Component Overload

Component overload is what hobbyists call a game that’s tipped past “richly produced” into “genuinely a lot to deal with” — dozens of token types, multiple decks, a stack of player boards, and a box that barely closes even with a good insert doing its job. It’s usually said half as a compliment and half as a groan; the games that draw the label tend to be genuinely great, just heavy to set up and pack away.

It’s a different problem than a high complexity rating — a game can be simple to learn and still bury you in tiny cardboard chits at setup. It’s also exactly the kind of game a rental is good for: you get the sprawling table state and the payoff without the box living on your shelf between plays, and without being the one who has to sort every token back into its slot before it goes back in the closet.