Roll for the Galaxy

This uses dice instead of cards to represent your workers in a space empire. You roll dice behind a screen and assign them to actions you want to take. Managing your dice pool is the core challenge. I usually suggest this one when we have friends over who do not play a lot of heavy stuff. It is straightforward and gets people talking across the table. The rules take about five minutes to explain, and then everyone just gets it. You will find that the mid-game really tests how well you can adapt to what others are doing. I keep this on my shelf because it reliably fills that gap when we want something engaging but not overly taxing.