Impulse

I have not played the first edition, so I have no point of comparison. What I did play, though, felt like an excellent game—perhaps because I already have a soft spot for the absolute chaos known as Innovation. Impulse has that lovely, slightly frightening feeling that things could get out of hand at any moment: chaos, panic, and, yes, a touch of vertigo.

Its central axis is the very clever use of cards for everything. The cards are not merely one more part of the game; they are the way the entire system moves, which gives its mechanisms a distinctive cohesion even when the table is in uproar.

It is not a game you grasp on the first try, and that shows as you try to understand how everything works together and what the players' choices can set in motion. Even so, with many players it moved along at an okay pace, and the interaction amid the chaos was exactly the kind of commotion that keeps me alert.

For me, the verdict is clearly very positive, even though I completely accept that this is not a game for everyone. It is big, enjoyable, and a very fitting closer: a game that confuses you a little, shakes you up quite a lot, and ultimately leaves you smiling.