Reviews

Sunday Manager is a light-weight football management game with a satisfying auction and drafting core. It shines in short sessions with minimal downtime and rewards repeat plays as you learn the icon language. Strengths: quick setup, engaging bidding tension, and clear iconography once learned. Weaknesses: slow card cycling in small games and an thin theme that won’t satisfy players seeking deep simulation. A solid one-off that’s fun to try again, but not a must-have.

A tidy, approachable cooperative trick-taking game that hits a sweet spot for short sessions. The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game is easy to learn, has good components and clear iconography, and creates enjoyable silent teamwork through its mission-based chapters. It won’t satisfy players seeking deep strategic complexity or lots of table talk, but for fans of The Crew-style co-op puzzles and quick plays, it’s a solid, replayable pick.

Wroth is a quick, cutthroat area-control game that excels at tense, dice-driven skirmishes. The components and iconography are solid and setup is fast, but ambiguous timing rules and a heavy take-that focus make it a poor fit for players who dislike direct conflict. If you enjoy tight, aggressive plays and short sessions, Wroth will deliver; if you prefer longer strategic builds or minimal player aggression, look elsewhere.

Tales of the Arthurian Knights is a charming, cooperative storytelling game with an excellent storybook and satisfying character progression. It's perfect for groups who want an immersive, narrative-focused evening and don't mind dice swings. The main drawbacks are heavy luck dependence and limited strategic interaction, so it's less suited to players seeking competitive tactics or deep planning. Worth a play for fans of narrative co-ops, but replay value is moderate.

Astro Knights is a solid cooperative deckbuilder that plays to its strengths when players enjoy tactical, team-based combos and don’t mind some setup fuss. The no-shuffle, draw-trigger system creates satisfying synergy potential and the expansions add very high replay value. If you like coops and deckbuilders (think Aeon’s End lineage), this is worth a shot—just be prepared to spend a bit of time organizing components before the action starts.

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a charming, well-produced bag-building and push-your-luck game that delivers tense, satisfying decisions in a compact 45-minute package. Its artwork and components are standout strengths, and setup is quick. However, the experience leans toward mostly-solitaire play and has a moderate strategic ceiling with some luck-driven swings. Great for casual groups and families; less ideal for players seeking heavy interaction or deep, deterministic strategy.

Cascadia is a visually stunning, relaxing tile-laying puzzle that shines with quick setup, beautiful components, and thoughtful pattern-building. It's best for families and players who enjoy calm, strategic play and high replayability through variable scoring. Be aware that random tile availability and light interaction may disappoint those wanting direct competition or tight control. Overall, a peaceful, rewarding experience for nature lovers and puzzle fans.

Harmonies is a compact, well-made puzzle game that rewards focus and planning. With simple rules, fast setup, and satisfying pattern-building decisions, it’s ideal for players who enjoy quiet, analytical tile-placement. However, its minimal interaction and weak theme make it less suited to social or heavy-strategy groups. Great for puzzle lovers; skip it if you need table talk or confrontation.

Everstone: Discovering Ignis offers a promising medium-weight engine builder with solid components, an engaging action-selection loop and satisfying card-chaining. However, the experience is marred by an unclear rulebook — notably prestige track movement — which led to irreversible first-game mistakes at our table. If you enjoy tinkering with engines and don’t mind ironing out rules on play one, it’s worth trying; if you need pristine rules out of the box, proceed cautiously.

Android: Netrunner is a brilliant, asymmetric cyberpunk card duel that rewards deep strategic play and bluffing. The theme and artwork are superb, and the game offers very high replay value through deck-building and meta shifts. However, the steep learning curve, confusing timing windows, and setup overhead make early plays frustrating. Recommended for serious strategy gamers; casual players should approach with patience or seek better onboarding resources.

Sky Team is a compact, tense two-player cooperative that captures the stress and satisfaction of landing a plane together. With quick setup, crystal-clear rules, and highly interactive play, it creates memorable moments of communication and deduction. Dice variance and modest components keep it from perfection, but fans of duet co-ops will find it an excellent, replayable choice — especially couples or players who enjoy working closely to overcome shared challenges.

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a charming, beautifully produced bag-building game that nails theme and social moments with a tense push-your-luck core and very high replayability thanks to variable ingredient books. However, early bad luck can be punishing, and managing the many ingredient books adds fiddliness to setup and first plays. Great for groups who enjoy chaotic fun and experimentation; less ideal for players who prefer low-variance, catch-up-driven strategy.

Love Letter is a near-perfect micro game for casual groups: razor-fast rounds, crystal-clear rules, and surprisingly engaging social deduction from only 16 cards. It’s ideal as a family game or quick filler, and I repeatedly return to it after plays with my daughter. If you crave deep strategy or heavy thematic immersion, it won’t satisfy — but for quick laughs, tense guesses, and high replayability, Love Letter delivers.

Lost Ruins of Arnak is a beautifully produced, deeply strategic hybrid of worker placement and deck building that delivers a satisfying sense of expedition and engine growth. While the learning curve and market variance may frustrate newer or lighter-game players, strategy fans will appreciate the rich decision space and high replayability. Excellent theme and components, but expect a few rough first plays before the systems click.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is an immersive, strategic racing game that nails the feel of Formula-style engine management. Its heat system and deep interaction reward careful planning and make for tense, memorable moments. However, the planning phase and heat learning curve can slow the first few plays and may not suit players who prefer light, fast-paced racing. Overall, highly recommended for racing fans and strategy gamers who relish tactical depth and replayability.

Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is a gorgeous, deeply strategic 4X that delivers cinematic space empire play and high replayability. It rewards patient, serious gamers with intense diplomacy, meaningful tech choices, and memorable fleet battles. However, the heavy complexity, somewhat-confusing rules in combat/tech, and long downtime make it a demanding commitment — fantastic for dedicated strategy groups, but not recommended for casual or time-pressed players.

Crokinole is a timeless, tactile dexterity classic that shines at family gatherings and social nights. With gorgeous wooden components, instant pick-up-and-play rules, and high replay value driven by skill improvement, it creates loud, joyful moments and satisfying clutch shots. However, be aware it can frustrate those with limited motor skills and offers only light strategic depth. If you want a fast, social flicking game that everyone can cheer for, Crokinole is a wonderful choice.

Clans of Caledonia is a rewarding, medium-heavy economic engine-builder with excellent theme integration, solid components, and deep strategic depth. In a focused four-player session I loved the production-chain optimization and market timing, but the game’s long downtime and occasional rule ambiguity—especially around shipping and market mechanics—hold it back for casual groups. Recommended for serious strategy gamers who enjoy careful planning and repeated plays.

Camel Up is a fast, loud, and gloriously chaotic betting game that shines as a social experience. It’s easy to learn, has high replay value, and produces memorable table moments when the underdog camel suddenly wins. However, it’s also very luck-dependent with limited strategic choices and no solo bots in the base game. Great for casual groups and families; less satisfying for players seeking tactical depth.

Azul is a gorgeous, tactile abstract that pairs simple rules with meaningful choices. The components and artwork elevate the experience, setup is lightning-fast, and gameplay flows smoothly with minimal downtime. It’s ideal for puzzle lovers and casual groups who enjoy indirect interaction and strategic drafting. If you need heavy theme or aggressive conflict, look elsewhere; otherwise Azul delivers delightful, repeatable gameplay that’s easy to teach and hard not to enjoy.

Aqua is a quick, accessible two-player card-laying filler that’s easy to teach and fast to play, but it leans heavily on hidden information and luck. Our single 20-minute session was pleasant enough, yet ultimately forgettable — the game offers light strategic choices and minimal player interaction. Recommend only for those who want a simple, short two-player diversion; players who want deeper tactics or high replay value should look elsewhere.