Card Game Ruleset

Umami Friends Base Set

### Where to Play

Umami Friends is currently in pre-launch phase. There are two ways to play (as of 1/1/23):

1. The alpha version is available on Tabletop Simulator
2. You can join the waiting list for prelaunch promo test copies, available on a limited basis through the official mailing list, Discord community, and FB community.

### The Story So Far…

After a radioactive comet impact, some plants, animals, and foods became alive from the comet’s energy. This powerful energy became known as Umami.

A group of animal friends set out on an epic journey to catch rare foods and to combine them to make legendary recipes.

Can you create the ultimate recipe to help them unlock the secrets of the Umamiverse?

### Objective

Umami Showdowns are head to head (1 versus 1 or 2 versus 2) recipe battles that take place in the Umamiverse. Umami chefs take turns combining ingredients and recipes to gain abilities and earn Umami points.

The first player (1v1) or team (2v2) to earn 30 Umami points wins the game.

### Components (v. Beta 4.1)

* 4 (6) character cards
* 85 (88) ingredient cards
* 36 basic recipe cards
* 24 (36) rare recipe cards

Numbers in (x) indicate amounts including expansion cards in Alpha.

### Set Up

Determine turn order and character selection order (see Turn & Character Order).

Choose your starting Character. See Characters for a description of the characters and their abilities.

Separate the Common Recipe card deck (orange back), Rare Recipe card deck (light blue back), Ingredient card deck (red back), and Character card deck (red back with character graphics).

Common Recipes are stacked face-up, with one pile per Common Recipe (see picture).

Rare Recipes are shuffled together and ten Rare Recipes are placed face-up, each card in its own place, arranged below the Common Recipes. The remainder of the Rare Recipes placed in a deck face-up below the other Rare Recipes, face up (see picture).

Deal 5 Ingredient cards to each player face-down. Each player takes the cards to their hand and keeps them concealed for the duration of the game.

Place the remaining Ingredient cards in a draw-pile face down. The discard pile for Ingredient cards will be directly next to the draw pile.

Each character will need space in front of them to place Sweet, Ingredients, and Recipes. This is called their board.

### Card Breakdown

#### Ingredient Cards

Ingredient Name: The name of the Umami Friend.

Ingredient Art: A portrait of the Umami Friend.

Ingredient Type(s): The elemental types listed on the card.

#### Recipe Cards

1. Recipe Name: The name of the Umami Friend.
2. Recipe Cost: The Ingredients / Recipes needed to complete this recipe.
3. Recipe Art: A portrait of the Umami Friend.
4. Umami Points: The amount of Umami Points that the Recipe is worth.
5. Recipe Energy: The amount of Energy you gain from buying the Recipe.
6. Flavor Text: A fun fact about each Umami Friend.
7. Ability Description: The effect that occurs after buying a Recipe.
8. Ability Name: The name of the Ability.
9. Friend Number: The reference number of the Umami Friend.
10. Power & Rarity: The written power level and rarity of the Recipe.
11. Recipe Type & Power: This symbol denotes Ingredient type and Power level of the Recipe.

### Turn Order

2 players play heads up (1v1), 3 players play Free-For-All (1v1v1), and 4 players play on teams (2v2). See Teams for details on scoring.

Shuffle the Rare Recipe deck (light blue back) and place the deck on the table face-down. Each player (1v1, Free-For-All) or one member of each team (2v2) takes a random card off the top of the deck. Reveal your Recipe cards simultaneously. The player / team with the Recipe card with higher Umami Points may elect to go first or second. Return cards to the Rare Recipe deck and Reshuffle the deck.

In the event that both cards selected have the same Umami Points, repeat the process.

In 2v2, turn order is as follows:

Team 1 (p1), Team 2 (p2), Team 1 (p3), Team 2 (p4).

The team who did not get to select who goes first, may choose to pick their character first or second.

In 2v2, character selection order is as follows:

Team 1 (p1), Team 2 (p2), Team 2 (p4), Team 1 (p3).

### Turn Overview

A turn in Umami Friends consists of:

1. Pre-Action: Place Sweet on board.
2. Action: Spend Energy / Sweets.
3. Post-Action: Refresh to current maximum hand size (default: 5)

#### Pre-Action

At the beginning of your turn, place any Sweet Ingredients from your hand onto your board.

#### Action

Energy allows you to take actions in Umami Friends. You begin your turn with 1 Energy. Buying Recipes may earn you more Energy on the same turn. Your turn only ends after you use all your Energy.

Energy may be spent in 4 different ways:

* Draw 3 Ingredients from the Ingredient deck
* Place an Ingredient on your board
* Buy a Recipe
* Use your Character’s Ability

##### Draw 3 Ingredients

You may spend an Energy to draw 3 Ingredients from the Ingredient deck.

##### Place an Ingredient on your board

You may spend an Energy to place an Ingredient from your hand onto your board face-up.

Ingredients on your board do not count towards your hand size. You may have any amount of Ingredients on your board.

##### Buy a Recipe

You may spend an Energy to buy a recipe when you have the correct Ingredients and/or Recipes required to create a Recipe.

You may only buy one Recipe for one Energy.

Resolve the Recipe’s Active Ability immediately before using another Energy.

Common Recipes return to their respective Recipe draw pile.

Rare Recipes are placed at the bottom of the Rare Recipe draw deck.

##### Use your Character’s Ability

You may spend an Energy to use your Characters’ active Ability.

Character Abilities may be used any number of times during a game.

In addition to one Energy, you must discard the Ingredients and/or Recipes on the card’s casting cost in order to use the ability. If the Character has no casting cost, their ability does not require any Ingredients or Recipes to be discarded.

#### Post-Action

When you are out of Energy and all Active effects have been resolved, it is the end of your turn.

At the end of your turn, retain the ingredient cards in your hand, up to 5 cards. If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, you must discard down to 5 cards.

If you have less than 5 cards, draw cards from the ingredient card deck until you have 5 cards.

### Special Actions / Turns

#### Sweets

Active card abilities that work on Ingredients (example: Spicy Ramen's Scorch) do NOT work on Sweet cards unless otherwise specified.

You may not spend Sweets directly out of your hand. You must wait until the beginning of your next turn to place them on your board before spending, You may use an Energy to place any new Sweet you drew on the same turn on the board.

Sweet can be spent in three ways.

1. Spend 1 Sweet to draw 1 card
2. Spend 2 Sweet for 1 Energy
3. Buy Recipes

##### Spend 1 Sweet to draw 1 Card

At any point during your turn, you may discard one Sweet from your hand or board to draw an additional Ingredient from the Ingredient Deck. This does not cost Energy.

##### Buy Recipes

Sweet may be spent like regular Ingredient cards to gain powerful Recipes. This costs 1 Energy.

#### Recycling Ingredients

When the Ingredient deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to replace the Ingredient deck.

#### Passive Abilities

Some Recipes and Characters provide passive abilities.

#### 2 vs 2 Ruleset

Turn order goes: Team 1, Team 2, Team 1, Team 2.

You may talk with your teammate and look at each others’ hands to coordinate your strategy.

Ingredients and Sweet from your hand and board are NOT shared with your teammate.

You may use Recipes from your teammate’s board to complete Recipes on your board.

Active abilities that state "All other players" affect both opponents and your teammate.

### FAQ

##### I drew more candies from an Ability during my turn. Can I put them on my board?

If additional Sweet cards are drawn during your turn, they do NOT automatically come out of your hand until the beginning of your next turn.

You may NOT spend Sweets directly from your hand. You may place a Sweet on your board for the cost of 1 Energy, similar to any other Ingredient card.

##### Can the two Ingredients on one Ingredient card be split to fulfill the costs of two Recipes?

No. Only one recipe may be purchased at a time. Thus, the Ingredients on one Ingredient card cannot be split between two Recipes.

##### Do Colorless Ingredient Cards count as any ingredient type in Recipes?

Colorless Ingredient cards may only count toward Colorless Recipe Costs, unless otherwise specified.

##### Does Shinra the Shiba or Tamale Twins’ active ability earn me the Energy of the card I use the ability on?

No. Tamale Twins’ Ability activates the ability of another card on your board, but does not give you the energy associated with that card.