- BGG rating
- 7.8
What the Food?! Bonus Players
- 3–10 players
- 30 min
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #19,614
- BGG rating
- 6.1
What the Food?!
2013
Rules assistance for What the Food?!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–8 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.6/5
Rules assistant for What the Food?!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
What the Food?! is a board game released in 2013 for 3–8 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Peter Vaughan and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
What the Food?! is a fast-paced card game for 3-8 players capturing the experience of a classic cafeteria food fight! Pick up food, throw funny combos at your opponents and duck to avoid "humiliation" points from flying food impact. In the center is a draw deck, with five food or other cards exposed at any one time to make up the "cafeteria floor". Players start the game with three standard actions and one special action unique to their character. Every round, each player chooses three of their action cards, and puts them in a stack representing the next three turns. The turns are then resolved at once, but in clockwise rotation to handle any timing conflicts. Players can gain additional actions during the game, and global school events occur, instantly causing random chaos. When any player reaches 10 humiliation points, someone has "alerted the principal" and the fight is over at the end of that round. The winner is the person with the LOWEST humiliation score.
Designers
Publishers
- Squirmy Beast
Questions and answers
What the Food?! supports 3–8 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 What the Food?! is 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 What the Food?! 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.
What the Food?! has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
What the Food?! belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fighting, and Humor. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, 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 What the Food?! are: Peter Vaughan. 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 What the Food?! 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.