Trepanation

I like that Trepanation does not feel embarrassed by its macabre theme: it carries it honestly, giving the table that dark, slightly strange presence that catches the eye. Its setup faintly reminded me of Trickerion, though it carries none of that game's weight.

At its core, it is a tight worker-placement game. Players use their workers to choose actions and build their own path through the available options, within a framework that feels clean and pleasantly constrained.

Interaction mainly comes from competing over those shared options: where you place your worker and what you leave for everyone else. It is not presented as a game built around heavy conflict, but as a lighter, compact take on the genre, with its thematic presentation giving it character.

I would not call it filler, but neither would I call it a “full” game. Still, it has several very cheerful plays in it, provided the group has not already grown tired of worker placements. At its price, it also seems perfectly fine: a good addition to DLP's “light brigade.” As for the burning drama of the domestic market, no comment; I am merely following developments with scientific interest, waiting to see where the WTF? meter ends up by the end of the process...