With a Smile & a Gun (BGG page) is a fist-clenching game of intrigue and sneakiness, where 2 Criminal Gang leaders fight over the domination of a City’s underground businesses during the Prohibition Era. They will have to outthink their rival, send the Police in their business, use their Network’s abilities, and decide when to lay low and when to go all-out. Dice Drafting (but what you leave your opponent is just as important as what you take), Area Majority, 2-players, 30 minutes, for fans of El Grande, La Granja, or 7 Wonders Duel.
Art Traders is a puzzly game of flair and status, where 2 to 4 players try to make their art galleries the most prestigious in the region. They will have to hire helpers, run Fundraisers, buy and sell paintings, and decide when to invite each of the city’s Art Critics. Set Collection (but you must score each set type once per game), Can’t-Go-Back Worker Placement, Market Manipulation, 60 minutes, for fans of Heaven & Ale, Egizia, and Thief of Baghdad.
Off the Record is a quick-paced game of abundance and risk-taking, where 2 to 5 journalists will compete over information and sources to get their reports published. Timing when to investigate, when to prefer a short, to-the-point report to a front-pager, and when digging deeper is worth the trouble it brings, is where players will set themselves apart. Card management (where you gain cards by the bunch, rather than cherry picking them), Set collection, 20 minutes, for fans of Jaipur, Sushi Go, or Splendor.
Cybertopia is a tense game of opportunity and craftiness, where 2 to 4 players lead rival factions of rebel Hackers in a dystopian future. They will hire mercenary Hackers, promote them to their Inner Circle, and send them on jobs against a Corporation, trying to gain as much information on the corporate overlords as possible to unite the Resistance. Card-based Worker Placement (but the Hackers are only yours for a single job), Area Majority, Engine Building, 75 minutes, for fans of Dominant Species, Manhattan Project, or Wingspan.
SuPR is a rollercoaster game of cooperation and planning, where 2 to 4 players work together in a PR firm that just signed a new client: the city’s down-on-their-luck superhero. They will have to balance out crime fighting and networking, and get some cameras to where the action happens, keeping in mind that the worse a situation gets, the better it looks when you come in and save the day. Dice Drafting (where you take an action based on color and one on number), Cooperative, 45 minutes, for fans of Ghost Stories, Spirit Island, or Coimbra.
Subsurface Games 