Yggrdrasil is a barely pronounceable cooperative game set in the rich world of Norse mythology. The theme is well realized and the mechanics are inventive, yet the stuttering flow and over-reliance on chance holds the game back from true greatness. Despite its’ flaws, it is a challenging, compact game that will help you practice pronouncing the name of Thor’s hammer in advance of the next Avengers.

Creating a game that is short and simple, yet complex and rewarding is no easy fit. Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small carries a title that is a bit unwieldy and long but behind this deceptively awkward name hides a gem of a game that is tight, quick, challenging and makes you want to set up again as soon as you are done.

What happens when you combine a mechanic popular in dry economic resource management games and one of the most established settings for the geekiest game of them all – Dungeons & Dragons? Few could have predicted that the result will be such a light, welcoming and ultimately engrossing game as Lords of Waterdeep. Through beautifully intuitive graphic design and non-confrontational competition, this game earns high praise for strategy, replayability and most importantly – being a lot of fun.

How do you know whom to trust? Can you rely on your ability to call a bluff? The statistical chance of them being the good guy based on the information at hand? The knowledge of how your friends act when they’re nervous? The Resistance is a social game that puts all these skills to a test, resulting in a tense and exhilarating contest of bluffing and deduction that fits nicely within half an hour and ruins any trust that existed between 5-10 people.

Among many games that offer increasingly rich and complex mechanics, Tsuro stands out in its’ almost meditative, austere simplicity. It always remains faithful to its simplicity, yet in the process provides a satisfying, quick and surprisingly interactive experience that serves as a perfect introduction to board games.