Once upon a time in the Far East, deep in the mountains of a mythical land, there was a world-renowned Dim Sum restaurant by the name of Steam Up.
It was the first restaurant of its kind to achieve the three Gold Ingot status. According to the Gold Ingot Guide, Steam Up was best known for its top 5 most popular Dim Sum: juicy shrimp dumpling, tender meat dumpling, soft and fluffy BBQ meat bun, flavorful sticky rice, and exotic phoenix claw. These heavenly tastes drew food enthusiasts and gourmets from all over the world!
Come join us on a feast of Dim Sum. You are invited!
Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum is a competitive 2-5 player light-medium weight Dim Sum set collection and action management game offering a delicious cultural experience.
At the beginning of the game, steamers, filled with different types of Dim Sum, are stacked and placed on a Turntable. Each player takes turns performing 2 different actions each round. Actions include gaining and spending food tokens to purchase Dim Sum in Steamers within their Feast Zone. Players may also play Fortune cards to benefit themselves or affect their opponents. Starting the 2nd round, a Fate card is revealed each round to trigger an event that may affect all players.
The game ends when a specific number of Steamers is purchased or the Fate deck is emptied. Final scoring is then calculated. The player with the most Hearty Points wins and leaves the table with the fullest stomach!
- immersive theme
- excellent production
- distinctive components (steam baskets)
- deluxe edition recommended to appreciate components
- dim sum dining
- dim sum kitchen / steam baskets
- cultural immersion with tactile components
- Dimsum games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / tableau building — players build a tableau of dim sum dishes
- Variable player powers — different character cards add asymmetry
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a Gateway game.
- Black history is American history.
- This hobby deserves that innovation and theme.
- World Wonders is a fantastic game and we love it.
- Steam Up wonderfully done game.
References (from this video)
- Cute miniatures/trays
- Engaging family-weight strategy
- Deluxe components
- Some players may find it overly cute or light for seasoned gamers
- Chinese cuisine, zodiac-influenced gathering
- Dim sum restaurant/festival theme
- cute, flavorful, family-friendly
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- pattern building / network building — assemble patterns with trays and dim sum
- set collection — collect dim sum items and ingredients
- take-that-style effects via fake cards — opponent-interaction elements via indicators/cards
- Variable player powers — different character abilities per player
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's live folks it's live
- the cute factor is off the charts
- binder clips... off the charts
- I can't wait to see that too
- it's so cute and you've got your little board that's got the that moves you can put the little trays in there
- the year of the card games
References (from this video)
- Cute Steamers
- Excessive randomness
- Unbalanced player powers
- Lack of strategic depth
- Uninteresting gameplay
- Food and Cuisine
- Dim Sum Restaurant
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric player powers — Different character abilities
- set collection — Collecting food tokens and dim sum steamers
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I feel with content creators these days everything is just so overly positive
- our goal with this channel has always been to treat you the viewer as if you were a friend
References (from this video)
- Beautiful components and theme-rich presentation
- Cultural depiction and strong production value
- Deluxe edition components may not be essential for all players
- Cuisine and cultural exploration
- Dim sum restaurant culture
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Set collection / fortune cards — Players collect and use fortune/event cards to influence outcomes; includes thematic components like rubber steam buns in deluxe editions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Black History Month is American history.
- There's positive change in the hobby, even with some pushback.
- We see more diversity in artwork and the people at events.
References (from this video)
- Strong thematic coherence (dim sum) with accessible rules
- Asymmetric mats create variety and replayability
- Clear visual cues for end-game with steamer track
- Turntable mechanism adds spatial strategy and interaction
- Prototype copy on Kickstarter; final components and balance may change
- Two-player demonstration lacks broader multi-player interaction
- Potential complexity from asymmetry for new players
- Competitive dim sum dining with asymmetric character mats.
- A bustling dim sum restaurant table where players collect dim sum to assemble steamers.
- Asymmetric mats define abilities and scoring; turntable mechanic influences availability.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric character mats — Each player chooses a character mat with starting resources and scoring rules; mats affect strategy.
- End-game via steamers or fate deck — Game ends when the steamers track empties or the fate deck runs out; end-game scoring tallies remaining tokens and fortune cards.
- Fortune cards — Draw and play fortune cards to gain effects; some actions allow playing additional fortune cards.
- Scoring by steamers — Dim sum on steamers scores points per piece and includes potential hearty points based on dim sum count.
- Token collection and exchange — Collect food tokens to exchange for steamers filled with dim sum.
- Turntable rotation — Optional rotation of the turntable by 90 degrees to affect which steamers are accessible.
- Two-action turns — On your turn you may take two distinct actions from five options; you cannot repeat the same action.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "the first type of action allows you to take one of these food tokens"
- "two actions on your turn"
- "rotate the turntable 90 degrees"
- "end game scoring"
- "there are five different types of dim sum"
References (from this video)
- Cute components and bright art
- Table presence and accessible rules
- Some players may want more competition
- dim sum production and service
- Dim sum kitchen and street style dim sum stalls
- playful and light
- Sushi Go Party
- Azul
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area control / pick areas — Choose which kitchen zones to operate from.
- contract fulfillment — Complete dim sum orders to score.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's a sweet spot that's a sweet spot.
- It's worth every penny and looks beautiful on the table.
- We love you bye everybody.