Each Thursday, we’re going to showcase one game that you’ll love… and the gift recipient will too! We like games that are easy to learn, hard to master, and all around engaging.

7 Wonders

And our first pick definitely meets all three requirements. 7 Wonders, published in 2010, is reasonably new to the board game scene, but it’s a great addition. You play as an ancient city civilization, building buildings (represented by cards) that contribute to your military, science, trade, and culture. If it sounds pretty epic, it is. But the epicness (epicosity?) doesn’t extend to learning to play.

You play your civilization through three ages, and in each age, you’ll play one card in each of six turns. That means in the course of the game, you’ll only need to make 18 choices. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to play a game, from setup to clean up, in less than 30 minutes. (Count on an hour for the first time you go through it. Then count on playing again immediately. Trust us.)

But even with the ease of play, there’s a lot to this game. You can play with 2-7 players, and each of the seven civilizations has different specialties. And beyond that, which civilizations are closest to you makes a big difference as well. Each time you play, the game feels different and your strategy will change.

7 Wonders is an all around great game and an all around great gift.