Tsuro

Probably the simplest modern game in my collection which is fun to replay any time is ... Tsuro.  It is a fine, lavish production on every level, a joy to unbox each time.  Open that red folder to refresh my brain that the rules really are as simple as I remembered.  Then flip through their gorgeous catalog, then peel back that lovely vellum sheet with the logo on it to get to the sturdy game board.

"The Game of the Path", indeed.  Just deal three tiles and set up your piece at any mark around the edge of the board, then take turns placing tiles in front of your piece and moving all pieces to the ends of their paths.  The last one left on the board is the winner.  And that is essentially all there is to it.

 I can't think of any useful strategy tips other than the obvious point of trying to stay away from other players and away from the edges of the board.  Still, a tile can set you on a path that takes you all the way across the board and off the map, so that's not a guarantee of safety.

Other times, it's fun to just run directly at an opponent and get to the end game.  The key moment is when the next tile you play will affect another player's piece.  That is when you get the chance to send them on a path to the edge.

And here is a final move where, no matter which of my three tiles I play, I am out of the game.  So I found the one where we both leave the map.  Not a win, exactly, just a noodly kind of Karma.

This game is a classic of simplicity.  I see in their catalog that they also have a Tsuro of the Seas set with gorgeous blue artwork, even an expansion that adds some unique tiles.  I may have to put that on my wish list.