German-style board game

German-style board games, also known as Euro board games, designer board games, family strategy games or hobby board games, are family games designed to appeal simultaneously to older children and adults. Usually they have simple rules, attractive components, modest length and a concrete theme. Yet still they offer lots of opportunities to make strategic decisions.

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The genre originated in Germany and per capita the country publishes more board games than any other, hence the name. Nowadays, the phenomena has spread to many other places in Europe; Plenty of the games are designed and published in such places as France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In other markets, such as in the United States, they remain largely at niche status.

Related Topics:
Germany - Europe - France - The Netherlands - United Kingdom - United States

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Settlers of Catan (in German: Die Siedler von Catan), first published in 1995, paved the way for the genre. It was not the first German game, but it quickly became much more popular than any of its predecessors. It quickly sold millions of copies in Germany, and in the process brought money and attention to the genre as a whole.

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