The tabletop world has seen no recent shortage of impressively large and robust board, miniature, and card games that carry a high price tag, but also deliver many hours of premium gameplay and storytelling. It’s somewhat less common to find games of that caliber that are also relatively easy to learn and play, even for slightly less experienced players. One of my recent favorites in this regard is Dragon Eclipse, from the prolific team over at Awaken Realms. It’s a cooperative campaign game specifically built to be played solo or with a partner.
You tame magical elemental creatures and set out to save your town while gradually unfolding a narrative, exploring a fascinating world, and confronting tactical combat scenarios. It’s a gorgeous game laid out on the table, featuring evocative card art, incredibly detailed models/miniatures, and it’s one of those games in which you always feel like you’re making interesting decisions to push things forward. Beyond the campaign, it also includes modes of play for both competitive action and an interesting roguelite mode. Dragon Eclipse can be tricky to track down, but as of this writing, I’ve still found several stores carrying copies. It could easily become a new favorite if you’re ready for diving deep into something new.