Roll/Race for the Galaxy!

Two great games!

Race for the Galaxy: The spiritual successor to San Juan's gameplay, ranked #84 on Boardgamegeek. Can you build your galactic civilization faster, stronger, and better than anyone else's? The cards in your hand tell you what you can play, but they're also the currency used to play other cards. Do you risk spending that late-game card now to get an early jump on your opponents, knowing that you may never see it again -- or save it, waiting for the right moment to build the Alien Robotic Factory? And which of the five action phases will you activate this round? Will your opponents activate other phases that you need, or just double up on the one you chose? These decisions, and many like them, will determine whether you win by an economic, military, or trade strategy.

Roll for the Galaxy: Based on Race for the Galaxy, instead of cards, this game uses dice to tell you what phases are activated, what developments can be built and planets can be settled, and what goods can be traded. There is randomness in the game -- of course, it has dice -- but different colors of dice focus on different abilities (red dice usually do X, green dice usually do Y) and there are ways to mitigate some unfavorable dice rolls. The good news is everyone else has to rely on their dice too. Roll is a little slower than Race, but is just as fun.

We'll figure out what we'll start off playing, what (if any) expansions to use, and when (or if) to switch games based on how many people show up, folks' preferences, and so on.

No experience needed to play! A full teach will be available before the game(s). And they're both lightweight games, so no need for brainburning.

If you want to prepare:

Ten minute Race rules video:
https://boardgamegeek.com/video/36094/race-for-the-galaxy/how-to-play-race-for-the-galaxy-rayreviewsgames

Eight minute Roll rules video (excludes setup): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QbCXqrhZVk&t=248s