Witchy Cakes

Designer: Michael Holik

Artist: Erin and Adam Rice-Carlson, Martin Kirby-Jackson

Publisher: Mage Hand Press

Year Published: 2023

No. of Players: 4–8

Ages: 8+

Playing Time: 20-30 minutes

Main mechanic / Theme: Draw and play, Matching, Take that / Witches Making Cakes

Which Coven can make the tallest most enchanting cake?

Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com and Kickstarter

Overview:

Witchy Cakes is a family game where each player attempts to build the tallest cake before the third bell strikes. I received a prototype of the game while attending Gencon for review purposes.

Witchy Cakes is an easy to learn family game that has some surprising little strategy options during play. The object of the game is simply to build the largest cake. This is done by matching one layer to the next by color or pattern. Creating the right combinations also can earn you Recipe Cards which count as bonus layers. You also can attack cakes.

Cards

There are four decks in Witchy Cakes. One is used for identifying who owns the cake while the rest are used during gameplay.

The Coven Cards are used by players to identify their cake. Covens don’t have any special abilities, so pick the one you like.

The main deck is the Cake cards. These cards contain the layers for your creation with different colors and designs. Note there is a color pattern along the top of the card that will be discussed below. There are also Black Frosting cards that create hinderances and Rainbow Frosting cards that provide benefits. Both of these cards may also have additional actions to take when played. There are three Bell cards in this deck which marks game play. The third bell being turned over marks the end of the game.

Secret Ingredients are cards that can be played at any time during the game. These cards can be good or bad and they all have a description of what they do when you play them.

The final deck is the Recipe Cards. Recipes are gained when you create three layers of your cake to match the color combination of the card. This allows you to build an additional layer to your cake and some of the Recipe cards have additional benefits in scoring at the end.

Gameplay

To set up Witchy Cakes each player first chooses a coven to represent them, the rest aren’t used during the game. They are each dealt five Cake cards, if any bells are delt they are returned to the main pile and replaced with another Cake card. Next to each coven a cake card is placed faceup as their first layer. The first layer cannot be a bell, or black or rainbow frosting. Each player also gets one Secret Ingredient. Three Recipes are turned over for everyone to see and all the rest of the cards are placed in face down piles to be drawn from as needed.

On your turn you can play, throw, or draw a Cake card.

Playing a Cake card means you add to as the next level to any cake. To add a layer, it must match either the color or the pattern. Black and Rainbow Frosting are exempt from having to match the layer above or below them.

Throwing a Cake card uses the three colors at the top of the card. If the three colors match, in order either up or down, another person’s cake, you can throw the card and knock out those three layers.

You can’t play a card, or choose not to, you draw a Cake card. When a bell card is drawn, place it face up so everyone knows and draw again.

Any time you match the color pattern of a Recipe Card, you can claim that card and add it to your cake. Like the Secret Ingredients, this can happen at any time. There are always three Recipes showing.

If you run out of cards in your hand, draw five Cake and one Secret Ingredient.

The game ends when the third bell is drawn. Count the number of layers your cake has, and the tallest cake is the winner.

Theme and Artwork

The theme of using witches is a fun look and the art by Erin and Adam Rice-Carlson keeps the game with a light and fun look. This is all family oriented and there is nothing I saw that would be offensive for any age of player.

Inclusivity

Tabletop United believes that diversity is a source of fun and happiness. Nurturing and celebrating our personal differences can lead to amazing gaming (and life) experiences.Therefore, TTU is putting renewed emphasis on inclusivity and accessibility to each of our reviews. This inclusivity and accessibility section will critique those issues and strengths of the subject in the review based upon the unique background of the reviewer. Each reviewer views the world through their own particular lens and has a wide and varied experience from which they will write and review from. 

Witchy Cakes does require being able to hold a hand of cards. Some players with difficulties may need some help. The requirement of matching colors has been nicely delt with by adding a symbol in a circle of each of the Cake cards. Even if you are unable to distinguish the color you can match the symbol. This connection isn't made for the ability to throw a Cake card.

Overall

Witchy Cakes is a good family friendly game. It is easy to learn and teach. After a couple of rounds all of our players were on their own and there were only a couple of questions that were easily answered. After the first game parent involvement was not needed.

Witchy Cakes is contained in its own box, and you don’t need any additional items for keeping score. You just count the cards and any bonuses of your cake. This makes Witchy Cakes a good game for traveling with. It stores easily and can be played on any flat surface. The ability to play up to eight players gives it a lot more versatility when there are more people around, but you need four to start with.

I recommend Witchy Cakes to family game players and those with younger players who want to join in. It is also a good game for the younger players to compete against each other while the adult players are involved in a game that is more involved.

About the Author

Daniel Yocom does geeky things at night because his day job wouldn't let him. This dates back to the 1960s through games, books, movies, and stranger things better shared in small groups. He's written hundreds of articles about these topics for his own blog, other websites, and magazines after extensive research along with short stories. His research includes attending conventions, sharing on panels and presentations, and road-tripping with his wife. Join him at guildmastergaming.com.