Last Call: The Bartender Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Preparing the Game
• Game Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Overview
  • Dealing Cards
  • "Order!"
  • Moving Bottles
  • Wild Bartender
    • Example
  • Making Drinks
  • Changing the Dealer
  • 2-Player Special Rules
    • Example
  • "Last Call"
  • Making the Remaining Drinks
  • Winning the Game
• Variant Rules
  • Variant for Making the Remaining Drinks
  • Long Game: Match Play

Game Components

• 75 Drink cards (15 Shooter, 20 Martini, 20 Highball, 20 Specialty)
• 48 Bartender cards
• 40 Ice cubes
• 5 Coasters and 5 Bar name markers
• 6 Bartender boards
• 24 Liquor bottles (4 each of Rum, Vodka, Gin, Brandy, Triple Sec and Irish Cream)
• Bottle stickers
• This rulebook (1)

Preparing the Game

Before starting the game, attach the stickers to the bottles:

• White = Rum / Yellow = Brandy
• Green = Gin / Red = Triple Sec
• Blue = Vodka / Black = Irish Cream

Game Setup

Place the 6 Bartender boards in a circle in the middle of the table. Place 4 bottles on each board. These 4 bottles must all be the same kind, but it does not matter which kind of bottle is placed on which board. Pile the ice cubes in a heap.

Shuffle the Drink cards by type, then deal 1 card of each type (Shooter, Martini, Highball, Specialty) to each player. Set the rest aside.

Each player takes 1 coaster and the bar name marker that matches it. Place the coaster in front of you to show which bar you work at. Line up the bar name markers in a column; this is the priority order. The player at the bottom of the column becomes the first dealer.

Hint: in a 2-player game, the coasters and bar names are not used. In this case, choose the first dealer at random.

The first dealer sets aside his or her own Drink cards, shuffles the Bartender cards, and prepares to deal them out.

Each player has: 1 coaster, 4 Drink cards.

Playing the Game

Overview

The dealer deals cards in front of the corresponding bartender. Players use these cards to move bottles from one bartender to another. When a bartender has a suitable combination of drinks, the player uses a Drink card, and takes one ice cube for each drink not included in that drink.

When one player has made all 4 of his or her Drink cards, that player declares Last Call. All the other players must make their remaining drinks. The player who has taken the fewest ice cubes wins the game.

Dealing Cards

The dealer reveals only 1 card at a time, announces the name of that bartender, and places the card face up beside that bartender's board. If there are 2 or more cards beside a bartender, spread the cards out so that players can count how many there are.

While the dealer is dealing, the players may pause the game briefly (for 5 to 10 seconds) to judge such situations. The dealer keeps dealing cards until one player shouts "Order!". If there are no cards left in the deck, shuffle the discard pile and continue the game.

If at any time there are 4 cards beside a bartender, the dealer immediately discards those cards before dealing the next card.

"Order!"

At any time a player may shout "Order!" to show that he or she wants to move a bottle. The dealer can never shout "Order!". Exception: in a 2-player game, the dealer may also shout "Order!".

If 2 or more players shout "Order!" at the same time, the player whose bar name marker is higher in the priority order may place the order.

Important: the player who takes the order and moves the bottle is not the one who shouted "Order!" first, but the player whose bar name marker is highest in the priority order.

When "Order!" is shouted, the dealer stops dealing cards. The bottle is moved and a new dealer is decided.

Moving Bottles

The player who shouted "Order!" may move 1 bottle from one bartender to another. The bartender giving the bottle and the bartender receiving the bottle must both have a revealed card beside them that matches the bottle (exception: see "Wild Bartender" below). All revealed cards beside the bartenders involved in the move are discarded. Cards revealed beside other bartenders are not affected.

Wild Bartender

A bartender who has 3 revealed cards beside him or her is a "Wild Bartender". The player who shouted "Order!" may move 1 bottle from the Wild Bartender to another bartender, or move a bottle from another bartender to the Wild Bartender, even if the other bartender has no revealed card. After the bottle is moved, the Wild Bartender's revealed cards are discarded.

Example

Bill and Claire shout "Order!". Bill has the higher priority, so he moves the bottle.

Bill moves Jasmine's Triple Sec to Kathy. Then the Bartender cards in front of Jasmine and Kathy are discarded.

The cards in front of Frank and Otto have nothing to do with the bottle move, so they stay where they are.

(Priority order in the example, top to bottom: Andre, Bill, Claire, Doris, Edgar.)

Making Drinks

After a bottle is moved, anyone can make a drink. If even 1 of the 6 bartenders has a combination of bottles that makes one of your drinks, you use your Drink card. Reveal the Drink card in front of you so that the other players can see it. Then turn it face down and put it under your coaster. If the drink you want to make requires 2 of the same bottle, that bartender must have at least 2 of that bottle.

When making a drink, count the bottles the bartender has that remain after the drink is made. These are the bottles not used in the drink; bottles in excess of what the drink needs are counted, even if the drink was made with the bottles of that kind. The player takes that many ice cubes.

The dealer can also make a drink. Two or more players can make drinks, and one player can make two or more drinks. If you think you have too many ice cubes, you do not have to make a drink even though you could. When all the players who can make drinks (and want to) have made them, a new deal begins.

Changing the Dealer

The player who shouted "Order!" and moved the bottle becomes the new dealer. Move this player's bar name marker to the very bottom of the priority order. The other bar name markers move up by one place. The previous dealer gives the pile of Bartender cards to the new dealer, and the new dealer deals cards until "Order!" is shouted.

2-Player Special Rules

If both players shout "Order!" at the same time, the non-dealer is the one who shouts "Order!" and moves the bottle.

If the dealer shouts "Order!", the dealer remains the dealer after moving the bottle. If the opponent shouts "Order!", after moving the bottle that player becomes the dealer.

Example

Bill shouted "Order!" and moved the red bottle (see the previous example). He made a Martini with Kathy. Since there are no excess bottles, he takes no ice cubes. Edgar also makes a drink. He makes a Shooter with Jasmine. Since there is 1 excess bottle, he takes 1 ice cube.

Since Bill shouted "Order!" and moved a bottle, Bill places his bar name marker at the bottom of the priority order, and he becomes the next dealer. (Priority order after the move, top to bottom: Andre, Claire, Doris, Edgar, Bill.)

"Last Call"

When you use your last Drink card, you must shout "Last Call" and settle up (tally). Place your bar name marker at the very top of a new row: the tab row (settling-up row). All players must make their remaining drinks and settle up.

If two or more players make their last drink at the same time, the player with the higher priority settles up first.

When each player settles up, he or she places his or her bar name marker below the bar name marker previously placed in the tab row. In this way, the tab row shows the order in which the players settled up.

Making the Remaining Drinks

When "Last Call" is shouted, Bartender cards are no longer used. Remove all of these cards. One player at a time, in priority order, each player who has not yet settled up must make his or her remaining drinks according to the following rules.

Move bottles one at a time from any bartender to any other bartender. Each time you move a bottle, you take 1 ice cube. At any time, a player may make one or more drinks, taking an additional ice cube for each excess bottle. A player must continue until all 4 of his or her Drink cards have been made. After one player has settled up, the next player makes his or her remaining drinks.

Winning the Game

When all players have settled up, the player with the fewest ice cubes wins the game. If there is a tie, the player who settled up first wins.

Variant Rules

Variant for Making the Remaining Drinks

If the players wish, this rule may be used after "Last Call".

Instead of one player making all of his or her remaining drinks at a time, each player makes only one drink at a time, following the rules above. If a player has made all of his or her remaining drinks, that player settles up. Otherwise, the player waits for the next turn, and then the next player makes only one drink (that is, the players take turns making drinks one at a time, rather than one player making all of his or her remaining drinks before the next player makes any).

After every player has made one drink (it may be that some have settled up), the remaining players who have not settled up each make one more drink, in priority order. This continues until all players have settled up.

If this rule is used, the players must all agree to use it before starting the game.

Long Game: Match Play

If you want to play a long game, play a match. You need a pencil and paper. First decide how many games to play in one match. After each game, record the number of ice cubes each player received. Then start the next game: no ice cubes, reuse the cards. Use the settle-up order of the previous game as the priority order of the new game.

After playing the agreed number of games, compare the number of ice cubes each player recorded. The player with the fewest ice cubes wins. If there is a tie, use the settle-up order of the last game.