Top 142 · #38 of 60 in Family
Good Face Bad Face
Build a secret stack of Good and Bad Faces in any order, pass it around, and decide whether to reveal the top card or pass. The first player to collect four Good Faces in their Party wins, but one Bad Face can send every collected Good Face back to hand.
Rules
Build a secret stack of Good and Bad Faces in any order, pass it around, and read your rivals before deciding whether to flip or pass; the first player to collect four Good Faces wins.
The game at a glance
The Stack Owner chooses at least one card from their hand, orders the cards into a secret Stack, and passes it left. Each recipient either turns over the top card or passes the Stack untouched.
Cards by player count
| Players | Good Faces | Bad Faces | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 9 | 5 | Shuffle, then remove 2 unseen cards |
| 3 | 10 | 5 | Deal all 15 cards equally |
| 4 | 14 | 6 | Deal all 20 cards equally |
| 5 | 18 | 7 | Deal all 25 cards equally |
- 1Take the listed number of Good and Bad Faces and shuffle them together.
- 2Deal the cards equally. Everyone may look at their own hand in secret.
- 3Choose the first Stack Owner. They build the first secret Stack and pass it left.
Age labels differ by edition
The owner's English box says 14+, while Big Potato's current product page says 8+. This guide uses the 14+ label to identify the physical edition that was checked.
How the Stack moves
- 1The Stack Owner chooses at least one card from their hand and orders the cards face down.
- 2Starting with the player on the left, each player turns over the top card or passes without looking.
- 3After a Good Face, resolve it and either turn over another card or pass.
- 4After a Bad Face, resolve it and immediately pass the Stack.
- 5If the Stack runs out, the turn ends and the player left of the previous Stack Owner becomes the new owner.
- 6If the Stack returns to its owner, they must turn over the top card. After a Good Face they may continue or reclaim the rest; after a Bad Face they resolve it and reclaim the rest.
The owner cannot dodge a returning Stack
If everyone passes, the Stack Owner bears the risk. Every card order must account for the chance that the Stack comes all the way back.
Turning over a Good Face
- If your Party is empty or contains only Good Faces, place the new Good Face face up in your Party.
- If your Party contains Bad Faces, return one Bad Face and the newly turned Good Face to your hand.
- After resolving it, either turn over another card from the same Stack or pass.
Turning over a Bad Face
| Current Party | Result |
|---|---|
| Empty | Place the Bad Face in your Party, then pass |
| Has Good Faces | Return every Good Face and the new Bad Face to your hand, then pass |
| Has Bad Faces | Add the new Bad Face. If it is the third, return all three to your hand, then pass |
One Bad Face clears every Good Face
Even with three Good Faces in your Party, one Bad Face sends all three back to your hand. Pushing for the fourth Good Face is the game's sharpest risk.
Winning and reading the table
- As Stack Owner, order cards around who is likely to take a risk and who is likely to pass.
- As recipient, ask whether the owner could survive getting this exact Stack back.
- Three Good Faces put you one card from victory, but one Bad Face can clear the whole Party.
- Good Faces remove Bad Faces one at a time; three Bad Faces clear themselves back to your hand.
Wild Cards in the mystery envelope
Add these after learning the base game
Remove one Good Face for each Wild Card you add. Use only one Wild Card in a two-player game and follow the printed two-player setup on the Wild Card guide.
| Card | Turned by another player | Turned by the Stack Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Greedy Face | Give one Party card to the Stack Owner; Greedy Face goes to the revealer's hand | Place Greedy Face in your Party and end the turn. When the next Stack arrives, draw its top card, then return Greedy Face to hand |
| Sad Face | Keep one card in hand and give the rest to the Stack Owner; Sad Face goes to the revealer's hand | Shuffle your hand, keep one card, and deal the rest clockwise to the other players; put Sad Face in your hand |
| Blank Face | Resolve the custom effect agreed before the game | Resolve the same custom effect |
Edition and source status
Designed by Ed Naujokas with art by Robin Sowden García, Good Face Bad Face was published by Big Potato Games in 2023. English Wikipedia has a publisher article but no game-specific page, and no game article was found on Namuwiki.
Physical rules checked
The owner's English Handy Guide was checked on both sides, together with the full Greedy Face, Sad Face, and Blank Face instruction cards. No official Korean edition was found.
Frequently asked questions
Q. If I have three Good Faces and turn over a Bad Face, do I lose only one?
No. Every Good Face in your Party and the newly turned Bad Face return to your hand.
Q. If my Party has a Bad Face and I draw a Good Face, do I keep the Good Face there?
No. Return one Bad Face and the newly turned Good Face to your hand.
Q. Do three Bad Faces stay in my Party?
No. As soon as the third Bad Face is added, all three return to your hand.
Q. Can the Stack Owner pass when their Stack returns?
Not immediately. The owner must turn over the top card and resolve it first.
Q. Why does this page say age 14+?
The owner's checked English box is printed 14+. Big Potato's current product page says 8+, so the label differs by edition.
Sources
Official English rules cards — owner's physical Handy Guide and Wild Card sheets checkedBig Potato Games official how-to-play videoBig Potato Games official product pageBGG 379297 — players, time, weight and designerBGG — Greedy Face promoBGG — Sad Face promoWikipedia cross-check — Big Potato Games; no game-specific articleNamuwiki cross-check — no article for this gameRule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-09-16
💡 Master tip
The Stack Owner knows the order but must reveal the top card if the Stack comes all the way back. Do not only plan around tricking rivals; make sure you can survive the top card when everyone passes.
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