Lofoten

Lofoten is one of those “fillers” that appears never to have received the memo about being light and breezy. It fits a fairly brain-burning set-collection game into 45 minutes, with a density that does not excuse itself for the modest running time.

At its centre is a dynamic rondel for each player. This is not a decorative circle of options, but the engine that governs how you build sets and, more importantly, what your next selection will cost you. The interesting decision is not merely which piece helps now, but how today’s choice redraws tomorrow’s options.

Set collection provides the frame; the scoring system supplies the instability. Scores can turn over in the last two or three moves, so the game does not settle too early into an obvious script; interaction is principally the shared pressure of that scoring race rather than blunt confrontation. Since each player’s rondel remains their own, the friction is strategic rather than aggressive.

There is a question of scale, though. Lofoten balances between filler and proper Euro without being an easy rival to heavier main courses such as Fields of Arle. Still, it has replayability, genuine late reversals, and a very sound central idea: it is well worth a game at a summer table beside a morning freddo.