All excellent points! I agree that there seem to be some very unique sorts of strategies, and I can see how much fun it would be to explore them all. Playing together with your son sounds amazing: I hope you both continue to have a wonderful time exploring everything the series has to offer! And maybe win every now and then, too. Ha ha!

I find variability and reusability at 7 with just one box, and they went to 10 as soon as I started mixing things from 3 games.

I find the game more enjoyable at the 2-player than solitaire, and it’s one of those rare co-op game my son is willing to play. I probably played 50 times, 15 times solitaire, 33 times with my son, and twice with the family (not their thing).

My son and I like to explore different (sometimes wacky) strategies so, for us, the market does not dictate the strategy. We find more pleasure in finding if something works or not, and why, than we are focused on winning. Don’t get me wrong, we like winning, but the joy of discovery is why we play the Aeon’s End franchise.