Board Game Terms: Explained

[@PauloFrench]

Best part about this was seeing 23 games in 23 minutes :) Keep that coming... I can usually tell if I want to buy a game within this type of one minute demo/pitch/review.

[@dannys_78]

Fantastic video! Although I've become familiar with most of these games over the past few years, it's a great introduction for people who get confused when we mention these terms... Next one to cover would be "Analysis Paralysis", "Kingmaker", "Alpha" and similar terms

[@odenwalder83]

Actually, if you don't want to wait for another video, there is a quite comprehensive "glossary" of gaming terms on the BGG wiki: boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Glossary Although I would certainly approve of having some more definitions in video form :)

[@plouf1969]

Oh Tom, I've seen so many of your videos but this one's so awesome. After months playing and learning new board games, this is a great reward as it helps me to consolidate terms and jargon that I had some kind of an intuition about. Thanks so much!

[@lylejackson645]

I picture a single tear running down Eric Summerer's cheek when he watches the pick up and deliver section, and he notices that Merchant of Venus was not the example.

[@L4dyOsc4r]

Thank you very much Mr Vasel for this video. I'm new to board games and I have being wondering what some of the terms used in the game reviews actually mean. I figured some of them and you did the rest. Very much appreciated and helpful for newbies and non English native speakers (which I both am).

[@robbert-janmerk6783]

I like that you've done a video other than a review or a top ten list. Hopefully you get more ideas for videos like this!

[@StartSpaceGaming]

Great video Tom! For those interested, our Dice Tower Network show The Start Space Podcast focuses on getting people into the hobby. Every episode, we do something like this video in our "Gamer Lingo" section. We take one particular term, define it and talk about it. Just wanted to throw this out there for anybody looking for more of this kind of content.

[@katrinawarren9582]

Thank you so much for this video. I teach a middle school game design class and this has been a great video to use to have a collection of mechanics we can use when we play all sorts of games. :)

[@bradymccann]

fantastic video. These Dice Tower videos are getting better and better!

[@onlythistube]

Great, great job... I am really looking forward to future episodes of boardgame university from Prof. Vasel himself. Thanks, Tom.

[@micahshort2]

Nice job Tom! I'm excited to see more of these "Beginner Gamer" videos in the future.

[@rickdecker694]

Thanks Dice Tower. Great stuff and definitely a go-to video for people new to the hobby. Keep it up Mr. Vasel!

[@Brend0ver]

Awesome vid, Tom. Keep 'em coming. More people for the hobby!

[@Ratstail91]

Not shown because they didn't really exist at the time: Legacy games. These games (named for Risk Legacy) have a unique feature where as you play, you actually modify the game itself, such as applying stickers to the boards, ripping up cards, etc. These changes persist to later playthroughs. This can result in some games becoming unplayable after a certain number of plays (such as Pandemic Legacy), but you generally still get a fantastic experience from them that you don't from non-legacy games. I wanted to add this since I'm currently making a legacy game...

[@xenothonstelnicki597]

Great vid. Funny to think how little of this jargon I knew just a few years ago. Also, possibly best shut the door ever?

[@necrotoaster94]

Tom, this is great. Good to point newcomers to or for folks who need a refresher. Much appreciated.

[@AndAlltheNerdyFun]

This was great! Most of the terms I've been able to figure out but I really appreciate this helpful guide.

[@kalliopekalmeyer4073]

Great video, Tom! The terms certainly were helpful and easy to understand when presented like this

[@johnbyrne8128]

This was cool. Is this part of the "introduce people to the hobby stuff?" Either way, liking the direction of the dice tower - live plays, this and the mini top ten units/cards from certain games are all interesting things.

[@paulbatey3066]

This is a great video that probably took a long long time to put together. Go and pay the guy or catch the last few days of the kickstarter. Top job Tom.

[@johchadow]

Thanks, Tom! Where was this a year ago when I was just getting back into board gaming? :-) This will be very helpful to people getting into board games or who have been out of the hobby for a long time. I know I'll be pointing people to it as a starter guide.

[@brockhutchinson380]

Great video. Zee might be upset that you referred to Pandemic as just "this game." :)

[@fenrirsulfr42]

This comment was almost prophetical

[@fredmcmack]

Board game terms! What's next? A brief history of game designers? The continued effect on board games in society? The science of game manufacturing? Wait, those actually sound cool.

[@gobotjones]

You forgot to say "thank you".

[@fredmcmack]

***** [jesting exasperation] [support of additional, similar videos]

[@Jarb2104]

fredmcmack You still forgot to say thank you.

[@Robin-ve7ck]

Why would he say thank you, when the implication was that he felt the video was a video too many? Also, no one is obliged to say thank you, and most that do convey this by way of a "like" anyway.

[@Jarb2104]

Robin Browne You also forgot to say thank you. And because Thank you.

[@MisanthropicPrime]

The best guest "Shut the Door!" person EVER.

[@stevef3663]

Very good. Thanks Tom. Useful reference for players like me and others who are new gamers or casual gamers. Nice.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

I would argue that “action point selection” gives you a number of points to use, rather than a number of actions. Then the number of actions you get depends on how many points each action uses - and which action(s) a player chooses to use.

[@Jarb2104]

Great video Tom, I already used to help a friend of my that's getting into the hobby :). One thing tho, I would mention which terms refer to "Mechanics", "Play Styles" and "Types of games", as to avoid confusion. Even tho some terms can be interchangeable.

[@GiantDevilDog]

Thanks so much for the video. I am new to board games and some terminology, when doing research on what game I want to buy, can be a bit confusing.

[@JoeJonesonline]

Awesome and long overdue video.

[@kjerins]

Great idea, Tom! I'd love to see a part 2 as well :)

[@farrellseymore8751]

Excellent video. The examples are also well done!

[@SteelBreeze021]

Thanks for the video, Tom. Informative as always. Please consider "Economic Games" as another entry to this list.

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

You guys need to do a top 10 Abstract Games video.

[@shumandaniele]

I was going back and forth on whether to support the kickstarter. This video and the other recent quickie top 10's made up my mind. Nice added dimension. Check is in the mail.

[@Mottaqian]

Very informative. Thank you from Iran.

[@jkledis]

I am just getting into gaming - thank you - I found this very helpful!

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Sorry, but I wouldn’t use chess as an example in order to teach the difference between strategy and tactics, because that is the one game in which strategy and tactics have a VERY specific meaning. Chess tactics are the sequence of moves which chess players use to gain an advantage (such as forks/double attacks, pins, skewers, checks, discovered attacks, discovered checks, etc.) It involves attacking the actual pieces of your opponent on the chessboard. Chess strategy, on the other hand, rather than being about attacking the chess pieces, is more about POSITION and putting your pieces in the best positions in order to gain a tactical - ATTACKING advantage. Hence, the study of chess strategy involves: Pawn structures, good vs. bad pieces (again, WHERE is the best place to place your pieces?), etc. They are 2 completely different things in chess, though. Unlike most other games.

[@randomfleming]

I was hoping for definitions for Euro and Amerithrash. :(

[@NewTrollVideos]

I too was hoping for better clarification on those terms. Maybe we'll see those in another video! :)

[@StefanLopuszanski]

That is a lot more subjective. Generally they have a lot of elements that make it up, not one single definition. Euro games are generally about economic or system building and if they involve luck have it up front so you can plan around it. Ameritrash games (or Amerthrash as Tom likes to call it) are more about having experiences. They often involve high luck factors (coming after actions are chosen to resolve the outcome), direct confrontation, theme over mechanisms, and so on.

[@prinnydood]

me too

[@JayChampagne]

Stefan Lopuszanski Agreed, as to the subjectiveness of the definitions. There are some games, like Agricola or Zombicide, that one could easily classify as one or the other. Increasingly, however, many games combine elements of both.

[@StefanLopuszanski]

Jay Champagne Wait, what? Agricola is easily a Euro and Zombicide is easily an Ameritrash game. Those are pretty well defined games... Games like Eclipse are more blurred.

[@jukka-pekkatuominen4540]

Hopefully in later video you can describe what is an Eurogame. I'm from Europe and I have no idea. Also - there was no explanation of a role playing game. The others were explained simply enough so I'd like to hear that in a simple manner. For example. Is Battlestar Galactica considered a role playing game? Or is a asymmetrial game (that was explained). Or are those the same thing? I could argue that it is a role playing game, but then again. The characters don't really evolve in BSG and remain basically the same in every game. Some people say that Hero Quest is a role playing game, but in that game the heroes don't evolve much either. So hopefully there is another video to explain more tems.

[@rockxhero]

Future video! I hope to use this video (& future ones( as an educational tool for my Facebook pages & Board Game Events I host to create awareness in my city!

[@yes4me]

Now I know I am more into Filler and Gateway Games (due to my gaming friends). I usually hate Abstract, Area control, CDG, CCG, and work placement games. The latter tend to be harder to introduce people into board games, and the rules are more complex.

[@jankogo]

Exactly the episode I was looking for. A lot has happened the last 20 years... :)

[@wroot_lt]

Role selection should be on this list :) Like in Rattus, though it is very similar to worker placement.

[@fernandomeneses6956]

Great video!!! Very nice explanations, thanks!

[@meechibell9602]

Thank you for this video, Tom! I don't often post out here, but I'll try to do so more often because I really appreciate your family friendly videos. My teenagers, who are all about video games, are now excited about playing board games thanks to your videos... though my husband's wallet may not be as thrilled about it. ;) lol Anyway, keep up the great work!

[@VieneLea]

OH MY, HOW DID I MISS THAT VIDEO? I love it, FINALLY!

[@AgentKuo]

Rondel should have been on this list. You've used it several times and I still don't understand what it means.

[@Mifoi]

Great explanations! Thank you! :)

[@frederikb.christensen1187]

This was so good my friend! very informative

[@MrJustintreat]

My favorites are resource management and worker placement. Could play them all do

[@Trizelz]

greatly appreciate this one. thanks Tom

[@kacperprzybysz3328]

GREAT JOB! Lots of work put into this video, really useful to new guys in the hobby :)

[@McBehrer]

This is a really cool idea for a video. I really like it. Maybe another talking about different suggestions, by genre? Not a top 10 list, just like a top 2 or 3 of each genre, in 1 video. Like, for people wanting to get into a new genre but not knowing where to start?

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

Could a poker variant like Texas Hold-'em be considered a deck building game? You don't actually buy cards per se, but community cards are considered part of every player's hand, and players try to build the strongest hand they can from the combination of their own cards and the community cards.

[@juanc5118]

This type of video is the one that i was looking for a long time! Even when I'm already use to most of the terms is a good recap. Btw Tom or anyone else know about a website for board game music or background music and also a good website for game token and meeples? (not meeple source or broken token).

[@johannesblank1552]

Thanks Tom. Great work.

[@ksawery6568]

Thumbs up for listing timestamps :)

[@ionas82]

I miss two bidding things. - Pay to bid (Infamy) - The very twisted bidding of Loewenherz

[@ionas82]

ECG and CCG are actually very bad terms because BY ITS TERM a LCG is also a ECG / CCG - just when you get all cards once you buy a box (Dominion, Netrunner) there is basically no point to trade thus the term TCG doesn't fit - despite the communities understanding of ECG/CCG it is actually bad terminology. Also there is a big difference between a slow LCG that always integrates all cards like Dominion and a fast paced subscription-like game like Netrunner or even possibly X-Wing which are much closer to the old games workshop publishing models of making previous purchases obsolete.

[@ionas82]

ionas82 The communities definition of "cooperative games" is actually very bad as most of these are multi-player solitaire games. Pure coops should have some way to really make every player count - like for instance Hanabi, Say Bye to the Villains, Space Alert or Dungeon Fighter. The "coop" term is very miss-leading as it implies that you NEED to work together, and usually in solitaire multiplayer games you don't: you can play it alone or command around other players to follow your lead (or be commanded around).

[@ionas82]

ionas82 Liked your differentiation of strategy and tactics. Pointed out very well!

[@ionas82]

ionas82 I see you made it to worker placement but successfully avoided amerit(h)rash vs eurogame :P

[@woehrle17]

HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS

[@lemoolscript]

Curiously this should be linked somewhere important for people who are new to the hobby

[@unfitcheetah]

Tom great video, thanks. If you do this again can you explain what is meant by a euro style game as i simply can't together my head around what determining factors are used in this designation?

[@kyledalrymple1548]

I think the terms "Euro game" and "Ameri-trash" are very blurred now as aspects of both camps come together more and more in recent years. It's hard to tell what's what now, but traditionally I think that a "Euro Style" game is somewhat light on theme and has more of a focus on non-combative mechanisms. By contrast, traditional "American Style" games are very heavy on the theme, but probably have simpler mechanics with more conflict between players. Of course this is all my personal definition and at this point in time it seems like everybody has their own criteria and it doesn't always match up from person to person.

[@unfitcheetah]

***** Thanks Kyle that's great.

[@yes4me]

Ian Findlow In my understanding, Eurogames are board games where all players played until the end. For example, ticket to ride is a game where everyone play until you count the score. Poker is NOT be a Eurogame. Once you have no money left, you are out. The other players keep playing.

[@randomfleming]

I don't agree, Kyle. Plenty of Euro games have strong themes. Brew Crafters, Kanban, Panamax and Caverna, for example.

[@kyledalrymple1548]

randomfleming To be fair, of the games you've mentioned here, the oldest one is Caverna from 2013 and, as I said, the two camps have become very blurred and intermingled in recent years, but that doesn't make the more traditional definitions I've given above any less true. If you are looking for a solid answer to the question "What is the modern definition of a Euro/Ameri-trash Game?" then I think you will have a much harder time pinning that one down because the terms are, in my opinion, becoming more and more ambiguous as modern board games continue to take on a "best of both worlds" approach. Ameri-trash games are gaining mechanisms with more complexity and other traditionally Euro aspects, while Euro games are now full of strong themes and possibly some heavier player vs player conflict. Does being an American style game automatically exclude a game from being considered a Euro style as well, even if it has strong Euro aspects, or vice versa? That's a more philosophical question that I won't endeavor to answer, but I think it is something to ponder a bit. With most modern games and barring the occasional game leaning towards one extreme or the other, a lot of newer releases like somewhere closer to the equator between the poles of Euro and Ameri-trash and those are the ones you might be more hard pressed to stick a satisfactory label on.

[@lisaflores2540]

looking for a printable list/chart of maybe few hundred great games and what mechanics are played in each. Is there such a thing?

[@sjinzaar]

“…lizard, Spock”. Hahaha. I heard that!

[@solodragun]

The beard! Lol, thought about doing a vid like this awhile back myself. Good vid and I hope the beard is here to stay awhile Tom :0)

[@thedangeroussaint]

Could you put a list of the games featured in the description please? I'm especially interested in the hot air balloon game.

[@ismaelcebrianmarco7288]

Which game is used as an example of Area Control in 3:04 ? The board seems to represent Spain but the names are written in German...

[@ismaelcebrianmarco7288]

D'oh . It is written in the video itself, "El Grande"

[@ogulkoker]

What is the game that’s used for deck building example?

[@MsGinahidesout]

How is Resource Management different from Worker Placement?

[@jameschester1727]

Good video, Tom

[@TheRaphaelnorton]

Thank you so much for this

[@tsukune007]

the most famous trick taking game tom is BRIDGE

[@omnitheus5442]

I think you should of mentioned Ameritrash and Euro to the mix as well.

[@lifeofandrewlynn9448]

This is great, Thanks!

[@raymonddavies2934]

Thank you.. Great for someone like me that is new to board gaming. Can someone explain the reviewers term 'flavour' which I presume is different to theme? Thank you

[@antoyal]

Hmm, I think that "flavor" has a less universal meaning than "theme" does, and probably varies quite a bit from reviewer to reviewer. I'll bet that some folks equate the two, even. But here's my attempt at differentiating them. Theme covers the setting of the game (historical, fantasy, steam punk, etc.), the nature of the units that the player will be controlling (individual adventurers, starships in a fleet, work teams of imps, etc.), and the way that the players interact with each other and with the environment presented by the game (trading in the Mediterranean, maneuvering to get their love letter to the princess, waging war, etc.). When it's done right, theme will be in sync with the game mechanics as well. For example, in Android: Netrunner the mechanics do a great job of conveying the apparent mismatch between the hacker and the corporation, and depending on how well the hacker is doing the player will either feel like a triumphant, unstoppable gadfly or like a hunted animal who can barely stay a step ahead of the grim reaper. When theme is not wedded to the mechanics it feels pasted on, and the game can feel like it's basically an abstract. Flavor can really mean different things, now that I think about it. I think that part of it is the feeling that you get while playing the game. For example, a cooperative game that involves the possibility of traitors has a very different flavor from one where there can be no traitors, even if the overall themes of the two games are similar. Another definition for flavor would be the extra ways that the game conveys its theme, such as through flavor text on cards, the art, and the components. Those things are not strictly necessary, and they do not themselves constitute theme, but they do add flavor.

[@fredmcmack]

"Flavor" is the delicious taste of cards after a few handfuls of plays. ;) Theme is typically what the game is about while flavor is the manifestation of theme via game components. So Arkham Horror, for example, has a Lovecraftian horror theme that's revealed to the players via "flavor text" on the various cards.

[@PITTplayer25]

Great idea for a video!!!

[@deathrace8287]

Thanks Dude! I said GOODDAY SIR!!

[@dannys_78]

Most famous Trick Taking Game... wouldn't that be Bridge?

[@Tomáš_Nithrania]

may sounds weird, but i have no idea what does it mean: "Go and initiate" mechanic.

[@Yamatashi]

Is there a term for games like Magic the Gathering and Android: Netrunner where you construct your deck beforehand from a pool of cards or is that inherent and assumed for a game being a CCG/LCG? Such as deck construction vs. deck building?

[@simland]

I think you hit it spot on, CCG/LCG: Deck Building.

[@antoyal]

Yes, I think that at this point that sort of between-games deck tuning is assumed when you talk about a CCG or LCG game. It would be a rare CCG that didn't allow for that, I think. Meanwhile, "deck building" has come to have the definition that Tom gives in the video, and is pretty much reserved for games like Dominion, Star Realms, and so forth. At least that's what I have seen out there.

[@kkirT]

Well, in Magic you can either play "Constructed" (when you build with cards from your collection) or "Limited" (when you draft or open packs). "Deck Building" is generally when you start with a deck of cards and then add more cards to your deck throughout the game, I don't know of any Magic format that does that.

[@Jarb2104]

Trikk There is stack pile in MTG,where you have a single deck of cards from which everyone is drawing (only none lands cards), and 5 decks of lands, from which everyone can also draw. That is somewhat deck building, but you are not choosing which cards to get, except for lands. It kinda relays a lot in luck, but that is why I play it only with common and uncommon cards, as to keep it more "balanced".

[@lora6938]

What is the game on the splash screen? Red, blue shapes!

[@giboleum]

Great video!

[@Lexandmax81]

What is an "rendall"?

[@ayahoo16]

great video

[@erichoss5684]

Thank you. I needed this.

[@jonathandodd7682]

Tom, where can I get the virus tokens you have for Pandemic? They look awesome!

[@chadroberts7540]

Check out MeepleSource. I got some recently, and you can get custom meeples instead of the normal player pawns.

[@theindyjt]

The ones he has are from Litko (he mentioned it in some video I saw once. Maybe a Q&A?): www.litko.net/products/Virus-Token-Set-%28120%29.html#.VMrQU2jF98E Meeple Source also has a set that you could check out: www.meeplesource.com/proddetail.php?prod=PandemicGermSet

[@jonathandodd7682]

Nice. Thanks, guys!

[@hitman5204]

awsome video

[@jonydude]

So a game with a lot of back and forth is... Every game ever made? That would explain why I've never heard him say "has no back and forth"

[@boardgamer55]

For some reason I have a problem with differentiating between Luck and Randomness

[@jonydude]

"Back and Forth" is a term you use a lot, and I still don't know what it means. I knew all the terms in the video though.

[@fredmcmack]

"Back and forth" typically means players taking actions in response to each other. Think tennis.

[@JJ_TheGreat]

There are also “Dutch Auctions”.

[@savannafc]

Perfect for teaching my wife!!!

[@outlawlaw]

great vid tom :)

[@tree_fingers]

Can we put some of those kickstarter dollars to getting you guys a nice camera for some real HD audio and video? Then maybe we can get some 1080p vids? passive aggressive Canadian signing off ;-)

[@ProcrastinatinZombie]

Hey guys, anyone knows what the term or name used for board games without turns/rounds. If there aren't any, can someone give me suggested games?????????

[@Shuckleking87]

Real-time game would probably be terminology, and these games would be like "escape, the curse of the temple" "galaxy truckers", "space cadets," and "ugg-tect"

[@ProcrastinatinZombie]

Shuckleking87 Thank you. Been trying to figure this out for 3 days or so now. Also one more thank for the game suggestions.

[@misdirections]

I love this video

[@eviltwinsv]

Great video. Thanks Where did you get the viruses for Pandemic? They are awesome!

[@NightSpook]

Haven't finished watching the video yet, but what about dungeon crawler :-)

[@IndependentOutsider]

Is that a werewolf or a werespider?

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Ok, so what is the difference between abstract (strategy) games and Eurogames, then? You like to complain about how Eurogames don’t have themes. Does that mean that all Eurogames are abstract (or all abstract games are Eurogames)?

[@PersianImm0rtal]

Euro game should be a term explained

[@gabudabi]

Where's your hat?