Citadels

You are building a medieval city one district at a time, paying gold for cards from your hand. The game ends after someone completes their seventh district, and the highest total of district value and bonuses wins. Each round the character cards go around the table: the king removes one at random, keeps one, and passes the rest, so every player secretly hires a different role. Roles then act in number order. The assassin silences one role, the thief empties a purse, the warlord knocks down a building, and the architect builds three at once. Guessing who took which card is most of the game. This edition of the classic adds extra characters and districts to mix in later. It runs about an hour and rewards a group that enjoys reading each other. Bring it out for five or six when Catan is too long and Codenames too gentle.