How to Play La Pâtisserie Rococo

Game Objective

In the game La Pâtisserie Rococo, players represent pastry chefs and confectioners preparing sweets for the grand festival in the gardens of Versailles during the Rococo era. The goal is to earn prestige points by selling and presenting pastries, hiring staff, decorating desserts, and winning the favor of the nobility. The player with the most prestige points at the end of the game wins.

Setup

1. Place the board in the center of the table with the side corresponding to the number of players face up.
2. Shuffle all ingredient pieces into the ingredient bag and all recipe pieces into the recipe bag.
3. Randomly place one table bonus piece face up on each of the five table spaces on the board.
4. Set up the staff deck by separating levels I to IV and shuffling each pile.
5. Place a number of staff cards face up equal to the number of players +1.
6. Each player chooses a color and takes their individual board, goods markers, property markers, and starting staff cards.
7. The starting player receives 10 coins, and others receive increasing amounts in clockwise order (11, 12, etc.).

Game Flow

The game consists of 4 rounds, each divided into 4 phases:

1. Preparation: Refresh ingredients and recipes on the board.
2. Select Staff: Each player chooses 4 cards from their personal deck and receives 2 new cards from the kitchen boards.
3. Perform Actions: Players play cards to execute main and bonus actions.
4. Earn Income: Everyone receives coins and prestige points based on successful decorations and noble guests.

Actions and How to Play

Each staff card allows for one main action (depending on the staff level) and one bonus action. The main actions are:

• Acquire Recipes: Buy 1-2 recipes from the board and place them on your board.
• Acquire Ingredients: Take 1 ingredient piece, paying according to the board row.
• Purchase Goods: Acquire flour, sugar, or butter by moving the marker on the corresponding track.
• Bake: Use recipes and ingredients to prepare 1-2 pastries, placing them on the cooling racks.
• Decorate: Add a topping to 1-2 pastries using ingredient pieces.
• Deliver: Sell pastries for coins or present them on tables to earn prestige points.
• Hire: Acquire a new staff card from the hiring area.
• Fire: Remove a staff member from your inventory to gain coins.
• Assign Staff to Service or Noble Host: Place markers on board spaces for future benefits.

End of Game and Scoring

After 4 rounds, the game ends with final scoring:

1. Sell remaining pastries on the racks (5 coins per prestige point).
2. Convert coins to prestige points (1 point per 10 coins).
3. Score majorities on presentation tables.
4. Gain points for noble hosts (1 point per opposing player with service staff).
5. Add points from markers on pastries, service spaces, hosts, and special bonus pieces.

The player with the most prestige points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the most remaining coins wins.

Tips to Win

• Prioritize pastries with the chef symbol (⭐): They are worth more points and can fulfill bonus requirements.
• Control service spaces: They allow you to earn extra points when presenting pastries on tables.
• Build action combos: Use card bonus actions to complement your main moves.