Each round, a set of character cards is passed around the table and each player secretly picks one. Characters have abilities: the Assassin kills a character (not a player — the player who picked that character loses their turn). The Thief steals gold from a character. The Magician swaps cards. The King goes first next round. After everyone has picked, characters are called in order. When yours is called, you take your turn: collect gold or draw cards, then optionally build a district card. Districts cost gold and contribute to your city. First player to build 8 districts triggers the endgame. The game lives in the draft. You're reading what characters other people are likely to pick and choosing accordingly. "Maria needs gold, so she'll probably take the Merchant. I should Assassinate the Merchant." But maybe Maria anticipated that and took the Architect instead. With 2-4 players, it's a tight, information-rich puzzle. With 6-8, the draft is longer and more chaotic — you can't predict as well, so it swings more. The expanded character set (included in the 2016 revised edition) adds 9 alternate characters that can swap in, which keeps the game fresh. Districts come in five colours, and there are bonus points for having all five represented in your city. Some purple districts have unique powers — the Observatory, the Laboratory, the Smithy — that give ongoing advantages. Games run 30-60 minutes depending on player count. It's one of the few strategy games that genuinely works at 7-8 players, though it slows down noticeably above 6. The box is small, the price is low, and there's more depth here than the simple components suggest.

A card-drafting game where you're building the best meal from a conveyor belt of sushi. Pick a card, pass the rest, repeat. After three rounds, whoever assembled the most satisfying menu wins. The "Party" version adds a modular menu — before each game, you choose which dishes are in the deck from around 20 options. Edamame plays differently from Tofu plays differently from Eel. This means you can customise the game's complexity: all simple dishes for a family table, or a trickier combo for experienced players. Each dish scores differently. Nigiri is straightforward points. Tempura scores as pairs. Sashimi scores as triples. Dumplings scale up the more you collect. Wasabi triples your next Nigiri. The scoring rules are on the cards, so you don't need to memorise anything. Games run 20-25 minutes. The simultaneous drafting means player count barely affects the length. It handles 2-8 players, though 2-3 feels a bit thin because you see most of the cards through the draft. It's the best entry point to card drafting. Younger kids can play it, older players still find the menu combinations interesting, and the art is charming enough that people enjoy just looking at the cards. The tin box travels well too.

A camel racing game where the camels stack on top of each other. When a stacked camel moves, it carries everything on top of it. This creates massive swings where a last-place camel suddenly leaps to first because it was sitting under the leader. Each round, players take turns either rolling a die (moving a camel), placing a desert tile (modifying the track), or betting on which camel will be leading at the end of the current leg. There are also bets on the overall race winner and loser. The dice are hidden inside a cardboard pyramid — you shake it and one die pops out, telling you which camel moves and how far. The physical pyramid is a great component that kids and adults both enjoy using. Strategy is thin. You're reacting to a chaotic system more than controlling it. The fun isn't in the planning — it's in the screaming when the yellow camel lands on top of green and carries it from last to first in a single move, demolishing everyone's bets. Plays 2-8, but it really wants 5-8 to generate enough turnover and emotional investment. Games run 30-45 minutes. It's a family-weight game that works as a gateway for non-gamers or as a wind-down after something heavier.