Garçon
Garçon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Contents:
- 54 order cards;
- 14 event cards;
- 1 clock card;
- 2 reference cards with the game rules.
Players: 3 to 10. Playing time: 10 to 20 minutes. Age: 7 and up.
Object of the Game
The winner is the waiter who scores the most points for completed orders at the end of the game.
Setup
- Lay out the order cards and the event cards as two face-down stacks.
- Shuffle both stacks.
- Choose the player who will take the first turn.
- Decide how many points are needed to win, for example, it is best to start with 8.
- Place 5 order cards and 2 event cards in the middle of the table, laid out as shown in the leaflet's diagram.
Turn
The first player takes an order card. Then players take turns clockwise from that player. On your turn you may do ONE of the following:
- take an order;
- complete your own order or orders;
- take an event.
At the end of a turn there must again be 5 order cards and 2 event cards on the table. If you took a card, place a new card from the deck in its place.
Taking an Order
Simply choose an order card on the table and place it in front of you face-down. Later, when you complete the order, you will need to remember what was on it.
Completing an Order
If you have one order card, you simply name the dishes that are on it. The symbols on the back of the card help you with this. After you have named the dishes, turn the card over. If everything was named correctly, place it face-up beside you. This is a completed order.
If you have several cards, do this with each in turn. Cards that you got wrong go to the discard pile.
Taking an Event
An event card may be taken only if you intend to use it immediately. The event cards are:
- "Repeat": place this card on one of the order cards already lying in front of you face-down. If you successfully complete that order, you receive twice as many points for it. Two "Repeat" cards cannot be placed on one order. The card stays on the completed order until the end of the game, or goes to the discard pile together with an uncompleted order.
- "Notebook": this card may also be placed on an uncompleted order. You do not need to remember its contents: when you complete the order, you can simply read out the contents of the order. After the order is completed, the Notebook card goes to the discard pile.
- "Client leaves, order cancelled": place this card on one of another player's order cards. Both cards go to the discard pile immediately.
Translator's note: the sample card faces in the leaflet's illustrations carry their own labels (the card shown next to the "Notebook" sample appears to be labelled "Double order", which may correspond to the "Repeat" rules text, the name the rules text uses). This file follows the names given in the rules text.
Winning the Game
When any player reaches the number of points needed for victory, the game continues until the last player before the player who started the game has taken a turn, so that every player has made the same number of turns. After that, the player with the most points wins. If several players are tied for the most points, the game is a draw.
Variant: Playing with the Clock
In this mode of play, orders may be completed only on the last turn.
To start the game, place the clock card to the left of the order cards, as shown in the leaflet's diagram.
Each time a player takes an order, the clock card moves one place to the left.
Winning with the Clock
When the clock card is at the far left, the game continues until the player seated before the player who started the game has taken a turn, since everyone must have made the same number of turns. After that, players may begin completing their orders. The player with the most points wins.