Very true, and Morten is awesome! There have been times I haven’t loved a game because I only got to use my fully-developed tableau or engine maybe once or twice… But stepping back, that’s what makes them great! Having those final few turns generate the victory points makes all of the earlier work worth it. When I maximize what I’m doing too early, it feels like I already won and am just going through the motions to gain more victory points without doing much else.

The idea of a game ending too early or too late is really important. Thanks for bringing it up! It also doesn’t necessarily have to do with time, either: I’ve had 20-30 minute games drag on, while excellent games can keep me wanting more even when they end after 2-3 hours.