Northern Pacific

Northern Pacific is exactly the kind of small game where you say, “come on, how difficult can it be?” and then realise it has plenty of meat on its bones. It is lightning-fast, accommodates a lot of people and, despite that, is much, much more complex than you expect.

The rules are practically nonexistent, which means you do not need to spend ages leafing through instructions or giving a lesson before starting. And yet the game does not settle for being “simple because it is simple”; its complexity shows up immediately at the table.

Then the interaction arrives: kingmaking, friendships, and the little favours that can make someone very happy. It is perfect if you want to make friends — or if you are a retro enthusiast who enjoys the sort of group dynamic that clearly affects who gets ahead.

It was the best new game I played over the long weekend. My only reservation is that it does not give me the impression of having enormous replayability. Still, if anyone is selling it at a sensible price, knock on my door.