Latte Throwdown Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Roll Those Dice!
  • Using Your Dice
  • Pouring Lattes
  • Using Barista Cards
  • Change Barista Cards
  • Return Dice to Your Dice Pool
  • A New Game Round
  • End of the Game

Game Setup

1. Place the 10 red dice on the game board, in the spot marked "Surplus Dice Pool".
2. Each player takes all 5 dice of one of the remaining colors. This is their dice pool. Each player also takes a scoring token matching their chosen color of dice and places it on the Start spot of the scoring track.
3. Shuffle the deck of circular Latte cards and place them as a face-down draw pile in their spot on the board. Next, draw the top 4 cards (3 cards if playing with only 2 players) and place them face-up in the circular locations on the lower half of the board.
4. Shuffle the deck of Barista cards and place them as a face-down draw pile in their spot on the board. Next, draw the top 3 cards and place them face-up in the 3 card spots to the right of the draw pile.
5. The player who most recently visited a coffee shop is the start player. Ready? Let's Pour!

Playing the Game

On your turn, you will perform the following actions before the next player takes their turn.

1. Roll all available dice.
2. Place dice to add to a Latte (and possibly score it) and use Barista cards.
3. Return dice to your dice pool.

When all of the face-up Latte cards have been claimed, a new round begins.

Roll Those Dice!

At the start of your turn, roll all dice available to you. The number of dice you have can vary from turn to turn, as some of your dice may be assigned to a Latte card (these dice stay where they are until that Latte has been completed and scored by a player). Also, a few of the Barista cards allow you to take and use some of the special red dice from the Surplus Dice Pool.

Using Your Dice

Your dice can now be used to Pour Lattes, Activate Barista cards and even exchange the face-up Barista cards for all new ones.

Example: The Swan is worth 4 points. The tan dice player needs only one die of value 1 to complete and score this Latte.

Pouring Lattes

Each face-up Latte card shows a combination of 2, 3, 4 or 5 dice. Your goal is to be the first to match this combination with your own dice. If you have a die whose number matches one of the die numbers shown on a Latte card, you may place that die onto your colored dice area below that Latte. You should place your dice from left to right, but the order of the numbers doesn't matter. Place as many of your dice as you wish, including any of the red Surplus dice you may have available. You can even place your dice below multiple Lattes on your turn. If you are able to match all of the numbers showing on a Latte, you may claim that Latte. Take the Latte card, and score the number of points shown on it.

If you do not complete a Latte, any dice you have assigned to it will remain there (you will not take these dice back at the end of your turn). Dice you have assigned to Lattes will stay there for you to add to until someone scores that card.

Special Rule: Only at the BEGINNING of your next turn, before rolling your dice, you may reclaim any of your own dice that are assigned to a Latte card on the board and add them back into your dice pool.

IMPORTANT! Once a Latte card has been scored and removed, do NOT replace it. Play will continue until ALL of the face-up Latte cards have been scored and removed. This signals the end of the round (see A New Game Round).

Using Barista Cards

Each face-up Barista card shows one, two or three dice values at the bottom of the card. You can play matching dice onto these cards to immediately use the special ability shown on that card. Each of these cards allows you to do something that you would not normally be able to do, and a smart Barista will use these abilities to their advantage. A few of these cards allow players to add the special red Surplus dice to their dice pool. These Surplus Dice are limited, and if they run out, they will not be available again until the start of a new round.

Steady Hands: Activate this card by placing two dice of the same value on it. Score 1 point on the scoring track.

Perfect Foam: Place a die that matches the value shown at the bottom. You may then change this die into any value you wish and use it immediately to assign to a Latte, change cards or even activate another Barista card.

Good Steamed Milk: Gain 1 extra die from the Surplus Dice Pool.

Note: The Barista card names Steady Hands, Perfect Foam and Good Steamed Milk are taken from the game setup illustration; the card text of Good Steamed Milk is shown on the board rather than in the printed rules text.

Change Barista Cards

If you place two dice of the same number into this spot on the board, you may discard the three face-up Barista cards and replace them with three new ones from the draw pile. These new cards are immediately available for you to use.

Return Dice to Your Dice Pool

When you have used all of the dice you rolled, or cannot use any more, your turn is over. Take back all dice you used to activate Barista cards or to swap out the Barista cards. Next, if any Lattes were scored during your turn, ALL players take back any dice they had assigned to that Latte. Dice which are assigned to Lattes that are still on the board DO NOT return to your dice pool. They remain where they are and you may add to them on your next turn (or take them back at the start of your next turn).

A New Game Round

When all of the face-up Latte cards have been scored and removed, it is time to begin a new Round. First, ALL players must return any of the red Surplus dice they have to the Surplus Dice Pool on the game board. Now, the player whose score marker is farthest behind is allowed to ADD ONE SURPLUS DIE to their pool. If multiple players are tied for last place, no one takes a red Surplus die.

Finally, draw all new Latte cards and begin a new round of play, starting with the player to the left of the player who last scored a Latte card and triggered the end of the Round.

Now, the player to your left can take their turn.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately when one player reaches 20 points. That player is the winner!