So recently my husband and I started attending this interest meeting every week that's for people who enjoy board games.  We were introduced to so many fascinating games!  I grew up with American style board games, like Candyland, Monopoly, and Operations.  However, there's a whole different genre (for those of you that don't know) called euro games.  They are -completely- different from American board games.  I'd like to know if any of you have played this type of game, and if you could tell me a bit about them so we can look into them.

Some of the ones I have tried are Ticket to Ride, Thieves of Baghdad, and 7 Wonders.

Thieves of Baghdad was my second favorite, but 7 Wonders is by FAR my favorite euro game I've tried so far.  My husband even went and bought it so that we could play it more.

In case you've never played it, in 7 Wonders, you are randomly assigned a legendary city which has resources unique to it, and unique 'wonders' you can build.  Two things I really like about this game are that everyone plays their turn at the same time, so gaming time is minimal if you're in a rush; and each city card has an 'easy' side and a 'difficult' side so that you can choose how much you wish to be challenged.

There are cards with three ages on them, and the first round is played with the first age cards, which are split between all the players. Each player considers the cards in his or her hand and picks one they wish to use.  These cards might give you extra resources, allow you to buy resources at a cheaper price, obtain 'victory points' which are used to win the game, or build an army for the battle phase.  Some cards are free to build while others might cost you some of your gold, or a resource.

Once you've picked your card, you pass the remaining cards to the person next to you, so that every time, you have a new set of cards to pick from!  Everyone turns their cards over at the same time to reveal what they built.  This is important because you can trade with the person to your right and to your left.

You keep doing this until you are through with the first age, and then you enter the battle phase, where the person the biggest army wins. You battle with the person to your left and to your right, but nobody else, just like buying resources and trading your hand.  You get victory points if you win the battle and lose victory points if your opponent wins.

Then, the rounds are repeated again, but with the age 2 cards, and finally with the age 3 cards.  As the ages progress, the cards become more expensive and t becomes harder to pick cards which will be useful. The last age doesn't even have any resources that you can build.

Once all three rounds have been played, you add up all your victory points and the person with the most wins.

Of course, there are many other small details to the game which I left out for the sake of being succinct.  For example, there is an aspect of scientific research which can get you points, or 'leader cards' (which I haven't been taught how to play yet.)

Anyways, the game is TONS of fun, and I highly recommend it to anyone that likes board games.  The average play time is around 30 minutes.

Oldschool41 :  while I certainly appreciate your input, I'm looking for less usual games.    You know, like the kind you don't find in a typical Amercian household.  if you know of any games from other countries, I'd love to hear about those!

The most unusual game I've ever heard of is Castle Panic. I don't think it's foreign, but I have no idea. Here's a video of it being played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpuTGWFkBYs&list=FLxwUj-yRYB0g0W05uEzppiQ

Will Wheaton actually has a bunch of really unique and interesting board games on his youtube segment. You might be interested in looking through them.

Well to somebody it  might not be that much of a unique or game you would like to play, but the board game i like to play is monopoly from where im from thats all we play. Its all about that money.

Crazy Li :  Thank you for your post, which actually answers the question I posed, instead of spamming my thread with responses that don't answer my question.

I truly appreciate your suggestion as well, and that video was very entertaining!  Where do you find links like that?  I'm not through watching it, but you're right... it looks fascinating! :O  I want to try and it!  LOL

I didn't know tower defense games exist as a table top!  O.o

Oldschool41 : I wouldn't call Mahjong a board game. It's closer to a card game but played with tiles instead of cards.

Singelli : You're welcome. I do try to legitimately answer the topic whenever I make a post :p I don't post just for the sake of posting, after all.

Anyway, I find stuff like that just by using youtube a lot. I used to watch this web series which had Will Wheaton as part of the cast. The person who was behind it I believe was a woman named Felicia Day who has her own youtube channel and Will Wheaton is affiliated with it and makes these board game segments. That's essentially how I came across that video.

Crazy Li : hmm guess your right. Mahjong was a little confusing to classify becuase its similar to Dominos and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what Dominos is classified as. Thanks for the info!

Oldschool41 : You're right. Dominoes is a good comparison. And similarly, I've never heard Dominoes classified as anything but being Dominoes (unless we're talking pizza :p)

It's a tricky situation and I don't know myself what the correct term for it is. For all I know, people DO actually call these board games. I just know that I don't.

Crazy Li : I guess that the table your playing Dominoes or Mahjong on counts as a board, maybe? I have no idea in all honesty. Now I'm starting to crave Dominoes pizza lol.

Mahjong is fun, I agree, but still not what I'm looking for.

I do a board game thingy every week, and it's a blast.

In Thieves of Baghdad, you have to move thieves around by paying cards.  It's very heavily strategic though because you can only move your thieves into specific palaces, or based off what cards you can pay.  That one is much harder to explain than 7 Wonders though, unless you can see the board and pieces.