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I've found some of the card games can be a good in, things like Point Salad or Sushi Go.
Gets people thinking differently, and can then move onto something more intricate.
Depending on the age, something like Dragomino or Kingdomino may work as well.
I concur about Sushi Go. Catan works too due to it's ubiquity. If you can get them to grok trick taking, Skull King is amazing. And Coup is hella easy but also needs the right group.
Agreed on Coup, I've played that with some friends and it's generally been a hit.
I picked up Skull King last week but haven't had a chance to play it yet; looks like a variation/expansion on a regular card game I've played called Screw The Dealer, which is always fun.
The one thing I haven't yet found is a good intro game for engine building. Admittedly, I haven't done a lot of digging yet, more just something I need to start.
For engine building, Splendor worked for me, but it's not the best game for player interaction. Not much of a theme either.
Codenames has blown up, Pandemic was super popular in 2019 but I can't bring myself to want to be anywhere near it now for some reason. I'm trying to think of others but those jump to mind as pretty big ones.
I remember playing Pandemic a few years back (pre-Covid) and the viruses could be "funny" like Zombies, or the fungus from TLoU, etc.
I am curious to try the recent Clone Wars game based on the Pandemic system, though.
I'll grant, that's a version I could see myself trying
Oh wow, I have a buddy who loves Starwars and Pandemic. Definitely gotta pick that up for him
Forbidden Island has a similar game mechanic to Pandemic without the pandemic theme, if you like the coop/roles aspect. We've been playing it more lately with friends.
Azul and its variations are the best match for a recent hit that is approachable.
Wingspan would be a recent game that has blown up, but there is a little learning curve.
Though not new, Dixit would be a game that is very approachable and that has been very popular. It is my go-to when gift giving. "The Game" (I know, terrible name) is another older one that people want to get after I introduce them to it.
I love Happy City as a general gateway to modern board games. It is very quick to teach game with a little bit of engine building and set collection. There is an advanced variant that adds more complicated cards and a spacial element that I have not had an opportunity to try.