Eurogame

Eurogames (or alternatively, Designer Board Games or German-Style Board Games) are a classification of board games that are very popular on Board Game Geek (BGG). Though not all eurogames are European and not all of them are board games, they share a set of similar characteristics. A game need not fit ALL the criteria to be considered a Eurogame..

Most Eurogames share the following elements:

• Player conflict is indirect and usually involves competition over resources or points. Combat is extremely rare.

• Players are never eliminated from the game (All players are still playing when the game ends.)

• There is very little randomness or luck. Randomness that is there is mitigated by having the player decide what to do after a random event happens rather than before. Dice are rare, but not unheard of, in a Euro.

• The Designer of the game is listed on the game's box cover. Though this is not particular to Euros, the Eurogame movement seems to have started this trend. This is why some gamers and designers call this genre of games Designer Games.

• Much attention is paid to the artwork and components. Plastic and metal are rare, more often pieces are made of wood.

• Eurogames have a definite theme, however, the theme most often has very little to do with the gameplay. The focus instead is on the mechanics; for example, a game about space may play the same as a game about ancient Rome.

• Eurogames are concerned with getting the most strategy from the least or minimal mechanics.

• Eurogames typically have multiple viable paths to scoring points or securing the win condition.

Eurogames generally correspond to the BGG subdomain "Strategy".

Examples of Eurogames:

CATAN
Puerto Rico
Carcassonne
Tigris & Euphrates
Caylus
Power Grid
Ra
El Grande
Five Tribes

Examples of prominent Euro Designers:

Karl-Heinz Schmiel
Reiner Knizia
Martin Wallace
Wolfgang Kramer
Alan R. Moon
Bruno Faidutti
Stefan Feld
Uwe Rosenberg
Klaus Teuber
Vital Lacerda
Bruno Cathala
Jamey Stegmaier
Stefan Dorra
Mac Gerdts
Richard Breese
Leo Colovini
Michael Schacht