Cover Your Cookies
Cover Your Cookies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
The game begins with a stack of unclaimed Cookies, each worth a certain amount of Dough (points).
Cards are played by making pairs of matching Cookies called Batches. Each new Batch added to your pile is stacked across the previous one, protecting it. Protecting it from whom, you ask? From your cookie-craving friends of course!
Your "friends" will (repeatedly) attempt to swipe your top Batch of cookies. If you don't want to lose your cookies (who does?) you'll have to defend them!
Once the flour settles, the Batch will either remain in your stack, or be moved to theirs. Either way, the Batch's value, and all players' hunger for it, will have increased. Once all the cookies are claimed, you'll add up your dough, and the player with the most dough wins.
Ingredients
- 90 Cookie Cards
- 12 Milk Cards
- 8 Mixer Cards
- 6 Crumb Collectors
- 6 Cookie Tokens
Setup
- Hand a Crumb Collector and Cookie Token to each player.
- Remove the 8 cards with a Mixer icon and set them aside.
- Shuffle the remainder of the deck a few times.
- Deal a hand of 5 cards to each player.
- Split the remaining deck into two equal(ish) halves.
- Shuffle the Mixer Cards into one half of the deck.
- Place the other half on top, then set the deck in the middle of the table as the draw pile.
- Flip a card from the deck to start the discard pile.
- The player who ate a cookie most recently goes first.
- After their turn, play passes left.
Setup example: 5 cards per player; the Deck in the middle; a Mixer Discard and a Cookie Discard beside it.
Key Terms
- Cookies: The sweet things you want (neeeeed) to acquire. Each one is worth a certain amount of Dough (points).
- Milk: Wild cards which can be played in place of any kind of Cookie.
- Batch: A collection of 2 or more Cookies of the same flavor (can include Milk cards).
- Stack: A pile composed of a player's Batches of Cookies.
- Mixers: Action cards that are triggered by being drawn from the deck.
- Crumb Collector: Tracks bonus points earned when your Cookies are swiped. Each time one of your batches is swiped, advance one spot. The track reads: START, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135, 150, then (165), (180), (195), (210), (225), (240), (255), (270), (285), (300). If you reach the end, start over, using scores in ().
Taking Your Turn
Each turn, take one of the following 3 actions:
- Start a Batch of Cookies.
- Attempt to swipe a Batch of Cookies.
- Discard a card then draw 1.
Option 1) Form a Batch of Cookies
Start a batch in one of three ways:
- Pairing 2 identical Cookies from your hand.
- Pairing a Cookie from your hand with an identical Cookie from the top of the discard pile.
- Pairing a Milk card behind a Cookie from your hand or the discard pile.
Important: You can't form a Batch with 2 Milk cards or with more than 2 cards.
If the first card flipped is a Milk card, or in the unlikely case a Milk card is discarded, a player may pair it with a Cookie from their hand to form a new Batch. The discard pile is only used for forming new Batches, not for swiping or adding to a player's hand.
If you weren't able to start a Batch on your first turn, you may choose to lay down a single Cookie as your first Batch. This is the only time you can start a Batch with only one Cookie.
Each new Batch added to your pile is placed across the previous Batch, alternating upright and sideways. Batches are never combined, even if they are both made up of the same kind of Cookies.
Option 2) Attempt to Swipe Cookies
Each player's first Batch is safe. If a player has 2 or more Batches, the top one is up for grabs!
To attempt to swipe cookies, a player must have at least 1 Batch. The challenger starts by playing a Cookie matching the top Batch of the targeted player's pile, or a Milk from their hand near the stack they are trying to swipe.
The defending player can protect their Batch by playing a matching Cookie or a Milk on top of the challenger's card. The back-and-forth continues until a player can't or chooses not to respond. The last player to play a card takes or keeps the Batch, adding all cards used to challenge to the targeted Batch. Make sure a Cookie (not Milk) is on top.
Note: Chocolate Milk is worth more points than Fresh Milk, but doesn't outrank it. Both act as substitutes for any Cookie card when forming, swiping, or defending a Batch.
Example: Carmela, having already formed her first Batch of cookies, tries to swipe Ginger's top Batch of Lemon Square Cookies by playing a matching Cookie. Ginger defends her Batch with a Chocolate Milk. Carmela counters with a Fresh Milk. Ginger can't play a card to respond. Carmela then takes the Batch and adds the played cards to her stack. Carmela draws back up to 5 cards, followed by Ginger.
Option 3) Discard a Card Then Draw 1
If you cannot, or choose not to, perform one of the other actions, you must choose this option. Place a card, face up, in the discard pile. Then draw a card to replace it. This ends your turn.
Note: The only time a card is added to the discard pile from the deck is at the start of the game. The pile may be empty from time to time throughout the game.
End Your Turn
After you've completed an action, draw cards, one at a time, until you once again have 5. If someone else played cards to defend their Batch, they'll draw as well after you finish. As you draw cards, pick them up 1 at a time in case you encounter a Mixer card (which will be explained next). Play passes to the left.
Mixers
Note: Mixers are a fun option that can be included. For simpler or quicker play, you may choose not to include them.
There are 8 Mixer cards. Each triggers an action that takes effect immediately, before another card is drawn. They do not count as a player's turn. Here's how they work:
- ROTATE (2): All players simultaneously move their top Batch to their neighbor's stack, in the direction you declare (left or right). All players with 1 or more Batches must participate.
- ENHANCE (2): This wild card is inserted into your top Batch, increasing its value by 30. That's great for you, so long as it doesn't get swiped!
- SWAP (2): Force any two players with at least one Batch, excluding yourself, to swap their top Batch.
- EXCHANGE (2): Each player blindly takes one card from the hand of the player to their left or right, as directed on the mixer card. If a player has no cards left, they are excluded from this exchange.
After their action takes effect, Mixer cards (except the Enhance cards) are discarded out of play into the Mixer discard pile. The player who drew the Mixer then resumes replenishing their hand.
Crumb Collector
Swiped Cookies leave crumbs behind. That's what the Crumb Collector is for!
If another player successfully swipes one of your Batches of Cookies, you'll move your Cookie Token one spot up the tracker. At the end of the game, simply reference the number beneath your Cookie Token to know how much extra Dough to add to your score. That should help you feel a little better about your 'crumby' luck.
To begin, place your Cookie Token on START. Each time one of your Batches is swiped, move your Cookie Token up one spot.
Ending the Game
After the deck is depleted, play continues until everyone has played all the cards in their hand. If you can't start a Batch or attempt to swipe one, you may add a matching Cookie from your hand to your top Batch - this can only be done after the deck runs out. If you can't do anything else, you must discard a Cookie - you can't just pass your turn.
Be thoughtful of how you use your cards towards the end of the game. If you run out of cards before other players, you will be left completely defenseless!
After everyone's hand is depleted, the game ends. It's time to add up the Dough from your cards and Crumb Collector to see who won!
Grandma's Tip: The easiest way to add up your points is to stack your cards in groups of 100 points. If anyone is left feeling slightly sulky about the outcome of the game, you might try giving them a cookie (a real one). It's hard to feel bitter after you bite into something sweet.
Options for Longer Games
- First to 750: Play as many rounds as needed, tallying scores after each, until someone reaches 750 points.
- Highest score after 3 rounds: Record scores after each round. After 3 rounds, the highest score wins!
- First to win 2 rounds: Record only which player has the highest score each round. First to win 2 rounds wins!
3-Player Rules
When playing with just 3 players, use these small modifications.
During setup:
- Remove the 2 Swap cards.
- Deal 6 cards to each player.
- Flip 3 cards over beside the deck, side-by-side, forming the Cookie discard row.
- Follow the other standard setup instructions.
Instead of a discard pile, cards are discarded in a row. When you discard a Cookie, place it to the right of the other Cookies in the row. Any Cookie in the row may be used to form a Batch by pairing it with a card from your hand.
Advanced Options
After playing the classic rules, one or both of these optional rules may be added for more depth and strategy.
Extra Strength Chocolate Milk
- Chocolate Milk cards count as 2 cards instead of 1.
- If an opponent plays a Chocolate Milk card during a challenge, you must counter it with either another Chocolate Milk card or two eligible cards. These can be any combination of Fresh Milk or Cookie Cards that match the targeted Batch.
Two Actions Per Turn
- One action is required. The second action is optional, and can be the same action as the first.
- When choosing to discard and draw as the first action, a player may still take a second action.
- A player may swipe from the same player twice in two actions.
- A player may not attempt to swipe the same Batch of Cookies on their second action.
- A player's turn ends when they replenish their hand.