Issue #16 · October 2026
Hey there! Joel here. 👋
My wife and I have been on a traditional card games kick—you know, the kind played with a regular deck of playing cards. It all started with me learning cribbage last month, then Gin Rummy, Crisps, German Whist, Regicide, Haggis... I'm sure there are hundreds of others down the rabbit hole, but I had to stop myself!
I grew up on card games, but at some point I moved away from them and even started looking down on them. "You play rummy? Snap? Spoons? Egyptian ratscrew? Come, let me show you some real games that'll blow all of those out of the water." But I was just being a snob. There's no real difference between those and Schotten Totten.
Indeed, there's something intrinsically great about a pack of playing cards: slip it into your pocket, take it with you anywhere, and play hundreds of excellent games. I even printed and laminated custom rule cards that I keep inside my card box, so I always have rules refreshers on hand even when I don't have internet access.
Do you still play traditional card games? If so, what are your favorites that you keep coming back to?
I played the original Citadels years ago and thought it was okay. I liked the action selection but hated the pacing—it often dragged as people used the Warlord to destroy buildings. This one takes the same action system, sharpens it for two players, and molds it on top of a shared tile placement city that you're vying to control. I like it better than the original, but I still need more plays to see if it has staying power.
I first played Crokinole back in 2020 at PAX East and got swept up by it. Who knew you could lose so many hours just flicking wooden discs? For my birthday, I rolled the dice on a cheap $80 board off Amazon... and I don't regret it. Could it be better? Of course. But it's good enough. It took over our gaming table for two weeks, with my wife and I fitting in quick matches whenever we had time. What a blast!
I came to Klask with low expectations—it looked silly and felt like a rip-off of air hockey. But when I first introduced it to my wife, we played for 90 minutes straight and only stopped because we had work the next morning. Yes, it's like air hockey, but it's better than air hockey. A few small twists is all it took to elevate this to greatness.
People always said 7 Wonders Duel was one of the greatest 2-player games, and I blew them off. People then said Duel for Middle-Earth made it even better and more thematic, and I still didn't believe. It looked too convoluted, not my style, so I steered clear. But when Asmodee graciously sent me a copy to play, I finally saw the light. Now I'm kicking myself for all the years I ignored it!
Harmonies is a beautiful tile-drafting puzzle game that plays best when you're the only one at the table.
Dice Throne is a 2-player dice battler that nails push-your-luck tension and deepens it with a layer of strategic card play.
Dorfromantik: The Board Game is a cozy, cooperative tile-laying game that's nowhere near as boring as some might have you believe.
Galaxy Trucker is a party game with a strategy game's bite. You'll build a ship, send it off into space, and watch it fall apart before your eyes.
I've updated this roundup with two surprisingly great additions, while demoting mini poker chips—I haven't been using those as much.
I really want to put out my first "best X games" list this year, and I'm hoping I have time to write it before December rolls around. Until then, expect a review of Duel for Middle-Earth for sure, plus a few others I'm still kicking around in my head.