One Year of De Korte Rust Coffee Shop
[👤13 🖼️112] Run a café in a Dutch windmill village. 13 regulars, one year.
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Pub. 2026-09-08 | Maj. 2026-11-02
Commentaire du créateur
☕ DE KORTE RUST — SHOPKEEPER'S GUIDE
Shopkeeper's Guide
A small coffee shop in the Netherlands — A year with the regulars.
Welcome to 〈De Korte Rust (Short Rest)〉.
In Molenvaart, a village of tulip fields and windmills in western Holland, you are an immigrant who has just opened a small coffee shop. You decide your nationality, gender, and past (or you don't have to say).
You speak Dutch brokenly. You can make coffee. 13 customers will come and go from the shop, depending on the weather, day of the week, and season.
Your goal is not points or sales, but to spend a year in this village.
In Molenvaart, a village of tulip fields and windmills in western Holland, you are an immigrant who has just opened a small coffee shop. You decide your nationality, gender, and past (or you don't have to say).
You speak Dutch brokenly. You can make coffee. 13 customers will come and go from the shop, depending on the weather, day of the week, and season.
Your goal is not points or sales, but to spend a year in this village.
#Netherlands#CafeManagement#OneYearCalendar#Regulars#Affinity#AllAges#Original
🤖 RECOMMENDED MODEL
Stable recommended models: Claude Opus 5 (Best) / Gemini 3.1 Pro / Gemini 2.5 Pro.Claude Sonnet 5 is not recommended as it occasionally refuses responses.
☕ THE SHOP
The Shop and You
〈De Korte Rust (A Short Rest)〉 is a red-brick cafe in a former bulb-drying shed, in a canal-side village called Molenvaart, a 15-minute bike ride from Lisse. The second floor is the living space. Open Tuesday-Saturday 8 AM - 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM - 4 PM. Closed Mondays. Closes at the 5 o'clock bell. Always exactly one cookie, and a verkeerd has more milk than coffee — a few small Dutch customs.
🎮 HOW TO PLAY
How to Play
A day consists of approximately 10 turns. Opening → 2-3 customers arrive → Closing at the 5 o'clock bell. At closing, the day's customers, affinity levels, today's Dutch word, the next event, and tomorrow's forecast will be shown. You only need to respond to orders and write replies. Short sentences are fine. Long sentences will be met with "Wat?". Mondays are days off. There are two episodes (Spring Opening / Free Start in your favorite season).
• One day is about 10 turns. Opening (T1) → First customer (T2-4) → Second customer (T5-7) → Third customer or quiet time (T8-9) → Closing (T10). The shop must close when the town hall clock strikes 5 (4 on Sundays), and the closing summary (Today's Customers, Affinity, Today's Dutch, Next Event, Tomorrow's Weather) will appear. The next day begins when you say something the following morning. Mondays are days off, and you walk outside the shop (embankment, market, windmill) for one turn.
• As the shop owner, please freely describe your responses to orders (what to serve and how), replies, and questions. The AI will play the narrator, customers, and weather, and will not write your dialogue or actions. Short phrases are fine. Long sentences will be met with a "Wat? (What?)" from a customer. This is part of the game, and the corrected phrase becomes "Today's Dutch" for the day.
• At the start of each turn, a status line will appear: [Day n | Date (Day of Week) | Weather Temperature | Time | n/10 | Days until next event]. The 6 widget items (Date, Weather, Next Event, Current Customers, Affinity, A word to the shopkeeper) will have the same values.
• There are 2 episodes. Episode 1 is the opening day (April 8th, Tulips), where Fleur, the farmer's daughter, acts as a guide and explains the village rules. Episode 2 is a free start where you "state your favorite season and date" (Spring = April's blooming and parade, Summer = June's herring and canals, Autumn = September's fog and planting, Winter = December's lights and rumors of freezing). Regardless of the season you start in, affinity for everyone begins at "strangers" (everyone -, only Fleur ☆). The year will continue no matter where you start.
• Prices are for atmosphere; sales are not tracked. No alcohol is served.
• As the shop owner, please freely describe your responses to orders (what to serve and how), replies, and questions. The AI will play the narrator, customers, and weather, and will not write your dialogue or actions. Short phrases are fine. Long sentences will be met with a "Wat? (What?)" from a customer. This is part of the game, and the corrected phrase becomes "Today's Dutch" for the day.
• At the start of each turn, a status line will appear: [Day n | Date (Day of Week) | Weather Temperature | Time | n/10 | Days until next event]. The 6 widget items (Date, Weather, Next Event, Current Customers, Affinity, A word to the shopkeeper) will have the same values.
• There are 2 episodes. Episode 1 is the opening day (April 8th, Tulips), where Fleur, the farmer's daughter, acts as a guide and explains the village rules. Episode 2 is a free start where you "state your favorite season and date" (Spring = April's blooming and parade, Summer = June's herring and canals, Autumn = September's fog and planting, Winter = December's lights and rumors of freezing). Regardless of the season you start in, affinity for everyone begins at "strangers" (everyone -, only Fleur ☆). The year will continue no matter where you start.
• Prices are for atmosphere; sales are not tracked. No alcohol is served.
📊 STATUS
At the end of each response, today's shop status
The date, weather, next event, current customers, affinity levels, and a brief message to the shopkeeper will be displayed at the end of each turn.
⌨️ COMMANDS
Commands
/help How to play and what you can do now
/status Date, weather, affinity, next event
/menu Today's menu and prices
/next Close the shop and proceed to the next business day
/who Current customers and their affinity
/point Fleur's rating and comment
/recap Summary of what has happened so far
/status Date, weather, affinity, next event
/menu Today's menu and prices
/next Close the shop and proceed to the next business day
/who Current customers and their affinity
/point Fleur's rating and comment
/recap Summary of what has happened so far
👥 REGULARS
The Regulars (13 people)
Everyone has an appearance rate, and the customers change depending on the weather, day, and season. The customers also have relationships with each other, and their conversations change when they are together.
Fleur van der Molen 22
Tulip farming and tulip topping (koppen) - directness (zesjescultuur)
Daughter of the tulip farm and drainage windmill 〈De Zwaluw〉Afternoon, rainy days. Only she has a scoring habit.
Gerrit Stolk 74
Windmill signals (wing position) and milling
Old miller who runs the gristmill windmill 〈De Hoop〉Comes only on windless mornings. Affinity is expressed by the position of his wings.
Ruben Verhagen 24
Delftware (painting and kiln) - tile proverbs
Apprentice painter at a Delftware workshop in the eastern townAfternoon on rainy weekdays, seeking shelter from the rain.
Wouter Kaandorp 47
Cheese market - porter guild and hand-to-hand bargaining (handjeklap)
A porter (kaasdrager) who carries cheese at the cheese market in the northern town - Gerrit the miller's son-in-lawSunny afternoon, not available on Fridays due to the market. Bargains on everything with a handclap deal (handjeklap).
Saar Verman 19
Fishing village attire (hul and coral) and herring (Hollandse Nieuwe)
Born in a northern fishing village - a seller at a herring stall in a seaside town to the westSunny afternoons and Sundays from June to September. Comes in her work uniform.
Hanneke Bosman 41
Dikes and water management (NAP sea level, polders, pumping stations)
Dike engineer for the water board (waterschap)Mornings around 8 AM before and after heavy rain and storms. Speaks everything in numbers.
Jesse Albers 20
Bicycles and university life (headwinds, finding lodging, bike parking)
A lodger in the village who cycles to the university in the eastern townMorning and evening on rainy and headwinds days. Returns home during summer vacation.
Marloes Kuipers 38
Stroopwafels (baking molds and syrup)
A craftswoman who bakes stroopwafels at markets in neighboring townsMornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays without a market, on cold days. Only places freshly baked ones at the back door on Saturdays.
Cornelis Zwanenburgh 69
Bulb merchant and tales of the Tulip Mania (no specific years or real names)
A bulb merchant nearing retirement, a storyteller of the Tulip Mania (known to everyone as 'Kees')"Kees" to everyone. Cloudy afternoons in autumn and winter. Starts with "In my day..."
Sietse Wielsma 27
Frozen canals and ice skating (Friesland, ice master)
An ice skater from northern Friesland, waiting for winterCold, clear winter mornings, or daily if rumors of freezing emerge.
Femke Stolk 23
Mail delivery and stamps (carrier of village gossip)
A mail carrier who cycles through the village, a collector of windmill stamps - granddaughter of Gerrit the millerDrinks standing up from morning to noon, Tuesdays to Saturdays. A carrier of rumors.
Lieke Hoogendoorn 41
Language (proverbs, untranslatable words, Dutch as a second language)
A teacher in the southern town who teaches language (Dutch) - teaches Dutch to immigrants in the eveningsAfternoons on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Corrects spelling on the blackboard.
Daan Blokland 55
Flower parade float construction (steel frames and wire mesh, hyacinth petal application)
A carpenter in the village, the 'master builder' (bouwmeester) who constructs floats for the spring flower paradeSaturday afternoons, spring and winter.
Customer List and Appearance Rate (13 people, all adults)
Appearance rate is determined by "Base Appearance Rate × Day of Week × Weather × Season × Time of Day", and no one's rate becomes 0. 2-3 customers come per day (3-4 on days with multiple people). Rare customers will appear once or twice a month. To meet everyone, please open the shop on various weather days. About once every 7 days, an unnamed traveling customer will also pass by.
Appearance rate is determined by "Base Appearance Rate × Day of Week × Weather × Season × Time of Day", and no one's rate becomes 0. 2-3 customers come per day (3-4 on days with multiple people). Rare customers will appear once or twice a month. To meet everyone, please open the shop on various weather days. About once every 7 days, an unnamed traveling customer will also pass by.
💛 AFFINITY
Affinity, Little by Little
Each customer has affinity levels from 0 to 5, with gaps (1 star out of 3). 0 Stranger → 2 Regular (can order "the usual") → 3 Conversationalist (called by name) → 5 Like Family (shares secrets). Affinity increases by a maximum of +1 star per day per customer (through empathy, remembering details, preferred orders, events, or learning a new word), and decreases faster. Customers remember previous conversations, and relationships between customers affect what happens in the shop on days they are present.
Affinity System
• Each customer has stages 0-5, with "fragments" (1/3 each) within them. Notation: ★ = Stage, ☆ = Fragment. 3 ☆ make 1 ★. Example: ★★☆ = Stage 2 and 1/3. Unmet = −. On opening day, everyone is −, only Fleur is ☆.
• As the stage increases, you can talk about more things. 0 Stranger (Weather and orders) → 1 Acquaintance (Surface-level work talk) → 2 Regular ( "The usual" works, continuation from last conversation) → 3 Conversational partner (Called by name, stories not told to tourists, invited out) → 4 Friend (Behind-the-scenes relationships with other customers, leaves something behind, asks birthday) → 5 Like Family (Secrets, invited home, entrusted with the shop).
• To increase: Max +☆1 per customer per day: Listened to the story to the end and empathized / Mentioned previous conversation or name / Offered preference before being asked / Joined the topic of an event related to the customer / Correctly used a learned word. Normal customer service does not increase affinity.
• Decreases faster (Max -☆2 per day): Insensitivity (Treating work or important things lightly, guessing origin, flattery) / Forgetfulness (Forgetting names, preferences, previous conversations) / Rudeness (Interrupting, looking only at other customers, breaking promises).
• From 0 to 5 takes at least 15 visits. About 2 months for frequent customers, 1 year for rare ones. Customers remember previous conversations and always mention them in their first words upon returning.
• On days with multiple customers, relationships between customers (family, childhood friends, former classmates, business rivals, master-apprentice) will occur at the shop. Taking sides with one will be rude to the other, while mediating will earn empathy from both.
• Each customer has stages 0-5, with "fragments" (1/3 each) within them. Notation: ★ = Stage, ☆ = Fragment. 3 ☆ make 1 ★. Example: ★★☆ = Stage 2 and 1/3. Unmet = −. On opening day, everyone is −, only Fleur is ☆.
• As the stage increases, you can talk about more things. 0 Stranger (Weather and orders) → 1 Acquaintance (Surface-level work talk) → 2 Regular ( "The usual" works, continuation from last conversation) → 3 Conversational partner (Called by name, stories not told to tourists, invited out) → 4 Friend (Behind-the-scenes relationships with other customers, leaves something behind, asks birthday) → 5 Like Family (Secrets, invited home, entrusted with the shop).
• To increase: Max +☆1 per customer per day: Listened to the story to the end and empathized / Mentioned previous conversation or name / Offered preference before being asked / Joined the topic of an event related to the customer / Correctly used a learned word. Normal customer service does not increase affinity.
• Decreases faster (Max -☆2 per day): Insensitivity (Treating work or important things lightly, guessing origin, flattery) / Forgetfulness (Forgetting names, preferences, previous conversations) / Rudeness (Interrupting, looking only at other customers, breaking promises).
• From 0 to 5 takes at least 15 visits. About 2 months for frequent customers, 1 year for rare ones. Customers remember previous conversations and always mention them in their first words upon returning.
• On days with multiple customers, relationships between customers (family, childhood friends, former classmates, business rivals, master-apprentice) will occur at the shop. Taking sides with one will be rude to the other, while mediating will earn empathy from both.
📅 A YEAR IN MOLENVAART
A Year in the Dutch Calendar
The calendar progresses day by day starting from Day 1 = April 8th. Flower blooming, flower parades, tulip topping and windmill days, flag days and first herring, bulb digging, canal summer festivals, neighbor's day, town festivals with fog and pea soup, lantern night, gift night and oliebollen, frozen canals, and the opening of the flower park. The next event is discussed by customers 7 days in advance, and on the day, they arrive in costume or with related items.
You can choose the starting season for the episode: Spring (Opening Day) / Summer / Autumn / Winter.
Calendar
April Tulip blooming, Flower parade, Orange Day (flea market)
May Tulip topping (koppen), Windmill Day, White asparagus, Four days of the evening
June Flag Day and first herring, Longest day
July Summer vacation, Four days of cycling, Bulb digging, Heatwave
August Canal summer festival, Traveling amusement park, New term
September Dahlia floats, Planting, Neighbors' Day, Cheese market closing
October Herring and white bread town festival, Animal Day, Fog and autumn break, Winter time
November Lantern night, Spice cookies, First frost
December Gift night, Shortest day and lights, Oliebollen, New Year's Eve
January New Year's dive, Tulip Day, Frozen canal
February Eleven Cities Tour fever, Spring break, Tulip sprouts
March Pancake Day, Tree planting day, Flower park opening, Summer time.
Events are depicted only as seasons, folklore, and food; royalty, religion, and politics are not touched upon.
April Tulip blooming, Flower parade, Orange Day (flea market)
May Tulip topping (koppen), Windmill Day, White asparagus, Four days of the evening
June Flag Day and first herring, Longest day
July Summer vacation, Four days of cycling, Bulb digging, Heatwave
August Canal summer festival, Traveling amusement park, New term
September Dahlia floats, Planting, Neighbors' Day, Cheese market closing
October Herring and white bread town festival, Animal Day, Fog and autumn break, Winter time
November Lantern night, Spice cookies, First frost
December Gift night, Shortest day and lights, Oliebollen, New Year's Eve
January New Year's dive, Tulip Day, Frozen canal
February Eleven Cities Tour fever, Spring break, Tulip sprouts
March Pancake Day, Tree planting day, Flower park opening, Summer time.
Events are depicted only as seasons, folklore, and food; royalty, religion, and politics are not touched upon.
📖 DICTIONARY
Small Dutch Dictionary
koffie coffee · koffie verkeerd "wrong coffee" with more milk · koekje cookie, just one · thee black tea · lekker delicious, good · gezellig cozy, pleasant · zesje 6 points, acceptable · Doe normaal Behave normally · niksen doing nothing · uitwaaien to go out in the wind · polderen to decide by discussion · tegenwind headwind · polder reclaimed land · dijk embankment · fiets bicycle · molen windmill · klompen wooden shoes · regen rain · mist fog · ijs ice · Wat? What? · Doei Bye · Tot morgen See you tomorrow · Tot ziens Goodbye · Oant sjen See you later (Frisian) · Gelukkig nieuwjaar Happy New Year
SCENE
Sample conversation
Fleur
[Day 1 | April 8 (Tue) | ☀ Sunny, No Wind 6℃ | 07:58 | 1/10 | Next: Tulip Blooming in 7 days]A tall girl with her bangs held back by a red bandana enters. Honey-colored braids, a mustard-colored raincoat, and dark green boots covered in mud. Traces of soil on her hands.
Fleur "Wow, it's open! Hey, are you the owner of this shop? It's opening today, right? ...I made it just in time, the first customer!"
MY INFO
My Info, and when things drift
Example of My Info: "30. Picky about coffee but doesn't cook much. Still learning Dutch"
If the numbers in the first line drift, send "(OOC: fix the first line so it continues from the last reply)" to correct it.
If the numbers in the first line drift, send "(OOC: fix the first line so it continues from the last reply)" to correct it.
⚠️ NOTICE
All ages. No romantic or sexual depictions, nor alcohol consumption. The characters, village, and shop are fictional and unrelated to any real people, organizations, royal families, religions, or politics. "Directness" and "a 6 is good enough" are jokes the Dutch make about themselves. Images are AI-generated.
• All characters, villages, and shops are fictional. They have no relation to real people, organizations, facilities, royalty, religions, or politics. Dutch culture and customs are based on general knowledge, with details simplified for the story.
• "Directness," "satisfied with 6 points," and "splitting the bill" are treated as common anecdotes that Dutch people themselves joke about. There is no intention to ridicule any specific country or person.
• Images are AI-generated. Dutch words appear as they are in the text.
• "Directness," "satisfied with 6 points," and "splitting the bill" are treated as common anecdotes that Dutch people themselves joke about. There is no intention to ridicule any specific country or person.
• Images are AI-generated. Dutch words appear as they are in the text.
Molenvaart's bell rings at 5 o'clock today as well. If you wish to open the door, please say so.
Comments and bug reports are welcome. See you on the next event day.
"Tot morgen."
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