Saturday, May 4, 2024

What Are Eurogames?



One of the things I love to do is play board games. I grew up playing games like Parcheesi, Aggravation, and Monopoly with my family, and over the last several years, I have also learned of the existence of "Eurogames", which are European-style board games that are very heavy on strategy and not just roll-and-move games, like the kind I used to play as a kid.

  Eurogames are probably quite well-known in Europe, I imagine, but were not so familiar to Americans. However, they are making inroads quickly. Many Americans have heard of or played Settlers of Catan, and you can buy it, as well as Ticket to Ride, another great introductory game, at mass-market retailers like WalMart. Once you get seriously into Eurogames, you will find yourself playing heavier fare, such as Lisboa, Terraforming Mars, Navegador, and Agricola. These games all have a lot going on and can take several hours to play. Agricola, by the way, was the game that Rachel played (and cheated at) with Scott on the television show Orphan Black. It has 14 rounds! I learned about Eurogames by joining a local gaming group that plays them. I discovered the gaming group through meetup.com, which is a great way to find local people who are into the same things you're into. Now Eurogames are a great enthusiasm of mine!


Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/board-game-play-strategy-fun-933165/