Guide to Enjoying Euro Games

Let's say you have enough of the simple "brainless" games, you may ask what else more is there in boardgames? Plenty, i will say, if you are willing to try out some of the more strategic boardgames. You may think that these games are so complicated and have to think so much that all your brain cells will be dead. How can such boardgames be fun?

Perhaps not everyone have a taste for the more "meaty" board games. For those who will like to give it a try, I will share some thoughts on how to pick up and enjoy these exciting and fun Euro games.

So let's start by exploring the difference between the "brainless" games and the more strategic games.

In the previous entry, i have shared that when folks asked for "brainless" games, it does not mean that they don't enjoy thinking. They are looking for games that are simple to learn and the approach to winning the game is easy to understand.

Here is the big difference. Strategic games can be simple or complicated to learn but the most important trait about such games is that there are many different ways to win the game. Hence new players sometimes do feel overwhelmed by the numerous options available in these meaty Eurogames.

Enough of the crap, lets start by exploring how we can get a hang of these games.

Number of Players

Sad to say, these strategic games ain't for big groups. To play these games, 4 to 6 players will be just nice. Any groups bigger than that, chances are you may have to fall back on the party games.

Getting to know her

If board games have a gender, I wonder what would they be? Since i am a guy, i like to imagine these board games as babes. So for lady gamers, just imagine the board games as Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise.

The first step is to get to know her...


Pillars of the Earth. Look at her, isn't she sexy?

First remember her name and at the same time appreciate her beauty. When you want her the next time, you can request for her using her name. That is much better than using description such as 'the game that connects railways' or 'the game where you can trade sheep and wheat', etc.

For those who want to go further, you can ask about her parents (the game designers). For the above game, they are Michael Rieneck and Stefan Stadler. There are higher profile folks like Alan R.Moon, Reiner Kniza, Bruno Faidutti, etc who have created really good games consistently. You may like to check out some of their works.

Inner Beauty

Take the time to appreciate her inner beauty. Most of the time, you won't be disappointed....




Nice bits and pieces. Take the time to appreciate the little details

Understanding Her

Here is the difficult part. Depending on the game, understanding them can be quite tricky. The problem is that most folks want to understand everything and sometimes get drowned by the details...


Some rulebooks are not too bad...

For this part, you can either choose to read the rulebook or ask our pitstop crew to help you out. We might not know all games but there are certain games that we are really good at explaining and sharing. For me, it is definitely the Ticket to Ride series. God knows how many times have i shared this wonderful game with various groups!

The tip is not to be too concerned with all the details. Get an understanding of the overall concept and roll with it. As you play more and more of such strategy games, you will slowly recognize some of the concepts used. Subsequently you will just get better in understanding how these game works.

The First Date

Once you understand the overall concept and game play, just dive straight in and have the first game. It is very normal in the first game that you have no clue on what is going on. You don't know what you need to do and certain things just doesn't make sense. This is normal. Don't be afraid to explore and try out the different ideas. If you get lost, simply ask our friendly crew for help or refer to the rulebook.

By the time you finish the game, you will have a better idea about what is going on. If during the game, you find that the gameplay feels weird or doesn't make sense, chances are that you may have missed out certain details which affect the gameplay. Simply check with our crew if you have any doubts.


Get started and enjoy the first game

If you still have any questions at the end of the game, you can also start a discussion on our forum. As you start to gain more experience, you will develop a good feel on whether you are playing the game correctly.

Go for More Dates!

Here is the most important thing that many players miss out. Good Euro games ain't one night flings. To enjoy these games, you gotta have more sessions with them. You can't just play a game of Puerto Rico and walk away thinking that there is all to it. It is the subsequent gaming sessions that make these games shine!

The fun of such meaty games is that they provide players with many different ways of achieving their goals. The more timea you play, the more opportunities you get to try out different ideas. This definitely leads to a more exciting gaming experience, something that is hard to get on the first date.

For example, in the game Ticket to Ride, there are different strategies you can explore. Instead of building your own routes, you can try to disrupt other players' routes or focus on building many short routes.

As you get to play more times with the same players, everyone starts to play better as well. You will notice more creative gameplays and you definitely want to play again and try out new ideas.


Play more and each game will get more exciting!

When you start to win consistently, you will realise that you have master the game!

Phew, what a long entry. Even my mum isn't that long winded. Hope you guys find this entry interesting and helpful. Keep a look out for the next article where i will share with you some of the "must play" Euro games.

Pitstop Cafe, sharing the passion of board gaming

astro

Update: This entry has been edited to make it more readable (i hope so). I know the recently entries has been pretty sucky. The things i do are always a rushed job with quality getting from bad to worse. Thanks everyone who has been giving me their feedbacks. It is a well needed wake up call. I will be off on a recharging trip. Hopefully i will come back with the focus that i badly need. See ya!