Wok Star Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Setup
• Play
  • Phase 1: Action
    • Overview
    • Serving
    • Preparations
    • Event cards
    • Extra Dice
  • Phase 2: Accounting
  • Phase 3: Purchase
    • New Recipes
    • Preparation Upgrades
    • Advertising
    • End of Round
• Scoring
• First Game
• Single Player Rules

Contents

• 1 game board
• 12 Recipe cards
• 48 Customer cards (4 for each Recipe)
• 10 Preparation cards
• 13 Event cards
• 32 dice (8 each of 4 different colors)
• 10 ingredient counters
• 2 20-second sand timers
• 6 Family Character cards
• Purchase Track card
• 2 Deck playmats

Setup

Layout the Game Board, and put a counter at the beginning (0) of the Money (outer) track.

Layout the Purchase Track card, place a counter in row 1, indicating the first round.

Shuffle the Event cards, place them face down on the playmat.

Each player chooses a color of dice and takes 3 of them.

Each player gets one Recipe to start. Shuffle the three Recipes that cost $0, and shuffle the five that cost $4. Deal them as follows:

• 1 Players: Player starts with a $0 Recipe, and a $4 Recipe.
• 2 Players: 1 Player starts with a $0 Recipe, and 1 Player starts with a $4 Recipe.
• 3 Players: 2 Players start with a $0 Recipe, and 1 Player starts with a $4 Recipe.
• 4 Players: 2 Players start with a $0 Recipe, and 2 Players start with a $4 Recipe.

Put the remaining Recipes back in the supply.

After Recipes are chosen, take each Preparation card needed to complete all the Recipes in play. Example: a player has 'Wonton Soup', get the 'Eggroll Wraps' and 'Chicken Broth' Preparation cards. Distribute Preparations to players however you like, with the "Preparation" side showing. Each player should have at least one. Put the counter for each ingredient in play on the '1' row of the game board.

For each Recipe in play, place the four corresponding Customer cards in a new pile. Shuffle and deal cards into two decks as follows:

	Customer Deck	Potential Customer Deck
1-2 Players	5 cards	3 cards
3 Players	8 cards	4 cards
4 Players	10 cards	6 cards

Place the Customer deck on the playmat near the two timers. Place the Potential Customer deck on the other playmat. Deal Two Event cards face down (not seen by players) into the Customer deck and shuffle it.

Players may not trade Preparation or Recipe cards during the game, unless directed by an Event.

Each player gets one bonus choice to start the game. For free, each player can either upgrade one of their Preparations or take an extra die of their color.

Each player is dealt and reveals a Family Character card. This card has an ability that can be used once, at anytime during the game. To use it, announce that you are using it, follow the instructions on the card, and turn the card face down to indicate it has been used.

Play

The game is played over 6 rounds. Each round has 3 phases: Action, Accounting, and Purchase. After the Accounting phase in the 6th round, the game is scored and ends.

Phase 1: Action

The Action phase begins by flipping the red sand timer and drawing the top card of the Customer deck; revealing the Dish to be prepared. Then all players roll their dice and start cooking! All players work simultaneously, Preparing Ingredients and Serving Customers as needed.

Overview

The Action phase plays rapidly as players prepare dishes and spend their dice on ingredient preparation. Each Customer card shows a dish. Dishes are completed by spending 1 of each ingredient displayed on the corresponding Recipe card. Players make money by completing dishes from the Customer deck. Players may share dice freely, and work together to keep track of what ingredients need prepared and which dishes need to be completed before time runs out. Once rolled, dice cannot be rotated.

Serving

One Customer card is revealed at a time. That Customer must be served or "Turned Away" before the next card is revealed.

In the above example, Player 1 has Onions and Peppers Preparation. He spends his 4 die (or one from another player) to create two Onions and Peppers, moving the counter up two. Player 2 has Wonton Soup Recipe. The current customer wants Wonton Soup, so he prepares by lowering the counters by one each, and takes the card. Both of these players can be working on the board at the same time.

To serve the Customer, the player matching the Recipe card moves the counter down one for each ingredient on the Recipe card. Then he takes the Customer card, and puts it in a pile next to him (each player keeps his or her own pile of completed Customers cards.) If the card is taken before the timer runs out, then the card is placed face up in the pile. If time has run out, and the Customer's order can still be completed, you must serve them but when you take the card it is placed face down in the pile. If the timer has run out, the group can take a moment to get organized before starting up again.

In order to deduct an ingredient from the game board, the ingredient counter for that ingredient must be greater than 0. If any ingredients are empty, then the player with the ingredient Preparation card needs to create more of that type BEFORE the Customer can be served (See Preparations.)

Once the Customer card is taken, one of the timers is immediately flipped, and the next Customer card is revealed. The next Customer is now served. Players flip whichever timer was not used last. If the red timer was used last, flip the blue timer, and vice versa. A timer is flipped even if it is not empty yet.

If a Customer cannot be served because of a lack of ingredients, or you chose not to serve them, they are "Turned Away". Players must set the card aside, flip the timer, and serve the next one. These set aside Customer cards are placed in the Bad Publicity pile. They do not get shuffled back into the Customer Deck. If the Bad Publicity pile ever reaches 8 cards, the game is over and the players lose.

The Action round continues until the Customer deck is empty.

Preparations

Dice are used with Preparation cards to prepare ingredients. On the Preparation cards are three methods to complete ingredients:

1. A die with any number (shown by ?) can be placed on the preparation card to create one ingredient of that type.
2. To create two of the same ingredient, a dice with the matching number must be placed on the card.
3. To create three ingredients, a combination of two dice that satisfy the criteria on the card must be used.

Any of the methods on the Preparation card may be reused with more dice.

Only the owner of a Preparation card may put dice on the card. However, players may share their dice. Once the dice are placed on the card, the owner of the card moves the corresponding ingredient counter on the game board up the number of spaces corresponding to the amount created (1, 2 or 3.)

Once dice are placed on a preparation, they may not be reused until the next round. Dice are only rolled once per round. The dice have to make enough ingredients for all the Customers, so spend them wisely. When a Preparation is upgraded (flipped) later in the game, the amount of ingredients produced will increase.

Event cards

When an event card is revealed from the Customer deck, follow the instructions on the card. When the timer is up, a timer is flipped then the next Customer revealed and served.

Extra Dice

If there are any unplaced dice at the end of the Action phase, the players may spend these dice as normal to prepare ingredients that will carry over into the next round.

Phase 2: Accounting

Once the Action phase is over, there are a few tasks to complete:

• Each player should gather their dice back from other players.
• Each player counts the number of FACE UP Customer cards he or she completed. If that number is GREATER than number of dice in his or her dice pool, then that player should take more dice of their color to equal that number. Players never lose dice from their pool. Max dice pool: 8 per player.
• Each Customer card has 2-5 dollar icons on it. Each player adds up the total dollars from their FACE UP Customer cards. No money is earned for face down cards. Players take turns moving the counter along the money track according to the dollars they earned. Then all players put their Customer cards (including the FACE DOWN cards) into a pile to create the next Customer deck. Any 'Chef's Special' cards are placed in the Event discard pile.
• Resolve any End of Round event cards, following the instructions on the card. All Event cards that appeared during the round are put in the Event discard pile.
• If no Customer cards were "Turned Away" in the last round, one random face-down card is taken from the Potential Customer deck as 'word-of-mouth' advertising and added to the next Customer deck.
• Deal Two Event cards face down (not seen by players) into the next Customer deck.

If it is round 6, the game is scored, and players find out if their budding enterprise has a future.

Phase 3: Purchase

The players start the game with no cash. As the game progresses, the players will earn money which they can use to buy New Recipes, Preparation Upgrades, and Advertising. The group must decide together what to purchase. All of these may be purchased multiple times if there is sufficient money. The Purchase Track shows the current Base Recipe, Upgrade and Advertising cost for the round. At the end of the round, move the Purchase Track counter to the next row.

New Recipes

The Purchase track on the game board indicates the current Base cost of a new Recipe. In addition to the base cost (which goes up each round), Recipes also have a Fixed cost which is shown on the Recipe card. Add the Base cost and Fixed cost to get the total purchase price for the new Recipe. Deduct the total from the Money track.

When the New Recipe is purchased, give the Recipe card to one of the players (distribute wisely). Find and assign any Preparation cards for new ingredients required to make the Recipe ("Preparation" side up.) For each new Preparation ingredient put into play, place the ingredient marker on the 0 row on the game board.

Find all four copies of the Customer cards showing the new dish. Place two in the Customer deck and two in the Potential Customer deck and shuffle it.

Preparation Upgrades

To increase your production of ingredients, upgrade Preparation cards. Deduct the cost shown on the Purchase track for the current round for an Upgrade. Then select and turn over one Preparation card to the 'Upgraded' side. It now will make more Ingredients per dice spent.

Advertising

The players may buy a random Customer card(s) from the Potential Customer deck which is put face down (not seen by players) into the next Customer deck. The cost of each Customer card is indicated on the Purchase track. Deduct this from the Money track for each card purchased.

End of Round

Current money and prepared ingredients roll over to the next round. Move the Purchase Track marker to the next row. Shuffle the Customer deck before the start of the next round.

Scoring

The players' final score is determined by their 6th week's income. Money from previous rounds is not counted toward this final total. At the beginning of Accounting phase in round 6, move the counter on the Money Track to 0. Add up all the money earned that round. If the players gained enough money to pay back the loan they have won the game. In a 4 player game with normal difficulty, the amount needed is $80. If less, the restaurant closes its doors. So sad. Try again!

	Easy	Normal	Hard
4 Player	$70	$80	$90
3 Player	$52	$60	$68
1-2 Player	$35	$40	$45

First Game

For your first game, it is recommended to play without the timer to learn the Preparing/Serving cycle. Also playing without Event cards or Family Characters is recommended.

Single Player Rules

For Single player, use the rules for a Two Player Game, but playing for all preparations and Recipes. Start with 6 dice in your pool (max 16.) You get two bonus choices (extra die or upgrade), and two Family Characters.