Steam & Cheese Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Game Setup - General
• Game Setup - Players
• Game Mechanics
  • Resources
  • Cheese
  • Dice
  • Victory Points
• Game Components in Detail
  • Player Board
  • Machines
  • Bonus Tiles
  • Task Cards (Order Cards)
  • Achievements
  • Overseer, Assistant, and Zeppelin Board
• Gameplay
  • How a Round Works
  • How a Turn Works
  • Using Machines
• Actions
  • Pasteurize
  • Cutting Curd
  • Pressing
  • Refining
  • Dispose of Waste
  • Zeppelin Movement (Top)
  • Zeppelin Movement (Bottom)
  • Movement on the Assistant Board
  • Turn the Gear on the Assistant Board
  • Acquiring Orders and Blueprints
  • Completing Orders
  • Modifying Machines
• Bonus Tiles
• End of the Game & Final Scoring
• Appendix
  • Expert Rule for Replacing Machines
  • Start Tiles
  • Achievements
  • Overseer Board

Game Components

• 1 market board
• 4 player boards
• 3 action boards
• 1 overseer board
• 1 assistant board (two-part; assemble with rivet)
• 1 zeppelin board
• 80 order cards
• 17 achievement cards
• 48 machine tiles (including 12 starting machine tiles)
• 32 bonus tiles
• 6 start tiles
• 4 markers with 50 and 4 markers with 100 points
• 78 coins in 3 different denominations (may be different)
• 1 starting player marker
• 1 round marker
• 240 resources in 3 different types (milk/cheese, rennet, spices)
• 28 ownership markers in 4 colors
• 4 overseers in 4 colors
• 16 assistants in 4 colors
• 18 dice in 4 colors (5 each of white, brown, and yellow, and 3 of purple)
• 4 player guides (not in the prototype)
• 1 set of instructions

Game Setup - General

• Place the boards (market, 3 action boards, assistants, overseers, zeppelin) in any arrangement in the center of the table where they are easily accessible to everyone. Leave enough space around the gear-shaped boards so that bonus tiles can be placed around the outside later.
• Select the 12 starting machine tiles (all with a cost of 1) and place them in a random order in the slots of the 3 action boards.
  • For the first game: place the 12 starting machine tiles in the following arrangement on the action boards.
    • Gear 1: cutting / refining / gear rotation / airship movement (up)
    • Gear 2: pasteurizing / obtaining orders and blueprints / modifying machines / gear movement
    • Gear 3: pressing / disposing of waste / fulfilling orders / airship movement (down)
• Shuffle the order cards and place 5 of them on the empty order spaces on the market board. Place the remaining stack next to it as the draw pile, with the front of the cards facing up.
• Shuffle the remaining machine tiles, place 5 of them on the empty machine spaces on the market board. Place the rest in any number of face-down stacks next to the market board.
• Shuffle the bonus tiles and also set them aside in any number of face-down piles.
• Lay out the resources and coins, sorted and accessible to all players.
• Shuffle the achievement cards and draw 5 of them; lay them face up in the center of the table where they are clearly visible. Return the rest to the box.
  • For the first game: use the following 5 achievements (marked with a star): busy little mouse, the best mechanic, a knack for spices, milk dealer, submerged in trash.
• Set out one more die in each of the three die colors (white, yellow, and brown) than there are players; for example, 4 dice of each color for 3 players.
• When playing with two players, place one purple die on any empty space on each of the 3 action boards, so that a total of 3 spaces are already occupied.

Game Setup - Players

• Take one player board each and place it in front of you.
• You'll receive 7 ownership markers, 4 assistants, 1 overseer, 1 player aid, and one 50 and 100 point marker each.
• Place 6 ownership markers and the 4 assistants on the designated spaces on your player board.
• Place 1 ownership marker on the starting space of the scoring track on the market board.
• Take the starting tiles and pass them to the person to the right of the starting player. That player now chooses one of them and then passes the tiles to the right until everyone has selected a tile.
  • For the first game: use only the 4 starting tiles. These are the ones that give you (among other things) 5 money.
• Now take the items listed on your starting tile. A description of the starting tiles can be found in the appendix. Then put all the starting tiles back in the box.
• Now, in the same order, place your overseers on an empty space on the overseer board.

Game Mechanics

In the game, you try to produce cheese at various stages of processing using resources. To do this, you perform actions in the great machine works (the 3 action boards). You can then sell this cheese using order cards. Achievements earn you additional victory points. You can upgrade machines or equip them with bonuses, as well as move along various bonus tracks. But don't forget to dispose of the waste that may accumulate during production; otherwise, it will result in point deductions at the end.

Resources

There are 4 different resources, 3 of which can be generated by selecting dice on your turn:

• A white die gives you milk
• A yellow die gives you money
• A brown die gives you rennet

Raw milk can be converted into pasteurized milk using the "pasteurize" action. The reverse is not possible.

As the game progresses, the white resources represent not only milk but also cheese. This is explained in more detail in the section on the player board.

The fourth resource is spices. These are harder to obtain; a good way to get them is through the zeppelin board, where you can receive spices by sending your assistants there (see below).

Resources cannot be exchanged for one another. There is generally no limit to the number of resources you may possess.

Important: any milk you haven't converted into cheese by the end of the game becomes waste, which will cost you points at the end of the game. This does not apply to the other resources.

Cheese

The cheese in this game is generally divided into two types: raw milk cheese and cheese made from pasteurized milk. Raw milk cheese can only be made from raw milk, and cheese made from pasteurized milk can only be made from pasteurized milk.

Within these two types of cheese, there are four varieties of each: fresh cheese, soft cheese, hard cheese, and refined cheese. Milk can first be converted into fresh cheese (with the addition of rennet) through the "cutting curd" action. Soft cheese is first made from cream cheese using the "pressing" action, and then hard cheese is made by pressing it again. Both steps can also be combined into a single "pressing" action, but this costs twice the action strength. Using the "refining" action (and adding spices), you can then turn it into refined cheese.

The player board guides you through this process and is divided into corresponding sections (see below).

Dice

The color of the dice determines which resources you can take on your turn (see above). The numbers on the different sides of the die determine how much you receive or how powerful the action you may perform is:

• The number on the top face of the die determines the number of resources you receive.
• The numbers on the sides of the die determine the strength of the actions you may perform with the machines.
• The number on the bottom of the die determines the strength of an action performed using a single bonus tile or using your player board action space.

The individual actions are explained in detail below.

Victory Points

There are two types of victory points in this game:

• Victory points that you receive immediately and use to advance your victory point marker on the victory point track.
• Victory points that you receive at the end of the game.

When you pass 50 on the victory point track, take the 50 marker in your color and place it next to the track to indicate that you have already reached 50 victory points. If you go over 50 again, take the 100 marker and put the 50 marker back. If you even go over 150 points, then add the 50 marker back.

Game Components in Detail

Player Board

On the player board, you store your resources and track the production process. The board is divided into several sections for this purpose.

• Milk area: this is where you store milk. The first row holds raw milk, and the second row holds pasteurized milk. The transition is made possible by the "pasteurize" action.

  New milk resources are generally placed in the top-left space.

  After each of your turns, the quality of the milk deteriorates, and the markers are moved one space to the right. When this is no longer possible (on the third spaces of each row), the milk spoils and becomes waste.

  Important: any milk that you haven't turned into cheese by the end of the game becomes waste and costs you points.

• Cheese area: this is where you store the cheese. The two rows represent raw milk cheese and cheese made from pasteurized milk.

  The first column holds the fresh cheese produced from the milk in the left section via the "cutting curd" action. In the second and third columns, the "pressing" action transforms it into soft cheese and hard cheese, respectively. The fourth column is reserved for refined cheese, which is produced from hard cheese through the "refining" process.

• Waste space: this is where the waste from spoiled milk is stored. For each marker in this space, you must subtract 3 victory points at the end of the game.

• Rennet space: this is the storage area for the rennet resource.

• Spice space: this is where the spice resources are stored.

• Die space: on this space, you can place a die to perform one of the 12 standard actions shown on the bottom of the die (see below).

Machines

To perform actions in this game, you must use your dice to activate the machines. These are represented by machine tiles on the 3 action boards and can change during the game if you purchase blueprints for new machines from the market and then upgrade the machines. The base cost of the machines corresponds to their level and is shown on the machine tile.

The 12 level 1 starting machines each allow you to perform exactly one action with a strength equal to the number shown on the die used, on the side facing the machine.

In level 2, there are machines with the same actions as in level 1, but with a "+1" bonus to the die roll used. Here, the strength of the action is always increased by 1.

The other level 2 machines do not have this bonus, but instead offer two actions separated by a slash, from which you can choose one when activating the machines.

Level 3 machines also offer two actions, but here you don't have to choose one of the two; you may even perform both actions with their respective strengths.

Bonus Tiles

You can earn bonus tiles through the "complete orders" action. You can either use bonus tiles for yourself or place them on a machine or a bonus space on the overseer or assistant board. You earn victory points for placing them, and the bonus is always activated whenever someone uses the machine or moves accordingly on the board. Details can be found below in the "bonus tiles" section.

Task Cards (Order Cards)

You can obtain order cards at the market by selecting the "acquire orders and blueprints" action. You can then complete them using the "complete orders" action, provided you have the required cheese.

The cards consist of different sections:

• A symbol indicates which client issued the order. You can collect sets of different symbols, which will earn you victory points at the end of the game. Beyond that, this symbol has no other significance.
• A section contains the basic order you must complete. If you have the cheese shown on your player board, you can hand it in and receive the specified reward.
• If you also have the cheese required for the extended order, you can receive additional rewards. However, this must be done during the same action, not afterward.
• Some cards offer an additional bonus here that you can use once per game, at any time from the moment you complete the order until the end of the game. You use the bonus with the strength indicated on the bottom of the die you used during your turn. After you've used it, it's best to flip the card face down until the end of the game to indicate this.

Achievements

Achievement cards feature objectives that anyone can fulfill. In each game, 5 of these cards are laid out face-up. The sooner you fulfill an achievement, the more victory points you receive.

If you fulfill a goal on a card, immediately place an ownership marker on the farthest left empty space on the card. Take the ownership marker from the left end of the row of ownership markers on your player board. You do not have to pay money for ownership markers placed on achievements (unlike ownership markers needed for modified machines).

You may place at most one of your ownership markers on each achievement, so you can fulfill each achievement at most once.

If you forget to mark a completed achievement during your turn, you may not make up for it until it is your turn again.

You'll find an overview and explanation of the achievements in the appendix.

Overseer, Assistant, and Zeppelin Board

On these boards, you deploy your overseer (overseer board) or your assistants (assistant or zeppelin board) and can receive immediate or permanent bonuses.

Placing and moving on the assistant or zeppelin board is triggered by the corresponding machine actions. Placing and moving on the overseer board can only be triggered by the die selected at the end of the round or by special bonus tiles.

The corresponding actions are described below in the "actions" section. An overview of the effects and bonuses of these boards can be found in the appendix.

Gameplay

Steam & Cheese is played over 6 rounds. In each round, the dice are rerolled. Then, taking turns, each player selects one die and uses it for their turn. You continue this until all players have taken their turn three times. Then the next round begins.

How a Round Works

• The starting player rolls all the dice and places them, sorted by color, where everyone can see them.

• Starting with the starting player, you all take turns clockwise, each taking one turn, until everyone has taken 3 turns. The sequence of a turn is described further below.

• Starting with the starting player, you now each select one additional die in a clockwise direction and use it to move your overseer on the overseer board (see below). Unlike in a normal turn, the die is not removed but remains on the table and is still available for the other players to select.

  Important: after the 6th round, this step is no longer performed.

• Remove the two machines and orders on the right (the cheapest ones) from the market. Move the remaining machines and orders to the right and refill the now-empty spaces on the far left from the stacks.

• Now pass the starting player marker clockwise to the next person. Move the round marker to the next space (if not last round). The next round begins.

• The game ends after 6 rounds. Now proceed to the final scoring (see below).

How a Turn Works

• Choose a die from the remaining dice.
• Take the resource in the color of the die according to the number shown on top of the die. Milk is placed on the top-left space on your player board. Place rennet on the rennet space on your player board. Simply take the money for yourself.
• Place the die on an empty space on one of the 3 action boards or on the die space on your player board (if available).
• Then use up to 2 machines, including any bonus tiles you may have. See the "using machines" section below for instructions.
• Use or place a bonus tile. See the "bonus tiles" section below for instructions. You may do this before or between using the two machines, so you can potentially use it at the same time.
• If applicable, use the bonuses from orders you've already completed (if any). You may do this at any time during your turn, but you may not interrupt individual machine actions with these bonus actions; instead, you must always perform them consecutively.
• If you have met the requirements for one or more achievements, you may now place the ownership marker farthest to the left on the achievement for free (on the highest available space). You receive the victory points and advance your victory point marker accordingly.
• Now you must lower the quality of your milk resources that have not yet been processed into cheese. To do this, move all milk resources on your player board one space to the right. The milk resources that were already on the farthest-right milk space now spoil and are placed on the waste space.
• If you purchased order cards or blueprints at the market, the market is now restocked. All unsold cards or blueprints are moved as far as possible in the direction of the arrow toward the lower values. Afterward, the empty spaces are filled from the draw piles.
• Now it's the next person's turn, moving clockwise.

Using Machines

After you've selected a die and received the resources corresponding to its color, you may use it to perform one or more actions.

Most of the time, you'll use the die on one of the 3 action boards to perform as many as 2 actions there. However, you can also use it on the individual die space on your player board. In that case, you may select and use one of the 12 starting actions, including an action that might not be available at the moment due to a machine swap. The strength with which you use the action is determined by the number shown on the underside of the selected die. Since the space is occupied after this selection, you can only do this once per round.

If you place the die on an empty space on one of the 3 action boards, you can use up to 2 machines. However, the line of sight from that machine to the placed die must be unobstructed and not blocked by another die. In the worst-case scenario, you'll only have 2 machines to choose from; in the best-case scenario, all 4 machines on the action board are available.

In any case, you may use a maximum of 2 machines, but you can, of course, also let one or both actions expire.

Each action has a strength equal to the number on the die facing the machine on the newly placed die.

You may also activate bonus tiles adjacent to a machine you've used, if you wish. The tile has the same strength as the machine you used.

If the machine you're using is marked with another player's ownership marker, that player may now immediately choose and take one of the following bonuses:

• 1 milk resource (raw or pasteurized)
• 1 rennet resource
• 1 unit of money
• 1 spice resource
• 1 victory point

Actions

In this section, you'll find all the actions you can use via the machine tiles or in other ways. The "strength" always refers to the number on the die assigned to the current action.

Pasteurize

The pasteurize action makes the milk last longer, allowing you to produce cheese from pasteurized milk instead of raw milk.

Take as many milk resources from the first row of the milk section on your player board as indicated by the action's strength. You may also take fewer. The milk may come from any of the three spaces in the first row, including from different spaces.

All milk resources moved in this way are placed in the far-left space on the second row, regardless of which space they occupied on the first row.

Cutting Curd

With this action, you can now produce cream cheese from milk, up to the amount indicated by the action's strength. To do so, however, you also need rennet, exactly as much as the amount of milk you're converting into cheese, i.e., in a 1:1 ratio.

You can take the milk from any of the six slots in your milk section, including from different slots and rows. The milk is turned into cheese and placed in the leftmost slot of your cheese section. The row remains the same. Raw milk from row 1 thus becomes raw milk cream cheese in row 1. Pasteurized milk from row 2 becomes cream cheese made from pasteurized milk in row 2.

Return the rennet you used to the general supply. You may also make less cheese than the strength indicates.

Pressing

With this action, you can further harden the cheese, up to the limit of your action strength. Pressing turns fresh cheese into soft cheese and soft cheese into hard cheese. You can also combine both steps in this action or, for 2 points, convert fresh cheese directly into hard cheese.

Here, too, you may convert less cheese if you wish. The rule remains the same as for cutting into pieces: raw milk cheese cannot be converted into cheese made from pasteurized milk, and vice versa. Move the cheese the corresponding number of spaces to the right on your player board.

Pressing generates one unit of waste for the entire action, regardless of its strength. Take one milk resource from the general supply and place it on your waste space on the player board.

Refining

The final step in cheese production is refinement. Here, you turn hard cheese into refined cheese by adding spices. For each piece of hard cheese you want to transform, you need one spice, that is, a 1:1 ratio.

You can also convert fewer pieces. The spices are returned to the general supply.

As always, the row remains unchanged. Move the refined cheese to the far-right space in your cheese area.

Dispose of Waste

Waste that hasn't been disposed of will cost you three negative victory points at the end of the game. Therefore, it makes sense to dispose of it from time to time using this action.

You may discard as many markers as the action's strength indicates. Return the markers to the general supply.

Zeppelin Movement (Top)

With this action, you can move an assistant along the top track of the zeppelin. The number of steps exactly matches the action's strength. You may not voluntarily take fewer steps.

If you want to deploy an assistant on the zeppelin board, the deployment itself counts as the first step. You place the assistant on the first space on the far left of the zeppelin. To do so, you pay the cost for the assistant as indicated on your player board.

You may deploy as many assistants as you like on the zeppelin board. However, you may only perform this action for one of them at a time; you may not split the points among multiple assistants. Multiple assistants may occupy a single space, even if they belong to different players.

Afterward, the assistant may no longer move from the top to the bottom or vice versa. If you use an assistant in an action with strength 1, he will still be on the first space in the center of the zeppelin at the end of his movement. In this specific case, during his next movement in a new action, you may choose to move him to either the top or bottom row, but you must select the correct movement for either the top or bottom.

You may return assistants to your player board at any time. This is not an action. However, the corresponding costs will naturally apply again the next time you deploy them.

You receive all bonuses from the spaces your assistant passes through during movement and deployment, as well as from the destination space where he ends up.

If a space your assistant is about to enter has a cost, you must pay that cost before you can continue moving onto that space. If you cannot do so, your movement ends before that space, and the remaining steps are forfeited. If you have enough money, you must pay.

Bonus: if your assistant ends their movement on a space in a column where at least one of your other assistants is also located on the bottom row of the zeppelin board, you receive the additional bonus shown on the middle row. This applies only to the final space of the movement, not to the other spaces crossed.

An overview of the effects and bonuses can be found in the appendix.

Zeppelin Movement (Bottom)

Placing and moving on the lower zeppelin track works exactly the same way as on the upper track. Here, a bonus is earned if the assistant comes to rest on the same column where at least one assistant is already located on the upper track.

An overview of the effects and bonuses can be found in the appendix.

Movement on the Assistant Board

With this action, you can deploy and move your assistants on the assistant board. As with the zeppelin, the movement range corresponds exactly to the strength of the action. You may not voluntarily take fewer steps.

Deploying an assistant also counts as the first step here. The cost for the assistant must be paid according to the player board. You may deploy any number of your assistants on the board; they may occupy the same spaces as the other players' assistants.

When deploying, you must decide whether to place the assistant on the inner or outer gear. Once placed, it may not move from the inside to the outside or vice versa. You may perform this action for only one assistant; the points may not be split among multiple assistants.

As with the zeppelin, you may return assistants to your player board at any time. This does not count as an action. However, the corresponding cost will naturally apply again the next time you place an assistant.

The assistants on the inner and outer gears move in different directions (this is indicated on the gears). You then receive the bonuses for all spaces crossed and the destination space.

Bonus: if your assistant ends its movement on a space in whose sector at least one of your other assistants is also located on the other gear (inner or outer) of the assistant board, you also receive the bonus shown on the middle bar. This applies only to the final space of the movement, not to the other spaces crossed.

The bonus consists of the symbol from one center bar and the multiplier from the other center bar. If either the symbol space or the multiplier space is empty (or both), you do not receive a bonus.

An overview of the effects and bonuses can be found in the appendix.

Turn the Gear on the Assistant Board

With this action, you can turn the inner gear on the assistant board by the number of sectors corresponding to the action's strength. This allows you to change the combination of bonus symbol and multiplier in the two middle bars.

You always turn in the direction of rotation of the inner gear, as indicated there.

If, at the end of the rotation (and only then), at least two of your own assistants are in the same sector on both the inner and outer tracks, the corresponding bonus is triggered. This can happen multiple times if you have placed more than 2 assistants on the board. However, this requires that there be 2 assistants on each of the two fields.

Important: You cannot use this action to place new assistants on the assistant board. This can only be done with the "Movement on the assistant board" action.

An overview of the effects and bonuses can be found in the appendix.

Acquiring Orders and Blueprints

With this action, you can acquire order cards and blueprints for machine parts from the market. You can complete the order cards later to earn victory points, money, and bonuses. You need the blueprints to upgrade machines and place improved actions on the action boards.

There are 5 order cards and 5 blueprints available in the market. All order cards have a base cost of 1 strength point; for blueprints, base costs ranging from 1 to 3 strength points are printed on the tiles.

The strength cost for an order or a blueprint is calculated by multiplying the base cost by the factor indicated in the market at the position where the order card or blueprint is located.

The cost of an item in the market thus ranges from 1 to 9 strength points. However, the cost of an item becomes lower if it is not purchased and is therefore moved toward the lower-cost factors.

In a single action, you may spend a total number of strength points equal to the strength of that action.

The market is not restocked until the end of your turn.

You may own as many order cards and blueprints as you like.

Completing Orders

To complete an order, you must have at least the amount of cheese specified in the card's basic order and then hand it over. You will then receive the reward listed there.

If you can also complete the advanced order, you hand over that additional cheese and receive the corresponding reward for the advanced order as well.

You may complete up to as many order cards as indicated by the strength of your action.

Some cards offer you a bonus after completion, which you can use once per game starting immediately. To receive this bonus, simply complete the basic order. You may also use this bonus immediately during the turn in which you completed the order card. The bonus action has the strength indicated on the underside of the die you used for that turn. After you've used it, it's best to flip the card face down until the end of the game to indicate this.

If you perform this action with a strength of at least 3, you receive 1 additional bonus marker from the stack, which you can use immediately. If the action has a strength of 6, you receive 2 bonus markers. You may use the action solely for this purpose, even without completing any orders.

Modifying Machines

With this action, you can replace machines in the grand machine works (the action boards) with other, supposedly better machines. To do this, remove a machine from any position on one of the action boards and replace it with a blueprint you previously purchased at the market. The original machine is placed on a discard pile.

Exception: you may not replace the machine you are currently using for this action.

You must mark the new machine with one of your ownership markers on the small space next to the machine. Take this marker from your player board. Always take the cheapest marker still available. If you don't have any more ownership markers, you can't perform this action.

If the machine you are replacing was marked by another player's ownership marker, remove that marker. That player gets it back and places it on the farthest-right empty space on their player board. If you have no more ownership markers, you cannot perform this action and must wait until you receive ownership markers back through other players' actions.

You must also pay the cost of the ownership marker as indicated on the player board. Subtract the action's strength from this cost. The cost may drop below 0, but you will not receive any money back. If you cannot pay the cost, you cannot perform the action.

The ownership marker now indicates that you receive a bonus when other players use the machine (see above).

Important: In the standard version, you may only replace machines that either belong to no one or to yourself. You may not replace machines that other players have replaced and marked with an ownership marker. The appendix mentions an advanced rule that allows you to do so.

Moving Overseers

You cannot trigger this action via the normal machine actions; instead, you can only trigger it using the die selected after the normal actions or via bonus tiles.

If your overseer is not yet on the overseer board, you may now place him on any space there. If an instant bonus is indicated there, you claim it immediately. A permanent bonus now applies to you as long as your overseer remains on that space.

If your overseer is already on the board, you must now move him to a different space. You may not leave him on his current space. If the action was triggered by the selected die at the end of the round, you must move your overseer exactly the number of spaces the die shows. Otherwise, you may choose any space, except the one it is currently on.

In both cases, you displace another player's overseer that may be on that space. The player whose overseer was displaced may now move to another space and receive the bonus there as well. However, they may not choose a space occupied by other players' overseers. A displaced overseer may not, therefore, displace another overseer.

An overview of the effects and bonuses can be found in the appendix.

Bonus Tiles

You can obtain bonus tiles by performing the "complete orders" action. You can either keep bonus tiles in your own supply to use yourself, or place them on machines or bonus boards. You can also do this later, even if you've had the tile in your supply for a while. However, once you've placed the tile there, you cannot take it back.

You may use or place only one bonus tile per turn.

If you want to use a bonus tile from your own supply, you use the value shown on the underside of the die selected during your current turn (if the value of the bonus matters).

If you place a bonus tile on a machine or a bonus board (overseer or assistant board), you receive 1 victory point. If it is an opponent's machine (i.e., marked with another player's ownership marker), you receive 2 victory points.

Only one bonus tile may be placed on any machine or zone of a bonus board at a time. If a tile is already on the selected spot, it is removed and placed in the discard pile.

The bonus tile on a machine or in a zone on a bonus board is then always triggered in addition whenever the corresponding machine is used or a bonus on a bonus board is triggered by landing on the space or passing through it (depending on the board).

The strength of placed bonus tiles is always determined by the current strength of the action for the machine or bonus action, provided that a strength value is required to fulfill the tile's effect. There are also tiles that grant a fixed bonus; in these cases, strength is not required.

You can find an overview of the effects on the bonus tiles in the appendix.

End of the Game & Final Scoring

After the 6th round, the game ends and you can proceed with the final scoring. To do so, move your victory point markers forward on the victory point track according to the scoring values.

If you exceed 50 on the victory point track, take the 50 marker of your color and place it next to the track to indicate that you have already reached 50 victory points. If you exceed 50 again, flip the marker to the 100 side.

In the final round, the overseers are no longer moved by selecting the last die. This step is omitted.

Any milk that is still left over and has not been converted into cheese becomes waste and is placed on the waste space.

For each marker on the waste space, you now subtract 3 victory points.

All the cheese you have left is sold. You receive the following income regardless of whether it is raw milk cheese or cheese made from pasteurized milk:

• Fresh cheese yields 1 coin per marker
• Soft cheese yields 2 coins per marker
• Hard cheese yields 3 coins per marker
• Refined cheese yields 4 coins per marker

Rennet and spices no longer yield any income.

Now you receive 1 victory point for every 5 coins.

Now add up the victory points for the ownership markers and assistants you've placed. You'll find the points above the corresponding spaces on your player board. Only the empty spaces are counted, starting from the left, and summed up. Once a space is occupied, any empty spaces to its right are no longer counted.

Next, score the sets of completed order cards. A set can consist of up to 5 different symbols. You may score as many sets as you like, but each card may only be used for one set. The sets are then worth the following points:

• A set of 5 different symbols is worth 28 victory points.
• A set of 4 different symbols is worth 16 victory points.
• A set of 3 different symbols is worth 6 victory points.

Smaller sets do not score any points.

The winner is the player with the most victory points. In the event of a tie, the winner is the player among those tied who had the least amount of waste on the waste space at the end of the game. If this is also tied, the winner is the player among those tied who has the least total amount of rennet and spices remaining. If a decision still cannot be made, all players involved in the final tie win.

Appendix

Expert Rule for Replacing Machines

If you want to play the game in a more competitive way, you can use the following modified rule: you are now also allowed to replace machines that belong to other players.

If the machine you are replacing was marked by another player's ownership marker, remove that marker. The player gets it back and places it on the farthest right empty space on their player board.

Start Tiles

First, from top to bottom on the left, then from top to bottom on the right:

• 5 money + 4 rennet
• 1 additional ownership marker (do not use this for the prototype yet) + 2 SP
• 5 money + 1 machine (draw)
• 5 money + 4 milk
• 5 money + 1 bonus tile (draw)
• Each assistant costs 2 money less + 2 spices

Achievements

Title	Number	Description
The best mechanic	1	Have at least 4 of your own machines installed.
Submerged in trash	2	Have at least 10 pieces of trash in your trash.
A knack for spices	3	Have at least 16 spices in your stock.
Busy little mouse	4	Have at least 5 bonus tiles in your possession.
Milk dealer	5	Have at least 16 milk in your stock.
Abundance of cheese	6	Have at least 20 cheese in your stock.
Cheese merchant	7	Have at least 4 completed orders of the same color.
Time and again	8

Overseer Board

Starting from the top right and moving clockwise:

• If you choose the brown die, you get an additional zeppelin action with the strength shown on the bottom of the die
• Immediately +5 money
• If you choose the white die, +1 victory point
• If you perform a zeppelin action, +2 victory points
• When modifying machines, reduce costs by 5 money
• Immediately +3 victory points
• If you choose the yellow die, +3 money
• If you perform a zeppelin action, +1 spice