Board Game Arena - User contributions [en]

Gamehelpphopho

2026-09-19T03:03:55Z

RollingWizard: /* Game End */

'''Phở Phở''' is a hand-shedding card game where players compete to inherit the street stall by serving customers, managing favor tokens, and collecting star ratings.

== Objective ==
Collect the most Stars on Loyal Customer cards by the end of the game.

== Setup & Customer Line ==
* Three customers are face-up in the customer line: one '''Active Customer''' on the Bowl and two '''Side Customers''' waiting in line.
* Customers feature a Star Value (1 or 2 Stars), a '''Loved ingredient''', and a '''Hated ingredient'''.
* Players start with a 6-card hand (which is also the hand limit) and 6 Favor Tokens set to their '''Mad''' side.

== On Your Turn ==
Choose one of two actions:
* '''Serve the Customers:''' Play 1–5 cards from your hand:
** ''Single Customer:'' Play 1 to 5 numerically consecutive cards (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5) onto one customer.
** ''Multiple Customers:'' Play 2–3 matching value cards to serve up to 3 separate customers (1 card per customer).
** ''Bill:'' Play 1 Bill card next to any customer. This allows you to discard any number of cards from your hand and redraw that many.
** ''Placement Rule:'' An empty customer must start with a Value 1 (Noodle). Subsequent cards must either match the current top card's value or be exactly 1 value higher.
* '''Restock Ingredients:''' Draw cards equal to your current number of Mad Tokens. You may then immediately perform a "Serve the Customers" action, finally discarding down to 6 cards.

== Loved & Hated Ingredients ==
* '''Loved:''' Playing a customer's loved ingredient flips 1 of your Mad Tokens to its Happy side.
* '''Hated:''' Playing a customer's hated ingredient immediately fails the order; the customer and their cards are discarded, and you give 1 of your Mad Tokens to an opponent.

== Completing Orders & Scoring Favor ==
* An order is finished once a customer has both a '''Bill Card''' and a '''Value 5 Ingredient''' (unless the customer hates Bills, in which case no Bill is required).
* '''Active Customer finished:''' ''All'' players flip Favor Tokens from Mad to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value.
* '''Side Customer finished:''' ''Only the player who completed the order'' flips Favor Tokens to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value.
* When a customer leaves, slide remaining customers toward the bowl and draw a replacement.

== Key Bonuses ==
* '''Empty Hand:''' If you empty your entire hand, flip 1 Mad Token to Happy and immediately draw a fresh hand of 6 cards.
* '''Perfect Reputation:''' When all your tokens become Happy, immediately claim a Loyal Customer card facedown to score at the end of the game, then reset all your tokens back to their Mad side.

== Game End ==
When '''The King''' card is revealed from near the bottom of the deck, each player gets one final turn. The King is awarded as a 3-Star Loyal Customer to the player with the most Happy Tokens (tiebreak: fewest Mad Tokens). Players reveal all earned Loyal Customers, and the player with the most total Stars wins.

* '''Watch the deck count:''' When four or fewer Customer cards remain, The King is imminent. Shift your focus toward hoarding '''Happy Tokens''' before the final turn trigger.
* '''Leverage your token lead:''' Players with more total reputation tokens have a distinct edge. If you fall behind in token count, you risk resetting to entirely '''Mad Tokens''', instantly knocking you out of the running for The King's massive 3-Star bonus.

Gamehelpstemandbranch

2026-09-07T01:43:42Z

RollingWizard:

== On Your Turn ==
Take '''2 mandatory actions''' from the available options (you may choose Draw or Summon, repeating an action if desired). Discard down to 7 cards at the end of your turn.

* '''Draw:''' Take 1 card from the 8 face-up cards (refill immediately) or draw from the top of the deck.
* '''Summon:'''
** ''Placement:'' Place the card into an empty space or on top of a lower-rank version of the same animal (Ascending).
** ''Cost:'' The base cost equals the card's rank, reduced by:
*** Each adjacent Shared Element.
*** The difference in rank when Ascending the same animal.
** ''Payment:'' Pay the cost by discarding cards or tokens matching either the '''Element''' or '''Animal icon''' of the summoned card.
** ''Animal Token:'' Take the matching Animal Token (steal from an opponent if needed).

== Element Tokens ==
Acquire an Element Token by:
* Playing an animal on top of a lower-rank matching animal (Ascending).
* Covering an existing token on a game board space.
*(If none remain in the supply, steal one from another player.)*

== Scoring Years (Points) ==
Gain Years (points) dynamically during the game:
* '''Gaining an Animal Token:''' Score 1 Year per Animal Token you currently control.
* '''Ascending an Animal:''' When ascending an animal you already control, score 1 Year per Element Token you currently control.

== Game End & Final Scoring ==
The end of the game triggers when the deck runs out or any player reaches '''60 Years''', finishing the current round.

* '''Final Scoring:'''
** 1 Year per remaining Element Token in your control.
** 1 Year per card in your hand that matches an Animal Token you control.
* '''Tiebreaker:''' The player controlling the current Year's animal (for 2026: the '''Horse''') wins ties.

== Co-op & Solo Mode ==
* '''Objective:''' Fully Ascend all 12 animals to Rank 5 before the deck runs out.
* '''Movement:''' When placing a new animal, you may move any 1 animal by 1 space to optimize adjacent element discounts.
* '''Rank 5 Animals:''' Once an animal reaches Rank 5, place its Animal Token on top. It is locked, cannot be moved, and acts as a barrier.
* '''Endgame Scoring:''' Score only at the end for animals that reached Rank 5: 1 Year per card of that animal on the board.
* '''Perfect Clear Bonus:''' If all 12 animals reach Rank 5, score an extra 1 Year per remaining card in the deck and face-up row.
* '''Rankings:'''
** ''1–11:'' Beginner
** ''12–20:'' Apprentice
** ''21–28:'' Average
** ''29–37:'' Good
** ''38–45:'' Strong
** ''46–54:'' Expert
** ''55–59:'' Master!

== Spirit Scrolls Expansion ==

=== Setup & Overview ===
* 5 Scroll types (one per element), each ranked Level 1 to 5.
* Stack scrolls by element in 5 piles: Level 5 on the bottom, Level 1 on the top.

=== Claiming a Scroll ===
* '''Requirement:''' Summon an Animal Card matching the Scroll's element. The animal's level sets the maximum level of Scroll you can claim.
* '''Cost:''' Move your marker backward on the Year Track by the Scroll's level.
* '''Exchange Discount:''' If upgrading/replacing a Scroll of that element, reduce the Year cost by the level of the returned Scroll (active or inactive). Discard any lower-level Scrolls passed over to the box.
* Place the claimed Scroll in front of you on its active side.

=== New Action: Activate Scroll ===
Takes 1 of your 2 mandatory actions per turn. Flip an active Scroll to its inactive side to resolve its effect. The effect can only target cards/values equal to or lower than the Scroll's level.

* '''Wood:''' Search the discard pile to summon 1 valid Animal Card directly to the board for free (normal placement and scoring apply).
* '''Fire:''' Remove an animal and all its cards from the board. Score 1 Year per card removed. Return the Animal Token to the supply; the player who controlled it gains an Element Token matching the topmost discarded card.
* '''Earth:''' Take all cards of a single animal type from the discard pile into your hand. Score 1 Year per card drawn (hand limit applies at end of turn).
* '''Metal:''' Choose an animal on the board and gain Years equal to its level. Then either move all its cards to an empty space OR swap the top card with any card underneath it.
* '''Water:''' Take unclaimed Element Tokens from the board or supply up to the Scroll's level.

=== Free Action: Refreshing Scrolls ===
Spend 1 matching Element Token to flip a Scroll back to its active side. The token must match:
* The Scroll's '''own element''' (Self-Activation), OR
* Its '''generating element''' (Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood).

''(Note: Your turn ends immediately after your 2 main actions. Tokens gained on your second action cannot be spent to refresh scrolls until your next turn.)''

Gamehelpphopho

2026-09-07T01:41:14Z

RollingWizard:

'''Phở Phở''' is a hand-shedding card game where players compete to inherit the street stall by serving customers, managing favor tokens, and collecting star ratings.

== Objective ==
Collect the most Stars on Loyal Customer cards by the end of the game.

== Setup & Customer Line ==
* Three customers are face-up in the customer line: one '''Active Customer''' on the Bowl and two '''Side Customers''' waiting in line.
* Customers feature a Star Value (1 or 2 Stars), a '''Loved ingredient''', and a '''Hated ingredient'''.
* Players start with a 6-card hand (which is also the hand limit) and 6 Favor Tokens set to their '''Mad''' side.

== On Your Turn ==
Choose one of two actions:
* '''Serve the Customers:''' Play 1–5 cards from your hand:
** ''Single Customer:'' Play 1 to 5 numerically consecutive cards (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5) onto one customer.
** ''Multiple Customers:'' Play 2–3 matching value cards to serve up to 3 separate customers (1 card per customer).
** ''Bill:'' Play 1 Bill card next to any customer. This allows you to discard any number of cards from your hand and redraw that many.
** ''Placement Rule:'' An empty customer must start with a Value 1 (Noodle). Subsequent cards must either match the current top card's value or be exactly 1 value higher.
* '''Restock Ingredients:''' Draw cards equal to your current number of Mad Tokens. You may then immediately perform a "Serve the Customers" action, finally discarding down to 6 cards.

== Loved & Hated Ingredients ==
* '''Loved:''' Playing a customer's loved ingredient flips 1 of your Mad Tokens to its Happy side.
* '''Hated:''' Playing a customer's hated ingredient immediately fails the order; the customer and their cards are discarded, and you give 1 of your Mad Tokens to an opponent.

== Completing Orders & Scoring Favor ==
* An order is finished once a customer has both a '''Bill Card''' and a '''Value 5 Ingredient''' (unless the customer hates Bills, in which case no Bill is required).
* '''Active Customer finished:''' ''All'' players flip Favor Tokens from Mad to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value.
* '''Side Customer finished:''' ''Only the player who completed the order'' flips Favor Tokens to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value.
* When a customer leaves, slide remaining customers toward the bowl and draw a replacement.

== Key Bonuses ==
* '''Empty Hand:''' If you empty your entire hand, flip 1 Mad Token to Happy and immediately draw a fresh hand of 6 cards.
* '''Perfect Reputation:''' When all your tokens become Happy, immediately claim a Loyal Customer card facedown to score at the end of the game, then reset all your tokens back to their Mad side.

== Game End ==
When '''The King''' card is revealed from near the bottom of the deck, each player gets one final turn. The King is awarded as a Loyal Customer to the player with the most Happy Tokens (tiebreak: fewest Mad Tokens). Players reveal all earned Loyal Customers, and the player with the most total Stars wins.

Gamehelpphopho

2026-09-07T01:40:15Z

RollingWizard: Created page with "'''Phở Phở''' is a hand-shedding card game where players compete to inherit the street stall by serving customers, managing favor tokens, and collecting star ratings[cite: 1]. == Objective == Collect the most Stars on Loyal Customer cards by the end of the game[cite: 1]. == Setup & Customer Line == * Three customers are face-up in the customer line: one '''Active Customer''' on the Bowl and two '''Side Customers''' waiting in line[cite: 1]. * Customers feature a St..."

'''Phở Phở''' is a hand-shedding card game where players compete to inherit the street stall by serving customers, managing favor tokens, and collecting star ratings[cite: 1].

== Objective ==
Collect the most Stars on Loyal Customer cards by the end of the game[cite: 1].

== Setup & Customer Line ==
* Three customers are face-up in the customer line: one '''Active Customer''' on the Bowl and two '''Side Customers''' waiting in line[cite: 1].
* Customers feature a Star Value (1 or 2 Stars), a '''Loved ingredient''', and a '''Hated ingredient'''[cite: 1].
* Players start with a 6-card hand (which is also the hand limit) and 6 Favor Tokens set to their '''Mad''' side[cite: 1].

== On Your Turn ==
Choose one of two actions[cite: 1]:
* '''Serve the Customers:''' Play 1–5 cards from your hand[cite: 1]:
** ''Single Customer:'' Play 1 to 5 numerically consecutive cards (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5) onto one customer[cite: 1].
** ''Multiple Customers:'' Play 2–3 matching value cards to serve up to 3 separate customers (1 card per customer)[cite: 1].
** ''Bill:'' Play 1 Bill card next to any customer[cite: 1]. This allows you to discard any number of cards from your hand and redraw that many[cite: 1].
** ''Placement Rule:'' An empty customer must start with a Value 1 (Noodle)[cite: 1]. Subsequent cards must either match the current top card's value or be exactly 1 value higher[cite: 1].
* '''Restock Ingredients:''' Draw cards equal to your current number of Mad Tokens[cite: 1]. You may then immediately perform a "Serve the Customers" action, finally discarding down to 6 cards[cite: 1].

== Loved & Hated Ingredients ==
* '''Loved:''' Playing a customer's loved ingredient flips 1 of your Mad Tokens to its Happy side[cite: 1].
* '''Hated:''' Playing a customer's hated ingredient immediately fails the order; the customer and their cards are discarded, and you give 1 of your Mad Tokens to an opponent[cite: 1].

== Completing Orders & Scoring Favor ==
* An order is finished once a customer has both a '''Bill Card''' and a '''Value 5 Ingredient''' (unless the customer hates Bills, in which case no Bill is required)[cite: 1].
* '''Active Customer finished:''' ''All'' players flip Favor Tokens from Mad to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value[cite: 1].
* '''Side Customer finished:''' ''Only the player who completed the order'' flips Favor Tokens to Happy equal to the customer's Star Value[cite: 1].
* When a customer leaves, slide remaining customers toward the bowl and draw a replacement[cite: 1].

== Key Bonuses ==
* '''Empty Hand:''' If you empty your entire hand, flip 1 Mad Token to Happy and immediately draw a fresh hand of 6 cards[cite: 1].
* '''Perfect Reputation:''' When all your tokens become Happy, immediately claim a Loyal Customer card facedown to score at the end of the game, then reset all your tokens back to their Mad side[cite: 1].

== Game End ==
When '''The King''' card is revealed from near the bottom of the deck, each player gets one final turn[cite: 1]. The King is awarded as a Loyal Customer to the player with the most Happy Tokens (tiebreak: fewest Mad Tokens)[cite: 1]. Players reveal all earned Loyal Customers, and the player with the most total Stars wins[cite: 1].

Gamehelpstemandbranch

2026-08-02T22:57:26Z

RollingWizard:

'''On Your Turn''': 2 Mandatory Actions (Draw or Summon)

'''1) Draw:'''

Draw 1 card from the eight face-up cards (replacing cards immediately) or from the top of the deck. (Discard down to 7 cards at the end of your turn.)

'''2) Summon''':

* The cost to summon animals is equal to the card rank, reduced by each adjacent Shared Element and the difference in rank when Ascending the same animal.
* The cost is paid by discarding cards or tokens matching the Element OR Animal icon of the card played.
* When placing cards, you must place them into an empty space or on top of a lower-rank version of the same animal.
* After summoning the animal, gain the matching Animal Token (take from another player if needed).

'''Element Tokens:'''

You acquire Element Tokens by playing Animals on top of lower-rank matching Animals (Ascending) OR by covering an existing token on the game board space. If an Element Token is not available, take one from another player.

'''Scoring Years (Points) ~''' Two ways to score during the game:

# When gaining an Animal Token, you gain 1 year per Animal Token you control.
# When Ascending an animal you already control, you gain 1 year per Element Token you control.

'''End of Game''' ~ Most Years Wins

When the deck is empty or a player reaches 60 years, it triggers the last round. Each remaining Element Token you control counts as 1 year, and each card in your hand matching an Animal Token you control counts as 1 year.

Ties are broken by the player controlling the current years animal, which for 2026 is the Horse.

'''Co-op and Solo''':

Goal is the fully Ascend all animals to rank 5 before the cards run out.
* You only score at the end of the game for each animal that has reached rank 5, scoring 1 year for each card of that animal on the board.
* You may now move an animal 1 space when playing a new animal in order to optimize the adjacent element discount
* When a rank 5 animal is played, the matching Animal Token is placed onto the card to show it has been completed. That animal may no longer be moved and becomes a barrier.
* BONUS: When successfully Ascending all 12 animals to rank 5, you also count all remaining face up cards and cards remaining in the deck.

'''Score Rankings''':
1-11: Beginner, 12-20: Apprentice, 21-28: Average, 29-37: Good, 38-45: Strong, 46-54: Expert, 55-59: Master!

'''Spirit Scrolls Expansion''':

There are 5 unique Scroll types for each element, and each type ranges from level 1 to 5.

At the start of the game, set up the Scrolls into 5 matching element stacks from largest (level 5) on the bottom to the smallest (level 1) on the top of each.

Players may own any number of Scrolls of each element type, provided they can fulfill the requirements and pay the cost.

To claim an available scroll from the supply:

* You must first '''Summon''' an Animal Card matching that Scroll's element. The level of the summoned Animal determines the maximum level of the Scroll you may take (e.g., summoning a level 3 Wood Animal allows you to claim up to a level 3 Wood Scroll).

* '''Pay the Cost''': Move your marker backward on the Year Track by a number of years equal to the claimed Scroll's level. If you do not have the years available to pay, then you may not claim the Scroll.

# '''Scroll Exchange''': If you already own a Scroll of the matching element, you may exchange it for the new Scroll. If you do, you receive a discount equal to the Level of the exchanged Scroll. (The exchanged scroll may be active or inactive)

# ''Example: You own a level 2 Fire Scroll and claim a level 5 Fire Scroll. You return the level 2 Scroll to the supply and only pay 3 years instead of the full 5. The reverse is also true: If you own a level 5 Fire Scroll and later gain a lower level 3 Fire Scroll, you may exchange the level 5 without spending any years since you are exchanging for a lower level version.''

* Discard any unclaimed lower level Scrolls of the matching element back to the game box.

* Take the claimed Scroll and place it on its active side in front of you, ready to be used.

'''New Action''': Activate Scroll
On your turn, you must still take 2 actions. However, you now have a third choice available alongside the standard Draw and Summon actions:

'''Activate Scroll Action''': Trigger the ability of one of your active Element Scrolls and flip it to its inactive side.
* '''Level Limitation''': The activated ability can only affect cards with a level equal to or lower than the level of the Scroll being activated.

'''The Five Elemental Scroll Effects''':
A Scroll’s strength scales based on its level, with level 5 being the strongest. The ability can only target cards of equal or lesser level to your Scroll's level.

'''Wood Scroll''': Summon an Animal Card from the Discard Pile for free.
* Search the discard pile for a single Animal Card (of a level equal to or less than the Scrolls level) and Summon it directly onto the Game Board, ignoring its resource cost.
* The normal Token acquisition and year-scoring rules apply upon Summoning.
* You must be able to Summon the Animal Card following all the normal rules for Summoning. If the Animal cannot be Summoned, then you can not choose it.

'''Fire Scroll''': Remove an Animal from the Calendar.
* Choose a single Animal type (of a level equal to or less than the Scrolls level) currently on the Game Board. Remove all cards of that Animal type and place them all in the discard pile. Gain 1 year on the Year Track for each card removed in this way.
* The player who controlled the matching Animal Token gains the matching Element Token of the topmost Animal Card removed. The current player chooses where to take the Element Token from the supply or game board first. If none are available they may take the Token from another player.
* Lastly return the matching Animal Token back to the supply.

'''Earth Scroll''': Draw up to 5 cards of a single Animal from the Discard Pile.
* Choose a single Animal Type. Draw all cards of that type (of a level equal to or less than the Scrolls level) from the discard pile into your hand. Gain 1 year on the Year Track for each card drawn. (Hand limits still apply at the end of your turn).

'''Metal Scroll''': Move an Animal on the calendar or change its level.
* Select an Animal on the Game Board (of a level equal to or less than the Scrolls level) and gain years on the Year Track equal to the Animals level. You must now either move all of that Animals’ cards to any open, unoccupied space or exchange the topmost card with any other card underneath. If you cannot do either then you may not choose that Animal Card.

'''Water Scroll''': Gain Element Tokens
* Take any combination of unclaimed Element Tokens up to the Scrolls level and add them to your personal supply. You may not take Tokens from other players in this way, only choose from Tokens on the Game Board or from the supply.

'''Free Action: Refreshing Scrolls'''
You may spend one of the two matching Element Tokens indicated on the inactive side of a Scroll as a free action to refresh it, flipping it back to its active side. Place all spent Element Tokens next to the Game Board after use. The Element Token you spend must be one of two types:

* '''Its Own Element''' (Self-Activation)

* '''Its Generating Element''' (The Cosmic Cycle: Wood feeds Fire > Fire forms Earth > Earth bears Metal > Metal carries Water > Water nourishes Wood).

Your turn ends immediately after completing your two Main Actions, and you may no longer refresh Scrolls until your next turn.

''For example: As your second Main Action, you activate the Water Scroll to collect Element Tokens. Because your turn ends immediately after completing this Main Action, you cannot use those newly collected Element Tokens to refresh any Scrolls until your next turn.''