Rafter Five (2023)

About this game

In Rafter Five, you and your fellow players want to build as large a raft as possible — but you want to end up being the only one who can board it. To start, stack the box top and bottom to create a base, then place the five wooden rafter pieces on the starting card on top of the base. On a turn, lift a rafter, place a raft card on the playing area, replace the rafter, then place one of your treasure chests somewhere on the raft...ideally in a precarious position because if someone else knocks off this chest, they must keep it in their hold. If a player collects five treasure chests owned by other players in their hold, they're out of the game! (You can knock off your own chests without penalty, but you're making the game easier for everyone else.)

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 6. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 1.0/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 7 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.