I love games. Card games, board games, computer games, bowling, pool . . . I love them all. My idea of the perfect Christmas Eve is hours and hours of sending everyone else's Aggravation marbles back to base while pretending to feel badly about it, followed by hours of having my tail kicked in Trivial Pursuit by those who know much more useless trivia than I do.
I thought I was well versed in the games of the world. I knew that every country has their own version of Parcheesi. The French use horses for their Parcheesi, and they bowl on the lawn. The Turks are formidable Backgammon opponents. The Peruvians play Chess with pieces that represent the Incas and the Spaniards. The Ecuadorians have no need for board games as they prefer to spend hours and hours with a deck of cards attempting to make "Cuarenta (40)."
Much to my surprise, I recently discovered a phenomenon of which I was not even remotely aware. (Notice the placement of my preposition, LB?) European strategy games . . . "Eurogames" to those who know those know them well and cringe at the mention of Hasbro, Mattel, or Parker Brothers. When I first heard of them, images of Dungeons and Dragons and other such games came to mind but I quickly learned that this was an entirely different phenomenon. I was first introduced to Eurogames (which I now call them, despite my continued attachment to the Parker Brothers) by my cousins with "Settlers of Catan," but I had no idea that I was being introduced to an entire genre.
In Eurogames, dice are generally shunned. Any element of chance is found in the cards. They all have a theme. In "Jambo," you are an African merchant trying to trade for wares. In "Niagara," you are a canoe trying to gather jewels and get them back to base before falling over the waterfall. In "St. Petersburg," you are a Russian of some sort, trying to maintain just the right balance of slaves, buildings, and aristocrats. In "Shadows over Camelot," you are a knight of the round table working with all of the other player/ knights to beat the evils of Camelot before they beat you, while always on the lookout for the elusive traitor in your midst. In "Lunch Money," you are a kid at recess trying to block, dodge, and humiliate your opponents, while upper cutting, headlocking, or pimp slapping them before you lose all of your life chips. (OK, I think that one is probably American but I just had to mention it.) In most Eurogames, there are many things happening all at once. You have to stay on top of the immediate game, usually by not running out of money and by buying more than everyone else. You can't think merely of your own actions but have to consider how your actions will affect the next 3 players. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the big picture emerges. The game suddenly ends because of some component I forgot to pay attention to. Players frantically add extra points they were strategically accruing throughout the game in various ways that, again, I forgot to pay attention to. Many times, I have watched as my respectable lead is left in the dust by those who can manage to think about all of the components at once. I watch it happen and wonder if I will ever figure it all out. But them I realize that it doesn't matter. Win or lose, I love to play them anyway.
