Eurogames
Eurogame is a designation referring to board games that share a few features distinguishing them from other types of games. For instance, Eurogames tend to minimize direct player conflict, focusing rather on accumulating victory points or gathering resources. In addition, luck is downplayed in Eurogames; random game events determined by dice rolls or card draws occur infrequently. Also, there is no player elimination in Eurogames, so everyone gets the opportunity to play until the end.
Examples
-
Ticket to Ride
-
Carcassonne
-
Catan
-
Power Grid
Mensa Select games
For over 25 years, American Mensa has met annually to award five board games with the Mensa Select honor. These games are deemed by Mensa to be "original, challenging and well designed." Mensa Select games tend to be conceptually innovative, with creative applications of game mechanics and theme.
Examples
-
Forbidden Island
-
Lanterns
-
Apples to Apples
-
Blokus
Cooperative Games
Rather than pit players against one another in a winner-takes-all competition, cooperative games allow gamers to collaborate in order to defeat the game as a team. This style of gameplay emphasizes cooperation, communication, and teamwork as players are tasked with reaching a shared goal together. A subgenre of cooperative games includes a "traitor," a player who secretly is competing against the team's interests and seeking to prevent them from obtaining a collective win.
Examples
-
Pandemic
-
Forbidden Desert
-
Castle Panic
-
Shadows Over Camelot