Drafting

Drafting starts with everyone getting an identical hand or pool of options — cards, tiles, dice, whatever the game uses. You pick one to keep, then pass the rest to the player next to you, who does the same, and so on around the table. What you end up with is shaped just as much by what got passed to you as by what you originally chose.

It naturally builds in reading the table: taking a card just to keep it away from an opponent is often as valid a move as taking it for yourself. Drafting shows up across all kinds of games, from card-based titles that lean on set collection to heavier strategy games, so check the listing for how the drafted pieces actually get used before you judge the weight of the night.