
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,573
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera
- 1–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2013

Rules assistance for How to Serve Man
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
How to Serve Man is a board game released in 2016 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Joe Babbitt, Jason Mayer, Jamie Toon, and Joe Ploch and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Worker Placement.
Step into the shoes of an intergalactic Chef, competing against other Chefs in a knock down, no-holds-barred Cooking competition! The featured ingredient for the this contest… Human Beings! Impressing the Celebrity Judges with your culinary prowess while making sure your ingredients don’t run away is not an easy task, but one that must be mastered if you are to become the champion of Space Kitchen Stadium! In this light worker placement game, players gather resources, cook them up, and combine them to create Dishes to present to the Celebrity Judge panel. Each Judge claimed awards bonus points for future Dishes and helps shape the Chef's overall strategy. The Chef that does this the best, while watching the clock as well as dealing with the inevitable hazards of outer space, wins!
How to Serve Man supports 2–6 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 How to Serve Man is 60 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 How to Serve Man for ages 10 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.
How to Serve Man has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
How to Serve Man belongs to these categories: Humor and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Worker Placement. 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 How to Serve Man are: Joe Babbitt, Jason Mayer, Jamie Toon, and Joe Ploch. 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 How to Serve Man 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.