Terms and definitions

Like any hobby, board games have their own weird lexicon.  Here we will try to help you figure some of it out.

Analysis Paralysis – Sometimes people think too much.  Staring at your pieces and hoping for divine intervention will only annoy your fellow players.  Make your move without putting everyone else to sleep.

Euro-game – This term generally refers to games designed in Europe, typically Germany.  These games tend to be produced very nicely,  have a high replay factor, include decision making and critical thinking skills.  Many of the children’s games we will be reviewing would fall under this category.

House Rule – Any modification to the rules that you make when you play it at your house.  Generally considered poor taste to use when playing elsewhere.

Meeple – General term for the player pieces of a boardgames.  Can also be used to identify the general bits that are used to play the game.

Roll and move – This is a typical type of game mechanic.  The players roll a die or more and then act accordingly.  This also applies to games that use cards instead of die.  Games that use this frequently have little decision making in the game and the players just respond to random occurances.  There are excpetions though, so make sure you check the game out completely.