Thrive

Two lotus flowers battle over the pond. You are one of them, and your goal is clear: take your opponent's seeds until only one is left. The first player to manage that wins. Sounds straightforward? The start is. But as the game goes on, all sorts of things grow under your hands. You can explain the rules of Thrive in a couple of minutes. You move a piece, and then you add two pegs to one of your flowers. Each peg gives that piece new ways to move. Step by step you build up more options, while across the table you see the same thing happening for your opponent. Thinking ahead pays off, but running too far ahead can cost you dearly. This is a game for two, where you sit opposite each other and keep a close eye on one another. Great for an evening together, or to lose yourself in for a while. Everyone from about age six can join in, and yet it stays challenging enough to reach for again and again.