pakman

This game has a lot of strategy going on for it. Knowing when to Explore, Settle, or Develop is a big part of gaining the 12 cards in front of you and collecting VPs. It’s a little overwhelming at first, and the first game or two can take a while while new players learn the ropes, but once they have, the game goes very quickly.

I would classify this as a more “gamer’s game,” and not something you would play with your family.

I first played this game at a friend’s house after hearing about it on a podcast called The D6 Generation (also my favorite gaming podcast). The game is extremely easy to pick up for new players and/or non-gamers and is a good introduction to cooperative play. Picking the difficulty level is another feature that adds to the replayability. Games typically last about 45 minutes to an hour so you can play more than once in a sitting.

Recommended for anyone wanting a fun game with cooperative gameplay.

This game with its expansions can start to become a little overwhelming. However, you don’t use all the cards at once, but figuring out the best combo and cycle of cards to buy/play is the way to win like all expansions and base game.

The faster you gain gold with the better combos, the faster you win. I actually suggest playing this game online rather than with actual cards because it will go much faster than everyone looking through their hand and trying to figure out what to do.