Arctic Scavengers: Base Game+HQ+Recon

This game is equal parts deck builder and tight resource management game AND it has a bluffing game woven into it. And I know you're thinking - Dominion is better. But, this games perfection IMHO is in how its theme seamlessly flows into the mechanisms to create a thrilling and tense play every time. With the recon and HQ expansion, this game has a crazy amount of replayability. Cannot speak more highly about this game. If you don't own it - buy it now! If you haven't played it in a while, play it now! If Robert K. Gabhart ever decides to make another expansion - I will flip over all of the pools in my city. You are the man, Robert!!! Gush gush gush!

A deckbuilding game with aCTUAL INTERACTION??? Wow! It's a lot of fun, and as you need to participate in the Skirmish at the end of each turn, you will never fall asleep while waiting for your turn (as in Dominion). Oh, and the theme is great. My only problem with the game is that it can be difficult to come up with the perfect combination of cards to play with.

The more I play it the better it gets. Tons of replay, expansions are meaningful. Theme, mechanics, fun factor…perfect. This game has bluffing and mind-reading and ways to mitigate sludge, which makes it better than almost every other deck builder I’ve ever played.

I don't mind other deckbuilders, but this one has by far the best couple of mechanics to deal with bad luck of the market draw. One, making you play poker with your opponents every round, with only one player having an information advantage of knowing exactly what's in the pot. Two, letting you root blindly through a deep deck to press your luck if you don't like the face up market cards, and allowing actions to add cards or reshuffle it making it continuously worthwhile as an option. The art style and theme are pretty much perfect also - an icebound apocalypse along the lines of the old computer game "Midwinter", with art that is interesting, evocative, moody, gorgeous.

The cleanest, sharpest, most thematically dense deck builder I have found so far. I've never actually used most of the expansion parts because the base game is still tense and engaging to me. Bravo for the art! It's diverse, inclusive and kickass.