- Designer: Zac & Emily Loveless
- Artist: Megan Galura & Zac Loveless
- Publisher: Lovemore Games
- Players: 2-6 Players
- Playtime: 30–45 minutes
- Ages: 7+
Top Waffle is a card game from Lovemore Games. Top Waffle is designed for 2-6 players, aged 7 and up and plays in about 30-45 minutes. As a lover of waffles who is always looking for a good game night theme, Top Waffle was a no brainer for me to pick up!
What’s In the Box?
- 6 Reference Cards
- 60 Topping Cards
- 24 Item Cards
- 48 Order Cards
- 3 Closing Cards
- Rule Book
Setup
Set up for Top Waffle depends on how many players will be playing. The number of Order Cards needed and how many cards are in the play area are dependent on how many players are at the table. 24 total order cards will be used for a 2 player game, 30 cards for a 3 player game, 36 cards for a 4 player game, 42 cards for a 5 player game, and 48 cards for a 6 player game. 3 face up Topping and Order Cards will be in the center play area for a 2-4 player game and 4 Topping and Order Cards will be face up in the center play area for a 5-6 player game. The remaining cards will be returned to the box, as they will not be used. Players will need to separate the Order Cards into 3 equal piles and place a Closing Card underneath the piles. Then combine all 3 piles together, forming a single of the Order Cards.
Shuffle the Topping Cards and Item Card decks separately and put the Order Cards, Toppings Cards, and Item Cards in a line on one side of the playing area. Use the chart in the Rule Book (or the information above) to determine now many Toppings and Order Cards will be displayed face up. There will always be 3 face up Item Cards regardless of the number of players.
You are now ready to play Top Waffle!
Objective
Top Waffle is played in rounds, with each round representing a dining service day. The players are competing to earn the most points after 3 days. The player earning the most points wins the game and is the Top Waffle!
Gameplay
The player who most recently made waffles starts the game. Gameplay moves clockwise.
Each player’s turn takes place over 2 stages, namely Prepare and Execute. Each turn, a player is required to complete the Prepare stage, but the Execute stage is optional. In order to Prepare, a player will take 2 Topping Cards into their hand. When a player Prepares they must always take 2 cards, either from the face up Topping Cards or the facedown pile. If taking from the face up cards, a player will take 1 card and replace it with another card from the pile. The player will then decide which card to take next. A player can choose to take both cards from the face down pile. Alternatively, a player can take 1 Item Card either from the face up cards or a face down card from the pile. Players must fully complete the Prepare stage before moving to Execute.
As stated previously, the Execute stage is optional. To Execute, a player may play as many cards from their hand as they wish. If playing an Item Card, the player must follow the actions listed on the card completely. When fulfilling Order Cards, Topping Cards must be placed face up. Players may complete more than 1 order per turn.
When there is a closing sign on the top of the Order Card deck and an Order is then completed, place the Closing Card face up in the order area. The player that triggered the Closing Card ends their turn. All remaining players get 1 more turn. No new Order Cards are flipped. Once all players complete their turns, all Topping Cards still in hand are moved to the TRASH side of their Player Reference Card. Players may keep their Item Cards. Remaining Order Cards in the play area and the Closing Cards are removed. Flip over new Order Cards. All face up Topping Cards and discarded Topping Cards will be shuffled together and put back in line. Repeat this process with the Item Cards.
The End of Game is triggered after the final Closing Card is shown and all players have completed their final turn. Points are collected from the cards in the POINTS pile. 1 POINT is subtracted for every Topping Card in the player’s TRASH pile, unless it is a double points, in which case 2 points are subtracted instead. The player with the most points wins! If there is a tie, the player who completed the most orders wins! If STILL a tie, the player with the least amount of negative points wins!
Final Thoughts
Top Waffle reminded me of a cross between the video game Overcooked and a card game. Players are competing to complete the largest number of orders and earn the most points while trying to produce as little waste as possible. This made for a fun (and hectic) time! Archinimus and I laughed our way through several games the first time we broke this one out. We later had a waffle party of our own while we played, and then watched the Season 2 premier of Severance (IYKYK).
Top Waffle finds itself topping my lists for travel games and card games at the time of this writing. I think it’s a great game to play with a table of mixed age players, as well as a combination of casual and hard core players. Top Waffle is perfect for a family game night, and the diner themed artwork adds to the overall experience! If you need me to rate it on a scale, it gets 4 out of 5 waffles, if only because I was hungry when I rated it.
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