@dpunked I think of Wingspan as a stepping stone game - it introduces people to euro mechanisms like worker placement (kind of), card tableaus, special powers and so on but it's all stuff most gamers have seen more interestingly implemented. The production quality is good and the bird sanctuary setting is not as alienating as, say, the industrial revolution, or trading in the Mediterranean.

@dpunked I really like Mijnlieff - abstract with small footprint that plays quickly. Friend of mine came up with a perfect travel game that fits in a wallet - Mesozoic Mayhem.