Board and Card Game Themes

For board and card game events in which multiple games will be played during the session, I like to choose a specific type of board or card game to feature. Currently I am focusing on four broad themes: Eurogames, Amerigames, Wargames and Train Games, each of which is explained below.

Eurogames
Eurogames refers to European Style board and card games, although not all Eurogames are European. Eurogames tend to have a theme that is only loosely tied to the game mechanics, feature minimal and indirect player conflict, and emphasize strategy over simulation.

Examples of Eurogames I play include Acquire, Agricola, Amun-Re, Hoity Toity, Power Grid, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Settlers of Catan, Small World and Stone Age.

Amerigames
Amerigames refers to American style board and card games, although not all Amerigames are American. Amerigames tend to emphasize a highly developed theme, have direct player conflict, and feature significant amounts of luck.

Examples of Amerigames I play include Chaos in the Old World, History of the World, Illuminati, Last Night on Earth, Talisman and Twilight Imperium.

Wargames
Wargames feature direct military conflict as the central theme. There is a lot of crossover between Amerigames and Wargames, and newer Wargames feature elements of Eurogames as well.

Examples of Wargames I play include BattleLore, Conquest of the Empire, Heroscape, Hammer of the Scots, Here I Stand and War of the Ring.

Train Games
Train Games are those in which the operation of a railroad is the central theme. Most train games feature route building, goods transport, and/or a stock market; although not all of these components are found in every train game. For example, Ticket to Ride focuses solely on route building, Chicago Express emphasizes the stock market, and Railroad Tycoon contains both route building and goods transport.

Examples of Train Games I play include Chicago Express, Railroad Tycoon and Ticket to Ride.