
- BGG rank
- BGG #538
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Die Macher
- 3–5 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1986

Rules assistance for Café Race
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Café Race is a board game released in 2005 for 3–6 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Fran F G and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
Café Race is a race game set in a business office. The players take the role of office workers going upstairs to the first floor to get a cup of coffee who then improvise a race while they are going back downstairs… with a cup full of coffee. The player that makes it to the bottom of the stairs and spills the least amount of coffee wins. Game summary Each round, throw as many dice as there are players. The results are the speeds at which the players may move their pawns. The players bid for these speed dice in a blind auction. Once all the speed dice have been distributed, the pawns are moved. After any movement, a check is made to see if your worker has kept his balance; if this check fails the coffee is spilled and one marker is lost. Play continues until a player crosses the end line. The player with the most points is the winner The free print-and-play version can be downloaded from here (see the files section). The game has been professionally edited on 2006 by Homo Ludicus, a new Spanish publisher. It comes with a rule book in Spanish, Catalan, English, German and French rules.
Café Race supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Café Race is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Café Race for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Café Race has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Café Race belongs to these categories: Print & Play and Racing. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Café Race are: Fran F G. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Café Race as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.