Speculaas

About this board game

Speculaas is a simultaneous card-drafting, card-laying, and set-collection game for 1–5 players, ages 10 and up, with a playing time of around 20 minutes.

In the game, players take on the roles of pastry chefs competing to score the most victory points. They collect Spice cards and match them with Recipe cards, which serve as the game’s scoring cards.

Speculaas takes its inspiration from the spiced shortbread cookies of the Netherlands and Belgium. These cookies are molded into distinctive shapes, often depicting windmills, ships, and animals, while their characteristic spice mix includes:

• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• White pepper

The combination of simultaneous drafting, card laying, and set collection gives Speculaas a compact format for players who enjoy building collections around scoring requirements. Each player’s goal is to gather the appropriate spices and pair them with Recipe cards to earn victory points.

Designed for a small group or solo play, Speculaas supports 1–5 players and is suitable for ages 10 and up. Its 20-minute playing time makes it a concise themed card game centered on collecting spices and fulfilling recipes.

Released in 2024, Speculaas brings the culinary theme of traditional speculaas cookies to the tabletop through a focused card game about pastry chefs, flavorful ingredients, and recipe-based scoring.