Fractured Sky Deluxe

The blind bidding had my whole group second-guessing each other by round three, which is exactly the tension I want in an area control game. Losing a star fragment I'd been hoarding for two turns actually stung, and that's how I knew the design was working.

The resource management side is tighter than I expected, and juggling airship fuel against fragment claims kept every turn tense. We finished our first game in about 90 minutes and immediately set it up again.

The blind bidding mechanic had our whole table second-guessing each other for an hour straight. Managing airship resources while fighting over star fragments is trickier than it looks, and the area control keeps every round tense. Genuinely one of the better strategy games I've picked up this year.