#28: Showmanager/Atlantic Star

Showmanager has the virtue of playing quickly while offering lots of agonizing decisions and moments of elation & rage. Most often played with 5-6 players, it scales well with other numbers. I (Mark) have a 78% win ratio at this game - so it's not nearly as "luck-based" as some people assert. It has been published in three editions: the original Premiere and the Spiel des Jahres nominated Showmanager are themed around putting on productions, while Atlantic Star uses the same game framework with the theme of creating ship cruises.

Scott Tullace: "My favorite six-player game."

Aaron Fuegi: "The only Dirk Henn to make my list although several others like Texas and Timbuktu just miss. Great game. Clear!"

Mark Edwards: "Another game where you feel like you're competing against your opponents AND the game. Resource/hand management was never so fun."

Andrea Meyer: "Best design by Dirk Henn. I love how it flows with any numberof players indicated. I love the dilemma, and I like this version better than Atlantic Star because it has more 'aura'. "