Gùgōng

This is a fun game with some cool mechanics, including in particular what "gift" you're going to have place on each action space (claiming the gift that's already there for future use) to qualify to take the action, all while saving and/or claiming the gifts you might want to use in the future and trying to be mindful of what gifts you're putting out there for other players to claim on their turn. Each action area is sort of a game within a game with its own little rules. The rules are pretty balanced and coherent, and the action areas affect each other adequately enough to not feel like they're tacked on. There is a little too much luck for my taste in at least one action space (travel) but it's still a pretty rich decision space for showing strategic and (mostly) tactical skill. There's plenty of healthy competition for beating people to certain options or waiting for them to get better. and the game is absolutely gorgeous. The theme is pretty solid too. This was one of my favorite games for a while, but eventually realized that how much things can change between turns that you can't anticipate and that makes it more tactical than strategic, which isn't my preference. I still love to play any time though, and it's certainly still in my top 20% of games despite falling out of the top 5%. The rules are pretty good but the iconography could be slightly better in some cases.

This board is stunning and beautiful. It's changes the way one thinks of worker placement games for the better. I love this game and cannot wait to play with more people.

The learning curve is a bit tricky at the start with so many options of what to play, so we generally have slow starts. Once you get your strategy going, the game is great! many choices of direction, and there was never a clear winner until the end. Word from the wise: don't spread your workers out too thin, because you won't be able to do much in day 4!

The game is gorgeous and there's plenty to do, it just felt like it fizzled out towards the end.