Waffle Time Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay Overview
  • Goal of the Game
  • Flow of Play
• How to Play
  • Turn Summary
  • Cleanup
• End of the Game
• Solo Mode
  • Game End:
• Card Clarifications
  • Fruit Pattern Cards
  • Goal cards
  • Goal cards (continued)
• Credits
  • Playtesters:
  • Special Thanks:

Components

• 1 rulebook
• 1 draft board
• 1 score pad
• 2 turn order tiles
• 4 waffle boards
• 4 player pawns
• 9 syrup dispenser cards
• 15 fruit pattern cards
• 8 goal cards
• 1 standard scoring card
• 3 butter tokens
• 9 draft tiles
• 32 cream tokens
• 20 fruit tokens each in 5 shapes (cherry, strawberry, blackberry, banana, blueberry)
• 70 syrup beads

Setup

1. Place the draft board in the center of the table. Shuffle the 9 draft tokens, flipping them so their facing is randomized, and place them randomly in the 9 spaces of the draft board.
2. Place the turn order tile for the matching player count so it rests in the 2 slots clockwise from the timer on the draft board. If playing with only 2 players, also place the blank side of the other turn order tile 4 spaces ahead of the 2-player turn order tile.
3. Shuffle the fruit pattern cards for each fruit separately and randomly deal one of each face up in a row where all players can see them. Return unused fruit pattern cards to the box.
4. Place the standard scoring card on the table. Shuffle the other goal cards and randomly deal 3 face up onto the table where all players can see them. Place 1 butter token on each of those 3 goal cards. Return the remaining goal cards to the box.
5. Place the fruit and cream tokens and the syrup beads in an area reachable by all players.
6. Place a waffle board in front of each player. Shuffle the syrup dispenser cards and deal one to each player, waffle side up. Players then place tokens on their waffle matching the placement of 5 cream and 2 fruit on their cards. Players have an option of 2 spots on their starting waffle for the fruit tokens and must place one of the depicted fruit on each space with a star.
7. Players flip their cards to the syrup dispenser side, and then take 6 syrup beads from the supply and place them on the card.
8. Take the player tokens that match each player's color on their player board and randomly determine an order to place them on the turn order tile. Players whose pawns are on spaces with syrup icons take additional syrup beads from the supply equal to the number shown on their space. Players are now ready to begin!

Gameplay Overview

Goal of the Game

Waffle Time is played over 8 rounds in which players aim to arrange toppings on their waffles to match fruit pattern cards and place syrup beads on their waffles. At the end of the game, players earn points for spaces with butter, syrup on fruit, and syrup on fruit on cream. The player with the most victory points (VP) wins.

Flow of Play

On a player's turn, they place their pawn in an open slot in the draft board and take toppings from the supply that match the 2 tiles closest to their pawn. Next, they place the toppings on their waffle boards on 2 adjacent spaces. After they check to see if they completed any fruit patterns or goals, it is the next player's turn. When everyone has taken a turn, the round ends and a new one begins.

The player takes the two toppings closest to their pawn and places them in adjacent spaces on their waffle.

How to Play

In each round, all players take 1 turn in the order shown on the turn order tile. After the cleanup phase, the next round begins.

Turn Summary

When a player's pawn is the rightmost token on the turn order tile, it is their turn. Each turn has 4 steps:

1. Place pawn and take toppings. The player places their pawn in any slot that is not occupied by another player or the turn order tile to select toppings (in a 2-player game, note that there is also a face-down turn order tile). The player takes 2 toppings from the supply that match the 2 tiles closest to their pawn in a straight line. They do not remove or flip the tiles on the draft board when taking toppings as multiple players may select the same tiles.

2. Place toppings on the waffle. It does not matter what orientation the player places the 2 toppings in, but they must be in orthogonally adjacent spaces. Additionally, the player must follow these rules for each topping:

   • Cream tokens may only be placed on empty waffle spaces.
   • Fruit tokens may be placed on empty waffle spaces or spaces with only a previously placed cream token.
   • Syrup beads selected from the draft board may only be placed on the player's syrup dispenser card, which holds any number of syrup beads. The other topping the player selected is placed alone without any adjacency restrictions.

3. Check fruit patterns. The player compares their waffle with the fruit pattern cards to see if they completed any patterns. For each completed pattern, they take syrup from their syrup card and place it on fruit as indicated by the pattern card.

   Follow these additional rules when completing patterns and placing syrup:

   • The player may complete each pattern multiple times over the course of the game, even on the same turn.
   • The player may complete any number of patterns on a turn in any order.
   • Patterns must contain at least 1 fruit token or syrup placed this turn.
   • Patterns may be flipped and rotated, and fruit may have cream under it.
   • Patterns may overlap and reuse fruit with syrup on them, but fruit may never have more than 1 syrup on it.
   • Placing syrup may complete additional patterns.
   • If the player does not have enough syrup to cover all fruit in a pattern, they place as many syrup beads as they can on fruit of their choice as indicated by the card. Any additional opportunities to place syrup are lost.

   The player completes a fruit pattern, placing syrup. This completes a goal, placing a butter.

4. Check goals. There are two main types of goals: those that require a pattern of syrup and those that require a combination of fruit anywhere on a waffle. See pages 7-8 for clarifications on each goal card. Each goal can only be completed once by each player. They are scored at the end of the game. Goals are resolved by following these steps:

   • The player checks the goal cards to see if they have met its criteria. Any patterns on goal cards can be flipped and rotated.

After these steps, play passes to the player whose pawn is farthest right on the turn order tile.

When all players have taken a turn, move to the cleanup step.

Cleanup

Cleanup for the next round follows these steps:

1. If the turn order tile would round the corner with the timer, 8 rounds have passed and the game is over. Otherwise, continue cleanup.
2. Return all player pawns to the turn order tile based on their distance, counting spaces clockwise from the tile. Place the closest pawn on the "1" space, the next closest on the "2" spot, and so on.
3. Players take the number of syrup beads from the supply shown under their spot and place them on their syrup dispenser card.
4. Move the turn order tile (with all player pawns on it) 1 slot clockwise along the edge of the draft board so that it occupies 2 slots. In a 2-player game, also move the blank turn order tile the same number of spaces clockwise. When the next open slot is around the corner, move the whole tile around the corner so it fits into the next 2 slots.
5. Flip all 3 draft tiles in line with the fork on the turn order tile. Then, begin the next round.

Players return their pawns to the turn order tile and take syrup. Next they move the turn order tile and flip draft tiles.

End of the Game

After 8 rounds, when the turn order tile has reached the kitchen timer on the corner of the draft board, players earn points for toppings, completed goals, and empty syrup cards.

• Players earn the following points for toppings on their waffle:
  • 1 point per space with syrup on fruit
  • 3 points per space with syrup on fruit on cream
  • 2 points per space with butter
• Players earn points for their completed goals regardless of completion order.
• Players earn 2 points if they have no syrup remaining on their syrup dispenser card.

The player with the most points is the winner! In case of a tie, the tied player whose pawn is closer clockwise to the turn order tile wins.

Solo Mode

For solo play, set up the game for a 2-player game, but only set up 1 waffle board.

Each round, the player takes 1 turn.

Cleanup works as follows:

When returning the player's pawn to the turn order tile, count spaces clockwise from the tile to both the player's pawn and the blank tile. If the player's pawn is closer, place it on the first space; if the blank tile is closer, place the player's pawn on the second space and they earn 2 syrup. Then continue with the cleanup phase.

Game End:

Unlike the usual game of Waffle Time, a solo game can last more than 8 rounds. A solo game ends IMMEDIATELY if either of these conditions occur:

• The player has no syrup remaining on their syrup dispenser card at any point.
• The player has no completely empty spaces adjacent to each other.

At the end of the game, the player counts their score normally. They compare their score to their personal best or this chart to see how they stack up:

• 0-14 points: Hungry for More
• 15-24 points: Solid Breakfast
• 25-39 points: A Wonderful Waffle
• 40+ points: Brunch Perfection!

Card Clarifications

Fruit Pattern Cards

All fruit patterns can be rotated and mirrored. Unless specifically stated, any fruit in a pattern may or may not have cream on its space.

• Have 2 cherries in a horizontal or vertical line with 1 cream at either end. The cream can be empty or have any fruit on it.
• Have 3 cherries in a horizontal or vertical line.
• Have 3 cherries in an L shape in any orientation.
• Have 4 blackberries in a square.
• Have 4 blackberries in a T shape in any orientation.
• Have 4 blackberries in a Z or S shape in any orientation.
• Have 2 strawberries in a square with 2 non-strawberry fruit in any orientation. Only the strawberries receive syrup. The 2 non-strawberry fruit do not have to be the same fruit.
• Have 2 strawberries in a diagonal line with 1 non-strawberry fruit between them in any orientation. Only the strawberries receive syrup.
• Have 2 strawberries in an L shape with 1 cream in the corner in any orientation. The cream can be empty or have any fruit on it.
• Have 2 bananas with 2 non-banana fruit on the ends of a horizontal or vertical line. Only the bananas receive syrup. The 2 non-banana fruit do not have to be the same fruit.
• Have 2 bananas with 2 non-banana fruit alternating in a horizontal or vertical line. Only the bananas receive syrup. The 2 non-banana fruit do not have to be the same fruit.
• Have 2 bananas on the ends of a horizontal or vertical line with 2 non-banana fruit. Only the bananas receive syrup. The 2 non-banana fruit do not have to be the same fruit.
• Have any number of blueberries in a horizontal or vertical line with at least 2 different non-blueberry fruit. Only the blueberries receive syrup.
• Have blueberries as the wildcard symbol in other fruit card patterns.
• Have 1 blueberry adjacent to 2 syrup in any orientation. The spaces with syrup may contain any type of fruit.

Goal cards

• Have 4 syrup in a diagonal line in any orientation. (3VP)
• Have 5 syrup in a horizontal or vertical line. (3VP)
• Have 5 syrup anywhere on your waffle. (1VP)
• Have 5 syrup in a cross. (3VP)

Goal cards (continued)

• Have syrup in 2 opposite corners of your waffle. (2VP)
• Have 6 of 1 type of fruit anywhere on your waffle. They do not need to have syrup on them. (3VP)
• Have 4 of 2 types of fruit anywhere on your waffle. They do not need to have syrup on them. (3VP)
• Have 2 of each type of fruit anywhere on your waffle. They do not need to have syrup on them. (3VP)

Credits

Design: Maxime Demeyere

Director of Projects: Nicolas Bongiu

Production: Adelheid Zimmerman & David Lepore

Development Lead: Neil Kimball

Graphic Design: Zak Eidsvoog

Art Direction: Neil Kimball

Writing: Peter McPherson

Illustration: eggbuttertoast

Playtesters:

Céline Andries, Annie Arjarasumpun, Rob Banken, Michiel Beelaerts, Joshua Bowman, A.J. Brandon, Jimmy Cowe, Theodore Coyer, Evelien De Zutter, Karen Dransfield, Jeremy Follin, Chris LeBanca, Zane Messina, Garret Oosterwyk, Luke Pickles, Jasper Pollet, Ian Rickett, Francisco "Paco" Rojas, Lila Scott, Danielle Sediner, TJ Spalty, Mark Starr, Karan Tolani, Willem Van Bogaert, Thomas Van Caseneghem, Giele Van den Berghe, Wout van Robays, Dan Varrrette, Amanda Panda8ngel Wong, Al Woodruff, Lander Zwaenepoel

Special Thanks:

Maxime Demeyere is a first-time game designer based in Ghent, Belgium. Working with AEG on this game has been a wonderful and enriching experience. Thanks to the AEG team and John Zinser. A huge thanks to Neil Kimball for his vision, guidance and endurance. Thanks to Maxime's partner Jonne for her patience, love and support. And to his brother Jérôme for sharing his passion for board game design.

©2023 Alderac Entertainment Group. 2505 Anthem Village Drive, Suite E-521, Henderson, NV 89052, USA. Waffle Time and all related marks are ™ or ® and © where indicated Alderac Entertainment Group, Inc. or Maxime Demeyere. All rights reserved. Made in China.