Heat: Pedal to the Metal

You drive a 1960s racing car; first across the line after the set laps wins. Your car is a deck: speed cards to move, heat cards that clog your hand when you push the engine too hard, and stress cards that add a random burst. Every round you pick a gear from one to four, which fixes how many cards you play face down; then everyone reveals and moves. Each corner has a speed limit; cross it too fast and you pay heat cards, and with no heat left you spin. A low gear lets you cool down, and finishing right behind another car gives a slipstream bump. It is our most requested racing game and our pick for a table of six, since everyone moves at once and a race stays under an hour. Heavier than Camel Up, lighter than it looks, and a fine introduction to deck building.