Nicodemus

The points race sneaks up on you — I thought I was comfortably ahead until the last few turns, and the resource management kept me second-guessing every move. Playing as a 352-year-old repairman about to retire is a weirdly touching hook for a game about machines. Fun solo too, which I wasn't expect

The retirement theme is such a clever twist—you're racing to rack up points before Nicodemus clocks out after 352 years. The resource management side is tighter than I expected, and every repair decision actually matters. Played it three nights straight.

The points race sneaks up on you—I thought I was cruising until the last few turns, then suddenly every resource mattered. Managing the machines while chasing points kept our whole table arguing in the best way. Played it three nights in a row already.