Andreas Seyfarth’s 2002 gem is one of the most commonly-suggested contenders for the best board game of all time by many gamers. Players are colonial governors on the titular island aiming to earn VP by trading goods and constructing buildings, growing crops they can swap for doubloons and gradually increase their abilities. It has an interesting role-selection mechanic that involves choosing a role at the beginning of a turn, which allows all players to perform the action but grants the chooser a discount. If you enjoy Seyfarth’s original, the designer later released a snappier card game based on the game’s concepts called San Juan.