Bon Vivant Beta: Host 1920s Paris Parties With Picasso

Bon Vivant: Plan the Perfect Party wants you to become the most talked-about host in 1920s Paris. It's a strategy game, but the battlefield is your living room. Your weapons are canapés, armchairs and a carefully picked guest list.

A playtest is now taking sign-ups, and I have to admit, the premise got me. Most strategy games ask you to conquer something. This one asks you to throw a good party.

One Hour, One Party, No Pressure (Okay, Some Pressure)

Each run in Bon Vivant is built around hosting a party that lasts about an hour. The developers make a point of saying that every choice matters, and that seems to be the core hook. You decide what food gets served, what furniture fills the room and, most importantly, who gets an invitation.

That last part sounds like the real puzzle. The guest list has to strike a balance between glamour, wit and romance. Invite too many dazzling socialites and maybe nobody says anything clever. Lean too hard on the witty crowd and the room might lack spark. How exactly those three qualities play off each other isn't spelled out yet, which is probably what the playtest is for.

Your reputation is the prize. The whole point is to make a name for yourself in Parisian society, one soirée at a time.

Twelve Months of Soirées

The game doesn't stop at a single evening. You host parties across twelve months, so there's a longer arc tying everything together.

Between events, you can go on trips with friends. These outings earn you perks that carry into your next party. It's a neat way to break up the planning, and it gives the calendar a bit of rhythm: prepare, host, travel, repeat.

You'll also be visiting shops. That's where you furnish your house and hunt down the perfect drink to break the ice. I like that last detail a lot. Anyone who has hosted an awkward dinner knows the first twenty minutes are the hardest, and a well-chosen drink can do heavy lifting.

Picasso, Chanel and Orwell Walk Into a Party

Here's the part that will grab the most attention. Bon Vivant has forty playable characters to unlock, and some of them are very familiar names. Picasso, Chanel and Orwell are all confirmed.

You don't just get them from the start. You unlock them by meeting them, and along the way you discover their unique traits and the roles they can play at a party. So the historical figures aren't only set dressing. They seem to function as pieces in your strategy, each bringing something specific to the room.

I can't tell you yet whether Chanel is a glamour powerhouse or whether Orwell is the guy who kills the mood, but I really want to find out. Figuring out which famous guests work well together sounds like half the fun.

If a little romance on the guest list is your thing, it's worth noting the genre overlap with lighter titles like the plant-themed Garden of Love beta, though Bon Vivant clearly leans more toward strategy.

How to Join the Playtest

Signing up is simple. Head to the game's sign-up page and click "Request Access." The pitch promises a "tres magnifique" good time, which is exactly the level of confidence I'd expect from a game about Parisian hosts.

Like the recent Blackhill Keep beta sign-ups, this is an access request rather than an open download, so you may need to wait for approval.

Our Take

Bon Vivant stands out because of its setting and its goal. Party planning isn't a theme you see often in strategy games, and 1920s Paris gives it an instantly recognisable mood. The one-hour run structure also suggests it could suit players who want a full session in one sitting without committing to a hundred-hour campaign.

It fits a wider trend we keep seeing on this blog: management and decoration games that swap combat for something gentler, much like the grid-free building in Littlehaven. Choosing furniture and drinks scratches a similar itch.

The big question is depth. It is worth watching whether the forty characters feel genuinely distinct, and whether the glamour, wit and romance balance offers real decisions rather than simple number-matching. The playtest should give the first honest answers.