Kickstarter Tabletop Alert: ‘Cake Duel’

At a Glance

In Cake Duel, use your army of Sheepies and your cunning skills of deception to relieve your opponent of all their cakes.

New to Kickstarter? Check out our crowdfunding primer.

What’s in the box

• 20 Basic Sheepie Cards
• 10 Special Sheepie Cards
• 7 Cake Tokens
• 5 Victory Tokens
• 1 Rules Booklet
• 2 Player Reference Cards
• 1 Carry Pouch

• Kickstarter Exclusive: 4 Promo Cards
• Deluxe sets will also ship with custom playing mat

In Detail

Cake Duel is a game in which you attempt to steal cakes from your opponent, using sheep. If it sounds silly, then you would be absolutely correct, it is very silly indeed! Your Sheepie army consists of various skilled attackers and defenders, from archers, soldiers, and scientists, to wizards, defenders, and assassins. Look out for Sir Wolfy too, who likes to hide within the ranks and masquerade as a Sheepie himself.

Cake Duel is played over a number of bouts, with the winner being the first to score three victory points. Victory points can be earned by either winning a challenge or by possessing all six cake slices at once. Yum! Players alternate between attacking and defending, with the attacking player always first to move during a bout.

A bout is played like this:

• Players begin with three cakes and four cards in their hand. The attacking player (A) places one or two cards face down on the table and makes a claim about what those cards are. For example, Player A claims to be playing a Wizard card which would steal two cakes from Player B.

• The defending player (B) then chooses to either challenge the attack, claim a block, or accept. If he accepts, the effects of the claimed attacking card happen (in this case, Player A would take two cakes from Player B). If he challenges, Player A reveals her card. If Player A was telling the truth about the card she played, she wins a victory point. If, however, she was bluffing, Player B wins the point. Finally, Player B can claim a block by playing his own card face down. In our example, Player B claims a block and says he has put down a Scientist, which would block Player A’s wizard.

• Play then switches back to Player A. Player A can either accept that B is telling the truth about his defending card or he can challenge Player B’s block. The same rules as in step two would then apply.

• Players resupply their hands back up to four cards.

• A bout ends when either one of the players challenges their opponent, both players pass, or one player has no cakes.

Verdict

Cake Duel is a cute bluffing game with a lot of funny artwork. We felt that the instructions were not clear in certain circumstances – particularly where both players accept their opponent’s cards – but after watching some playthrough videos online, we were able to figure out what to do in most situations.

This is currently a two-player game, which in some ways is a shame because the nature of bluffing and battling makes it perfect for a larger group. I can already imagine the vindictive gameplay that will occur with some of our regular gaming group! The Cake Duel Deluxe Package includes a second set which the makers claim will open it up to four-player team duels, but it’s a shame this can only happen by paying double for what is a fairly basic game.

The Kickstarter is already 300% funded and in its final days. If you’re looking for something fun, yet slightly nasty, to play with your family and friends, then this might be a great choice. The adorable artwork plus the cake and sheep theme will draw them in, yet the devious bluffing will have them cursing your name. It truly is a wolf in Sheepie clothing!

GeekMom received a prototype game for review purposes.