Objective
The objective of I’m Cookin’ is to finish cooking a three course meal before your friends do so that you can host dinner. Do this by gathering all the ingredients you need for your meals and “cooking” the recipes once you have all the ingredients.
Required Materials
- Recipe Cards
- Ingredient Cards
- Pantry Sheet
- Refrigerator/Freezer Sheet
Setup
Start by shuffling all of the recipe and ingredient cards and placing them face down on the table. Next separate the recipe cards by the course number on the back, shuffle and place each number into it’s own separate pile. Next each player will get a refrigerator and pantry sheet to keep track of the ingredients they would like to keep.
Pantry sheets hold 5 ingredients that do not need refrigerated and refrigerator sheets hold 5 ingredients that either need refrigerated or frozen. Where the ingredient goes is indicated on the card. Sometimes, there are “flex” card that can go either place.
Flip face up the first recipe cards from the top of each course deck and place them in front of their respective decks.
Next deal each player 3 random ingredient cards, and keep these in your hand.
The player who has most recently done dishes goes first.
Playing the Game
On your turn you may perform 3 actions as elaborated below.
Action 1
When starting your turn you may first choose a recipe from the 3 facing up that you would like to try and cook. If none of the recipes appeal to you, you may pass on choosing a recipe. If you choose a recipe, you are the only player allowed to cook that food. If you pick a recipe be sure to replace it with a new recipe card face up from the pile.
If you do not want to pick a recipe you may place food in your pantry/refrigerator from your hand. The order in which you place your food in the pantry doesn’t matter. You also don’t have to place food in your pantry HOWEVER the max hand size is 3, so that also means you can’t draw any new cards before your next action.
Action 2
After deciding which food to keep, draw ingredient cards until you have 3 ingredients in your hand. You may only ever have 3 ingredients in your hand.
You can then ask any players if they would like to trade any ingredients they have for something you have. The ingredient traded must be from your hand and not from your pantry. You may also donate ingredients to players and draw again to have 3 ingredients in your hand.
DONATION RECEIVER: If you decide to receive a donation, you must place that ingredient directly into your pantry/refrigerator. Players must agree to accept the donation.
If no one is interested in a trade or donation, proceed to the third turn action.
Action 3
At the end of your turn you can cook a recipe. You may only cook a recipe that you have already chosen and with ingredients you have placed in your pantry/refrigerator, NOT FROM YOUR HAND.
If you cook a recipe flip the card face down to reveal the course you have completed on the back (ex. “Buffalo Chicken Dip” card back, “Course 1 Appetizer”) and keep that card. Discard the ingredients you used to cook into the discard pile.
Ending the Game
I’m Cookin’ ends when a player has cooked all 3 courses first.
OTHER RULES
Expired Food
You can not over-fill your pantry and fridge. If you want to cook a recipe, but have no room for the final ingredient in your fridge/pantry you must discard a food from the shelf and replace it with the new ingredient. Choose your foods wisely.
Hand Rules
You can only ever have 3 ingredients in your hand at one time, as well as what you have stored in your pantry/fridge.
You can only get rid of ingredient cards through:
- Placing them in your pantry/fridge
- Trading with a player
- Donating to a player
- Freeing space in your pantry/fridge by cooking a recipe
The only waste should come from over-filling your pantry or fridge, or by cooking recipes.
If all ingredient cards get used, reshuffle the discard pile.
Cookin’ A Recipe
Cooking a recipe requires the ingredients listed on the card. You may only cook from your pantry/fridge ingredients. You may add extra ingredients to a recipe (in order to empty more of your pantry/fridge), but the majority of the players must agree that they would still eat your meal with the added ingredient.
Playtest for: Ronan (I’m Cookin’)
Playtester: Clay
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
Slow pacing; sometimes it felt like multiple time would go around the table and no one made any progress
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
I really liked the ambiguity of not always knowing which category (fridge vs pantry) the food item should go in
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
Being able to do multiple things on a turn would help to increase the pace. I think drawing ingredients and recipes on the same turn could be allowed
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
Too many unique ingredients (ex: Nachos and Tacos recipe, one requires taco shell, one requires tortilla chips)
How has the play experience changed since the first play test?
N/A
Is this a game you would play again? Why?
After discussion possible changes, I am excited to see the next version of the game and I am certainly open to playing again
Playtest for I’m Cookin’ (Ronan)
Tester: River
Most frustrating?
Spelled bratwurst as “brots”
Took a while to play
No specific mechanics with trade/donate ingredients
Favorite moment?
Max tried to trade pizza dough from his pantry, couldn’t and flipped us all off. It was pretty funny.
Replacing sauce in the pantry with sauce to get it out of your hand.
Anything you wanted to do but couldn’t?
Wanted to be able to earn extra points by making additional recipes
Magic wand to change anything?
Would trade from pantry/fridge instead of hand, since your pantry/fridge is in plain view of everyone
How has the play changed since first play test?
N/A 1st test
Would you play it again? Why?
I don’t know that I would play this iteration again, but I enjoyed the concept so I’d certainly be down to play again to see how Ronan would change it up.
Playtest for I’m cookin”
Playtester-Mia
Most frustrating?
I wish the recipes could have got rotated more
Favorite moment?
I thought it was fun to trade ingredients with other players
Anything you wanted to do but couldn’t?
I wish I could trade ingredients that were in my pantry.
Magic wand?
Trade from my pantry and fridge
How has the play changed from the first test?
First, playtest
Play again?
Yes, although I didn’t make any recipes, I still had fun trying to hunt down ingredients.
Playtest For: I’m Cookin’ (Ronan)
Tester: Delaney
What was the most frustrating aspect of what you just played?
Consistently drawing the same 2 or 3 cards, but not having any recipes that use those ingredients on the table.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
My favorite aspect of the game was actually the trading/donating option, I just think it needs to find something to more or less force players hands with it. Either to get them to interact and trade more, or just so they can be aware of what ingredients other players have.
Was there anything you wanted to do, but couldn’t?
I wanted to trade out of the pantry, or for something in someone else’s pantry. Or just be able to know what cards others had.
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
I liked the idea of noting how many of an ingredient card there are in the deck. It involves more planning/thinking and could create actual “consequences” for when a player lets food expire.
How has the play experience changed since the first play test?
N/A
Is this a game you would play again? Why?
Yes. I really like the idea/concept behind the game, and although it was frustrating/difficult at times, that was also part of what made it fun.
Playtest for: Ronan (I’m Cookin’)
Playtester: Clay
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
Still slightly slow pacing when you need a specific ingredient that you cannot get
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
Being able to actually cook things this time
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
Readability of some of the recipe cards was difficult with them being handwritten and upside down but having small icons would help 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 liked the idea of selecting a player character that has special attributes or abilities
How has the play experience changed since the first play test?
Being able to see what everyone had because there are no longer hands worked well. Also being able to choose from 3 of each type of recipe helped
Is this a game you would play again? Why?
Yes! It has improved significantly since the previous time I played it and I liked the ideas that were being discussed about more potential changes. I also am excited to see the art change towards a more final verison
Playtest- I’m Cookin’ (Ronan)
Playtester-Mia
Most frustrating?
I felt I was still searching for certain ingredients. Maybe being able to pick more than one ingredient per turn.
Favorite moment?
I liked being able to trade from my pantry/fridge
Anything you wanted to do but couldn’t?
Reading some of the cards. I was kind of far away so I was constantly standing to try and read the cards to see what ingredients I would need for that recipe
Magic wand?
Picking up more than one card, or maybe adding a rule that you can either pick 2 ingredient cards or 1 recipe and 1 ingredient.
How has the play changed from the first time?
I liked how the game changed. The first time I played we had the cards in our hands and could only trade cards that were in our hands. Also in this version, there are more options for picking a recipe and it gets the recipes rotated more.
Would you play again?
Yes, this game seems to keep evolving and I enjoy playing each time. I like the concept and it’s fun to hunt down ingredients and try to trade with other players.
Playtest for – I’m Cookin’ (Ronan)
Tester – Delaney
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
– Not being able to put my cool whip in the pantry – Just kidding.
– Waiting for an ingredient you need
– Watching players discard certain ingredients that I needed
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
– Being able to see who had ingredients I needed in their pantry, and then try to trade for them.
Was there anything you wanted to do but couldn’t?
– It was kind of difficult to read certain ingredients on the recipe cards, especially when they were far away or I was reading them upside down.
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
– I think having small icons of the ingredients on the cards will be helpful when trying to read them
– I also liked the idea of either picking up 2 ingredient cards, or 1 ingredient and 1 recipe, I feel like it will help the game move a little bit faster.
How has the experience changed since the first play test?
– I think that eliminating the hand really helped sort of promote the trading/donation aspect of the game and made it easier to use.
– Also I think the recipes worked better as a point system, it made actually cooking them a more frequent and important part of the game
– It also worked better having 3 choices for each category of recipes on the table.
Is this a game you would play again? Why?
Yes! Even after playing it twice, and watching it change I still enjoyed the game, and now I’m looking forward to seeing it evolve more!
tester Aaron Most frustrating? when players are not willing to trade Favorite moment? the collation of ingredients, trading with others Wanted to do but couldn’t? have more than 5 recipes at a time Magic wand? take cards from the discard pile How has it changed? N/A Play again? yes interesting concept
What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?
Being stuck with a shite recipe.
What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?
Winning.
Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?
I think everyone should have to show their hand. How are we supposed to trade if we don’t know what they have. We ended up just showing each other, though.
If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be?
Full color card art.
How has the play experience changed since the first play test?
N/A
Is this a game you would play again? Why?
This game is made for families that love each other, so for that reason probably not.
Playtest for I’m Cookin’ (Ronan)
Tester – River
Most frustrating? – a little confusing knowing when someone’s turn ended unless they specifically said so. Went a bit slow with 5 players.
Favorite moment? – I loved the drawings on all the cards!
Anything you wanted to do you couldn’t? – Had difficulty seeing other people’s cards from across the table
Magic wand? – Add little pictures on the recipes as well to make it easier to see
How has the play changed? – More recipe choices available. No hand which allowed for easier trades. I liked there was 2 of each recipe
Would you play again? – Yes! I love this new version!