Café International Junior
Café International Junior Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 100 guest cards (8 children from each of 12 countries, plus 4 jokers)
- 24 table tiles
- 115 chips in 3 colours (as printed; the chip values listed below total 105): 60 chips worth 1 point, 30 chips worth 5 points, 15 chips worth 10 points
- These rules
Note: the rulebook's component list prints "115 chips", but the three chip counts it gives (60 + 30 + 15) add up to 105. The printed counts are transcribed as they appear.
Setup
The table tiles (from now on called tables) are mixed very thoroughly and face down, and 8 tables are returned to the box without looking at them. Then four tables are laid face up in the middle of the play area. Enough room must remain open between the tables for two guest cards each time. The remaining twelve tables form a face-down draw pile at the edge of the play area.
The guest cards are also mixed very thoroughly. The starting player receives 8 cards in hand, and all other players receive 6 cards. The remaining guest cards form a face-down draw pile next to the table tiles.
(The rulebook shows an example setup diagram with three labelled piles: table draw pile, guest draw pile and discard pile.)
Gameplay
A starting player is chosen. The other players follow in clockwise order.
On his turn a player must do one of the following:
- either place any number of guests at one or more tables;
- or, if the player does not want or is not able to place guests at any table, place any number of guests on the discard pile;
- additionally, the player may exchange joker cards.
At the end of his turn the player must draw guest cards from the draw pile until he again has 6 cards in hand. Then the next player takes his turn.
Each table has room for 4 guests.
As soon as the four places around a table are filled, the table is full. The table is then turned over onto its reverse side (EXCEPTION: see the section 'Exchanging a joker').
If a player places the fourth card at a table, his turn ends immediately. The player who filled the last place reveals a new table from the face-down pile and places it on the play area. The new table is placed as close as possible to the table just completed. Of course, the four places needed for guests around the new table must be taken into account. In this way all 16 tables come out one by one onto the play area and a large square of 4 x 4 tables is formed.
(The rulebook shows a diagram of a completed table next to a newly placed table.)
Placing guests at the tables
Each table shows up to four different flags. This means that only guests belonging to the flags shown may sit at that table. The flags are displayed so that on each side of the table only those guests may be placed whose flag is shown on that side.
(The rulebook shows two example tables, each with a diagram of its four sides, labelled as follows.)
Example table 1 (flags: Kenya and USA on top, Mexico and Spain below):
- top side: Kenya or USA
- right side: USA or Spain
- bottom side: Mexico or Spain
- left side: Kenya or Mexico
Example table 2 (flags: Jamaica top and right, Germany bottom left, Great Britain bottom right):
- top side: only Jamaica
- right side: Jamaica or Great Britain
- bottom side: Germany or Great Britain
- left side: Jamaica or Germany
Note: The joker guest may sit at any table.
Every guest who has taken a place at a table stays in that place until the end of the game. Only joker guests may still change place (see the section 'Exchanging a joker').
Apart from nationality, the gender of the guests is also important when placing them. At each table at most two girls and two boys may sit. This also applies to joker guests.
The order in which the four guests are placed makes no difference. Therefore two girls or two boys may temporarily sit alone at a table, but a complete table must always have two boys and two girls.
(The rulebook shows diagrams marked "allowed" and "not allowed" for seating combinations.)
Scoring
For each card that is correctly placed at a table, the player receives one point (i.e. one black chip).
Note: If a player manages to place all six cards in one turn and in doing so also completes one table, his 6 points are doubled and he receives 12 points.
As soon as a player places a fourth guest card at a table and thereby completes the table, he receives a bonus of 10 points (i.e. one red chip). After this his turn ends immediately.
Example: A player places a guest at one table without that table becoming complete. Then he places a fourth guest at another table, completing it. For placing the first guest he receives 2 points, and for the completed table he receives 10 points. In total the player therefore receives 12 points.
Exchanging a joker
Among the guest cards are two female and two male jokers. A joker may be exchanged for the matching guest card, and the card is then taken into hand. The joker may be played again in the same turn. The exchange does not score any points.
Example: On one side of the table lies a female joker. On this side of the table the flags of Kenya and Mexico are shown. At this place the female joker may be exchanged for a girl from Kenya or a girl from Mexico.
As long as there are joker guests at a table, that table may not be turned over. Only when no joker is left at a table and the table is completely filled must the table be turned over.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as one of the following situations arises:
- The last free place is filled with a guest.
- A player wants to take a guest card from the draw pile and the draw pile is empty.
When one of these situations has occurred, each player counts his chips. The player who holds one or more jokers in hand must give up 5 points for each joker.
The player with the most points wins the game.