Created by Gre the Owl, Insults à la carte is a game about the internet’s most beloved tradition, the negative restaurant review.
Suitable for 4-6 plays, each round sees the players collaboratively create a restaurant by deciding what it’s called and the food it serves. Then, on index cards, each player writes two reviews for it, one covering the food/hygiene and the other covering the staff/service.
Gameplay
These reviews are collected into two decks and then shuffled. A player then draws one card from each deck and reads out both cards as if they were one review, and players vote on which reviews they enjoyed the most, with the writers earning points for their wit, and these points are turned into dice.
After two rounds of this, the game switches up. The two players with the most points become the owners of the restaurants reviewed in the previous rounds. They come up with a snappy retort to the most popular reviews.
Then, in the final section, the reviewers and the restaurateurs roll all of the dice they’ve earned. If the restaurateurs roll more, they get to save their dining establishments. But if the reviewers get higher, the table comes up with ideas for a Kitchen Nightmares-style TV episode about the place’s slide into oblivion.
Insults à la carte Avoids The Issues Of Other Party Games
Insults à la carte is a fantastic party game on several levels. The best part of the game is its structure, as by having three distinct stages with slightly different rules, the game has a fantastic sense of progression, which prevents the game from quickly becoming stale. This is further enhanced by the game having a solid ending. So, rather than the game simply petering out as players get bored and start doing other things, Insults à la carte ends with a memorable crescendo that builds on everything that has come before it. Because of this, Insults à la carte is a game that is easy to talk people into playing more than once, meaning it could quickly become a game night staple!
Doubly so because the game is simple to understand, even for players new to improv games. The three-round structure means players only need to learn a few rules at a time. Plus, the game builds on a concept everyone is familiar with, meaning that even if someone doesn’t fully understand the nuances of the rules, they won’t feel totally lost and can still easily participate.
Because of this, Insults à la carte is the perfect game for impromptu game nights or parties. It walks that fine line between guiding players and keeping them on track without feeling overly restrictive or stifling creativity, leading to an experience that is as fun as it is effortless.
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, TTRPG designer, and visual artist. They love creating and exploring the often overlooked corners of indie media, spotlighting things that dare to be different.