That a great game! Arboretum

Arboretum is a perfect example of a game with deceptively simple, straightforward rules that will challenge your analytical brain. It's a game of building pleasant paths of happy little trees in your arboretum, combined with tough choices and a lot of "ooof, I might regret this" moments.

Your goal is to build a path of trees from lower to higher numbers, and each time you have to discard a tree. That seems simple at first, but then you start thinking, "Wait, I really need this card for my path," or "I don't want to give up a card my opponent needs." Plus, there's the added twist that you only score based on what's left in your hand at the end of the game. So that perfect path of oaks you so carefully planted? If you didn't keep enough of them in your hand, and your opponent did, you don't score anything for them at all!   

Arboretum is a beautifully designed game that's a brain burner and a balancing act based on some really tough choices and some simple rules. It's a thoughtful game that always seems to end too quickly, and leaves you wanting a re-match.