Frequently asked questions
About the game
How many players is this game for?
2 - 4 players
Who created Hawker Wars?
Hawker Wars is created by SYNT Studio – the studio that brought you The Singaporean Dream, Singapore’s best-selling local card game.
What was the inspiration for this game?
Hawker food is a such big part of Singapore's culture and definitely one of our favourite things about Singapore! We created this game to celebrate our unique Hawker culture and our Hawker heroes who work so hard to serve up delicious hawker dishes for us!
Is there expansion pack for this game?
Not at the moment but we are definitely thinking about it! If you have any ideas for new cards or how we can expand the game, feel free to share them with us at hello@synt.studio
Gameplay
What happens when the Ingredient draw pile runs out?
Reshuffle the Ingredient cards from the Black Market and start a new Ingredient draw pile. Don't forget to place 3 Ingredient cards back in the Black Market!
What happens when the Action draw pile runs out?
Do not reshuffle the Action cards into a new Action draw pile and continue to draw 2 Ingredient cards on your turn. (We have worked on the mechanics such that the Action draw pile is unlikely to run out during the game, and if it should run out, you should just be a few more steps to winning the game)
Can I stop someone from cooking a dish?
Yes, you can use the "Licence suspended" cards in the deck to stop another player from cooking a dish. When this happens, the ingredients would be considered spent, and the player who attempted to cook the dish will have to discard his/her ingredients into the black market.
Can I stop a stop card?
Yes, you can stop a stop card that’s also stopping a stop card – as long as there’s enough stop cards (there’s only 4 in the deck so do keep an eye out!)
Can I use ‘Tax Evasion’ to stop another player?
You can use "Tax Evasion" only if the player is using an action against you. For example, if a player attacks you, you can use Tax Evasion to escape his attack. However, you cannot use Tax Evasion to stop a player’s action if it isn’t directed at you.
How do the Event cards work?
The Event cards have to be played immediately before the next player's turn when it is at the top of the draw pile and it applies to all players in the game.
Does playing the Event card count as 1 action?
No, the event cards are played independently. Once the event card has been played, start your turn as per normal.
What happens when I do not have any cards on hand?
Poor thing, how come no more cards left :( Wait till your turn again to draw 2 ingredient and 1 action card.
If I do not have any cards on hand, and a player used an Action card on me that requires me to lose card from my hand, will I lose a dish instead?
No, in this case, you do not lose any of your cooked dishes.
Is there a maximum number of cards I can have on hand?
Yes, you can only hold a maximum of 10 cards. Discard any excess cards in their respective discard piles.
When do I "refill" the Dish draw pile?
Only after a player's turn. For example, Player A cooks a dish during their turn, if they would like to cook another dish, they can only cook from the reminding open dish cards that are left open on the table.
Can I use the ‘UNESKO’ card to end the game? I am about to win and I can use the card to add 2 points.
No, you can only play this card when the game ends (i.e. when someone declares they have hit the target number of points and have won the game). Once that happens, you can use this special card to turn the tides and win!
If you have any questions, you can email the team at hello@synt.studio and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.