Guacamole Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Components
  • Ingredients (material)
• Before You Start
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • 1. Prepare an ingredient & activate its ability (optional)
  • 2. Prepare a dish (optional)
  • 3. End your turn (mandatory)
• The Dishes
  • Refining Dishes
  • Effects on Dishes
• Game End
  • Scoring
  • Tiebreakers
• Ingredient Abilities
  • Patricia & Avocaldo
  • Lima Kahlo
  • Onion Musk
  • Tomathor
  • Ají Styles
• Scoring Aid

Object of the Game

The goal of Guacamole is to combine the most valuable ingredients and conjure delicious dishes onto the table, with guacamole as the star of the evening!

During the game you compete to create the best dishes and collect victory points (VP). Every dish earns points. Guacamole or a number sequence (1 to 9) earns additional points. But only the most strategically clever and creative cook will receive PapaDrino's blessing in the end.

Components

Ingredients (material)

90 ingredient cards, divided into:

• 18 Patricia & Avocaldo

• 18 Lima Kahlo

• 18 Onion Musk

• 18 Tomathor

• 18 Ají Styles

• Each ingredient type contains cards numbered 1 to 9, each number twice.

• Ingredients have abilities that are activated only when you play them from your hand into the preparation zone.

Before You Start

In Guacamole you meet the most entertaining characters of the culinary world and plunge into a rousing competition. During the game you play your ingredient cards carefully to impress PapaDrino and outdo your rivals.

On your turn you may play one ingredient from your hand into your preparation zone to activate its ability and/or form a dish (a set of 3 or more ingredients).

Dishes can consist of: ingredients of the same type, ingredients of the same number, or a numerical sequence (straight).

An open ingredient that is fully visible on the table counts as a "visible ingredient". This includes: the ingredients in each player's preparation zone, the top card of each dish, and the top card of the discard piles.

(The layout diagram shows: visible ingredients; draw pile; discard pile 1; discard pile 2; dish 1; dish 2; preparation zone.)

Setup

1. Shuffle all ingredient cards.
2. Each player receives 7 ingredient cards face down into their hand.
3. In addition, everyone receives 1 further ingredient card, which is placed face up in their own preparation zone.
4. There are two discard piles in the game.
   • With 2 or 3 players: put 12 ingredient cards on each discard pile (24 cards in total).
   • With 4 or more players: put 6 ingredient cards on each discard pile (12 in total).
5. Place the remaining ingredient cards face down next to the discard piles. They form the draw pile.
6. Whoever last ate guacamole starts the game.

(The setup diagram shows a 4-player layout: each player's hand and preparation zone, with discard pile 1, discard pile 2 and the draw pile in the middle.)

Gameplay

Starting with the starting player and then clockwise, you perform the following actions in this order:

1. Prepare an ingredient & activate its ability (optional)

• Choose 1 ingredient from your hand. Place it face up in your preparation zone and activate its ability.
• The abilities of the individual ingredients can be found at the back of the rulebook (see Ingredient Abilities below).
• You may have at most 4 ingredients in your preparation zone. If you already have 4 ingredients there at the start of your turn, you may optionally place 1 ingredient from your preparation zone onto a discard pile, in order to then play a new ingredient into your preparation zone.

Example of preparing an ingredient and activating its ability: Agapito plays Onion Musk into his preparation zone. This allows him to draw 3 ingredients from the discard piles and/or the draw pile (any combination) and then discard 1 ingredient from his hand.

2. Prepare a dish (optional)

• With ingredients from your hand and/or from your preparation zone you can prepare a dish of at least 3 ingredients:
  • Dish with the same number: 3 or more ingredients with the same number. Example: Agapito forms a dish of 3 ingredient cards with the number 3.
  • Dish of the same type: 3 or more ingredients of the same type (character). Example: Agapito forms another dish of 3 Onion Musk ingredient cards.
  • Dish with a number sequence (straight): 3 or more ingredients in numerical order. Example: Agapito forms a sequence 2-3-4-5-6-7. Note: a straight can be ascending or descending.
• Lay the dishes out face up. The top ingredient of each dish remains visible to the other players.

3. End your turn (mandatory)

• Draw 2 ingredients. You may draw them in any combination from the two discard piles and/or the draw pile.
• If one of the discard piles is empty, immediately place a card from the top of the draw pile onto that discard pile.

Example: Agapito draws 1 card from the draw pile and then 1 card from a discard pile. His turn then ends.

The Dishes

A dish is a collection of ingredients that fulfils one of the following conditions:

• 3 or more ingredients WITH THE SAME NUMBER
• 3 or more ingredients OF THE SAME TYPE (CHARACTER)
• 3 or more ingredients IN NUMERICAL ORDER

If a dish loses one of these conditions, it no longer counts as a valid dish and earns no victory points as a dish (see Game End).

Refining Dishes

Dishes that have already been prepared and are valid can be refined (added to) in later turns if you activate the ingredient Patricia & Avocaldo and follow these rules:

• Same number or same type: Add to the dish an ingredient with the same number or the same type.
• Dish as a number sequence (straight): Add an ingredient with the number immediately higher or immediately lower.

Example: Agapito has a number sequence with the numbers 3-4-5-6. He may add a 2 or a 7 to extend the straight.

Effects on Dishes

If the ability of an ingredient (see Ingredient Abilities) causes a dish to lose its original composition and thereby no longer meet the conditions, it counts as invalid and no further ingredients can be added to it.

• Tomathor: If you swap the visible card of a dish and the dish thereby loses its configuration, it counts as invalid. No more ingredients can be added.
• Ají Styles: If you take a visible card of a dish and the dish thereby loses its configuration, it likewise counts as invalid.

During the game, however, the abilities of Tomathor or Ají Styles can be used deliberately to clean up dishes and restore their validity. Further ingredients can then be added under the usual rules.

Game End

As soon as the last ingredient is drawn from the draw pile, the end of the game is triggered. Each of you finishes your last turn so that everyone has had the same number of turns. Scoring then takes place.

In your last turn, if only discard piles remain, you must draw from them.

Scoring

1. Number of ingredients: Count all ingredients in your play area, even those that do not form a valid dish! Note: ingredients in your hand and in your preparation zone do not count. Each ingredient is worth 1 victory point (VP). Example: Agapito has a dish of only 2 cards. These 2 cards earn him 2 VP, even though they do not form a valid dish.
2. Dishes: Receive 1 VP for each valid dish with 3 or more ingredients. Dishes with fewer than 3 cards are invalid and earn no points.
3. Feast: If a valid dish contains 9 or more cards, you receive an additional 2 VP for each dish that fulfils this condition.
4. Guacamole: If you have a dish with all the ingredients - a guacamole - you receive 3 additional VP per such dish, EVEN IF this dish does not meet the usual rules of a valid dish. A guacamole is formed when each ingredient (type) appears at least once in the dish.

Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game is declared the winner.

Tiebreakers

In case of a tie, the winner is determined by the following criteria, in this order:

1. More guacamole dishes: Whoever has formed more guacamole dishes wins.
2. More dishes in total: If still tied, whoever has formed more dishes in total, regardless of type, wins.
3. Fewer ingredients: If still tied, whoever has the lower number of ingredient cards in hand and in the preparation zone wins. (Cards are counted, not their numerical values.)
4. Shared victory: If a tie remains after applying all criteria, the victory is shared.

Ingredient Abilities

Patricia & Avocaldo

Choose up to 3 ingredients from your hand and/or from your preparation zone and add them to one of your dishes.

Lima Kahlo

Choose any other player and draw 1 random ingredient from their hand. Take this card into your hand.

Onion Musk

Draw 3 ingredients from the draw pile and/or from one of the two discard piles, in any combination. Example: you may draw 2 cards from the draw pile and 1 card from a discard pile, or all 3 cards from one discard pile. Then you discard 1 ingredient from your hand.

Tomathor

Swap 1 ingredient from your hand, from your preparation zone, or a visible ingredient of one of your dishes for 1 visible ingredient of any player (yourself included) or from one of the discard piles.

Ají Styles

Take 1 visible ingredient from any player (yourself included) or from one of the discard piles and take it into your hand. (By the way: Ají is Spanish and means chili.)

Scoring Aid

A scoring aid and a printable scoring sheet are available at www.saltapallao.cl.