Speaking of, did anyone else cringe when Hillary repeatedly talked about "middle-out growth?"

Holy crap, do you know how long I've been wanting to dip my toes back into The Summoning? Wishes sometimes really do come true! (Except you can't save…)

Yeah, if we're talking about co-ops with a traitor mechanic, Battlestar Galactica does it much better and much more balanced. Also Dead of Winter has vastly more engaging game play.

I'd actually recommend Star Realms over Ascension. I think it is a much more refined game and has a lot of different game modes, including the highly entertaining "Emperor," which I think would be perfect for a group of competitive family members (though I think you need a separate $15 pack of cards for every 2 people…

Since you put a high emphasis on planning and low luck, I would definitely check out Agricola and Terra Mystica in particular. As Nightwing said, there's a good amount of luck involved in Though the Ages and Dominant Species can get very chaotic with larger player counts, making it hard to plan from round to round.…