Game Rules
COOKING THE BOOKS: The Gamechanger
Changing the conversation about food
A storytelling showdown for food lovers. Create inventive recipes, spin the backstories and win over your fellow players with taste, creativity and sustainability. But watch out — those mischievous Snack Cards might just spoil your perfect dish. The player with the most points at the final feast wins!
Aim of the Game
Each round is about creating the best recipe you can by using any number of the ingredients in your hand and telling the most convincing food back story. The winning dish is decided by a vote by the players based on taste, creativity and environmental impact.
The winning player scores the points on the recipe card. But beware: Snack cards could sabotage your score! The player who has the highest points at the end of the game wins.
Card Types
Recipe Cards
These trigger a round. Each Recipe card shows:
· Point Value (top)
· Maximum Ingredient Count (bottom)
Recipe Cards are played to the centre.When one appears, all players must attempt to create that recipe.
Ingredient Cards
These represent ingredients you can use to build your recipe. There are 5 categories, Fruit & Veg, Carbohydrates, Dairy, Protein & Seasoning.
Strategy
Ingredient cards contain information about where the food is from or how it was sourced. The aim is to create the best meal while being as ethical and sustainable as possible. If you think can win a recipe by playing an ingredient that harms the earth, the animal or the planet, you’ll need to weigh up the risk vs the opportunity, and persuade your fellow players!
Spinning the back story is the key to success here. Making a casserole with just a butternut squash, a tomato and an apple? Hey, these are your granny's wonky apples. No carbon footprint here. And didn't Nigella sweeten her casserole with a little apple? The group decides the winner.
SNACK ATTACK Cards
When drawn, these call each player to show their Snack cards.
If you draw a Snack Attack card before players have pulled any Snack cards, nothing to see here.
When 5 Snack Attack cards have been played, the game is over.
SNACK Cards
Snack cards have minus points and will be deducted from your final score at the end of the game. They are played only when a Snack Attack card is drawn or if a recipe states that a snack can be used.
OH! Cards: GreenThese must be played immediately when drawn.
Follow the instructions exactly.
OH! Cards: Blue
These stay in your hand. Play them at any time to:
· Improve your recipe
· Sabotage other players.
Follow the instructions exactly.
Setup
1. Shuffle all cards.
· Deal 7 ingredient cards to each player.
· If you receive any Recipe cards, Green OH! cards or SNACK ATTACK cards, shuffle them back into the deck and redraw until you have 7 usable cards.
· Split the remaining deck into two face-down piles into the gameplay area.
How to Play
1. The player to the left of the dealer begins.
Play proceeds clockwise.
2. On your turn
· Draw 1 card from either deck then continue play
· If a Green OH card is drawn, you must play it immediately
· If a Recipe card is drawn, it must be played immediately
· If a SNACK ATTACK card is drawn, it must be played immediately
Discard your cards once played.
Top up your hand to at least 7 at any one time
Recipe Rounds
A Recipe round begins the moment a Recipe card is drawn.
· Place the Recipe card face-up in the centre
· All players must construct a recipe using the ingredients in their hand
· Do not exceed the maximum ingredient count shown on the card, but choose how many you want to play
· The Recipe card itself provides the bonus ingredient listed
· When everyone has chosen their ingredients, all players reveal their dishes at the same time
Tell Your Food Story
One at a time, players must:
· Describe their dish
· Explain why the ingredients belong together
· Use the prompts on their cards to justify sourcing, origin, ethics, taste, etc.
Get creative here! You might have a terrible recipe but you still need to try and convince the group you deserve to win - or simply laugh and move onto the next player.
Voting
After everyone has shared:
· The group debates
· Players choose who created the best recipe
· The winner takes the Recipe card and places it in their points pile
Discard your ingredient cards once played.
Important: You may not include Snack cards in your recipe unless a card specifically allows it.Once a winner has been chosen, all ingredients played in that round are placed face up into the discard pile in the centre. You cannot reuse ingredients!
SNACK ATTACK
If a player draws a Snack Attack Card:
· Place it in the centre immediately.
· Every player must place all Snack cards from their hand into their own scoring pile (negative points)
When five SNACK ATTACK Cards have been played, the game ends immediately.
End of Game
The game ends as soon as the 5th SNACK ATTACK Card is played.
Count your points:
· Add the total points from all Recipe cards you’ve won
· Subtract the total negative points from Snack cards in your scoring pile
· The player with the highest score wins