The best board games Euro
The best board games Euro
Have you angered the checkered gods in a former life?
Do you feel bad when you hear your opponents shout "It was all luck!" after you entangle them in the game?
If so, it may be time to delve into the world of Eurogames, where skills and strategy reign, and dice prisons are a distant memory of the past.
Our best selections for the best European board games
Are you in a hurry? Check out our favorite of Europe’s best board games below.
The best transition
The best fantasy
Best overall
What is the euro board game?
Before we get started, let’s talk about what a Euro board game really is.
The term "Eurogame" is actually quite vague. There are no set criteria for what is and what is not, and there is no world of social players to decide what officially determines which game is called what. It’s a community of like-minded people who somehow agree with conditions that are constantly changing.
Eurogames are usually defined by several features:
- Great emphasis on strategy and skills than luck.
- No direct confrontation of the players.
- Economic topics.
- No player elimination.
Euro board games were originally called German style games and you can read more about their origins and history here .
# 1. Brass: Birmingham
Brass: Birmingham is probably one of the most beautiful games I have ever seen. It captures the Industrial Revolution in fantastic detail.
Placed in the industrial age in England, players take on the role of entrepreneurs looking to increase their wealth when new industries explode. You will need to manage your cards to build industries and buildings. Simply making goods, however, is not enough. You’re going to have to build networks to be able to put them on the market, and there never seems to be enough action or resources to do whatever you want.
Choose your industry from pottery, breweries, coal or manufacturing. Brass offers a huge economic system that gives an amazing story of the industrial revolution. Brass presents itself with a lot of intricate pieces, but it’s built on solid mechanics that creates a crazy strategy game that keeps moving and no game is ever exactly the same.
- Birmingham tells the story of competitive entrepreneurs in ...
- As with its predecessor, you must also develop, build and establish ...
- A custom set of rules and a balance of improved rules for 2 and 3 players ensure ...
# 2. Terraforming Mars
The terraforming of Mars seeks inspiration upwards. The terraformation of Mars is in the hands of several competing corporations. Everyone is interested in the overall quality of Mars, but they are also concerned about their own economic gains on the Red Planet.
Players will have to participate in terraforming Mars as a whole, but they will have individual projects for which they will have to compete for winning points. Mars is not static either. You will have to deal with resource outages, natural disasters and equipment failures throughout the process. It's not easy, but it's one of the best hard science fiction games out there today.
- Compete for various milestones and prizes worth many VPS
- Complete more than 200 different projects
- 1 to 5 players aged 12 or over
# 3. Great Western Route
Growing up in Arizona, I always had a soft spot for Southwestern and cowboy themes. The Great Western Path focuses on the actual cowboys, rather than the shooters for whom the Southwest was famous.
On the Great Western Way, players become cattle breeders. The largest cattle breeders raise cattle in Texas and then have to take the cows north to Kansas City to sell them. Traveling in the past was not easy and they were safely brought there by the careful attention of cowboys.
As a cattle breeder on the Great Western Route, you will need to send your most precious cows north and protect them by hiring cowboys to observe your herds. You will also be able to set up infrastructure alongside cattle. Build your own buildings to make your journey easier, and you can even build a rail network to move your herd more efficiently.
- 2 to 4 players, aged 12+
- It plays in 75 to 150 minutes
- Designed by Alexander pfister
# 4. Holiday for Odin
It's not all about looting and attacking the Vikings. In the Feast of Odin , you will need to manage all aspects of Viking society.
You will need to research and settle and engage in the day-to-day operations of the trade and production of goods. In essence, the Feast of Odin is a complex game to deploy workers .
There are dozens of options to choose from where to place your workers, and just as many different ways to earn points and win.
The holiday for Odin also pulls a double duty, as it comes with a rather impressive version alone .
- VIKING ADVENTURE: Instruct a group of Vikings to trade, hunt, ...
- STRATEGIC GAME: Carefully assign your Vikings to different ...
- CHALLENGING PUZZLE GAME: Created by renowned designer Uwe ...
# 5. Terra Mystica
It’s time to get back to basics and enjoy the good old-fashioned home landscapes. Although ... this is perhaps with 14 different somewhat relative fantasy races having different definitions of the term “domestic”.
Mermaids enjoy scuba diving, and witches love to dance in the woods. You understand the idea.
Terra Mystica is about terraforming the world that best suits your race while everyone else is trying to do the same. It is a great example of a complete information game in which all the moves, knowledge and information are in front of you. You just have to figure out what you're going to do with it all.
- A fun strategy game with a simple principle of the game and very little ...
- Manage one of 14 factions trying to change the landscape on ...
- A large number of possible games entertain you every time
# 6. Concordia
Number 6 takes us back to the glory of Rome! Usually when you hit a game with the theme of the Roman Empire, we’re talking about legionnaires, Gauls, and great battles ... But an empire isn’t built solely on conquests.
Concordia looks at the infrastructure of empire building as you try to create your own economic dynasty.
Concordia uses a very cool tracking mechanic during each player’s turn. If a player uses a card to carry out a campaign, each player has a diplomatic card with which he can perform the same act outside his establishment free of charge.
This increases tension and forces players to be aware of all the moves on the board at all times, so make sure your cell phones are no longer on the table for this.
- For 2-5 players
- 90 minute playing time
- A historical strategy game
# 7. Caverna: Cave Farmers
The cave is the successor to the very popular Agricultural , and I personally think they have surpassed themselves.
Caverna puts the actors in the roles of dwarves who want to carve out a piece of cave-sweet cave that they will call home. To do this, players have to dig up spaces, gather livestock, cultivate farms, and even embark on a few adventures to build their dwarf homestead.
The scoring system and mechanics have been improved and give players much more freedom in building. It is much freer in shape and less rigid than Agricola. Besides, I’ve always been a fan of dwarves.
- AGRICULTURAL GAME: Caverna is a game for placing workers at heart with ...
- STRATEGY PURPOSE GAME: Equip caves as dwellings for your ...
- MORE WAYS TO VICTORY: Just in front of your cave you can ...
# 8. Clan of Caledonia
Our next stop is Scotland. In the 19th century, Scotland went through a period of industrialization. Scotland and textiles have become major exports and completely changed the landscape of Scotland to adapt to economic growth.
The Caledonian clans take this time and give their players a fantastic economic system. When players buy and sell goods, prices rise and fall with an intuitive market mechanism and although it looks like Clans are a monster game, game boards and guides do an amazing job of keeping everything clear and concise while playing.
Can I suggest a bottle of Talisker Skye single malt while playing?
- Board games.
- Publisher: Karma Games.
- Subject Title: Caledonian Clans.
# 9. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is a household name in the world of board games, especially if you are a fan of strategy gaming.
Each player is the regional governor of Puerto Rico and will have to build his infrastructure and economy. Players also need to balance their own building with exports.
Although there is no direct conflict between players, Puerto Rico uses tracking mechanics that allow each player to perform the same action you choose. Here comes the shrewd strategist and one of the best parts of the game.
Can you figure out a move that benefits you while leaving nothing to your opponents?
Puerto Rico is a species of game. Each show will reveal something new that you didn’t think of, or a new path / strategy to explore.
- A game of 3 to 5 players
- 90 minutes of play
- Quality agricultural and economically themed board game
# 10. Power grid
The Power Grid is one of the most important Eurogames. Players must connect a predetermined number of places to their electrical networks.
Sounds simple enough ... right?
Players need to balance the whole economic system and the bidding system to make the most of their time and resources. Of course, coal mines generate more energy, but they need to be provided with resources for their operation. The green path may be more expensive, but windmills will constantly supply energy without any resources.
In addition, with the purchase of power plants, newer and more efficient technologies are emerging that can help your opponents. Is it worth stealing a new factory if opponents are firing on new technology for the first time?
Power Grid is extremely deep and if you are looking for a very strategic and analytical game, you have found it. It hits almost every single item on the Eurogame checklist and you will have 100 games in front of you before you feel like you have mastered it.
- 2 to 6 players
- 90 minutes of play
- For those over 13 years old
# 11. Architects of the Western Kingdom
The year is 850 AD, and the most ruthless enemy you have ever created is the architect.
The Carolingian Empire is expanding and a flock of architects have traveled to earn a name and they don’t care how they do it.
In this game of placing workers, all the usual mechanics you would expect are involved, but with disguise. You will prepare your army of people who are ready to gather resources and gather resources, and the power is in the numbers.
Players will notice an exponential increase in the number of eggs in any location. If you put one man on a forest tile, they will collect one wood. The next bend you can lay another chalk down and get 2 woods instead. But be careful, as competing architects can bribe city guards and arrest everyone on the site and sell them back to jail for ransom.
There are many different paths to success and I haven’t quite found a winning strategy yet (I’ve lost every game). I had a lot of fun figuring out what architects mean, and more still needs to be discovered.
- Western kingdom adventure with beautiful artwork and excellent quality ...
- Become an ambitious royal architect to impress the king with ...
- The first solo play in the Trilogy of the West Kingdom
# 12. Keyflower
Keyflower is a game that will completely destroy you on first play. There's nothing about it ... but stick to it. This is a worker setup game in which players will create their own little piece of paradise with their people, but they will also have to auction and use other players ’tiles to win points.
It’s not as hard to learn as it seems at first glance, but we won’t grasp the nuances of the game until you get a suggestion or two under your belt.
- 64 hexagonal tiles for different versions
- For ages 13 and 2 to 6 players
- The key flower, a joint design by Richard Breese and Sebastian ...
# 13. Trajan
Everything about Trajan is beautifully done. It features a combination of several different mechanics that are one of my favorite games. This is a partial distribution of workers, the euro and even a little Mancale.
Trajan, named after the eponymous Roman emperor, places actors at the center of Roman politics. You will have to juggle your position in the senate, the northern conquests, the infrastructure in Rome, and trade throughout the empire ... all at once.
Trajan balances many historical aspects of Rome and connects it all with a mechanic similar to Mancali. It is extremely complicated to master all the different juggling tasks, but it is extremely useful to play.
- Outsmart your opponents to build the ever-growing city of Rome.
- Carefully choose your actions from the personal circle.
- Created by renowned designer Stefan Feld
# 14. Stone Age
Now is the time to go back to a time when things were ... simpler?
In the Stone Age, players control a small tribe of prehistoric people trying to survive the world by naturally gaining winning points.
Stone Age was probably the first worker-setting game I ever played, so there’s always a nostalgia factor when I talk about it. To be fair, this is one of the games I own that consistently hits the table. There are a number of different paths to success in this game and if you play the cards correctly, you get bonus points for almost every action you perform in the game.
Every time I played, I was able to try out a new strategy that, in my opinion, allowed me a pretty high repeatability.
Players need to balance food supplies, buildings, population growth, technological level and trade. It’s a lot of different ways to play / win, and the best part is that it’s relatively easy to learn, so it’s a great transition game .
- THE STONE AGE, A FASCINATIVE ADVENTURE IN THE PAST
- 2 to 4 players
- 60 minutes of play
# 15. Skye Island: From Chief to King
Isle of Skye is a simple tiling game. If you are familiar with this Carcassonne then you will have a rough idea of what you are doing. The Isle of Skye, however, really shines and raises the tension to 11, so players bid for the tiles they get.
Instead of simply dropping tiles inadvertently, you will need to plan the values and potential values of the tiles. You may be able to fill up in the last round and achieve great results, but the board is constantly changing and here, of course, are your opponents who have their goals in mind.
Skye Island is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and the artwork of the game is extremely well done. If you’re still not sure, there’s a free mobile app you can try to learn the rules as well, so it’s a win-win.
- GAME PLASTILNIK: Isle of Skye has been awarded several times, ...
- STRATEGIC GAME: Isle of Skye is a classic tiling game where ...
- CHALLENGING AND COMPETITIVE: Immediately recognizable to everyone ...
Wrap-Up
We hope you like our list. Nothing is quite like winning a Euro match against a group of highly strategic players. Of course, there is something to be said if you bet everything in turn by rolling the dice, but with the euro by your own actions you are rising and falling.
Did you have a recommendation or did your favorite not come up on the list?
We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
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