Board game jargon: Euro v. AmeriTrash

[faust]

I'm still getting my feet wet with non-mainstream boardgames, and I find it difficult when I go into a store and see all the shiny beautiful boxes calling to me, but I can't distinguish what they will actually be like. I can read boardgamegeek reviews, but they are rife with insider terminology.

So to start the conversation, can someone explain to me the Euro vs. AmeriTrash distinctions? I assume the latter is a pejorative and will probably lead to angry posts. Is there a less insulting version of the term?

[Jimb]

IngredientX is the man to answer this question. But I will give it a shot. I am biased towards euros, though I think the term "Ameritrash" is a bit weird, so I will just use "American".

Euros tend to have less direct interaction between players. This is one of the most subtle but important (to me anyway) differences. In American games, you can severely affect other players on your turn. You can (and often must in order to have a chance of winning) disrupt other players' strategies. A good euro has some level of interaction (competing for limited resources or whatever) but not to the degree that someone can destroy all your plans in one fell swoop.

Euros tend to have wooden bits and tiles, while American games tend to have plastic bits and cards.

Euros tend to have non-violent themes, like trading or farming, often with a historical setting. American games are more often about war or combat or running away from zombies or whatever. But euros tend to be less immersive. You focus more on the abstract mechanics. In an american game you might really get immersed in the tension of running from zombies. A euro game is not actually going to make you feel like a farmer.

It's very rare in euro games for a player to be eliminated before the game is over. Everybody gets to play til the end.

Euro games are usually designed to be playable in an hour or so. Some American style games like Axis and Allies or Descent take several hours.

[cawshis]

BGG has fully embraced the terms and I don't think they're said with any malice....though I guess you have to listen to the tone when saying it.

Eurogame-
wooden blocks/markers
low "chance/luck" factor
theme isn't as important as mechanics
normally low player interaction
low "exceptions" to the rule
tight rule set (it all works well and usually you never have to look anything up after 2 plays)
Examples:
Puerto Rico, Navigador, Princes of Florence

Ameritrash
explosions and hells-to the player versus player-yes!
miniatures/tokens/theme out the butt
most times a very high luck or multiple luck variables in play (like a fuckton of dice or cards)
theme is godly and trumps everything
high "exceptions" as you need to have a base rule set, then tack on exceptions to cover the theme
looser (that's LOOSER. NOT LOSER) ruleset...normally some gaps open to interpretation and fiddly bits interacting
Examples:
Descent: Journey into Darkness, Axis and Allies, D&D Boardgames

Lots of games cross-pollinate:
Dominion, Thunderstone, Settlers of Catan

So it isn't set in stone nor is it pejorative. It's just an awful way of saying "I prefer theme games to mechanically tight games."

[E.T.Smith]

IngredientX made a very thorough post about this a few years back. Interestingly, looks like the "snoot" part got dropped from the Euro label since then (but Americans get to stay trashy).

[BadassWitch]

Euros almost always have wonderful box design - where all of the game pieces have a perfectly shaped little home and don't slide around. Ameritrash = big freaking mess when you transport your games.

Euros pander to my OCD!

[kajabor]

I really liked the term "Eurosnoot." It was such a nice pair with "Ameritrash," and I don't think either needs to be thought of pejoratively. More like good-natured self-mockery.

And I tend to like the Euro games better, mostly because of the tight design and shorter running times, and the way players stay in until the end. But I like the American emphasis on playing defense and offense (i.e. you can attack opposing players and they have to defend against that) instead of the pure offense (everyone just tries to score points) of the Euro games.

Though one of my favorite recent trends is the cooperative game, where you have to sort of work together to defend against an inhuman foe.

[BaronHelix]

Also, the names of the games harken from where the styles were most prevalently found, designer-wise at the time. Avalon Hill, Milton bradley etc were American themed games. Ravensburger, AbacusSpiel etc were German or German adjacent. The reason German games have wooden pieces so frequently is that the German gov't subsidizes the craft so prices stay low.

As to play times... 18xx series of train financing games are generally considered Euro, but many of them put anything but ASL to shame. 1870 frequently clocks in around 7 hours or more. Significantly more.

[IngredientX]

What everybody else said.

The rift seems to have mellowed of late, thankfully. There's enough space for both sides to exist, and many designs seem to incorporate both sides (Endeavor and Imperial are good examples of hybrids).

Still, I think the concept is important. It helps to understand the landscape of gaming these days, and most people will gravitate to one style or the other.

[Ponz47]

I'm by no means an expert in the board game arena, but as you said Faust

I'm still getting my feet wet with non-mainstream boardgames

Me too...I've learned only about the non-mainstream board games through Board Game Nights...which have become "First Priority" on my calendar.

I suspect that I lean more toward the Euro-style games but if I'm mistaken someone can correct me.

As anyone has heard me say (I'm sure it's getting old by now), I fell in love with a game called Genoa. I think it's pretty fantastic and purchased it the day after learning it.

I've also made two other purchases just yesterday of games that I've also fallen madly in love with: Zooloretto and Dixit.

Really, I think I'm just writing here because if you want to plays these games, I'm always dying to play them and I'd love to teach them. Also, if you need players to learn some other games...I'm your man.

Game On!!

[IngredientX]

I suspect that I lean more toward the Euro-style games but if I'm mistaken someone can correct me.

Genoa is quite firmly in the Euro camp. So you've already picked a side!