a compact square box. The artwork immediately tells you that this is a wargame, but the goofy, cartoon-like style keeps it from feeling overly serious.
Inside you'll find the wooden pieces for both players, including the vehicles and their attachments. One of my favourite touches is the use of magnets for equipping the vehicles. Swapping attachments is incredibly easy, while clicking them into place feels strangely satisfying.
The board itself is made from cloth, meaning it folds away neatly and takes up very little space. My only issue is that it doesn't always sit completely flat after being folded, which can make playing on it slightly awkward.
Each player also gets a handy reference card showing how the different units move and interact, with a reminder of how a turn works and how to win on the reverse. This makes the game particularly easy to learn, as you don't need to constantly refer back to the rulebook.
I went into Gruntz with a traditional wargame mindset, assuming the obvious route to victory was simply destroying as much of my opponent's army as possible. It didn't take long to realise that wasn't really the point. The game is much more about positioning and objectives than simply throwing units at each other.
My first game was noticeably slower as we tested the different units, experimented with vehicle combinations, and worked out what actually mattered. I ended up winning by marching my completely unmarked Captain straight behind the enemy lines, which was a good lesson in just how vulnerable you can leave yourself if you focus entirely on attacking.
The second game felt completely different. We were now much more aware of the importance of defence, and as we played more, we started recognising the value of each unit and thinking several turns ahead.
The game is incredibly easy to teach. Once you've explained the different units and the two ways to win, you can be playing within about five minutes. My first game took around 20 minutes, with a lot of that time spent deliberating over our limited moves and deployments, but the games became noticeably quicker as we became familiar with the pieces.
Gameplay experience
What I really enjoy about Gruntz is how much depth comes from such a small number of decisions. You only have three actions each turn, so every move feels important. You're constantly weighing up whether to advance, deploy, protect something you've already positioned, or make a more aggressive play.
The small board makes this particularly important. A unit can look perfectly placed one turn and then become completely irrelevant because your opponent has moved around it. You're constantly thinking not just about what you want to do now, but where that move leaves you several turns later.
I initially wanted to play aggressively, essentially trying to meet my opponent's attacks with attacks of my own. That doesn't always work. Gruntz rewards a much more measured approach, where understanding what your opponent is threatening can be just as important as making your own move.
The vehicles and attachments give you plenty of ways to approach the battlefield. Trucks offer mobility, Tanks provide durability, Transport can push Gruntz further forward, while Cannons and Anti-Air change what your vehicles can threaten or protect against. Choosing the right combination can have a surprisingly large impact on your plans.
Aircraft add another layer, operating differently from the land units and using the flight paths around the edge of the board. They're powerful, but their limited numbers mean you have to think carefully about when to commit them.
That limited supply of vehicles is one of my favourite parts of the game. Losing a Grunt isn't necessarily the end of the world, as it simply returns to your supply. Losing a Tank or Aircraft is a completely different story. Once it's gone, it's gone, along with its attachment.
I was also really impressed by how balanced the game feels. The player going first gets to deploy their initial three units immediately, but the defender then gets to respond with their own deployment. Because both players have exactly the same units and the board is mirrored, I've never felt like one side has an inherent advantage.
I normally enjoy some randomness in my games, but here I think the lack of it works in Gruntz's favour. This is an abstract strategy game dressed up as a wargame, and it doesn't try to be anything else.
The more you play, the more you start to understand what each unit is capable of and how they work together. My first game was about figuring out how everything moved; subsequent games became about anticipating what my opponent might do several turns ahead.
It's almost like learning chess. At first you're just trying to remember what each piece does. Then you start thinking about where you should put it. Eventually, you're trying to work out what your opponent is planning before they've even made the move.
Except here, instead of bishops and knights, you've got Tanks and Fighter planes.
And despite that tactical depth, the short playtime means Gruntz never feels like a huge commitment. You can finish a game, realise where you went wrong, and immediately set it up again.
Who is it for?
Gruntz is a game I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys clever, tactical games but doesn't necessarily want to spend an hour or more playing them. I don't play many abstract strategy games myself, beyond the occasional game of chess, but I found Gruntz surprisingly approachable while still giving me plenty to think about.
I also think it's a great option for people who don't play many modern board games. Most people have some familiarity with an abstract game like chess, so the idea of moving pieces around a board and trying to outmanoeuvre your opponent isn't completely alien. Gruntz takes that familiar concept and gives it a fun wargame twist without burying you in complicated rules.
The two-player restriction can make it harder to get to the table on a larger game night, but its short playtime works in its favour. I've found myself playing it with friends and family when they've visited, where it can be explained quickly and played without dedicating an entire evening to it.
Despite having the same units every game, I think Gruntz has plenty of replayability. The challenge comes from figuring out how to use those units against whatever your opponent is doing, and I found myself wanting to try different approaches and vehicle combinations from game to game.
If you enjoy games where randomness and changing setups are a major part of the appeal, Gruntz probably won't scratch that itch. But if you enjoy pure tactical decision-making and trying to outthink another player, there's a lot here to enjoy.
Highlights & drawbacks
The biggest highlight for me is how much tactical depth Gruntz packs into such a small game. The rules are straightforward, but the limited movement, positioning, and vehicle combinations create a surprising amount to think about.
I also really like the lack of randomness. Both players have the same units and the same opportunities, so every win feels earned.
The magnetic vehicle attachments are another great touch, making the vehicles satisfying to customise while also adding meaningful decisions to the game.
The biggest drawback is that it's strictly a two-player game, which naturally limits when it can come out. The cloth board can also be slightly frustrating when it refuses to sit completely flat.
Beyond that, Gruntz knows exactly what it wants to be. It keeps the rules simple and lets the tactical decisions do the heavy lifting.
Final thoughts
Gruntz really surprised me. I went into it expecting a small wargame where the obvious strategy would be to throw everything I had at my opponent, but quickly realised that simply being aggressive isn't enough. Positioning, defence and thinking several turns ahead are what really make the difference.
What I like most is how approachable it is without sacrificing depth. You can explain the game in minutes, but you'll still be learning how to use the different units and combinations several games later.
The short playtime is another big positive. With so many longer games in my collection, having something this quick, clever, and easy to get to the table is incredibly useful. It's a game I can play with someone who doesn't regularly play modern board games, but it's also something I'd happily play repeatedly with someone who wants to dig deeper into the strategy.
Gruntz might be small, but there's considerably more going on underneath the surface than I expected. It's a fun, chaotic-looking little wargame that rewards careful planning rather than simply throwing your biggest units forward, and that's what keeps bringing it back to the table for me.
