Orbita^*

Orbita is a tactical card duel for two: as rival astronomers, you steer four planets along their orbits and fight for control.

Published by HABA, it suits ages 8 and up, and a game takes about 15 minutes.

What's it about?

Each planet's power changes as it moves. You play cards to push planets along a track and collect cards of that type along the way. The twist: you can never change the order of the cards in your hand. Every turn needs careful planning.

How it plays

1. Play one to three cards of one planet type.
2. Move that planet's marker along the track.
3. The planet in the higher position wins the round.
4. The player who moved it claims all cards played.

The scoring twist

When one player can no longer play, the game ends. Each planet is then compared on its own. Whoever has fewer cards of a planet must hand them to their rival as points. Winning by too much can backfire, so the margin matters.

Who is it for?

• Couples and pairs looking for a quick duel
• Fans of small card games with lots of decisions from little material
• Anyone who likes reading an opponent's timing

Conclusion

A compact duel with clever scoring and real tension to the very end. The fixed hand order creates some tricky moments. If you want to play with more than two, choose another game.