Art Society

Art Society is a very neat little package: an almost weightless auction game joined to an art-placement puzzle, like a lighter Tetris with a hint of A Feast for Odin. It gets onto the table without any fuss, and it works beautifully when some of the group do not usually play games.

Each round, you bid on artworks because you want the right pieces for your collection, not simply whatever happens to be available. The auction moves quickly, but it is not yolo; you have to decide when a painting is worth chasing and when someone else can have it.

Then the artworks go onto your museum wall, and the placement puzzle gives every purchase a purpose. The clever bit is the way the final-score multipliers are set; once that clicks, your choices become much tastier, and an unassuming artwork can suddenly be exactly the one you need.

Three reasons this stands out. It teaches quickly. It plays comfortably with non-gamers. And it has enough decisions to make everyone want another round. Pro tip: do not just buy nice art; buy art that fits your wall. This is one of the year's very good games, and perhaps the gentlest way to persuade people that Horseless Carriage is not quite as bad as it looks.