Although it's frustrating when a rival claims a route you were going for, there's usually an alternative with which you can salvage all that time and effort. This old-timer shifts roughly 3 million units each and every year, eclipsing almost everything else on shelves. More than half a dozen add-ons are available if you want to shake things up, so there's plenty to keep you busy here should you grow tired of the base game.

Meanwhile, they’ll want to gather points by fitting in larger articles, achieving their personal goals and finishing the fastest. You want something simple: Despite being a lot more accessible than standard Gloomhaven (it was pitched as an easier way into the game), Jaws of the Lion is still a lot denser than a lot of board games.Flatout Games seems to know what it’s doing when it comes to delivering visually appealing board games with the gameplay mechanics to back them up. Big Potato’s first real foray into the world of hobby games, and adventure games, contains every bit as much of the company’s character as you’d expect. Yet in practice it develops dramatic tension as cards are flipped, symbols are revealed, and players race to come up with an answer before someone else does. Two players compete to outmaneuver each other on the board, and much of the strategy comes from staying several moves ahead of your opponent.

You want something portable: Sushi Go comes in a handy little tin and doesn't take up much room in use, so it's ideal for slinging in a backpack for days out or when you're on vacation. You want something very replayable: Because there are so many different strategies you can make use of (and each session offers up unique opportunities due to randomness of the draw), you can play Jaipur multiple times and have a different experience each round. You want something easy and breezy: Looking for a simple party game that'll only last for 20 minutes or so? The players read the cards out loud—silly voices encouraged, in the spirit of telling a ghost story while holding a flashlight under your face and sitting around a campfire. You never get a chance to rest on your laurels as a result, and different matchups require different strategies.It's an app-driven game which means you have a digital companion on your laptop or phone that reveals the world and handles encounters for you while you move and explore.