Thursday, October 24, 2013

Coming to Terms

Board gaming can be a daunting hobby. There are so many choices that one can easily become overwhelmed. Not only are there a ton of different types of games but there's also a lot of different terminology to learn. Lucky for you I'm here to help.

Let's take a look at two of the big ones. Euro Games Vs Ameritrash:

Euro Games – Games made in Europe, predominately Germany. Generally these games skew more towards strategy and away from luck based mechanics. They often use wooden pieces or cubes as markers for a clean, no frills sort of look. In the “hardcore” gaming world these seem to be considered the more refined games. Simple and Elegant.



Ameritrash – Games made mostly in the USA and Canada. Ameritrash games are generally bigger and more theme oriented. They tend to feature plastic miniatures, dice and big highly stylized boards. Some will say that they are style over substance because of their emphasis on theme rather than mechanics but don’t be fooled Ameritrash games are just as fun as their European brethren.



There are tons of other types of games like Abstract Strategy, Co-op and even Wargames but Euro and Ameritash are the two biggest categories for board gamers that basically split the hobby in half. Which one is for you? That depends on what you like. Personally I like both types of games but I tend to lean toward the American side of things. I love theme in games and little plastic bits are great. That said I'm pretty much always up for the auction based Euro game Power Grid if someone suggests it. Finding what works best for you will likely be a bit of trial and error. Some may find Euro games too dry, while others will find American games too lucky and not strategic enough. So the best thing to do is get out there, find some friends and play some games. Your favorites will quickly rise to the surface.

Next time I think I'll talk about my favorite intro games to get you into the hobby. Thanks for reading!

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