A Report From the Heart of the Board Games Industry

Ward Batty, writing for Gamasutra, attended the recent Essen International Game Days event in Germany. The beating heart of German board games culture, it's equivalent to Origins or Gen Con here in the US. Batty got to see firsthand what the future will bring for tabletop gaming - and how that might impact the videogames of tomorrow. He also offers up a few words looking back at the history of boardgames in the EU: "What distinguishes a Eurogame from a typical American board game? Unlike many American games which are net sum (you gain by taking directly from other players) in Eurogames players are generally competing against the game itself. They may compete for limited resources or the best action, but rarely do the spoils come directly from an opponent, but instead from the game itself -- usually in the form of victory points. German games are generally shorter to play, ranging from 20-90 minutes. There is usually a good social aspect to the game as well. Players are almost never eliminated from the game, for example."

Comments

Go Go Gadget Capitalism

[kornkid606]

Unlike many American games which are net sum (you gain by taking directly from other players)...

Is there anything better than taking from the your fellow man?

I submit that there is not.

Re:Go Go Gadget Capitalism

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Is there anything better than taking from the your fellow man?

To hear the lamentations of their women?

Re:Go Go Gadget Capitalism

[mcvos]

Unlike many American games which are net sum (you gain by taking directly from other players)...

This is a lousy way to describe the difference between American games and Eurogames. It's true that American games are often more aggressive, and more aimed at taking the other guy out, whereas German games are more constructive, aimed at building the biggest and/or best, but IMO a far more fundamental difference is that US games tend to be more simulationist; the game designer takes a certain theme or situation, and comes up with game mechanics that best try to simulate that situation. Eurogames, on the other hand, work more from the game mechanics than the simulation. They often do have some theme or situation that the game revolves around, but it's not sacred, and it's mostly an excuse to make use of these funky new game mechanics.

The end result is that American-style games tend to be more realistic and more detailed, but also take more time, whereas Eurogames tend to be easier, faster, and more balanced, but a bit more abstract.

On average, ofcourse. There are some really good simulation games made in Europe, and there are many American games that are more about mechanics than simulation. You might argue that many games from Cheapass Games, for example, are closer to Eurogames.

Example

[Misanthrope]

For an excellent example of what the article is talking about, go buy a copy of Settlers of Catan. It's incredibly simple to play, very fast, and there is no time at which you aren't involved.

Re:Like special ed

[iainl]

That's not what it's saying at all, though. There's a world of difference between being found the loser at the end of the game, and spending the last hour of it twiddling your thumbs while the rest of the players continue to duke it out.

But then, some people prefer to play Counter-Strike than Team Fortress, so go figure.

Re:Like special ed

[petaflop]

The lack of player elimination doesn't mean that that is no competition - just that everyone gets to play to the end. Even if you are out of the race to win, you can still play to acheive the best result you can.

Good examples include:

• Chinatown: We play this instead of Monopoly. Unlike Monopoly, the game is fixed length (6 turns), and everyone plays to the end. The person who makes the smartest trades usually wins, although lucky deals sometimes affect the result. However, you often don't know who that is until you count the money at the end.
• Vinci: We play this instead of Risk - and unusually for a Eurogame it does involve direct conflict. However, instead of playing a single civilization, you play several in succession - part of the strategy involves deciding when to let your current civilization decline and bring on a new one. You also get to pick the special abilities of the new civilization from a limited menu - making the right choice depends on the board.

Chinatown and Vinci give much of the feel of Monopoly and Risk, but they play in 90 minutes and end before anyone gets bored. I find them both more thought provoking.

Having said that, a strong case can be made that the Eurogames genre was founded by an American designer: Sid Sackson, whose games include classics like Acquire and Can't Stop.

Catan

[apodyopsis]

Indeed yes, we play it in the pub regularly.

But there are many reasons why this game is so good, some of them quite subtle.

1. It is self levelling. In the fact that the simple penalty structure, robbers, 7 rolls are all biased to pick on the leader by simple social engineering. This means the losers get a chance to catch up and the leader finds it harder to win.
2. As a consequence of 1, most games all ends with everybody all "about to finish" - in this respect its commanding social game as nobody is left out and its normally a rush for the end.
3. There is a strong element of trading and persuasion in the game - this further enhances to social element of play
4. Statistics. It has been wonderfully designed - from the probabilities of the cards, the probabilities of the game to present a darn good game with numerous tactics you can use to win.
5. Simple. Its a game anybody can learn in their first game and be competent on their second.

If you have not played it there are stand alone player vs. PC versions around (a fantastic DOS version which puts up a fierce challange) and multiuser 'net versions notably Sea3D.

But best of all buy a real board version and play with some friends and a few good drinks, you'll be hooked.