(or games the editor took home, played, loved, and never told you about)

fossil

rio grande games • $34.95

A highly addictive board game where the players collect fossil pieces until all of the fossil is completed. From German designer Klaus Palesch, this game is a masterpiece of fluid mechanics and thoughtful construction. A bit mental, the game asks you to focus on the board for far too long, and therefore the level of interaction between players is not very high. After a while my head hurts from staring at the very dark board, but I don't remember that stopping me from playing eight games in a row.

medici

rio grande games • $29.95

My favorite board game. Medici is perfectly simple, yet highly cut-throat as rival Italian merchants attempt to monopolize trade in each of five commodities. The newer American version is lacking in comparison (cheaper, smaller cards, smaller board, fur instead of porcelain) to the original German version, but the mechanics are the same, and the fact that you can get real rules printed (instead of the vaguely translated Games People Play version) is a blessing. I recommend a few quick games and then you'll be hooked. Reiner Knizia is the world famous designer of Medici. Note to gamer guys: women seem to love this game. [Hint: you can play it with them!]

formula de

eurogames • $42.95

Formula one racing in the most intelligently designed racing game ever. A beautiful system of gear changes and stops per turn, make this game excel at what so many game have failed to produce - a fun, playable racing game. Where Speed Circuit felt as if it had been designed in an afternoon, the math in Formula De is smart and realistic - something that must have taken a lot of playtesting to replicate.

Marcelo, Dave, Alex, and I play this one once a week here in the office - we have a team of drivers, each named, and rules for circuit racing. With 2 tracks in the basic box, and twelve more expansion tracks available we'll be playing this game for a long time. I prefer the original one with the d20s to the newer version with the six different sized dice, but the game play is the same.

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