One of the driving forces behind the creation of Bake It Now! — and the spirit of the game itself — is sourdough. As a self-taught home baker, I first discovered sourdough bread and yeasted doughs during the COVID lockdown in 2020. That’s when I brought to life my very own sourdough starter, who’s been happily growing ever since — her name is Klotild! :) Since then, I haven’t just baked breads and savory pastries, but also a wide variety of sweet treats and cookies. As my baking repertoire expanded, so did my little kitchen — and with it, my enduring passion for baking.

Bake It Now! — Game Overview Bake It Now! is a thematic, strategy-driven board game for 1–4 players, where everyone steps into the oven-warmed shoes of a passionate artisan baker. Across three intense and flavorful rounds, you’ll gather ingredients, manage your time and resources, and bake delicious recipes to earn points — all while balancing the unpredictability of dice rolls and the satisfaction of strategic planning. Theme & Story The game is inspired by the world of home baking, especially the renewed love for sourdough and pastry-making that blossomed during the COVID era. Each player runs their own cozy bakery, starting from scratch with just a little time, a few coins, and a handful of recipes. As you bake more and invest in your kitchen, your bakery grows into a well-oiled oven of efficiency and creativity. Your sourdough starter is alive. The timer is ticking. Customers are hungry. Will you bake it now? Core Gameplay Mechanics Draft & Write Mechanism: This is a “roll & write” style game with a twist: instead of simply rolling dice, you draft them from shared pools. Each die you take influences which ingredients you collect, and how you proceed with your recipes. Resource Management: Players must manage two core resources — Time and Money — along with a supply of ingredients. Baking requires careful planning, and sometimes even improvisation under pressure. Recipe Fulfillment: Each round, you’ll select and fulfill sweet or savory recipes, using dice to collect ingredients and choosing whether to spend time or gamble with a risk roll to bake under pressure (via the “Bake It Now!” action). Upgrades & Refreshers: Permanent kitchen upgrades (like a Mixer or Dough Board) and single-use refreshers (like an Iced Coffee) allow players to manipulate dice, earn bonuses, or gain extra resources — adding layers of strategy and engine-building potential. Multiple Game Modes: Solo Mode: Beat score thresholds and complete challenges alone. Competitive Mode: Secret goal cards drive each player’s unique scoring strategy. Cooperative Mode: Shared objectives require teamwork, donations, and planning — but everyone wins or loses together. Strategic Depth While luck plays a role through dice rolls and card draws, Bake It Now! is a highly tactical game that rewards efficiency, foresight, and adaptive thinking. Key strategic choices include: Choosing when to spend time vs. risking a rushed bake Managing leftover ingredients in your pantry for later turns Deciding when to invest in upgrades and which refreshers to buy Timing your baking and maximizing recipe points within only 3 rounds What Makes It Unique Deeply Thematic Experience: From the use of real recipe types to the inclusion of time-pressure decisions that mimic real kitchen stress, the game immerses players in the baking process both narratively and mechanically. Tight, Replayable Structure: With only 3 rounds and fast-paced turns, the game stays engaging and easy to replay, especially with different player counts and modes. Creative Visual Design: The game’s charming illustrations and clear iconography help communicate rules intuitively, even to younger or newer players. Customizable Difficulty: The game includes multiple difficulty settings and optional simplified modes for children or casual players, making it family-friendly while still challenging for strategists.