My family are a bunch of (board game) nerds

So I imagine most families when they get together, sit around and tell stories, eat, and maybe play some games. My family is like that, only we have a lot more emphasis on the last. We love card games and board games - especially board games. I am not talking games like Chutes and Ladders or that perennial horror Monopoly (seriously, has any one ever finished a game of monopoly without killing someone?). We are talking serious nerdy board games like Settlers of Catan, Power Grid, Ticket to Ride, Puerto Rico, Carcassonne, or Dominion. (aside: if any of these seem interesting, let us know, we are always down for a game!)


Settlers all laid out ready for the game...

The common link between all these board games is they are all in some way either a German board game in origin, or a winner of the German board game of the year. As you can probably tell, the Germans are obsessed with board games. The term "German board game" has come to signify a well designed game, ones that keep everyone involved until the very end. They offer variety and generally have some sort of interactive/collaborative element to it. Most importantly it is not a zero sum game - meaning that it is not a game that in order for me to win, I need to make you lose. These are fun for everyone participating right until the end. For a nice little summary of German games in general and Settlers of Catan specifically go and read this excellent article (from Wired magazine - I told you these were pretty nerdy).

While Ian and Meg were in town, we spent most afternoons and all evenings playing board games, especially Power Grid and Ticket to Ride, the newest additions to our mutual catalog. When we go and visit them this summer, I am sure we will playing a lot of games too!