Best of all, it’s easy to learn, even for a dolt like me.” The concept is simple enough: Each player is a bean farmer who plants different varieties of beans players harvest their crops in exchange for gold, and the more beans you harvest, the more coins you collect. Strategist writer Lauren Ro, who admits she finds most board games “needlessly complicated and mind-numbingly boring,” says Bohnanza converted her from a game skeptic to an enthusiast. “Another perk is that you can play with as few as two people or as many as five, and though you have to pay attention to multiple things at once, it’s not so complicated that a beginner or child couldn’t win on their first time playing.”

“Every time I play, I discover some clever detail that makes me laugh,” she adds. According to Corsillo, Raccoon Tycoon combines the fast play of Ticket to Ride with the social interaction of Settlers of Catan, “but is more engaging and fun to look at.” Like Ticket to Ride, a player will win the game by collecting the most points, “but there are multiple ways to earn them - amassing wealth and owning railroads, towns, or buildings - so it’s harder to get bored.” Corsillo also notes that part of what sets Raccoon Tycoon apart is “the intricate, uncanny illustrations,” designed by painter Annie Stegg.

Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo discovered this game by way of her “strategy-game connoisseur” brother and it quickly became a family game-night staple.

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