German-style board game

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German-style board games, also known as Euro games, designer games, family strategy games or hobby board games, are family games designed to appeal simultaneously to older children and adults. Usually they have simple rules, attractive components, modest length and a tangible theme. Yet still they offer lots of opportunities to make strategic decisions.

While games with all the hallmarks of German style board games originated in the 1960s (Acquire, by Sid Sackson, published by 3M in the USA being a notable example) the genre as a more concentrated design movement originated around the late 1970s/early 1980s in Germany, and per capita that country publishes more board games than any other, hence the name. Nowadays, the phenomenon has spread to many other places in Europe; plenty of the games are designed and published in such places as France and The Netherlands, and while many are published and played in other markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, they remain largely at niche status there.

The Settlers of Catan (in German: Die Siedler von Catan), first published in 1995, paved the way for the genre in the U.S. and outside Europe. It was not the first German game, but it quickly became much more popular than any of its predecessors. It quickly sold millions of copies in Germany, and in the process brought money and attention to the genre as a whole.

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Characteristics

German games are usually designed as a vehicle to underpin a social gathering, rather than to play as an end in themselves as wargaming titles and classic strategy games like Chess and Go often are. Despite this, many titles (especially the strategically heavier ones) are enthusiastically played by "gamers" as a hobby, but the publishers are for the most part aiming their products at "everyman" social play. Bearing this social function in mind, designers have found various characteristics tend to support that aspect well, and these have become quite common across the genre. The following characteristics are consequently typical of German games:

  • Variable number of players - The games are designed to be played with a wide ranging group. Typically the minimum number of players is only two or three, and the maximum might be four or five or even more.
  • Simple, clever rules - The rules for most games are only a few pages and simple to learn. Novel mechanisms that will be unfamiliar to those brought up on older titles are often incorporated. The "roll-and-move" mechanic of games like Monopoly is almost never seen. If a monetary system is included at all, it is usually very simple.
  • No player elimination - The games usually continue until some defined set of criteria is met. At that point, a winner is determined. Players don't get kicked out in midgame by running out of money or armies.
  • Heavy player interaction - Players often trade, compete for resources, try to win auctions, or affect one another in other ways.
  • Minimize direct conflict - War is rarely a theme. It is often difficult or impossible for one player to destroy other players' pieces or position. Usually you are trying to make your own position stronger or stop other players from growing.
  • Mitigated luck - The games usually feature some component of luck to keep the games exciting and varied. However, luck is often balanced against numerous strategic and tactical decisions. A skilled player will win far more than a foolish one.
  • Diversity of situations - The combination of unusual rules and randomness is used to achieve a variety of possible situations. The goal is to keep the game interesting and fresh even after it has been played many times.
  • Modest length - Games are typically designed to take about an hour, and most will rarely take more than two.
  • Attractive - Games are usually well illustrated and have quality board and pieces. Bright coloring, and wood or metal components are not unusual. This does often raise the price (typically between US$20 and US$50).
  • A greater emphasis on mechanics over theme. For example, US style game designers will reuse the same mechanics but with a new theme (or make use of licensed themes from books or movies) whereas German style designers will more so strive for new mechanics but often reuse the same theme.

Another common feature, though not central to actual play, is that the designer is clearly credited - The person or people who devised the game are often prominently mentioned on the box, or at least in the rule book. Top designers enjoy considerable following among enthusiasts of German games. For this reason, the name "Designer games" is often offered as a description of the genre.

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Game designers

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Companies

There are many German companies producing board games, such as Hans im Glück and Goldsieber. Oftentimes German producers will try to establish a line of similar games, such as Kosmos's two-player card game series or Alea's big box line. The rights to sell the game in English are often sold to separate companies. Some try to change the game as little as possible, such as Rio Grande Games. Others, including Mayfair Games, substantially change the visual design of the game.

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Awards

The most prestigious German board game award is the Spiel des Jahres ("game of the year"). The award is very family oriented. Shorter, more approachable games such as Ticket to Ride and Elfenland are usually preferred by the committee that gives out the award. In contrast, the Deutscher Spiele Preis ("German game prize") is often awarded to games that are more complex and strategic, such as Puerto Rico. In many years, however, there is one game with broad enough appeal to win both awards.

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Influence over related genres

The German-style genre of board game has been so influential in Western game design theory as to have set in place new, and more stringent, requirements to which players hold games. Although still commercially successful, old favorites such as Monopoly and Risk have fallen out of favor as game-players become more aware of the other options that are available.

Magic: The Gathering, released in the USA by Richard Garfield, was a landmark game that emerged in 1993, shortly before the popularization of German design concepts. Because nothing like Magic had been done before on such a large scale, many of the cards were not well-balanced with one another and the game required adjustment. The German school of design was heavily influential on the evolution of this dynamic game, which evolved into what would later be termed a "resource game".

Many related card games exist, designed with similar goals in mind. However, because card games usually involve luck incidental from shuffling they are often considered lighter in nature, even though many of them involve quite a bit of skill. Among the most famous of the German card games is Bohnanza, a game which relies on trading to introduce a strategic element.

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External links

de:Autorenspiel nl:Designer game ja:ドイツのボードゲーム zh:德式桌上遊戲

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