I'm Casper, the Enby Ghost. I'm a Black Cherokee neurodivergent sapphic writer of Sci-Fi fantasy and horror that plays and produces TTRPGs. Growing up, my family was serious about family game night. Uno, monopoly, and Clue had serious consequences in the Ghost House. Bet you didnt know Ghosts are inherently competitive. One of the first cards games I learned (the hard way) was Spades. I'd get paired off with my mom or dad and we'd try to beat the other half of my family. my impeccable winning streak may have colored my opinion of trick-taking games. I LOVE EM!
The love of card games led me to develop Back of House for my niece and nephew. Get em started young so they'll be unstoppable on game night. Spades is a little intense for a 3- and 6-year-old, so I came up with a game based on my decade of experience working in kitchens or various restaurant chains.
The game is simple. Cooks have to fill the orders that come up. Whoever complete most orders wins. If there's a tie, the cook with the most Tips wins. That's the game.
Shenanigans happen when players force each other to go on Break, and the Kitchen runs out of food. Other than that, it's a simple game to learn and a quick time killer for moments like waiting to order or waiting for your food. Time you'd otherwise spend doomscrolling.
To start the game, shuffle the kitchen deck and deal each player 5 - 7 cards, depending on the number of Cooks (players) in the Kitchen. Place 5 cards from the Order Deck face up in a row to create the Expo Line.
During a Cook's turn, they can play a Cuisine card on another cook. A Break will skip another cook for a round, Overtime prevents a cook from going on Break, and Trash resets a cook's hand. Cooks can also either draw three (3) cards from the Kitchen deck OR fill as many orders as their hand allows. At the end of their turn, the Cook will reveal another Order card on the Expo Line. If the Expo Line is full, cooks will BURN the oldest Order (the Order closest to the Kitchen Deck). There's no hand limit to this game.
The game ends when the kitchen runs out of food. At that time, whoever earned the most Revenue (prices on the Orders) is the Employee of the Shift AND whoever earned the most Tips (prices on Food) this the Customer's Favorite. Players can that earned the most in each are on track to becoming the Assistant Manager.
The game's quicker version ends when someone plays the fifth and final Break card. The players get one final round to complete Orders before tallying their scores.
Each Order requires a combination of a Main, Side, Dessert, and/or Drink. They're priced from $1, $3, $5, and $8. Completing Orders is money for the restaurant, or Revenue.
Cooks are also competing for Tips with the quality of food they use to complete the order.
The menu divides into three (3) price points:
The Value Menu is worth $1 - $2
The Regular Menu is worth $2 - $3
The Premium Menu is worth $3 - $5
The value of the food used translates to Tips for the cook.
Put simply:
Revenue is on the Orders and is for the Restaurant.
Tips are on the Food and for the Cooks.
If a Cook has Food still in their had after the Kitchen closes, that counts as Food Waste and is subtracted from the Cook's Revenue.
Chef's Advice: DON'T get caught hoarding premium menu items cuz it'll come back to bite ya!
I come from a family of teachers and childcare providers, which is present in my design. I wanted Back of House to be as kid-friendly as possible. The case is waterproof, durable, compact, and snaps closed so cards wont spill everywhere. The cards are high quality, spill-resistant, and smooth in a way that doesn't create a sensory ick for the more sensitive players.
I've successfully created physical prototypes and tested the game and its expansions with hundreds of players. The feedback has been overwhelming and encouraging. I'm ready to move onto the phase: mass production. However, I'm broke and need funding to make production a reality. With your support, I aim to get Back of House into the hands of as many people as possible while continuing to develop exciting expansions for the menu and explore new ideas to enhance gameplay.
Since I've tested the game and have a final demo deck, I'm confident in the quality and am ready to place a larger production order with my current manufacturer. While there's always the possibility of shipping delays and unforeseen costs, I am fully equipped with contingency plans to ensure a smooth production and delivery process.
Back BOTHthis campagin and The Fable of Mable on the Witches Table to get a special, exclusive, free sticker pack of 50 delectable, mouth watering, food items only found in Back of House.
I'm thrilled to cross collab with The Fable of Mable on the Witches Table! If you need a couple of quick fun games for game night, play as a cat or a cook. There's no way you can lose! The cats are too cute and the food is too pretty.
Back BOTH projects before Pocketopia ends to recieve this delicious sticker pack. The pack will be added to the backers' carts after the campaign ends.
October 2025: Pre-launch page up and shared on socials
May 7, 2026: Campaign Launches!
May 21-24, 2026: Final push for backers at MomoCon
May 2026: Campaign Ends! Pledges are charged. I receive project funds and begin securing rewards.
July/August 2026: I receive rewards and start organizing orders. I send out orders in tiers by location. International orders first because they tend to take longer arrive. Domestic orders immediately after so everyone should receive their rewards by November
Card Games
Back 3 or more Card Games projects in Pocketopia 2026 to earn a freebie from each backed campaign!
