Designer: Ignacy Trzewiczek | Artist: Kozaczkiewicz, Foksowicz, Jakimiec, Szyma, Fournier
A complex and convoluted co-op simulation of humanity colonising the Red Planet, First Martians will leave you wishing you’d never left Earth. The first thing to know about First Martians is that there’s a good chance you won’t even be able to understand the rules straight out of the box. The included manual is so unwieldy and poorly explained, it’ll likely take you several hours and multiple readthroughs just to grasp the basics of how to do simple tasks – even then, building a rocket and flying to Mars yourself will probably seem the easier option. If you’re really committed to learning how to play, looking up a YouTube tutorial and reading through the additional 60-plus-page almanac released separately by the game’s creators as a remedy to the rulebook’s woes isn’t just recommended – it’s damn near compulsory.