Instructions A la carte

Objective of the Game

In A la carte, players take on the role of chefs working in competing kitchens. The objective of the game is to collect as many stars as possible by cooking dishes and becoming the most successful chef by the end of the game.

Components

• 4 small stoves
• 4 bowls
• 4 pans
• 30 dish cards
• 54 seasoning tiles
• 1 coffee cup lid
• 1 coffee cup marker
• 1 scoring board
• 4 spoons
• 1 temperature die

Setup

1. Each player receives a stove, a bowl, a spoon, and a pan.
2. Shuffle the dish cards and place them as a face-down deck.
3. Each player draws three dish cards.
4. Mix the seasoning tiles and place them next to the stoves.
5. Place the coffee cup lid on the coffee cup marker.

Gameplay

A turn in A la carte consists of two main phases:

1. Phase: Regulate Heat

• The active player rolls the temperature die to increase or decrease the temperature of their stove. The rolled number indicates the number of levels the temperature can be changed.

2. Phase: Cooking Actions

• The player can perform up to three actions. The following actions are available:
• Start a dish: Place a dish card on the stove.
• Season: Take a seasoning tile from the supply and shake it onto the pan.
• Change temperature: Reroll the temperature die to adjust the stove's heat.
• Drink coffee: Take the coffee cup lid to use special abilities (e.g., to avoid overheating a dish).

Important: While seasoning, players must be careful to hit the optimal seasoning amount. Exceeding it may ruin the dish.

Special Rules:

• If the temperature becomes too hot, the dish burns.
• A fully cooked dish is flipped over and kept as a star card.
• Coffee can impact the game by providing an overheating safeguard or extra points.
• Once a player spoils three dishes, they are out of the game.

End of the Game

• The game ends when all dishes have been cooked or when a player acquires their third spoiled dish.
• The winner is the player with the most stars earned by carefully and strategically preparing their dishes.

Strategy Tips

• Temperature Control: Ensure your stove is neither too hot nor too cold.
• Risk Management: Be cautious with the number of seasoning tiles.
• Opponent Interaction: Consider how coffee actions can disrupt other players.
• Efficiency: Optimize your actions to manage both temperature and timely dish preparation.