A Eurogame , also called a German-style board game , German game , or Euro-style game (generally just referred to as board games in Europe ), is a class of tabletop games that generally has complex rules, indirect player interaction, and multiple ways to score points. Eurogames are sometimes contrasted with American-style board games , which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama. They are usually less abstract than chess or Go , but more abstract than wargames . Likewise, they generally require more thought and planning than party games such as Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit .
55-481: Due in part to postwar aversion to products which glorified conflict, the 3M series of strategy and economic games, including Acquire , became popular in Germany and provided a template for a new form of gameplay without direct conflict or warfare. The genre developed as a more concentrated design movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Germany. The genre has spread to other European countries such as France,
110-512: A Time Attack Mode , the player tries to score, progress or clear levels in a limited amount of time. Changing modes while the game is in progress can increase difficulty and provide additional challenge or reward player success. Power-ups are modes that last for a few moments or that change only one or a few game rules. For example, power pellets in Pac-Man give the player a temporary ability to eat enemies. A game mode may restrict or change
165-690: A player character's alignment permits or prohibits the use of additional game mechanics. For example, in Shin Megami Tensei : Strange Journey Redux , alignment determines which demon assistants a player can or cannot recruit, and in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords , players aligned with the light and dark sides of The Force gain different bonuses to attacks, healing, and speed. Some games use an auction or bidding system in which
220-404: A bell curve-shaped probability distribution, with the addition of further dice resulting in a steeper bell curve, decreasing the likelihood of an extreme result. A linear curve is generally perceived by players as being more "swingy", whereas a bell curve is perceived as being more "fair". Some games include situations where players can "press their luck" in optional actions where the danger of
275-463: A bookshelf format. Like the 3M series, they are designed to mimic the appearance of a large hardcover book, but instead of a slip-case, the games use a magnetic closing flap. The bookshelf games series included the following games, Notes: Game mechanics In tabletop games and video games , game mechanics specify how a game works for the players. Game mechanics include the rules or ludemes that govern and guide player actions, as well as
330-521: A different shape box called a "butterbox". In 1962, 3M commissioned game designers Alex Randolph and Sid Sackson to design the early games and they were largely responsible for shaping the direction of the line towards abstract strategy and economic games. Randolph eventually produced TwixT , Oh-Wah-Ree , Breakthru , Evade , Jati and Mad Mate . Sackson contributed Acquire , Bazaar , Monad , Executive Decision , Sleuth , and Venture . 3M thereafter relied extensively on freelance designers for
385-531: A game has a board, the board is usually irregular rather than uniform or symmetric (such as Risk rather than chess or Scrabble ). The board is often random (as in The Settlers of Catan) or has random elements (such as Tikal ). Some boards are merely mnemonic or organizational and contribute only to ease of play, such as a cribbage board; examples of this include Puerto Rico and Princes of Florence . Random elements are often present but do not usually dominate
440-411: A game's mechanics and theme is ludonarrative dissonance . Abstract games do not have themes, because the action is not intended to represent anything. Go is an example of an abstract game. Some game studies scholars distinguish between game mechanics and gameplay . In Playability and Player Experience Research , the authors define gameplay as "the interactive gaming process of the player with
495-607: A half-hour to a few hours, with one to two hours being typical. Generally Eurogames do not have a fixed number of players like chess or bridge; although there is a sizeable body of German-style games that are designed for exactly two players, most games can accommodate anywhere from two to six players (with varying degrees of suitability). Six-player games are somewhat rare, with Power Grid and Caverna (the latter supporting seven player games) being two examples, or require expansions, as with The Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne. Players usually play for themselves individually, rather than in
550-433: A limited deathmatch or capture the flag set. Many board games involve the movement of tokens. Movement mechanics govern how and when these tokens are allowed to move. Some game boards are divided into small, equally-sized areas that can be occupied by game tokens. (Often such areas are called squares , even if not square in shape.) Movement rules specify how and when a token can be moved to another area. For example,
605-460: A mechanism designed to make progress towards victory more difficult for players in the lead. The idea behind this is to allow trailing players a chance to catch up and potentially still win the game, rather than suffer an inevitable loss once they fall behind. For example, in The Settlers of Catan , a neutral piece (the robber) debilitates the resource generation of players whose territories it
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#1732786636359660-454: A number of ways: In some games, captured tokens are simply removed and play no further part in the game (e.g. chess). In others, captured tokens are removed but can return to play later in the game under various rules (e.g. backgammon , pachisi). Some games allow the capturing player to take possession of the captured tokens and use them later in the game (e.g. Shogi , Reversi, Illuminati), also known as conversion . Many video games express
715-441: A partnership or team. A growing number of Eurogames support solo play with modified rulesets. To win, the player either has to achieve specific single-player campaign goals or beat the score of a simulated opponent that takes actions according to special rules outlined in the scenario. Recent Eurogames suitable for solo play include Wingspan , Terraforming Mars , and Spirit Island . Another prominent characteristic of these games
770-481: A player may be allowed to move a token to an adjacent area, but not one further away. Dice are sometimes used to randomize the allowable movements. Other games, such as miniatures games , are played on surfaces with no marked areas. Many games involve the management of resources. Examples of game resources include tokens, money, land , natural resources , human resources and game points . Players establish relative values for various types of available resources, in
825-432: A player who appears to be in a lagging position at end of play into the lead. A second-order consequence is that Eurogames tend to have multiple paths to victory (dependent on aiming at different end-of-game bonuses) and it is often not obvious to other players which strategic path a player is pursuing. Balancing mechanisms are often integrated into the rules, giving slight advantages to lagging players and slight hindrances to
880-800: A risk must be weighed against the chance of reward. For example, in Beowulf: The Legend , players may elect to take a "Risk", with success yielding cards and failure weakening the player's ultimate chance of victory. Crafting new in-game items is a game mechanic in open world survival video games such as Minecraft and Palworld , role-playing video games such as Divinity: Original Sin and Stardew Valley , tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons , and deck-building card games such as Mystic Vale . Crafting mechanics rely on set collection mechanics, since crafting new items requires obtaining specific sets of items, then transforming them into new ones. A game mode
935-412: A skill in a business game . Some games also feature a losing condition, such as being checkmated in chess , or being tagged in tag . In such a game, the winner is the only remaining player to have avoided loss. Games are not limited to one victory or loss condition, and can combine several at once. Tabletop role-playing games and sandbox games frequently have no victory condition. Some games include
990-473: A strict or complete taxonomy . This list is alphabetical. Each player receives a budget of action points to use on each turn. These points may be spent on various actions according to the game rules, such as moving pieces, drawing cards, collecting money, etc. Alignment is a game mechanic in both tabletop role-playing games and role-playing video games . Alignment represents characters' moral and ethical orientation, such as good or evil. In some games,
1045-446: Is a distinct configuration that varies gameplay and affects how other game mechanics behave. A game with several modes presents different settings in each, changing how a particular element of the game is played. A common example is the choice between single-player and multiplayer modes in video games, where multiplayer can further be cooperative or competitive . A sandbox mode allows free play without predefined goals . In
1100-416: Is a segment of a game set aside for certain actions to happen before moving on to the next turn, where the sequence of events can largely repeat. Some games, such as Monopoly and chess , use player turns where one player performs their actions before another player can perform any on their turn. Some games use game turns , where all players contribute to the actions of a single turn. Some games combine
1155-491: Is also awarded to games that are more complex and strategic, such as Puerto Rico . A few games have had broad enough appeal to win both awards: The Settlers of Catan (published 1995), Carcassonne (published 2000), and Dominion (published 2008). Xbox Live Arcade has included popular games from the genre, with Catan being released to strong sales on May 13, 2007, Carcassonne being released on June 27, 2007. Lost Cities and Ticket to Ride soon followed. Alhambra
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#17327866363591210-475: Is held annually in July in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania . The event is nine days long and includes tournament tracks of over a hundred games; while traditional wargames are played there, the most popular tournaments are Eurogames and it is generally perceived as a Eurogame-centered event. Attendance is international, though players from the U.S. and Canada predominate. The most prestigious German board game award
1265-410: Is near. Players occasionally get to move the robber, and frequently choose to position it where it will cause maximal disruption to the player currently winning the game. In some racing games, such as Chutes and Ladders , a player must roll or spin the exact number needed to reach the finish line; e.g., if a player is only four spaces from the finish line then they must roll a four on the die or land on
1320-492: Is no consensus on the precise definition of game mechanics. Competing definitions claim that game mechanics are: A game's mechanics are not its theme . Some games have a theme—some element of representation. For example, in Monopoly , the events of the game represent another activity, the buying and selling of properties. Two games that are mechanically similar can be thematically different, and visa versa. The tension between
1375-575: Is the Spiel des Jahres ("Game of the Year"). The award is very family-oriented, with shorter, more approachable games such as Ticket to Ride and Elfenland usually preferred by the award committee. In 2011, the jury responsible for the Spiel des Jahres created the Kennerspiel des Jahres , or connoisseur's game of the year, for more complex games. The Deutscher Spiele Preis ("German game prize")
1430-446: Is the lack of player elimination. Eliminating players before the end of the game is seen as contrary to the social aspect of such games. Most of these games are designed to keep all players in the game as long as possible, so it is rare to be certain of victory or defeat until relatively late in the game. Related to no-player-elimination, Eurogame scoring systems are often designed so that hidden scoring or end-of-game bonuses can catapult
1485-503: The Avalon Hill Bookcase games. Very few of these games are still being published. The line consisted of republished classics such as Go , chess and backgammon as well as original games. The Bookshelf games were originally in large boxes that were 8.5 by 12 by 2.25 inches (216 mm × 305 mm × 57 mm); later, a series in smaller boxes called "gamettes" was introduced. The early ones were packaged in
1540-427: The 1960s and early 1970s by 3M Corporation. The games were packaged in leatherette-look large hardback book size boxes in contrast to the prevalent wide, flat game boxes. The series grew to encompass over three dozen games. Most were multi-player board games or card games ; a few were trivia games or two-handed board games. Acquire and TwixT were among the best-selling titles. The series later became part of
1595-430: The 3M game division was suffering losses. In 1976, the entire line was sold to Avalon Hill, which produced a competing line of bookcase games. Avalon Hill discontinued most of them, but continued to publish some until 1998, when it was sold by its parent company to Hasbro . While Acquire was mildly re-themed and published by Hasbro/Avalon Hill in 2000, the company has indicated that they have no plans to publish any of
1650-560: The 3M or Avalon Hill bookshelf games. Since 2008, Acquire has been published by the Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast . TwixT has been published by a succession of German companies including Schmidt Spiele and Kosmos under license. A few of the games that were not acquired by Hasbro, such as Facts in Five and Executive Decision , have since been published by University Games in
1705-521: The Essen Games Fair, is the largest non-digital game convention in the world, and the place where the largest number of Eurogames are released each year. Founded in 1983 and held annually in Essen, Germany, the fair was founded with the objective of providing a venue for people to meet and play board games, and show gaming as an integral part of German culture. A "World Boardgaming Championships"
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1760-688: The Netherlands, and Sweden. The Settlers of Catan , first published in 1995, paved the way for the genre outside Europe. Though neither the first Eurogame nor the first such game to find an audience outside Germany, it became much more popular than any of its predecessors. It quickly sold millions of copies in Germany, and in the process brought money and attention to the genre as a whole. Residents of Germany purchased more board games per capita than any other country as of 2009. While many Eurogames are published and played in Anglophone markets such as
1815-412: The U.S. after the turn of the millennium are now the norm, with newer high-end titles like Terra Mystica and Tzolkin being significantly more difficult to master. While many titles (especially the strategically heavier ones) are enthusiastically played by gamers as a hobby, Eurogames are, for the most part, well-suited to social play. In keeping with this social function, various characteristics of
1870-755: The United States and the United Kingdom, they occupy a niche status there. Other games in the genre to achieve widespread popularity include Carcassonne , Puerto Rico , Ticket to Ride , and Alhambra . Eurogames tend to be focused on presenting a complex challenge to players. They feature economics and the acquisition of resources rather than direct conflict, and have a limited amount of luck. They also differ from abstract strategy games like chess by using themes tied to specific locales, and emphasize individual development and comparative achievement rather than direct conflict. Eurogames also emphasize
1925-838: The authors define gameplay as the combination and interaction of many elements of a game. However, popular usage sometimes elides the two terms. For example, gamedesigning.org defines gameplay as the core game mechanics that determine a game's overall characteristics. Scholars organize game mechanics into categories, which they use (along with theme and gameplay) to classify games . For example, in Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design , Geoffrey Engelstein and Isaac Shalev classify game mechanisms into categories based on game structure, turn order, actions, resolution, victory conditions, uncertainty, economics, auctions, worker placement, movement, area control, set collection, and card mechanisms. The following examples of game mechanics are not
1980-432: The behavior of the available tools, such as allowing play with limited/unlimited ammo , new weapons, obstacles or enemies, or a timer , etc. A mode may establish different rules and game mechanics, such as altered gravity , win at first touch in a fighting game, or play with some cards face-up in a poker game. A mode may even change a game's overarching goals, such as following a story or character's career vs. playing
2035-543: The box, or at least in the rule book. Top designers enjoy considerable following among enthusiasts of Eurogames. For this reason, the name "designer games" is often offered as a description of the genre. Recently, there has also been a wave of games designed as spin-offs of popular novels, such as the games taking their style from the German bestsellers Der Schwarm and Tintenherz . Designers of Eurogames include: The Internationale Spieltage , also known as Essen Spiel, or
2090-451: The capture mechanism in the form of a kill count (sometimes referred to as "frags"), reflecting the number of opposing pawns eliminated during the game. The most common use of dice is to randomly determine the outcome of an interaction in a game. An example is a player rolling a die or dice to determine how many board spaces to move a game token. Dice often determine the outcomes of in-game conflict between players, with different outcomes of
2145-636: The context of the current state of the game and the desired outcome (i.e. winning the game). Game rules determine how players can increase, spend, or exchange resources. The skillful management of resources lets players influence the game's outcome. Engine building is a mechanism that involves building and optimizing a system to create a flow of resources. SimCity is an example of an engine-building video game: money activates building mechanisms, which in turn unlock feedback loops between many internal resources such as people, job vacancies, power, transport capacity, and zone types. In engine-building board games,
2200-411: The die/dice roll of different benefit (or adverse effect) to each player involved. This occurs in games that simulate direct conflicts of interest. Different dice formulas are used to generate different probability curves. A single die has equal probability of landing on any particular side, and consequently produces a linear probability distribution curve. The sum of two or more dice, however, results in
2255-502: The first game to implement the mechanic. Worker placement was popularized by Caylus (2005) and became a staple of the Eurogame genre in the wake of the game's success. Other popular board games that use this mechanism include Stone Age and Agricola . Although the mechanism is chiefly associated with board games, the worker placement concept has been used in analysis of other game types. For instance, Adams and Dormans describe
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2310-420: The four with the spinner. If more than four is rolled, then the turn is forfeited to the next player. Worker placement is a game mechanism where players allocate a limited number of tokens ("workers") to multiple stations that provide various defined actions. The worker placement mechanism originates with board games. Stewart Woods identifies Keydom (1998; later remade and updated as Aladdin's Dragons ) as
2365-431: The game will be resource or terrain distribution in the initial setup, or (less frequently) the random order of a set of event or objective cards. The role played by deliberately random mechanics in other styles of game is instead fulfilled by the unpredictability of the behavior of other players. Examples of themes are: Although not relevant to actual play, the name of the game's designer is often prominently mentioned on
2420-682: The game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, while a ludeme is an element of play, such as the L-shaped move of the knight in chess. The interplay of various mechanics determines the game's complexity and how the players interact with the game. All games use game mechanics; however, different theories disagree about their degree of importance to a game. The process and study of game design includes efforts to develop game mechanics that engage players. Common examples of game mechanics include turn-taking, movement of tokens, set collection, bidding, capture, and spell slots . There
2475-418: The game. While rules are light to moderate, they allow depth of play, usually requiring thought, planning, and a shift of tactics through the game and featuring a chess- or backgammon-like opening game , middle game , and end game . Stewart Woods' Eurogames cites six examples of mechanics common to eurogames: Eurogame designs tend to de-emphasize luck and random elements. Often, the only random element of
2530-559: The game." In this definition, gameplay occurs when players interact with the game mechanics. Similarly, in Dissecting Play – Investigating the Cognitive and Emotional Motivations and Affects of Computer Gameplay , the authors define gameplay as "interacting with a game design in the performance of cognitive tasks". Video games researcher Carlo Fabricatore defines gameplay as: In Ernest Adams and Andrew Rollings on game design ,
2585-428: The games tend to support that aspect well, and these have become quite common across the genre. In contrast to games such as Risk or Monopoly, in which a close game can extend indefinitely, Eurogames usually have a mechanism to stop the game within its stated playing time. Common mechanisms include a pre-determined winning score, a set number of game turns, or depletion of limited game resources. Playing time varies from
2640-415: The later bookshelf games . Between 400 and 600 submissions were received every year by the company. A few of the more popular games with established sales were acquired from other companies. The games were produced by 3M from 1962 to 1975, under the complete company name, The Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company. By the mid-1970s, gaming trends had shifted to pen-and-paper role playing games and
2695-449: The leaders. This helps to keep the game competitive to the very end, an example of which is Power Grid, where the turn order is determined by number of cities (and biggest power plant as the tie-breaker), such that players further ahead are handicapped in their option of plays. A wide variety of often innovative mechanisms or mechanics are used, and familiar mechanics such as rolling dice and moving, capture, or trick taking are avoided. If
2750-489: The mechanical challenges of their systems over having the systems match the theme of the game. They are generally simpler than the wargames that flourished in the 1970s and 1980s from publishers such as SPI and Avalon Hill , but nonetheless often have a considerable depth of play. One consequence of the increasing popularity of this genre has been an expansion upwards in complexity. Games such as Puerto Rico that were considered quite complex when Eurogames proliferated in
2805-480: The player adds and modifies combinations of abilities or resources to assemble a virtuous circle of increasingly powerful and productive outcomes. Many games use tiles - flat, rigid pieces of a regular shape - that can be laid down on a flat surface to form a tessellation . Usually, such tiles have patterns or symbols on their surfaces that combine when tessellated to form game-mechanically significant combinations. The tiles themselves are often drawn at random by
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#17327866363592860-413: The players make competitive bids to determine which player wins the right to perform particular actions. Such an auction can be based on different forms of payment: In some games, the number of tokens a player has on the playing surface represents their current strength in the game. A central goal is capturing an opponent's tokens, which removes them from the playing surface. Captures can be achieved in
2915-460: The players, either immediately before placing them on the playing surface, or in groups to form a pool or hand of tiles from which the player may select one to play. Tiles can be used in two distinct ways: Examples of tile mechanics include: Scrabble , in which players lay down lettered tiles to form words and score points, and Tikal , in which players lay jungle tiles on the play surface then move tokens through them to score points. A turn
2970-425: The two. For example, Civilization uses a series of player turns followed by a trading round in which all players participate. Games with semi-simultaneous turns allow for some actions on another player's turn. Victory conditions control how a player wins the game. Examples of victory conditions include the necessity of completing a quest in a role-playing video game , or the player being suitably trained in
3025-493: Was due to follow later in 2007 until being cancelled. The iPhone received versions of The Settlers of Catan and Zooloretto in 2009. Carcassonne was added to the iPhone App Store in June 2010. Later, Ticket to Ride was developed for both the iPhone and the iPad, significantly boosting sales of the board game. 3M bookshelf game series The 3M bookshelf game series is a set of strategy and economic games published in
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