Day two of BGG.CON in Dallas was a blast, and the rest of the con is looking great. So, let’s take a moment and define some of the terms that get thrown around at this con. [Every community has its own language, and here are some of the terms from the gaming community.]
Cooperative Games: Before three years ago, I had never heard of cooperative games. This was one of the most fascinating areas of learning about game culture. “Co-ops” are what they sound like. Instead of competing, you work together for a common goal. Will you and the other players save the world in Pandemic? Will you save the ship in The Captain is Dead? Cooperative games have a goal, or even multiple goals, and your group either succeeds or fails, together. Definitely a different take on the games I grew up with.
Meeple: A game token of any kind. Your “people”.
RPG: Role Playing Game Dungeons and Dragons is the classic. But there are many more games where you can create a character and live the life of that character.
Point Salad: A term from Eurogaming. A game where there are many different ways to earn points and you must choose which path or strategies to pursue.
Eurogaming: Refers to the European explosion of gaming and games, beginning in the late 1980s, centered in Germany. German culture has loved games for a long time, and Germany is the heart of the modern gaming movement. Settlers of Catan is the most famous game in this category.
Ameritrash: Sometimes disparaging, sometimes loving, an answer to eurogames. Includes classics, wargames, and heavily themed games, like Star Wars.
Point engine: In many games, especially point salad games, you have ways to create systems that continue to generate points in every turn or round. These are called point engines and players speak of “building their engine”.
Dexterity game: These are physical games, games of balance, aim, throwing, flicking, pulling, twisting, etc. Crokinole and Tumbling Dice are good examples of this category, but if you’re new to gaming, just think Jenga.
Roll and move: Like it sounds, a luck-based game. Roll the dice, move your piece. Usually said with a bit of disdain among gamers, but there are those who love them.
Dice tower: Simply a fun way to roll dice while containing them in one place on the table (and off the game board). Dice towers can be simple or complicated and ornate. Some people have them for many games, some games come with them. One famous game company is called Dice Tower.
Deck Builder: A card game where constructing a deck is the main point. Arkham Horror and Dominion are good examples. Note: Magic the Gathering is NOT considered a deck-building game, though you DO build a deck before playing the game.
Tile laying: Like it sounds, laying tiles on a board to achieve different goals. Carcassone is probably the most famous in this category.
Area control: The ancient game of GO is the original area control game. As it sounds, use the game play to control more area on the board, and usually try to completely control the board.
Party game: Taboo, Relative Insanity, Apples to Apples, Codenames, and Two Rooms and a Boom are good examples in this category. Grab a party game, involve a big group, and let the laughs begin.
Now that we have our terms defined, would you like to play a game?
Photo credit: Julia Ziobro
Written by Evan Conroy
