Cook & Collect

From a Craving to a Card Game:
How My Love for Food Turned into a Board Game

I’ve always been fascinated by food — not just eating it, but learning fun facts, discovering new cuisines, and finding visual inspiration in ingredients and dishes. One day, while sketching my five favorite meals just for fun, an idea sparked:
What if these illustrations became part of a card game? A game where players combine ingredients to cook meals and compete for the title of the ultimate chef?That’s how the project started — a passion for food turned into a creative game design challenge.

Prototyping & Playtesting

I began by illustrating the cards and designing the overall visual style. The first prototype looked great, but didn’t play well. We ran a few playtests and quickly realized the mechanics were too simple. Players either won too quickly or it was too obvious who would win next — the excitement just wasn’t there.

Taking feedback into account, I introduced action cards to add unpredictability and more player interaction. Suddenly, players could block, trade, or steal — and things got much more fun. Now it wasn’t just about collecting ingredients, it was also about outsmarting your fellow chefs.

Action Cards

Action cards add excitement and unpredictability to the game. Use them strategically to interact with other players and shift the balance in your favor.

✦ Mix-Up

A chaotic card. As soon as you draw it, you must play it immediately. All players discard their current hands into a single pile, which is reshuffled. Then the cards are redistributed evenly.
❗ Cards already used for dish preparation stay untouched.

✦ Block

A defensive card. Use it to cancel the effect of any Action Card played against you — such as Stealing, Expired, or Mix-Up.
For example, if someone plays Mix-Up and you have Block, you can immediately cancel its effect.
❗ Note: Block does not work against Pick & Collect.

✦ Expired

Play this against another player to make them discard half their hand.
Only works if the opponent has 5 or more cards.
For example:
6 cards → discard 3
5 cards → discard 2
4 or fewer → nothing happens

✦ Pick & Collect

Draw 3 cards from the deck, choose one to keep and discard the other two.
This card allows you to increase your chances of finding the missing ingredient or a helpful Action Card.
Block cannot stop this effect.

✦ Stealing

Take 1 card from another player's hand or steal one of the ingredient cards they have already placed for cooking.
It’s a direct and risky move — use it wisely!

Iteration & Visual Refinement

With the second prototype, gameplay improved significantly. I focused next on refining the visuals: adjusting typography, improving color schemes, and making sure the design helped players intuitively understand the game.
Color coding turned out to be key — it made it easier to see which ingredients matched which dishes at a glance.

In the third iteration, I added a “cooking time” mechanic — players not only had to collect ingredients and “buy” the dish, but also wait three rounds before serving it. This simple twist added strategic depth and more tension to the game.

Game Mechanics: Simple Rules, Tasty Strategy

The goal is simple: Cook the most meals to win. But to get there, players need to manage their cards wisely, plan ahead, and interact with others.Here’s how a turn works:

✦ Cooking Phase

If you have the right 3 ingredients, you can start cooking a dish. You place the cards face down — other players don’t know what you’re making. For example, if you have Eggs, Noodles, and Pork, you might be preparing Ramen!

✦ Preparation Phase

Each round, you reveal one ingredient from your “cooking” pile. After 3 rounds, if all ingredients are visible, you claim the dish card and earn points.

✦ Action Phase

Use an action card to swap, steal, or block. These add surprise and strategic tension to the game.

✦ Draw a Card

End your turn by drawing a new card.

Real-World Prototype: From Digital to Physical

Here I’m showcasing photos of the printed cards, tested in real game nights with friends and fellow designers. Designing something both beautiful and playable was a true balancing act — and seeing it in action was the most rewarding part of the process.

What’s Next?

The game is currently available for pre-order and is not yet on the market. I’m continuing to test and refine the experience, working on packaging design, and exploring small-scale production options.