Author: Harmony Jablon

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Chef Check rules- group proj.

Chef Check

Created by: Harmony & Bryce

Players: 2-4 

Age: 10+

Objective: 

The goal of Chef Check is to be the first chef to reach the winning score by creating complete meal “runs” and earning points each round.

During each round, players race to get rid of all their cards by forming as many runs as possible, each run scoring valuable points. The round ends when one player plays or discards their last card, and everyone adds up their total points from completed meals.

Keep track of your points throughout the game.

Setup

  • You need a score sheet and a pencil.
  • Shuffle the Food Cards and deal all players 7 cards, and place the rest face down in the center as the Draw Pile.
  • Turn the top card face up beside it — this is the Food Discard Pile.
  • Create a separate space for the Sabotage Discard Pile, where used sabotage cards will go (they can’t be reused or picked up later)

Gameplay

  • Any player can go first, and game continues clockwise
  • To start your turn you must pick up a card from the discard pile or the draw pile. 
  • During your turn, you then have freedom to then lay down any meal runs you may have and/or use a sabotage card.
    • When you use a Sabotage card, place it in the sabotage discard pile.
  • Then to end your turn you have to discard one of your cards from your hand
    • IF you picked up from the discard pile to BEGIN your turn, you CANNOT discard that card during the same turn. 
    • When discarding your card, place it on top of the previous card so that the previous card is no longer visible.
  • IF the deck runs out of cards, reshuffle the food discard pile and take the top card and flip it over to begin the new discard pile and continue play.

Points

Players add up their points at the end of each round. These are the values of cards/runs:

  • Chef Meals: 20pts 
  • Regular Meals: 10pts 

IF you have cards remaining in your hand after a player has run out of cards, you subtract the point value of what is in your hand from your current points. Each card left in your hand is -5 points.

Winning

Once a player reaches 100 points after a few rounds of play, wins the game and the game ends. 

Card Types:

There are 4 types of cards in Chef Check: Entree cards, Side cards, Drink cards, and Sabotage cards. Three cards of all food types make up a set:

Example: (Fillet Mignon [Entree], Rice [Side], Water [Drink]). 

Entree cards are distinguished by the image of a plate with utensils, side dishes have an image of a bowl, and drinks have an image of a glass. Sabotage cards can be played once during a player’s turn, which can affect themselves or other players. 

Chef Meals

Chef meals are special card sets that yield extra points when played. Instead of receiving 10 points for a set of 3 unrelated food items, completed chef meals yield 20. Cards in the same meal set are color coded below. 

  •  High Class  –  Filet Mignon, Mashed Potato, Red Wine  
  •  Pescitarian  –  Salmon, caesar salad, lemonade 
  •  Meal prep  –  Roast Chicken, Rice, Water
  •  Cookout   – BBQ Ribs, Mac and Cheese, Beer 
  •  Red lobster – Lobster tail, Veggies, Dr. Pepper

Sabotage Cards: ( ! symbol on each card )

  • Mice Attack: Your target has to get rid of ONE of their runs and put it in the discard pile.
  • Kitchen Fire: You burnt one of your food items, discard a useless card from your hand. 
  • Food Swap: Swap one random card with another player. 

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5 Themed Game Ideas

Theme: Chakras 

  1. Chakra Crusade- This is a collecting card game where the goal is to achieve balance by gathering chakra sets. Each player must collect five cards of each chakra color to reach total harmony. The first player to complete all chakra sets wins.To add strategy and interaction, there are action cards that can alter other players’ progress. For example, an action card might block a chakra, steal one from an opponent, or temporarily disrupt their balance. This creates both competition and tension as players race to complete their chakra collections while managing obstacles from others.
  2. Balance- This is a collaborative game, where all players must help the board reach total balance, by aligning all their chakras. During the game, players take turns taking actions and drawing cards that will either help them align the chakras or cause problems that alter their progress. Players win whenever all the chakras are aligned, or if the deck runs out and the players do not align all chakras then they lose. 
  3. Spiritual Journey is a dice and movement game where players travel along a path toward the Crown Chakra, collecting chakra tokens along the way. Each turn, players roll dice to move forward, landing on spaces that present different outcomes such as challenges, setbacks, or energy boosts. When a player successfully overcomes a challenge or lands on an energy space, they earn a chakra token that represents balance in that area. The goal is to collect all seven chakra tokens before reaching the Crown Chakra. The first player to arrive at the Crown Chakra with all their chakra tokens wins the game, completing their spiritual journey to harmony and enlightenment. 
  4. Chakra Crash is a competitive head-to-head game where players begin fully enlightened, with all their chakras aligned. The goal is to maintain your own balance while disrupting other players’ chakras using action cards. Players take turns playing cards with abilities such as “Meditate to be safe from attacks until your next turn” or “Use Heart Chakra to heal a lost chakra.” Once players are out of chakras they are out of the game, and whoever is left with whatever chakras they still have, wins the game. 

Chakra-enga- this game is a version of jenga, and is a collaborative game, rules are the same as regular jenga. But there are special blocks with chakra labels on them and all players must gather all the chakra blocks to win without making the tower fall, but if it falls players lose.

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Game response – King of Tokyo

Was it fun?

Yes, I thought it was a fun game.

What were the player interactions?

Player interactions were adjusting points and health wheels, moving their player in and out of Tokyo, rolling dice, and collecting/ spending energy points.

How long did it take to learn?

It did not take long to learn at all, but we also had it explained to us instead of reading the instructions. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating part was the luck of the dice, since it was all luck you could base your actions on. It was hard to plan a strategy or anything “stable”.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

Even though the dice were the most frustrating, I thought it was the coolest aspect of the game because you could only do actions according to the dice. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

There were times I wanted my character to leave Tokyo, but I couldn’t because I wasn’t being attacked. Then even when I wanted to leave Tokyo, I was still taking damage. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

The only thing I would like to see in this game is more character, and how the game would go if there were more players. Obviously, the game would have to be altered to meet this like having more spots in Tokyo, and more characters. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because our game was quick because I reached 20 points, but normally the game runs longer and is more competitive. I would like to play the game to experience different strategies and outcomes.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act of the game is setting up the game, choosing characters, and starting your first dice rolls. This helps introduce the game to the players. The second act is when characters start battling for Tokyo and start losing/ gaining points, hearts, and energy cubes. Players start to gain leads and die off at this point in the game. The last act is when stakes are high and players start making risky decisions to try and survive, and then finally when the last player is standing or someone reaches 20 points they are then the King of Tokyo. 

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The collaborative aspects of the game would probably only be trying to stop others from winning either by points, killing each other off, etc… The game mostly focuses on competitive aspects of the game which would be harming (taking hearts away) other players, gaining points, buying cards with benefits, and being in/out of Tokyo. 

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?

The game’s metaphor is monsters trying to take over Tokyo by eliminating other monsters, and seeing who will be the King of Tokyo. The game’s mechanics that stood out were rolling the dice, moving characters in and out of Tokyo, and the personalized score boards with adjustable heart health and points.

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Game Response – Citadels 

Was it fun?

Yes, I thought it was a very fun game. 

What were the player interactions?

The player interactions were picking characters, doing role calls (which I thought was a very cool aspect), and collecting gold.

How long did it take to learn?

It took awhile to understand, and we struggled the most with the characters and what to do with extras. But after we got the hang of it the game flowed well. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating part was when you got to pick your character last, and the person who picked before you knew what character you were because there were only two to choose from.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

I liked being able to pick my own character, and planning what cards I should be collecting. I also really liked the role call aspect, I thought it added a fun touch.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

There was nothing I really wanted to do that I couldn’t.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

I would maybe add two or three more character cards. I know there were extra for a harder version included, but I think it would add some more randomness/ guessing when targeting players. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because I thought it was very engaging and enjoyable, and the group I was playing with was very competitive and made it fun. 

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act is the game set up, everyone first gets a hand of cards with districts that they could possibly build, and gets a feel for the flow of the game and all the characters actions. The second act is when people start building their districts, planning strategies to try and win, and stopping other players from taking their turns/ building districts. The third act is when players are getting close to building the set amount of districts, and finally one who reaches that amount first wins. 

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

The collaborative aspects of the game would probably only be trying to stop others from reaching the goal of districts, but this game is more competitive than collaborative. The competitive aspects are reaching a district goal first, destroying districts, assassinating characters (losing a turn), swapping cards, and stealing gold. All of these aspects create tension between players. 

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out? 

The metaphor is about power and influence in a medieval kingdom. Players take on shifting roles of different characters, each representing a way to gain wealth, gain control, or sabotage other players. The act of building districts stands in for constructing a city and proving dominance in the kingdom. The mechanics that stand out are building districts, choosing characters, and using character powers to interfere with other players actions.

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Game Idea Rules – POWER

  1. Setup
    • All players get 2 character cards that say what they can do throughout the game, and remaining cards get put into a pile in the middle. Then they all get 4 dollars to start the game, and the rest of the dollars get put into the middle of the game.
  2. Objective(s)
    • The objective of the game is to be the last player standing, and overthrow all your opponents. By collecting dollars, BLUFFING, and spending dollars to “overthrow” your competition you can win.
  3. Actions players take
    • All players can perform ONE action per turn, and there are basic actions without using a special position. These actions include: collecting 2 dollars per turn, and spending a total of 8 dollars to overthrow someone.
      • Overthrowing: Once you have overthrown another player, they must flip one of their cards, that they choose, up and keep it there the remainder of the game, and this card is dead and cannot be used.
    • Calling Bluff, an action anyone can perform after any player’s action is called bluff, but cannot be done to another player if it is not their turn performing an action.
      • If you call bluff and they are NOT bluffing, one of your character cards becomes dead
      • If you call bluff, and they ARE bluffing one of their character cards becomes dead and cannot be used.
    • But, each player is equipped with 2 characters that have different actions they can perform:
      • Lawyer: Can call a person’s bluff without losing one of their cards.
      • Banker: Can take more than up to three dollars per turn
      • Politician: Can go through the extra deck of cards and swap one character for another
      • CEO: Can overthrow someone during their turn for 4 dollars
      • Businessman: Can block someone’s “overthrow” to themselves
  4. Ending the game (win, lose states)
    • The ending of the game is when there is one person left who is not overthrown, and that is the winner. Players are only out of the game if both of their cards are flipped.
  5. Examples
    • During your turn, you would say “I am the Banker, so I am going to take 3 dollars” and if weather or not you are bluffing you can take the 3 dollars, UNLESS someone calls your bluff.
      • If you ARE the banker, you would flip your card and reveal you are not lying, so your opponent who called you out would lose one of their positions, and flip one of their cards face up for the remainder of the game
      • If you are NOT the banker, you would flip whatever card you would rather lose, and since you lied and was caught you only have one position the rest of the game.
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Game Response – Splendor

Was it fun?

Yes, I enjoyed playing Splendor. 

What were the player interactions?

The player interactions were collecting gems and cards to react to a point goal.

How long did it take to learn?
It did not take very long to learn, we played a game similar to the rules of building/collecting and “buying” so it made it easier to get the hang of. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The most frustrating part was if you and another player were looking to collect the same card/gems and they got to it first or the gems ran out.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite aspect was “buying/trading” gem tokens/ cards for other, better cards. I liked thinking ahead to my next move(s) and strategically collecting cards/ gems.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

I wanted to take three of the same gem, but we could only take two. I understand that it wouldn’t be as interesting if there wasn’t this restriction, so I didn’t get too mad about this. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

I wouldn’t change or add anything, I thought this game was created well and had necessary rules for the game to be enjoyable. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because I would want to try different techniques and see how hard it would be to collect other cards/gems that I didn’t the first time.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act is the set up of the game with the cards and gem tokens, and all the players starting with nothing. The second act is when players start collecting their desired gems and setting goals to collect specific cards for points, and in this process they begin to work towards 15 points. Lastly, the third act is when players close in on 15 points, and concludes when a player reaches the goal, and everyone tallies their card points to determine the winner.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

There is no collaboration between players, the focus is all on competition. Players compete by racing to collect specific cards before their opponents can claim them, and racing to reach 15 points first to win the game

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

The game’s metaphor is building wealth through gem trading and development over time. A key mechanic that stood out is the collection and use of gem tokens. Unlike the cards, which can only be claimed once, the gem tokens remain reusable throughout the game. This mechanic highlights the ongoing flow of resources that players could continually use to increase their wealth.

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Game Response – Photosynthesis

Was it fun?

Yes, I really enjoyed playing the game, and the visuals were also enjoyable.

What were the player interactions?

The player interactions were rotating the sun part around, placing trees, taking turns/ passing the player token around.

How long did it take to learn?

It literally took us a whole hour to learn how to play. We could NOT understand the written instructions so after 45 excruciating minutes we looked up a video. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

The instructions was the most frustrating part of the game, besides that it was very enjoyable.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

My favorite part of the game was the whole concept and how you had to grow your tree with light points. I thought it was very cute and creative. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

I wanted to buy and grow my trees all in one turn but you had to do those actions in completely different turns, and we have a limited amount of turns, so you have to play strategically.  

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

I would change the instructions. They were very hard to comprehend, and I don’t know if it was very wordy or disorganized, but we had a hard time. I would also add a key with all the parts labeled.

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because I ultimately enjoyed the experience and I want to try different strategies to get the most points.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The first act was the set up where we all picked our tree type and we set up our first trees on the board, and established who went first (the youngest player). Then the second act was us starting to plant trees, rotating the sun around the board, and starting to gather points by chopping trees. Lastly the third act is when the sun goes around the board for the third time and players add up all their points from the chopped trees, and their remaining light points. 

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

There wasn’t much collaboration, but it also didn’t feel like strong competition, since there are no direct interactions between players that affect each other’s status, but the only aspects of competitiveness were blocking trees so others can’t score points and the point system as a whole because the one with most points wins. 

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out?

The game’s metaphor is the natural process of photosynthesis, represented through the growth and life cycles of different types of trees. The mechanics that stood out most were the strategic placement of trees on the board, the personalized player boards used to purchase trees and track light points, and the rotating sun, which controlled the pace and flow of the game.

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5 Collaborative Games

  1. Chef Check is a collaborative cooking game in which players take on the roles of unique chefs who must collaborate to prepare a full 3 course dinner by collecting ingredients, spices, and kitchen tools while protecting their supplies from mice that roam the kitchen and steal food/supplies. 
  1. Virus is a collaborative takeover game in which players take on the roles of different illnesses and work together to infect the patient and overwhelm their system before the doctor can cure them, using germs, infections, and other methods of spreading disease.
  1. Evolve is a collaborative evolution game in which players take on the roles of early homosapiens, each with unique knowledge and ideas, and must work together to develop tools, share discoveries, and advance society in order to create an evolved world before extinction from disease, climate, or other threats.
  1. Witches is a collaborative survival game in which players take on the roles of witches who must work together to survive and ultimately overcome the men trying to burn them at the stake by creating potions, casting spells, and crafting magical tools.
  1. Wonderland is a collaborative adventure game in which players take on the roles of characters from Alice in Wonderland exploring the whimsical and chaotic aspects of Wonderland, and must work together to navigate strange characters, challenges, and shifting landscapes by using riddles, knowledge, and tools the game provides them.
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Reading Question Sets

Question Set 1

  1. What Mechanics would you like to use for a game with a theme that revolves around being the size of a nanometer? I would want the mechanics of the game to focus on how you can use your environment to your benefit or just simply interact with it. Including things that would affect the player the size of a nanometer would be light/heat rays, water molecules, and other particles that would hurt or benefit the player.
  2. Who are you making games for? My target audience for the games I make would probably be older children and young adults.
  3. Who will be your play testers outside of class? My roommates, boyfriend, and boyfriends roommates will probably be my play testers outside of class. 

Question Set 2

  1. Can you think of a game you were able to play without referring to the rules? A game that comes to mind is the game WAR with a traditional deck of cards. The only rules are whoever has the highest card takes both and whoever runs out of cards first loses. 
  2. How do you define what a game is? I define a game as any type of play weather that involves cards, dice, imagination, etc… A game also consists of a set of rules to follow with multiple solutions to a specific goal. 
  3. What features can make your games more intuitive? Having clear and consistent rules would make my games more intuitive for the players. Also, having a clear goal along with simple controls/ pieces/ cards for a player to easily understand and interpret. 

Question Set 3

  1. What was your gateway game? What do you play to introduce others to gaming? My gateway game, specifically speaking of card games, is probably 500 Rummy. For me, it was easy to catch on and smoothly play. I normally use 500 Rummy to introduce card games to others because it is pretty easy to explain and understand. 
  1. What features do gateway games share? Gateway games all share features like simple rules, short playtime, and low complexity. All these features are in gateway games so players aren’t overwhelmed, 
  2. What are the 10 beautiful mechanics and what should you aim for on your own? Kingmakers Noblesse Oblige, BattleTech’s Heat, Set’s Set Making, Magic’s Card Tapping, Battle Cattle’s Cow Tipping Rule, xXxenophiles Popping, Bohanza’s Hand Order Rule, Mississippi Queen’s Paddlewheels, Time’s Up?’s Communication Breakdown, Domino’s Constant Shuffling. After reading, I realized that I need to aim to include rules that spark imagination, drive interaction, and make players want to play immediately. These mechanics feel like they shape the experience themselves, becoming part of the story rather than just a process.

How does luck and strategy factor into game play? Luck and strategy factor into game play because the player has to play their luck strategically. For example, poker is very luck heavy, but the players have to strategically think about how their cards work with the cards presented, and they have to strategically bluff/gamble with whatever cards they were dealt. It adds an unknown aspect and luck can let any player have the chance to win.