never more than like 3 or 4 ppl at a time right

This feels like entrapment.

I've got these two games all laid out on my living room table, since I'm trying to learn them. They might get their first plays during the weekend.

https://cf.geekdo-images.com/itemrep...pic1458279.jpg
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/91523/mondo

https://cf.geekdo-images.com/itemrep...pic2546156.jpg
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/.../broom-service

Interesting that the old Ameritrash vs Eurogames dichotomy hasn't been brought up yet. I'm all about that "Euro" stuff and I hate the most typical examples of so called "Ameritrash". Don't blame me for those terms. They're commonly used these days.

Broom Service is awesome! Haven’t played the other game

Ameritrash vs Euro is an interesting discussion. I love examples of both genres. Though it’s interesting you hated on games with more rules than are necessary yet you love euro games, since I feel that some games in that subgenre tend to add a lot of bloated rules to make the game feel more complex to cater toward the “intellectual” crowd

Yeah Munchkin is a neat little game. Not enough depth to keep me playing consistently but I’ve had a good time playing it

I've played a number of Lovecraft themed games, fantasy games, Warhammer games and a few others owned by a friend of mine. I play most of those just because we've got a democratic way of deciding what we play. I really hate most of them. The games he loves tend to feel like big, self-run machines that don't really give me, the player, much input. It's a large amount of rules that amount to a bunch of random outcomes.

http://www.starlitcitadel.com/helm/w...or-laidout.jpg

Could simplify some of those miserable Arkham-this or Arkham-that boardgames down to a diceroll and mercifully shorten the play time.

I suppose fans of these would say they're about the "story", but there's so little story that I wonder why I wouldn't just play an actual pen & paper role playing game instead. I hate this hybrid crap. It's the worst of both worlds.

*ahem*

Sorry about the rant. My dislike of some of these games is real. I've suffered through countless hours of slow, grinding boredom.

But sure, I've played some damn tedious Euro type games as well. Power Grid comes to mind *shivers*

I’m not really into Eldritch Horror or Arkham Horror either, so I’m with you there

A variation on that theme that I like a lot more is Betrayal at House on the Hill. Waaaaay less complex and it’s just about having a lighthearted good time. Halfway through the game you’ll trigger a random “haunt” where one or more players in the group betray everyone else and then it becomes a cool 1 vs all where everyone has new powers and options based on the haunt that came up. As a “game” it’s not that interesting but as an experience it works great. And I like it a lot more than the titles you listed because it’s way simpler and does not take itself nearly as seriously

I don’t really know what all falls under the umbrella because its a bit vague, but there are some other awesome American games like King of Tokyo (designed by the creator of Magic: the Gathering) which is similarly light hearted and easy to grasp but tons of fun. You all control a giant Godzilla-esque monster and you’re battling with Yahtzee-style dice rolls to be king of the city. Such an awesome time while drinking with friends

The whole "Euro game" and "Ameritrash" thing is by nature a bit vague, but it's basically about design sensibilities.

"Euro games": A more rule-based, tactical thing, that at their worst devolve into "multiplayer solitaire syndrome" where there is no direct interaction between players, who all just focus on optimizing their own little point scoring engine.
Themes tend to be pasted on to the degree where the game will still feel highly abstract.
At best, they're elegant and interesting to play and have some neat ways of interacting with other players.

"Ameritrash": A wildly derogatory term that has since been embraced by the people who like these games. They tend to be all about theme and power fantasies. As a consequence, tactical content can disappear under the weight of thousands of little bits and pieces and random dice rolls and so much chaos that it's hard to have any sort of meaningful plan.

At best, there's some real tension building as players perhaps cooperate to fight some demon baddies or whatever... gotta admit I can't think of one truly good example of a well designed "Ameritrash" game. Tends not to be my cup of tea.

At some level, I feel like Euro vs Ameritrash is kinda like Hipsters vs Neckbeards.

But of course it's all a bit silly and plenty of board games fit neither stereotype.

Well of course there are a lot of variety in both, and some games combine aspects of the two. Scythe for example, where the core gameplay is very Euro-inspired but it also features variable player powers and a very developed theme. It’s consequently one of my 2 or 3 favorite games I’ve played

And like I said Ameritrash games aren’t all needlessly complex. I think under your clarifications King of Tokyo is clearly an Ameritrash game, but it’s incredibly simple. I’ve played it eith my fiancee’s 70 year old grandma and she loved it. I’ve also played it with a group of drunk/stoned 24 year olds and we also loved it in that context.

I will say I appreciate a fun theme to a game. A title you may have heard of that I own is “Castles of Burgundy,” which, while being objectively a very fun euro game with satisfying, smooth gameplay, is pretty rarely played by me or my group because it’s just a bit bland and soulless. It’s just washed out, generic, middle-age art and feels so mechanical and dry. I love when my euro games add flavor. An example of one that absolutely kills it in that regard is Viticulture, which has a cool theme (you’re running a winemaking business!) with more interesting art and a pleasing board to look at. So I need elements of both styles to truly love a game personally

There is a tendency for Euro style games to be thematically on the dry side, I'll totally give you that one. I guess theme isn't so important to me. I'd happily play a game if it was just a bunch of colored triangles and squares. Although an attractive theme does make it a bit better. I guess it's maybe not even so much the theme for me, but a question of visual aesthetics.

Samurai might just be my favorite game and it's... not exactly extremely imaginative on the visual and thematic side of things:

http://www.danbecker.info/games/revi...muraiBoard.gif

I Googled that wine making board game and it does look like something I'd like to play.