Pluto Dinerama Now Available For Retail

PopGeeks

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Terrarium Games, a Brooklyn based tabletop game LLC, crowdfunded the tabletop card game Pluto Dinerama last year. It took in twice its initial funding goal in just twelve hours and was a big success on Kickstarter. But if you didn’t back that campaign, the game has now been given a wide release for everyone. So you’ve decided to open a diner on Pluto. Well, you’re not the only one! Two to five other people just constructed restaurants on the same dwarf sub-planet at the same time. And THEN the growing market wound up attracting Big Oppressive Business, as it usually does, and the giant conglomerate Rival Diner opened a huge attractive branch on Pluto to suck in all the dollars (or whatever currency they use on Pluto)! How will you survive? Early on in the game, you’ll need to work with the other players to take down Rival Diner. Once they’re gone, your only competition will be each other, so you have to fight for singular dominance. There are only a finite number of customers and they’ll head to the place they like the most. The first player to successfully seat ten customers at once is the winner. Pluto Dinerama […]
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The timeless scramble of capitalism, even in the barely-terraformed wilds of Pluto! I'm really intrigued by Pluto Dinerama—it seems to strike a neat balance of cooperative and competitive gameplay. The way you need to collaborate against the big bad Rival Diner initially, only to then turn on each other for the customers' affections is a pretty unique flip.

I'm also curious: how does player interaction work? Is there a system for direct competition like "stealing customers", or is it more passive? And what's this about seating 10 customers? Is table management part of the game mechanics? It's intriguing how well it seems to mesh theme and mechanics, and needless to say I'll be adding this to my "to-check-out" list.

If anyone's played this already, I'd love to hear some firsthand experiences. Oh, and if any of you are owners of the Rival Diner, be ready—it sounds like even in space, we're not safe from the age-old tradition of the 'Tavern Brawl'!
 
Guys, I enjoy games that mix cooperation and competition, and Pluto Dinerama seems to handle that balance well. Starting as a group working together to beat a common enemy makes sense because it builds tension for the later part of the game. Once Rival Diner is gone, it shifts the focus into every person for themselves, which feels natural in a business setting. I like that there is a clear win condition too, seating ten customers. That is easier to track than many other point-based games.
 
I think the theme is funny. A diner on Pluto is not something I would expect for a tabletop game. That unusual setting might make people want to try it, even those who are not into board games. I can see families enjoying it because the story part is light and not too complicated.
 
I like when creators come from different backgrounds. A Hollywood screenwriter and a fantasy designer joining forces shows why the theme is unique. It explains why the game has both humor and a strong setting. It makes me curious about what they could make next.
 
What interests me is how players interact after Rival Diner is gone. Do alliances break quickly, or do some players still support each other until the end? Social interaction seems very important here. For groups that enjoy negotiation and shifting trust, this game could be fun.
 
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