A sequel to the very popular wallet-sized card game Sprawlopolis is available right now by way of a Kickstarter campaign. These compact games work wonderfully as randomized solitaire puzzles or cooperative group experiences. Where Sprawlopolis used its cards to simulate a tabletop urban sprawl, Naturopolis sees the player (or players) building an interconnected map of forests, meadows, mountains and lakes. Also available in the campaign are various tiny expansions and some extra cards that allow Naturopolis to connect up seamlessly with Sprawlopolis and its previous sequel Agropolis.

In my mind there are three key features that make this series so fun and successful: they’re small & inexpensive, they play great as solo games, and they make smart use of their card backs to provide tricky and variable goals that change every play. The front of each card is divided into four regions, a mix of the previously mentioned natural biomes with the occasional river or road snaking through. Based on which three scoring goals you’ve flipped face-up this game, your goals might include connecting river segments into the longest path possible, or for something a bit more complicated, keeping your meadows away from your largest lake area. You’ll be constantly pulled between your 3 separate goals, creating a devilish yet pleasant thinky dilemma. These goals award you points based on their difficulty, and they’re easier said than done: each turn you’ll choose from a select few terrain cards in your hand.

If you’re unfamiliar with Naturopolis’ publisher Button Shy, they’re a small company that’s been making these slim 18-card wallet-games for years. They’ve worked with a range of designers and produced some great games: for my personal recommendations check out Tussie Mussie, Revolver Noir and one of their previous thinky solo games, Pentaquark. Games that cost around $10 and take up virtually zero shelf space are great for soothing my guilty game-collecting conscience.