Frothy with a shot of stress
COFFEE RUSH
Designer: Euijin Han | Publisher: Korea Boardgames
Ever dreamt of becoming the best barista in town? No? You soon will after playing Coffee Rush. Although it will take a bit of training not to suck at its blend of movement planning and contract fulfilment. The premise places players behind the counter of a hip café, the sort of establishment that, according to Korea Boardgames, “trends on social media”. Attentions are divided between meeples who move around the ingredients board (very reminiscent of Splendor Duel), picking up food to complete drink order cards that are drawn into the serving area. Each player starts with basic movement rules for how meeples are permitted to navigate: up, down, left, right, and only one ingredient collected per space. Yet after completing three orders, players can exchange the points to flip one of four upgrade tiles. Whether it is moving diagonally or collecting double ingredients on corner tiles, upgrades are essential for keeping up with customer demand. At the end of a turn, existing orders drop down the serving area’s ticking tracker. Drink order cards that fall off the tracker are considered unfulfilled and must go into the penalty area. Five of these trigger the game’s end. Any cards in the penalty area will be deducted from final scores.