Caffeine Hit
Caffeine Hit Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Collect as many Caffeine Points as you can before the cards run out. The player with the most points wins!
How to Do It
You have a hand of 5 cards containing Drinks and Actions and a space in front of you, which is your "coffee table."
Place cards on your coffee table to score points. Place cards on other players' coffee tables to reduce their score.
Cards are played on a coffee table faceup so everyone can see them. Cards in your hand should be kept secret!
The Cards
(More details on reverse of sheet)
Drink Cards
- Teas (orange cards)
- Coffees (yellow cards)
- Decaf - minus points (green cards)
- Iced Drinks (blue cards)
- Cold Brew (brown cards)
- Espresso Challenge (purple cards)
Each Drink Card shows a category symbol, how the card scores (for example "3 points"), and the drink name.
The Espresso Challenge
Collect as many purple cards as you can. The player with the most espresso beans at the end of the game is the Espresso Challenge winner and is awarded 12 bonus Caffeine Points.
Count the number of beans on each card to determine the total.
Action Cards
All the Action Cards are red. The top section of each card describes the action and the bottom tells you how to play it.
Setting Up
Separate the Reference and Turn Cards from the main deck. Deal each player a Turn Card and place faceup in front of them.
Shuffle the remaining deck and deal 5 cards to each player, making their hand. The remaining cards become the draw pile.
The Reference Cards detail how Drink Cards score and how to play Actions.
The Turn Cards give you a handy list of the options you have during your turn.
Taking a Turn
Choose only 1 of the below options, then refill the cards in your hand back to 5. Play then proceeds clockwise after each turn.
Boost Your Score: You can play up to 5 Drink Cards of the same color on your coffee table.
OR
Attack an Opponent: You can play up to 2 Drink Cards of the same color on an opponent's coffee table.
OR
Play ONE Action Card: You can play 1 Action instead of Drink Cards. Check the reverse of this sheet for info.
OR
Swap Some Cards: You can forfeit your turn and discard up to 3 cards for new ones from the draw pile.
The End of the Game
Once the draw pile runs out, the game continues until one player completely runs out of cards. At this point, the game ends.
Discard any cards left in your hand and move to scoring.
Scoring
- Reveal any cards hidden beneath To Go Cup Cards.
- Establish the winner of the Espresso Challenge by counting everyone's beans. Remember, this is the person with the most beans, not the most purple cards! The person with the most espresso beans gets 12 bonus Caffeine Points; everybody else discards their purple cards and receives no points for them.
- Add up the remaining scores from your Drink Cards. Remember, unfinished sets don't score anything.
- Subtract minus points from green cards on your table to make your final score.
Scoring can be confusing at first, so we've included an example on the reverse.
Winning
The winner of the game is the player with the most Caffeine Points. If there's a draw, why not play again?
Hints & Tips
Keep Coffee Tables Tidy
To save space and make it easier to add scores, stack cards on coffee tables in their color categories, keeping the top of each card visible (see example on reverse of sheet).
If you place a Complimentary Cookie on a Drink Card, make a new stack for these 2 cards so you remember which drink the Complimentary Cookie is attached to.
Limits
There is no limit to the number of cards you can have on a coffee table. Limits only apply to how many cards you can play in one turn.
Sets Explained
Blue and yellow Drink Cards only score points for each complete set at the end of the game, however, you can play incomplete sets. For example, you can play 1 yellow card, but unless you play 2 more before the end of the game, it won't score any points.
Reverse of Sheet: Card Reference
66x Drink Cards (Color Coded by Category)
Coffees (yellow cards)
Coffees only score in sets of 3. A set can be any combination of yellow cards.
You don't have to place 3 Coffee Cards at once; you can play any number of Coffee Cards and add to them later.
- A set of any 3 yellows = 10 points
- Leftover yellows = 0 points
Iced Drinks (blue cards)
Iced Drinks only score in sets of 2. A set can be any combination of blue cards.
Like Coffee Cards, you don't have to place a whole set at once.
- A set of any 2 blues = 5 points
- Leftover blues = 0 points
Espresso Challenge (purple cards)
The Espresso Challenge is a race to collect the most espresso beans.
To work out who is the winner, count up the total number of beans in the corner of all the Espresso Challenge Cards on your coffee table at the end of the game. Whoever has the most is rewarded 12 points; all other players receive no points for their purple cards.
- Player with most espresso beans = 12 points
- All other players = 0 points
- In case of a draw, all players = 0 points
Teas (orange cards)
Teas score individually; they don't have to be in sets. Each card has a singular points value.
- 1 orange = the points value shown on the card
Decafs (green cards)
Decafs score individually; they don't have to be in sets. Don't be a mug; don't place these cards on your own table!
- 1 green = the negative points value shown on the card
Cold Brew (brown cards)
1 Cold Brew on your coffee table scores 12 points; any more than 1 of these cards scores 0 points!
Watch out! If you play this on your own table too soon, other players could place a second (or more) Cold Brew(s) on your table, canceling out your Cold Brew points.
- 1 brown = 12 points
- 2 or more browns = 0 points
16x Action Cards (Red Cards)
Drinks Carrier
Use this to play 2 different color categories of Drink Cards, in the same turn, using the steps below:
- Step 1: Play the Drinks Carrier faceup into the Discard Pile.
- Step 2: From your remaining hand, play up to 4 Drink Cards of the same color on your table OR up to 2 Drink Cards of the same color on an opponent's table.
- Step 3: Without replenishing your hand, repeat Step 2.
Complimentary Cookie
Play this card on top of any single orange or green card to double that card's Caffeine Points - this also applies to negative points!
Play this card on a drink already placed on any coffee table and leave it there after use.
Drink Spill
Discard the Drink Spill to play it. Then discard a single Drink Card of your choice from any table! Use it to enhance your score or reduce another player's score.
When you spill a drink attached to a Complimentary Cookie, discard both the Cookie and Drink Card!
Loyalty Card
Play this card on any coffee table to represent any Drink Card of your choice!
You must declare what card it represents when you place it on the table. You cannot change its identity once it is in play.
Place on any coffee table and leave it there after use. Bonus: it cannot be spilled by a Drink Spill Card!
To Go Cup
Play this card on your own table to score in secret!
You have to play this Action Card in conjunction with Drink Card(s) during the same turn.
Select up to 4 Drink Cards of the same color category from your hand.
Position the To Go Cup Card on top of the Drink Cards, and place them all on your coffee table at the same time (keep them hidden from other players).
The To Go Cup Card stays on your coffee table and the hidden cards are not revealed until scoring at the end of the game.
You cannot play this card on another player's table.
Drink Cards under a To Go Cup are immune to those annoying Drink Spills!
Example End-of-Game Scores
Player 2 had the most espresso beans. They win the Espresso Challenge and receive 12 points! All other players get no points for their Espresso Cards.
Although Player 2 won the Espresso Challenge, Player 1 wins the game!
- Player 1 (20 pt): 0 pt, 10 pt, (4 x 2) = 8 pt, 2 pt
- Player 2 (13 pt): 0 pt, -4 pt, 12 pt, 5 pt
- Player 3 (17 pt): -5 pt, 12 pt, 10 pt, 0 pt
- Player 4 (16 pt): 5 pt, 0 pt, 11 pt, 0 pt, 0 pt
Note: the example's player totals are printed on the sheet as shown; the individual card values above are read from the printed example artwork.