I have a lot of time for a game that is simple yet surprisingly addictive to play. For me, Just Desserts is just that. Beautiful artwork with clear iconography pairs with strategic matching as you compete against your fellow players to quickly satisfy the available guests.
The active ingredients
One of the selling features of Just Desserts in undeniably it’s portability. The entire game fits into a 5” by 3.5” box of 100 cards and the rules. The rules themselves are straight forward enough to fit across one double sided sheet that should be kept handy throughout the first few plays.
Yellow backed cards feature the guests who visit your imaginary dessert shop, who belong to 6 different ‘suits’ represented by different baking utensils as well as distinct colour options: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Each of these cards clearly features the character, their name, taste icons for the characteristics of dessert they would like and their favourite dessert. Additionally, some characters will state what they don’t want in their dessert through a red ‘no’ sign featuring that icon.
Blue backed cards, meanwhile, feature a multitude of different dessert options with a clear image of that dessert then the taste icons for that product. There are a total of 12 different taste icons, with 1 - 4 of these appearing on any one card. Each dessert featured is a real dessert option that exists and, speaking as someone with quite a sweet tooth myself, you may find yourself presented with a whole new list of things you want to try for real once play time is over.
Waiter minute…
Players/waiters start with 3 randomly drawn dessert cards from the deck, and 3 guest cards are placed out on the table to form the start of your waiting customers. On their turn, a new guest joins the waiting customers and the waiter draws a card to add a new dessert to their hand/dessert tray. They can then choose to take one of the following three options:
- Serve up to two guests by giving each desserts that fulfil their taste cravings without providing them anything they dislike. That guest is now placed in front of the waiter who served them. If they are served their favourite dessert then the waiter gets to add a new dessert to their tray as a bonus to use later on.
- Go back to the kitchen and pick up an extra dessert card.
- Dump your tray. This allows the waiter to get rid of any desserts from their tray and draw back up the same number.
The winner will be the first to serve either 3 guests of the same suit, or 5 guests from different suits. Beware that if there are ever two guests of the same suit at the end of a
waiter’s turn, then one of these will need to be discarded and placed face up on the discard pile. This guest is considered to be ‘waiting in the doorway’ and can also be served until they are covered by another discarded guest.
Advanced baking
For experienced players wanting a greater challenge or more variety in their play, there are the advanced rules on the back on the rule sheet.
The first of these introduces poaching and blocking. This allows a player to serve a guest that another player has already served as one of their two possible guests served that turn. They would then take this guest from the other player, unless they are able to block them by reserving them. Poaching with a favourite dessert cannot be blocked. Any cards used to satisfy are discarded whilst the thwarted player returns theirs to their hand, and the player whose guest was poached will gain a bonus dessert as a consolation prize. If poaching fails, the player may then proceed to serve two other guests who are still waiting to be served.
Opening a buffet, meanwhile, acts as a fourth turn option. A player can do this if they hold 4 different single-flavoured desserts, which they then discard to force all other players to return one of their served guests of their choice back to the middle of the table. The player who opened the buffet then draws 3 more desserts to their tray and can serve one unclaimed guest.
The last suggested variation, and the one i personally find adds the least, is surprise parties. Here, when another player satisfies a guest then a second player can intercept out of turn by saying ‘surprise’ and offering that guest their favourite dessert from their tray. As with poaching, the thwarted player returns their cards to their hand and the successful player discards those they used, however they do not gain a bonus dessert for their tray using this method.
A satisfactory treat
Whilst not an overly complicated game, I do enjoy the strategy that is offered within Just Desserts and with a relatively short play time of 10-40 minutes depending on the number of players, this makes a good light filler game for casual and experienced players alike. It is also a great option for those who are looking for a game to play on the train or whilst travelling/at a game café due to it requiring very little set up and table space.
Iconography, as previously mentioned, is clear and reasonably straightforward to understand from the colours/images alone. Likewise, cards are made of good quality card stock to ensure their durability. There is also a clear display of what your play area should look like in the rules, aiding those who want to learn set up.
