Capital Lux

Draft characters, then choose each turn: bank points in your hometown or trigger abilities in the capital.

Designers: Kristian Amundsen Østby, Eilif Svensson
Published by: Aporta Games
Editions by: Hobby World, Game Harbor, PaperGames (III), Pixie Games, NeoTroy Games, Ludicus Games, Granna, Morapiaf

Every turn in Capital Lux, you play one character card, and the only real question is where. Put it in front of you, in your hometown, and it banks points. Slide it into the shared capital instead, and you trigger its special ability, but it also fights for control there. The characters come in four professions, Merchants pocket gold, and at the end of a round that gold can raise your limit for a profession. It is a compact drafting card game from 2016 with bluffing, hand management and a faintly sci-fi city painted by Kwanchai Moriya. A short duel of risks, not a long strategy slog.

Hometown or capital: every card is a choiceFour professions with their own abilitiesDraft a hand each round

Who it's for

You want a quick duel-style card game with a real dilemma on every single card.

Not for you if…

You want a long strategic arc or deep theme. It is tight, tactical and over quickly.

Vibe's take

Snappy, with a nagging tension in every play. Each card is either points or power, never both, and you are always guessing whether your opponent is bluffing about what they hold.