Cupcake Academy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Contents
• Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Completing an Assignment
  • Rules for Moving Cups
• End of the Game
• Variations
  • Expert Pastry Chefs
  • Continue Your Cupcake Education!

Object of the Game

Players work together as a team to try to organize the Cupcake cups in front of them based on the current Assignment card. Each assignment wants your cups to be arranged in a specific layout in the kitchen. You must quickly communicate with your teammates to move the Cupcake cups around the kitchen so that your kitchen matches the one on your Assignment card. Try to complete as many assignments as possible before time runs out!

Contents

• 20 Cupcake cups (4 sets of cups in 5 different sizes and colors)
• 12 Personal plates (4 sets of 3 plates in 4 different player colors)
• 1 Shared plate
• 60 Assignment cards:
  • 20 blue cards for 2 players
  • 20 pink cards for 3 players
  • 20 green cards for 4 players
• 1 Achievement checklist card
• 1 seven-minute sand timer

Setup

1. Give each player a set of 3 Personal plates in the same color and a set of 5 Cupcake cups in all the different colors. Place your 3 Personal plates in front of you.
2. Stack your 5 Cupcake cups into each other and place them face-down on your middle plate so that only the largest cup is visible.
3. Place the Shared plate in the center of the table, within reach of all players.
4. Take the Assignment cards matching the number of players in your group. Shuffle them together and deal a number of them corresponding to the number of players, face-down in a pile next to the Shared plate:
   • 14 blue cards for 2 players,
   • 12 pink cards for 3 players,
   • 10 green cards for 4 players.
5. Place remaining cards back in the box.
6. Place the timer on the table nearby.

Playing the Game

When all players are ready, flip the timer and turn over the top Assignment card of the pile. Place this card face-up next to the pile, and then begin trying to complete the assignment following the rules for moving cups, in order to match the arrangement shown on the Assignment card.

Completing an Assignment

Each section on the Assignment card represents one player's personal area. They are only working on that section, so position the card so that it is clear which player is doing what.

An assignment is complete when:

• There are no cups on the Shared plate.
• AND each player has the right colors of cups showing on each of their 3 plates, as depicted on the Assignment card (some plates might be empty). The relative positions of the cups in each player's personal area doesn't matter.

Note: Each plate can only have one stack of cups.

When you complete an assignment, place the card aside until the end of the game. Keep all cups where they are. Then turn over a new assignment card and position it to correspond to how the players are sitting, so that one player is clearly responsible for each area. Try to rearrange your cups to match the new assignment following the rules for moving cups.

Rules for Moving Cups

You can only use one hand for the duration of the game. There can only be one visible cup per plate (including the Shared plate).

Taking a cup

• You can take one of the visible cups on one of your 3 plates, or the visible cup (if there is one) on the Shared plate.
• You can only take one cup at a time.
• You cannot take a cup on another player's plate.

Placing a cup

• You can place a cup on one of your 3 plates OR on the Shared plate.
• You can place a cup on top of a smaller cup by covering it.
• You cannot place a cup on top of a cup of the same size or bigger.
• You cannot place a cup on another player's plate.

Remember: you can only move cups between your plates or the Shared plate. If you want a cup on another player's plate, you must wait until they move that cup to the Shared plate for you.

End of the Game

The game can end in one of 2 ways:

• If you complete all the Assignment cards before the timer runs out, then you win the game. Congratulations, you are now students of the Cupcake Academy!
• If the seven-minute timer runs out and you still have cards to complete, then you lose the game. Don't give up on your dreams, you can always try again!

Variations

Expert Pastry Chefs

In this variation, the order of the visible cups in each player's personal area matters. This means that you need to worry about the colors of the cups on your plate AS WELL AS their position.

Continue Your Cupcake Education!

Your training doesn't stop once you make it into the academy... After you become full-time students, your skills will really be tested! Use the Achievement Checklist card to keep track of your progress as pastry chefs. Complete as many achievements as you can, from the bronze medal all the way up to the Top Pastry Chef award.

In addition to the medals, there are two other achievements to complete for each player count:

• Complete your assignments with your inferior / opposite hand.
• Complete your assignments without speaking.