The following Boardgame glossary is a living document and will be constantly updated with new information and terms, feel free to add entries into the comments below.
A
Abstract – a game that doesn’t have a theme and relies on imagination for the theme, or is indeed simply themeless. A good example of an abstract game is Azul
Ameritrash – the antithesis to the Eurogame. These games are often highly thematic, have lots of conflict and drama and may also have a larger degree of luck than their Euro counterparts.
B
BGG – BoardGameGeek.com
C
D
E
Eurogame – a game that often has a great amount of ways to get points (see Point Salad), high strategy and relatively low player interaction. Games such as Orleans or Castles of Burgundy fit this definition, along with designers like Stefan Feld and Uwe Rosenburg.
F
FLGS – Friendly Local Game Store
G
H
I
J
K
Kickstarter – The website that has changed the face of modern board gaming overall. Kickstarter is a crowd funding website that allows the public to back a project that they like with the intention of receiving the game after it is published. Used by both small and larger publishers. Next Player has a Kickstarter of the Week article.
L
M
Modern Board Game – the games that we review on this site! Modern games have a strong element of theme, strategy or all of the above, they tend also not to rely on a great deal of luck.
Meeple – Often a meeple is a small player piece in the shape of a chubby stickman. This name can often be used for any player pieces.
N
O
OFLGS – Online Friendly Local Gaming Store
P
Q
R
Roll and Move – this is a mechanic that is often looked upon poorly by modern board gamers and hobbyists. Roll and move relates to the idea that you roll a die and then move your character/piece in relation to what you roll. This mechanic has a lot of luck involved and gets in the way of deeper strategy.
Roll and Write
RPG – Role-playing game. A game that relies on a lot of interaction, often between a group of people who are playing the roles of their characters. Most role playing games with have a Dungeon Master (DM) who is responsible for the narrative and flow of the game. The most popular RPG is the well known Dungeons and Dragons.
S
T
Take That – a mechanism where the action a player takes has a significant effect on other players. Think the ‘Draw 4’ card in UNO.
Thematic – Thematic games are games that rely on a story, or theme, to help them along. Examples of these are games like Arkham Horror, with designers like Eric Lang being a popular thematic designer.
U
V
W
Worker Placement – Quite literally what it says. In Worker placement games you will often have meeples(player pieces) that you place on certain places on a board which give you a benefit/points.