It really bugs me when people call any board game a 'Eurogame' just because it's not full of fighting

I was at a game night in Portland last week and someone pulled out a new area control game with direct conflict. Another player immediately said, 'Oh, I don't play Euros, too dry.' The game in question had player elimination and dice combat. That's not a Eurogame. A Eurogame is defined by indirect conflict, resource management, and low luck. I've been collecting games for over ten years and this mix-up happens all the time. It matters because it sets wrong expectations and can turn people off from trying great games in a genre they might actually like. Calling everything without miniatures a 'Euro' just makes the term useless. Has anyone else had to correct this at their local meetups?

3 comments

3 Comments

david_mason5727d ago

Totally feel this lol. Was at a cafe game day and someone called Azul a "mean Euro" because you can mess with people's plans. Like, it's an abstract tile layer, not a Euro! Drives me nuts when the term just means "no plastic monsters" to some folks. Makes it impossible to actually talk about game styles.

haydeng4726d ago

Yeah, that label creep is so real, david_mason57. I've heard people call Cascadia a "thinky Euro" when it's just a chill pattern game. It feels like the terms lose all meaning after a while.

seth21821d ago

My buddy got into a whole thing because someone called Carcassonne a "heavy Euro." I mean, it's just laying down tiles, idk.