CHOPE! — The Singapore School Canteen Card Game

What is CHOPE?

Recess is always the best part.

Remember the bell ringing and everyone sprinting to the canteen? The scramble for seats, the tissue packets saving tables, the aunties moving at impossible speed — recess was pure, joyful chaos. And it was everyone's favourite part of the school day.

We are a group of Singaporean students who love that feeling. So we hand-drew every card, designed every mechanic, and poured our hearts into turning those precious recess moments into a game the whole family can share.

For kids, it is the canteen come to life. For parents, it is a wave of nostalgia. For everyone, it is laughter, scheming, and joy around the table — no screens required.

Made by students. Made for Singapore. Made to bring people together. 🦁

Setup

Ready in 2 minutes.

①

Shuffle the deck

Shuffle all non-Seat cards together to form the main draw pile — this is the queue.

②

Deal 5 cards

Each player receives 5 cards to start. Keep your hand secret from other players.

③

Set up the seats

Place Seat cards and No Seat cards face-down in the centre. For 2–4 players: 1 fewer seat than players (e.g. 3 players → 2 Seats + 1 No Seat). For 5–6 players: 2 No Seat cards (e.g. 6 players → 4 Seats + 2 No Seats). Someone always starts seatless!

④

Deal seat cards

Shuffle the centre cards and deal one to each player. Keep it secret — nobody knows who has no seat yet.

⑤

Place your tray

Each player clears a space in front of them — this is their tray. Food cards you play go here face-up.

⑥

Youngest goes first

The youngest player takes the first turn. Play continues clockwise. For every new game, the next player to the left starts first.

Quick Rules

The canteen has rules. So does CHOPE!

🃏

Draw First, Always

You must draw 2 cards before doing anything else on your turn. No exceptions — no skipping the queue.

🍽️

Tray vs Hand

Food cards go on your tray face-up. Chaos & Special cards target players from your hand and are discarded after use.

🧻

Tissue Packet

Place Tissue Packet face-up on top of any one card in your tray. It protects that card until the start of your next turn. Discard Tissue Packet when your next turn begins.

🍛

Economy Rice Special Rule

Economy Rice counts as either your Main OR your Side — you choose when you play it. You still need the other food type, a Drink, and a Seat to win. Only 2 copies exist in the whole deck!

🪑

No Seat, No CHOPE!

Even a perfectly assembled tray cannot win you a round if you don't have a Seat card in hand.

❗

False CHOPE! Penalty

Called CHOPE! before you actually had everything? Penalty — clear your entire tray. Double-check before you slam the table!

🏆

Winning the Game

The first player to win 3 rounds wins the game overall. After each round, reshuffle and redeal — the canteen chaos resets!

❌

Challenging a CHOPE!

Any player can challenge a CHOPE! call. If the challenge is correct — the caller had an incomplete tray — the caller clears their tray. If the challenge is wrong, the challenger discards a card as punishment.

The 54 Cards

Every card, every effect.

🍽️ Mains (10)

🥗 Sides (10)

🥤 Drinks (10)

💥 Chaos (20)

🪑 Seats (6)

🍗

Chicken Rice

No special effect. A classic. Sometimes the basics are enough.

×2 copies

🍝

Mee Goreng

Draw 1 extra card when played. The auntie gave you extra noodles — lucky you.

×2 copies

🍛

Economy Rice

Counts as your Main OR your Side — you choose when you play it. You still need the other food type, a Drink, and a Seat to win. Only 2 copies in the entire deck!

×2 RARE

🐟

Fish Ball Noodles

Steal any Side card from another player's tray immediately when you play this.

×2 copies

🌿

Nasi Lemak

Protected from the next Chaos card played against it. One-time shield — once that Chaos card is blocked, the protection is gone. Wrapped in banana leaf, wrapped in armour.

×2 copies

🍳

Fried Egg

Peek at any one player's full hand when played. Information is power.

×2 copies

🥩

Luncheon Meat

Take an extra turn immediately after this one. Two turns back-to-back — make them count.

×2 copies

🥬

Chye Sim

No special effect. Sometimes vegetables are just vegetables.

×2 copies

🟨

Tau Kwa

Blocks the next Chaos card played against you. Tofu armour. Don't knock it.

×2 copies

🐟

Otah

Force all other players to discard one card from their hand immediately.

×2 copies

🧋

Milo Dinosaur

Every player without a Drink card must discard one card from their hand immediately. Sweet devastation.

×2 copies

🍵

Teh Tarik

Draw 2 extra cards when played. The sugar rush is very, very real.

×2 copies

🥤

100 Plus

Retrieve one card that was stolen from your tray this round. Refresh and recover.

×2 copies

🫙

Barley

No special effect. Still counts as your Drink. Sometimes simpleand reliable is fine.

×2 copies

💧

Sky Juice

Free card — draw a replacement immediately after playing this. Water is always free in Singapore.

×2 copies

😤

Queue Cutter!

Target player discards one food card from their tray. They're back in the queue.

💦

Spill!

Target player loses their Drink card from their tray. Everyone laughs. They won't.

🐜

Got Ant!

Target player loses 2 cards from their hand. Utterly devastating.

🔔

Late for Recess

Target player got held back by the teacher. They skip their next turn entirely.

😵

Wrong Order

Swap your entire tray with any other player's tray. Could go brilliantly or horribly — your call.

💪

Auntie Fast

You take two turns in a row immediately. This auntie is on a mission and will not be stopped.

🧻

Tissue Packet

Place this card face-up on top of any one card in your tray. It protects that card until the start of your next turn. Discard this card when your next turn begins.

🍽️

Reserve Table

Steal a seat from any target player. The ultimate act of canteen dominance.

❌

Stop

Cancels all Chaos card effects played during this round. The unsung hero card.

🔥

Fire Alarm!

Play on your turn to protect yourself from all Chaos card effects until the start of your next turn. Everyone evacuates — but your tray stays safe.

🪑

Seat

Dealt at the start of the game. Holding a Seat card means you have somewhere to sit. You need this to win a round. With 2–4 players, there is 1 fewer seat than players. With 5–6 players, there are 2 No Seat cards.

❌

No Seat

Dealt at the start of the game. If you hold this, you're standing — steal or earn a Seat before you can CHOPE! There is 1 No Seat card for 2–4 players, and 2 No Seat cards for 5–6 players.

Why CHOPE?

Six reasons this belongs in your bag.

🎨

100% Hand-Drawn Artwork

Every single card is illustrated entirely by hand — from the crispy chicken rice to the chaos-causing queue cutter. No stock art, no templates. Just original, lovingly crafted canteen characters you won't find anywhere else.

Original art

📵

Encourages Screen-Free Fun

Ditch the devices and gather around the table. CHOPE! is pure face-to-face entertainment — real laughter, real drama, real memories. No Wi-Fi needed, no battery required.

100% offline

⚡

Fast & Easy Recess Game

Rounds finish in minutes. Learn it in one turn, master it over many. Perfect for the canteen, the classroom corner, or any time you have 20 minutes and a group itching for a game.

~20 min

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Fun for Students & Families

Simple enough for Primary 2, strategic enough to challenge adults. Whether it's recess with classmates or game night at home, everyone at the table gets hooked from round one.

Ages 8+

🌟

Unique & Creative Gameplay

Tissue packets as shields. Aunties that steal your turns. Queue cutters wrecking your tray. CHOPE! is packed with mechanics you've never seen before — because no other game is set in a Singapore school canteen.

One of a kind

❤️

Great Bonding Activity

Parents and children laughing, scheming, and shouting CHOPE! together — that's the whole point. Shared experiences beat shared screens, and CHOPE! is built for exactly those moments.

Family bonding

Cards Worth Knowing

Game-changers hidden in the deck.

🍛

Economy Rice

A powerful food card with flexibility. Economy Rice counts as either your Main or your Side — you decide when you play it. You still need the other food type, a Drink, and a Seat to win. Only 2 copies exist. If you draw one, protect it at all costs.

🌿

Nasi Lemak Shield

The Nasi Lemak blocks the next Chaos card played against it — a one-time shield. Once it absorbs one hit, the protection is gone. Perfect when you're one card away from winning and need your Main to survive just one more turn.

🟨

Tau Kwa Armour

Play Tau Kwa as your Side card and it automatically blocks the very next Chaos card aimed at you. Underestimated by beginners. Feared by veterans. Don't knock tofu.

😵

Wrong Order Gamble

Swap your entire tray with any player's tray. The ultimate high-risk, high-reward card. Play it when you're behind and desperate — or to steal a near-complete tray from a frontrunner.

🧻

Tissue Packet Seat-lock

Place Tissue Packet face-up on top of any one card in your tray to protect it. The protection lasts until the start of your next turn — then you must discard it. It shields tray cards only, not your Seat card in hand.

🍽️

Reserve Table Power

Steal any player's seat. Not just powerful — demoralising. The player you steal from can no longer win until they reclaim one. A decisive late-game move.

🔥

Fire Alarm!

Play this on your turn to become immune to all Chaos cards until your next turn starts. A full evacuation — nobody can touch your tray. Best used when you're nearly complete and your opponents are loaded with Chaos cards.

Rules Clarifications

Questions from the canteen floor.

Can I win without a Seat card if my tray is full? ▼

No — a full tray (Main + Side + Drink) is necessary but not sufficient. You must also hold a Seat card in your hand. No seat, no CHOPE!

What happens if the deck runs out? ▼

Shuffle all discarded cards to form a new draw pile and continue. The canteen queue never truly empties.

Can Economy Rice replace both Main and Side permanently? ▼

Yes — Economy Rice counts as either your Main or your Side, whichever you declare when you play it. You still need the other food type, a Drink, and a Seat to win. It saves you one card slot, not two.

Can I use Tau Kwa to block Reserve Table (a seat steal)? ▼

No — Tau Kwa only blocks Chaos cards played against cards on your tray. Reserve Table targets your Seat card, which is held in your hand, not on your tray.

If I play Wrong Order and get a better tray, can I immediately CHOPE? ▼

Not immediately — Wrong Order counts as your one card play for that turn. However, if after the swap your tray is complete AND you hold a Seat, you can call CHOPE at the start of your next turn (after drawing).

What happens when you challenge a CHOPE! incorrectly? ▼

If you challenge and the CHOPE! caller actually has a complete tray plus a seat, you — the challenger — must discard one card from your hand as punishment for the false challenge.

Does Nasi Lemak's protection carry over if it gets stolen? ▼

No — the protection is a one-time shield tied to the card being on your tray. If Fish Ball Noodles steals your Nasi Lemak before it absorbs a Chaos card, the unspent protection is lost and it functions as a normal Main card on the new tray.

CHOPE! The Canteen Card Game

Recess is always the best part.

Your turn in 3 steps.

Ready in 2 minutes.

What does it take to CHOPE?

The canteen has rules. So does CHOPE!

Every card, every effect.

Six reasons this belongs in your bag.

See what's in the deck.

Game-changers hidden in the deck.

Questions from the canteen floor.

Grab your deck.

CHOPE! The Canteen Card Game

Recess is always the best part.

Your turn in 3 steps.

Ready in 2 minutes.

What does it take to CHOPE?

The canteen has rules. So does CHOPE!

Every card, every effect.

Six reasons this belongs in your bag.

See what's in the deck.

Game-changers hidden in the deck.

Questions from the canteen floor.

Grab your deck.

Contact to Buy