- BGG rank
- BGG #21,670
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Hüter des Schatzes
- 1–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2025
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- BGG #20,381
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Cucina Curiosa
2015
Rules assistance for Cucina Curiosa
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.2/5
Rules assistant for Cucina Curiosa
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cucina Curiosa is a board game released in 2015 for 1–4 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Network and Route Building, and Pattern Building.
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About the game
The world-famous cruiser ship Costa Curiosa is sailing the seas, and as the head chef of the Cucina Curiosa — the restaurant aboard this cruiser — your honorable job is to serve the guests the most delectable foods possible. It's the last day of the journey, and the award-winning lobsters are waiting in their aquarium for their performance. But all of a sudden, the alarm bell rings! The heavy sea tosses the ship about and mixes up all the kitchenettes. Even worse, the lobsters are able to flee from their aquarium! Catch them by getting the chaos under control, but avoid the slippery fishbones as they can quickly hold you back. Cucina Curiosa is a fast-paced tile-laying game. Every player has the same set of twenty tiles, showing kitchenettes and paths. Some of the tiles also show lobsters and fishbones. The game is played over sixteen turns. On every turn, the oldest player flips over one of his tiles, then the other players search for the same tile in their set, then everyone places the tile in his personal kitchen. Once sixteen tiles have been played, the game ends and players count their points. Every lobster that is connected to the entrance by paths is worth 1 point, but fishbones count negative for you, so you want to avoid them. The player with the most points wins!
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Noris Spiele
Questions and answers
Cucina Curiosa supports 1–4 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 Cucina Curiosa is 20–30 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 Cucina Curiosa 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.
Cucina Curiosa has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Cucina Curiosa belongs to these categories: Maze. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Network and Route Building, and Pattern Building. 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 Cucina Curiosa are: Reiner Knizia. 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 Cucina Curiosa 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.