Published by Ameba Games
2-4 Players | 20-30 Minutes
In Grab Your Breakfast, you’re matching cards and gathering sets of bountiful, breakfast tiles in an effort to score the most points and build a well-balanced morning feast.
HOW DOES IT PLAY?
In this simple and fast-paced game players will be working to match breakfast items in their hand with those in the center play area. Each item comes with a set requirement and points earned when that set is achieved.
To begin, each player receives 2 hand cards, each consisting of one of the game’s breakfast items. A double-stacked, 5×5 grid of breakfast item tiles are placed in the center of the table.
The goal is to gain sets by matching one of your hand cards with an available tile from the grid. Available cards are cards with an open edge to the left or right of the play area. A good comparison would be Mahjong since this rule of available tiles applies to either stack of the double-stacked grid.
There are additional rules allowing players to exchange 1 of their 2 hand cards or forcing them to draw a certain breakfast item if both of their hand cards are the same. Once matched, the player discards their used hand card and draws another.
Each breakfast items has a predetermined set total. You may be required to collect 3 pancakes earning you 4 points or 2 pieces of toast earning you 2. Any set still incomplete by the end of the game is worth -1 point per card. Bonus items, such as jam or milk earn bonus points if paired with specific, complete sets.
Play continues until the entire grid has been drafted. Players receive points equal to their sets in addition to earning 2 point for every “well balanced meal” of 4 unique sets.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Grab Your Breakfast certainly has a charming presentation. Each breakfast item card is brightly drawn with a silly face giving each one it’s own pleasant personality.
The game plays with that same pleasant tone. Its very causal and simple making it a solid choice for families with younger kids.
I mentioned it above, but the way tiles are matched has a mahjong type feel. There is a good amount of luck involved since you’re at the mercy of hand cards you draw. Players can approach the game more aggressively, carefully managing their hand and planning their tactics, but I don’t believe that’s in the spirit of the game. Grab Your Breakfast seeks to be a pleasant, fun, experience for everyone. On occasion, I got that Point Salad vibe from the game for those who’ve the opportunity to play Point Said. It’s not quite as think-y, but equally gentle.
My only criticisms are minor: the hand cards and breakfast cards have a very similar looking back and can be hard to distinguish if they get mixed up. The other issues was in a 4-player game, we ended up in a bit of standoff at the end jockeying to avoid the last card and the negative point attached to it.
My 2-player game didn’t provide too much tension since most breakfast items cards were readily available on the grid. My 4-player game, on the other hand, definitely upped the tension and forced you to have a little more serious approach.
Independently produced by Ameba, Grab Your Breakfast is a comfortable, simple, yet effective matching and set collecting game. It’s really accessible with its simple setup, easy rules, portability and quick game play. The presentation will draw you in and I can see this being a hit with fans of Point Salad or more family-style set collection games. As I write this, it’s been successfully funded on Kickstarter. If Grab Your Breakfast sounds like a game that will grab you—visit the link below and support the project!
https://www.kickstarter.com/
