Love Letter

You hold one card in your hand and draw another on your turn. You play a card to try and knock other players out of the round. It plays very quickly and works well as a filler game between larger ones. 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.