Find your crew’s kind of escape.
Start with the pace of the crew.
Some afternoons call for a short, visible puzzle. Others leave room for a plan that develops across several turns. Ask how much time and attention everyone wants to give before deciding where the table will travel.
Three different departures.
Coral Cast is about finding a useful fishing opportunity. Sunken Doubloons adds the choice of when to return with a haul. Island Hoppers turns connections into a growing journey. Their colourful settings share a mood, but the decisions ask different things of the players.
Check the practical route markers.
Read the age guide, player count and turn overview as well as the art. Allow extra time for learning on the first visit. If you can describe one ordinary turn to the group, you are much closer to choosing a game they will enjoy.