Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Designed by: Dave Campbell

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a very light party game where first to get rid of their cards wins.

All cards are dealt to all players, and kept in hand, face-down as a stack. On your turn, you – rapidly – add a card to the growing face-up pile on the table, as players collectively create a stack of discards. But players are also, as they slap down their own card, reciting the words taco-cat-goat-cheese-pizza in sequence. And the cards you play also show a taco, cat, goat, cheese or pizza. If on anyone’s turn the word they say matches the card they play (eg someone says ‘goat’ whilst playing a goat card) then everyone must slap their hand down on the stack, with the slowest to react picking the entire stack up.

There’s also the narwhal, groundhog and gorilla cards. When these appear everyone must slap the deck too, with the same slowest-gets-cards outcome, only before doing so players must make specific gestures for each animal. As soon as one player’s out of cards, they win!

 

 

Sam says

This was an unfortunate miss for us. Although it's sweetly presented, and certainly obtains the silliness it sets out for, in our house at least this level of high-tempo stress, aligned with the constant repetition of words, meant the game felt fun for about five minutes before descending into attrition, with everyone secretly hoping it would be over. I've read people raving about Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, so a pinch of salt is required with my take, but it's one of the few games I've played where literally everyone who played ended up with a distinctly negative impression. I have only played three times, but I feel I know it well enough now - and for me, it's a party guest who lingers a little too long after everyone else has gone home.

The guru's verdict

  • Take That!

    Take That!

    There's no direct interaction, but the game manages to have a fairly combative feel anyway with the pressure to react quickly.

  • Fidget Factor!

    Fidget Factor!

    None

  • Brain Burn!

    Brain Burn!

    None at all if you were playing slowly. But you cannot!

  • Again Again!

    Again Again!

    It really depends how you feel about closing your eyes at night and hearing the words taco cat goat cheese pizza reeling around your head.