Eurogame

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 feature indirect player interaction, lack player elimination, and provide 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 focused on economic competition than wargames. Likewise, they generally require more thought and planning than party games such as Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit.

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. They offered a style of gameplay without direct conflict or warfare and led the way for designs that focused on resource management and competitive strategy through more peaceful means.

The genre developed as a more concentrated design movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Germany. The genre spread to other European countries such as France, the Netherlands, and Sweden.^{[citation needed]} During this time, board games in Europe often featured shorter play times than their American counterparts, along with rules that encouraged all players to remain engaged until the end, thereby reducing the risk of early elimination.

Although German-style designs were already popular within Germany, The Settlers of Catan, first published in 1995, paved the way for the genre outside Europe. While it was not the first Eurogame and not the first to achieve popularity outside Germany, it became more successful than any of its predecessors. Millions of copies were sold in Germany alone. The game's success brought new interest, investment, and attention to this genre of board games emphasizing mechanics other than direct conflict. Game designers like Reiner Knizia became popular globally. Knizia's notable designs include Amun-Re, Blue Moon City, Ingenious, Keltis, Lord of the Rings, Medici, Modern Art, Ra, Taj Mahal, Tigris and Euphrates, and Through the Desert. Many of his designs incorporate mathematical principles, such as his repeated use of auction mechanics.

As the market expanded, some designers began creating deeper, more complex games often referred to as “gamer’s games” or “expert games.” Titles such as Agricola (2007) by Uwe Rosenberg and Terra Mystica (2012) by Helge Ostertag and Jens Drögemüller introduced more detailed resource management, longer playing times, and heightened decision depth. These games often came with multiple paths to victory, ensuring replay value and a variety of strategies for enthusiasts. Residents of Germany purchased more board games per capita than any other country as of 2009^[update]. While many Eurogames are published and played in Anglophone markets such as 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, TransAmerica, Ticket to Ride, Alhambra, Brass, Terraforming Mars, Concordia and Ark Nova. Today, Eurogames remain an important segment of the board gaming industry, appreciated for their emphasis on strategy, thoughtful interaction, and lack of player elimination that allows all participants to remain engaged. While Germany still leads in per capita board game purchases, the popularity of Eurogames has spread worldwide, and many titles now receive international distribution and acclaim. Conventions in Germany gather thousands of fans annually, and 204,000 attended Essen Spiel in 2024.

Eurogames tend to be focused on presenting a complex challenge to players. They feature individual economic competition and resource management 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. Eurogames also emphasize 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 still often have a considerable depth of play.

One consequence of the increasing popularity of this genre has been an upwards in complexity. Games such as Puerto Rico that were considered quite complex when Eurogames proliferated in 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 complex.^{[citation needed]}

Eurogames tend to be well-suited to social play. In contrast to games such as Risk or Monopoly, in which a close game can extend indefinitely, Eurogames usually have mechanics to limit the playing time. Common mechanisms include a predetermined winning score, a set number of game turns, or depletion of limited game resources. Playing time varies from 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 Eurogames that are designed for exactly two players, most games can accommodate between two to six players (with varying degrees of suitability). Six-player games are somewhat rare; examples include Power Grid and Caverna (the latter supporting seven-player games). Some require expansions, such as The Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne. Players usually play for themselves, rather than in a partnership or team.