For me, Terraforming Mars. I love the theme. The complexity is just the right amount without being overwhelming. And engine building is fun. There are also tons of different paths to take.

  • donio@feddit.deEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    Can’t pick a single one but here are a few that I feel represent a local maximum in their space:

    • Mottainai: for efficiency, both in components and rules. You get so much game in a 54 deck of cards and a simple ruleset. Runner up: Regicide for doing so much with a standard deck of cards.
    • Azul: for the skill floor to skill ceiling breadth. Very beginner friendly, a safe bet for pretty much any group. But at the same time high level 2-player Azul gameplay is extremely thinky and cutthroat.
    • Patchwork: for the way the gameplay elements fit together into a whole. It’s not even my favorite polyomino game but something about the way the tile laying, drafting and scoring all comes together feels perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

    I also wanted to add Kingdom Builder because something about it feels close to perfect but not sure what exactly.