Trajan

I have not held Mr. Stefan in especially high regard lately: he has produced a few well-researched mediocrities. Trajan, however, enjoys broad approval, and since I had left it sitting on the shelf gathering dust, I finally decided to give it an exploratory play. Fortunately, it not only failed to disappoint; it did precisely the opposite. Personally, it charmed me.

At its core is a tweaked rondel, the central idea that gives the game its distinctive character. It is not merely a decorative action-selection system: it is what sets the game in motion and gives it that delightful, slightly strange whirl.

From there, the experience opens out into a wonderful salad of things happening and choices following one another. The source does not dwell on a detailed breakdown of turns or the exact clashes between players, but the lasting feeling is of a full, busy game, with the tweaked rondel keeping the tempo while everything around it explodes in the most pleasant way.

I genuinely regret not paying attention to it sooner. It is strikingly beautiful on the table and, after this first encounter, I can easily foresee at least three or four plays during the new season.