My gaming group has three tiers of game night attendance. The full group of eight comes monthly for heavy games and Gloomhaven campaign progress. The core group of four meets weekly for medium-weight euros. The two-player nights with my partner happen whenever the kids are asleep early enough to justify setting up Brass Birmingham. All three formats are essential to my gaming life.

Managing game expectations across these different group sizes has taught me more about game selection than any review I have read. The game that works at four players often falls flat at eight. The game my partner loves is sometimes wrong for the larger group. Building a collection that serves multiple formats requires deliberate selection rather than just buying what scores highest on BGG.

My recommendation for people building a collection: think in formats before thinking in games. What is your two-player game? Your small-group weeknight game? Your big event game? Answer those questions before deciding what to buy.