Episode 395 – Euro, Ameritrash, and Other Boardgamer Jargon

Do you know what a “eurogame” is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn’t played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players?

0:00 Fact for 395

We talk about our local Interstate 395, and the much more beautiful Route 395 in California.

https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/cant-miss-stops-along-californias-highway-395/

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04:00 What We’ve Been Playing

Order Overload: Cafe – I can’t believe we were ready to give this game away!
Trio (our review)
Circus Flohcati (our review) – I love how easy it is to get started playing this one: shuffle the deck and go!
Anomia – always a fun party game.
Green Team Wins (our review)
Landmarks (our review) – the surprising stand-out hit of the business/fun trip weekend.
Alpina (review linked below)
Floristry (our review)
Farkle
In the Footsteps of Marie Curie (our review)
Disney Lorcana: Gateway – Learn Lorcana in a structured way! Review coming soon
Escape from the Starline Express (“Professor Puzzle Presents…”) – like the easier EXIT boxes, and more-or-less re-giftable.

18:30 March Monthly Report

Andrew: 23 plays of 17 unique games. H-index: 2. Trio (3 plays), then Anomia, Project L, Order Overload: Cafe, Obelus (2 plays) 39% at home, 39% on the work trip.

Anitra: 48 plays of 28 unique games. H-index: 4. Trio (6 plays), plus Mezen, Landmarks, and Circus Flohcati at 4 times each.
46% of plays were on the work trip (because Anitra doesn’t have to work on that trip!)

21:00 The Family Gamers Facebook Community

Welcome new members! This cute goat says hi, and so do we!

22:10 FOR SCIENCE!

Marc Specter (of Grand Gamers Guild) sent us an Australian candy bar called Violet Crumble.

Is it true that “it’s the way it shatters that matters” ?

Anitra’s verdict: “sugar and air, wrapped in chocolate”.

25:15 SNAP Review – Alpina

Create a grid of alpine habitats and animals, while choosing which objectives you want to score. There are a lot of symbols to learn and a lot of options to juggle in Alpina.

Watch the video of our Alpina review or read the transcript.

32:30 Eurogames, Ameritrash, and other Jargon

The responses to our Backtalk question last month kicked off a lively discussion of boardgamer jargon on Discord.

Are there any obscure or brand-new terms we could cover? There are some portmanteau / combinations of terms that we didn’t see until recently, like “co-opetition”, “deck breeding”, or “deck wrecking” (Abandon All Artichokes).

What is a “euro game”?

Wikipedia says it’s also called a “German style board game”. Euro games are notable for what they lack: player elimination, direct conflict, and luck. (If there’s some luck or randomness, it’s something that is revealed and then all players have to deal with it.)

Most euro games have very little player interaction – mostly just competing for limited resources – and require more forethought and planning. Euro games usually emphasize elegant mechanics instead of theme. (Examples: Catan, Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Power Grid)

We use the phrase “classic euro” because this definition has morphed over time. Modern euro games will tend to have better art and hew a little closer to their themes.

“No player elimination” is an important feature that has been incorporated into a lot of newer games that we wouldn’t call euro games.

How about Ameritrash?

Euro games are usually contrasted with “American style” games (or sometimes “Ameritrash”)

Ameritrash is a term that we heard a lot a decade ago and don’t hear very often any more, probably because it’s kind of derogatory.

“American style” games that are heavy on theme and luck and often encourage direct conflict between players. Usually the theme informs the mechanics (not the kind of game where you could easily cut and paste a new theme).

These are also the games most likely to have excessive amounts of minis.

American-style games are informed by a culture that REALLY LOVES video games. It’s going to be a game with direct conflict (often combat), probably bright, saturated colors, a really strong theme, and lots of luck.

These are still not your typical American “family” game like Scrabble, Monopoly, or checkers.

We think of games like Mythalix, Cosmic Encounter, Imperial Assault, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, the Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels game we’ve been playing…

What about Dice Throne and Unmatched? We guess they fit, too.

These are loose definitions, but the there’s a definite contrast between the two styles.

Both “euro” and “ameritrash” are problematic terms for people new to board gaming – because even with the definitions we just talked about, there’s a ton of disagreement over whether any particular game fits one of these definitions!

More Jargon – Straightforward, Overlapping Mechanics

JP suggests that “straightforward” has entered gamer jargon. But if we call a game “straightforward” and then someone else struggles with the game, it can make them feel “less than” or kind of dumb.

I think when we say straightforward what we really mean is “this game was easy for me to learn and makes sense to ME.”

What about when we use multiple overlapping terms to talk about a game, like worker placement, action selection, and resource management? Or hand management, drafting, and push your luck?

And lastly – the different names we have for things we move around on a board!

From least complex to most complex: cube (or token), pawn, meeple, standee, and mini.

56:00 New Backtalk Question

What’s your favorite Disney movie?

Andrew’s is Sword in the Stone (and Lion King for best music), Anitra’s is Tangled.

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