Kluster (Danish)

It doesn't get much simpler than Kluster.

Each player gets a stack of magnets and takes turns placing them on the game board, which consists of a clear, orange string. The player who first gets rid of all their magnets wins the game. It may sound easy, and it is... And yet.

For the thing with magnets is that they are... magnetic! So the more magnets the game board carries, the harder it becomes to place magnets without them CLICKING, CLACKING, and CLINGING together! And unfortunately, when you place a magnet that causes the magnets to do what magnets do, you have to pick up all affected magnets into your hand! And that's not very smart when the goal is to get rid of them.

The fact that the game board is just a string, and therefore can be changed and pushed around, means that no two games will ever feel the same – you can even try to use the magnets to move the string during the game, making it harder for your opponents. It also means you can take the game anywhere – it even comes with a small bag that all the game components can fit into.

Kluster is thus one of those games that can be played by absolutely anyone who has the ability to place objects down. And that’s what makes it so brilliant. It doesn't get more satisfying than when your confident opponent places their last magnet, and a huge ‘CLACK’ can be heard as all the magnets decide they were lonely and hook onto each other. You don't get that in other games.