Summary
đź‘Ą a game for 1 to 5 players
⏳ Play time is approximately 20 minutes
🏢 Publisher is Ummaramma
Introduction
Are you ready to take on the role of pastry chefs preparing speculaas cookies, trying to collect as many points as possible by arranging recipe cards and spice cards next to each other?
In this fast-paced game, Speculaas will be played over two rounds, with all players taking their turns simultaneously.
After the end of the second round, scoring takes place, and the player with the most points is the winner.
Setting up the game
Depending on the player count, take the required recipe and spice cards.
Shuffle the recipe cards and create as many decks of 6 cards as there are players. Place one recipe deck to the right of each player.
Shuffle the spice cards and create as many decks of 8 cards as there are players. Place one spice deck between each recipe deck and the player to the right of the deck.
Place the remaining recipe cards and spice cards in two separate decks in the center of the table.
Place the required number of honey tokens in the center of the table, also related to the player count.
Leave enough space so that each player has their own play area to arrange their cards. Leave space for a discard pile in the center of the table.
Now every pastry chef is ready to get these Speculaas cookies baked!
Let’s get it on the table
On the first turn and on every subsequent odd-numbered turn in the round, each player simultaneously chooses recipe.
Take the recipe deck that is to their right, reviews the cards, and chooses one recipe. Places the chosen recipe face-up in their play area.
Then, they send the remaining recipe cards to the player on their left by placing them as a face-down deck between themselves and the spice deck to their left.
On the second turn and on every subsequent even-numbered turn in the round, each player simultaneously takes the spice deck that is to their right, reviews the cards, and selects two spices, choosing one of the following options:
• Two cards, each with 1 spice, or
• One card with 2 spices.
Places the selected card(s) face-up in their play area.
Sends the remaining spice cards to the player on their left by placing them as a face-down deck between themselves and the recipe deck to their left.
Placing the card in your play area so that it is always, except for the first card, placed next to an existing card face-up. But be careful! A recipe card must never be placed next to another recipe card, and a spice card must never be placed next to another spice card.
The honey card is a special spice card. If you choose a honey card, do not place it in your play area. Instead, discard it face-up in the center of the table, take one honey token, and place it on one of your recipes. During scoring, the honey token counts as a bonus spice of any desired type. In order to choose a honey card, you must have an available recipe on which to place the honey token.
The first-round ends when all players have chosen and placed their last card in their play area. After the end of the first round, you need to prepare the cards for the second round.
Distribute the recipe cards from the deck in the center of the table into as many decks of 6 cards as there are players. Place one deck to the right of each player, as in the setup for the first round.
Distribute the spice cards from the deck in the center of the table into as many decks of 8 cards as there are players. Place the spice decks next to the recipe decks, as in the setup for the first round.
The second round is played according to the same rules as the first round.
After the end of the second round, your cookies are done, and the game ends, followed by scoring.
The winner is the player who has scored the most points.
Conclusie & eindscore
Difficulty: 1.40/ 5
Re-playability: 8
Our score: 8 out of 10 dice
In general, we Dutch people know what Speculaas cookies are, but when this caught our eye at Spiel, we found out that Speculaas cookies are also beloved in Croatia.
Traditionally, they are pressed into shapes depicting windmills, ships, and animals.
Having that settled, what a nice little game this is! Short gameplay and zero downtime. What could break this game if there are “sleeping players,” aka “We’re waiting on you” players. You know, when everybody is waiting on someone, and it’s you, then you’re that player. 🤪
Drifting off, but no, this is the type of game you try to play as a game night closer. However, when finished, everybody is triggered to play again and again…
It’s easy to set up, learn, and play. The simple rules and a very fun addition to the gameplay are the honey.
Just to get those extra points in the end and be that pastry chef you have always dreamed of.
We also received the upgrade in components for our plays, which adds extra flavor, but without it, the game plays just fine.
Speculaas will also be available in 2025 in Dutch, this game will be released by Happy Meeple Games.
We want to thank Ummaramma for this review copy and the opportunity to write about it.
