- BGG rank
- BGG #10,898
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Tap 4
- 2–6 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,636
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Diner
2014
Rules assistance for Diner
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 15 min
- 13+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Diner
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Diner is a board game released in 2014 for 2–4 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Matthew O'Malley and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Real-Time.
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About the game
Diner is a fast-paced game about waiters in a friendly competition to make the most money in tips. Take orders for the tables in your section, gather the plates to fill those orders, and serve your tables, and do it as quickly as possible while showing up the other players. Diner features a pseudo-real time mechanic that has players passing action tokens whenever they take an action; if a player does not have a token, that player can't take an action. At times, action tokens may accumulate in front of a player, allowing them to take multiple actions at once. Diner is the winner of the Dice Hate Me Games 54-Card Challenge - a contest that challenged designers to create a game using only 54 cards and very minimal components. It was selected as winner among over 100 participants. Additional description from interview posted at: http://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/28649/chris-kirkman-on-his-family-of-rabbits Diner puts players in the shoes of someone serving patrons at a greasy spoon. The goal is to earn the most in tips by gathering plates of various types from the kitchen and then serving them to a table of patrons in your section demanding certain orders. The real magic of the game is in the pseudo-real time action system. When you want to take an action - say, seat a table in your section - you have to have an action token in front of you. When you perform the action you pass the token to the player next to you. Sometimes those action tokens can pile up allowing you to do multiple things at once. Other times you’re urging the other players to hurry up a bit so you can serve your tables. It’s a very madcap, social experience, with lots of table talk. With the action tokens, though, it’s not total chaos like many real-time games - there is a lot of control worked into the mechanics. It’s a brilliant design, and one that will appeal to many gamers whether they like real-time games or not. Guaranteed.
Designers
Publishers
- Dice Hate Me Games
Questions and answers
Diner supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Diner is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Diner for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Diner has a complexity rating of 1.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Diner belongs to these categories: Card Game and Real-time. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Real-Time. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Diner are: Matthew O'Malley. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Diner as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.