Capital Lux 2: Generations

Spoiler warning right from the start: get it when it comes out. A pocket edition in particular, if it arrives at the appropriately funny price, sounds ideal. It is a card game with a simple outer shell, but there is depth underneath it and plenty of very enjoyable player-to-player burning.

Its foundation is a deck of power cards valued from 2 to 6 in four colours. In the centre sits the capital, divided into four sectors, one per colour, while each player has a home base in front of them with the same layout. The game lasts three rounds: in each round, we draft six cards and then play them one at a time, choosing whether to send them to the capital or to our own base.

That is where the pleasing difficulty begins. At the end of the round, the capital’s power is compared in each sector, and anyone who has exceeded that limit in the matching colour at their base loses their cards. So simply accumulating power is not enough: you need to be the strongest player who remains “legal” in order to score a card. The capital’s special powers elevate that tension and make every placement feel like an invitation for the others to box you in.

It takes about five minutes to explain and, at most, forty to play. If you enjoy hefty micro-cardgames such as Viard’s City XL, I consider it a must buy.