sorry im new what do those terms mean?

thanks

uh oh...

Ameritrash refers to a whole line of games that many consider the very best games in the world. These games have player elimination, use dice, have conflict.

Refer to the geeklist a "Tribute to Ameritrash" by Robartin to get a sample of these fine games.

Ameritrash games offer a stark contrast to Euro games. I would like to quote the King of Boardgaming, Michael Barnes,

"Eurogames are the worst thing to happen to the hobby since Collectible card Games."

Many players share this sentiment.

Many Euro game players have tried to sell the elite and elegant nature of their games, and no doubt the Euro games do have a few games that might be worthy of your attention but you have to ask yourself what you want out of boardgaming, FUN? or A math puzzle exercise.

    Ameritrash typically means games that are big and garish and full of bits and dice. The label is worn with pride.

    Eurotrash (in the game sense) refers to games that are classy, reserved, simple, and generally devoid of dice. The label is generally tossed with disdain.

    Don't waste your time looking for a clear boundary between the two -- there is none.

             Sag.

'Ameritrash' on the BGG usually refers to games from (but not limited to) America. These games usually have heavy reliance on dice, elements of luck, putting theme before the game play, and generally do not include the concept of victory points like many eurogames.

Examples of Ameritrash include the ever-present Monopoly, Talisman, Risk, (I know, it's a French game), and the many games from Games Workshop from the early to mid eighties. I'm sure I'm missing a WIDE swath of games here, but this is only examples. Examples of newer Ameritrash would be Runebound, Arkham Horror.

It's not really a derogatory term, and I think it's used mostly to refer to the kind of game mechanics you'd expect to see, ie reliance on luck, heavy theme, usually no victory points, and includes player elimination (I'm looking at YOU, Titan <3 )

Vegas Showdown is Ameritrash, but it's actually a Eurogame in my mind. There have been some pretty great games recently that I would classify as Ameritrash - Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game, Betrayal At House on the Hill, etc.

Eurogames run the gamut the other way - usually rewards skillful playing, many interlocking game mechanisms (Caylus, anyone?), some to no luck at all, victory points as a measure of who is winning, no player elimination, and generally a pasted on theme. Examples of this include basically every game in the top game lists here. Puerto Rico, Princes of Florence, Power Grid, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan, many, MANY others.

I've never really heard the term 'eurotrash' here, but I suppose it exists for those Euros that even the hardcore Euro lovers hate. Or possibly as a label from those who defend the honor of the usually overlooked Ameritrash gem.

I second that.

Here's some official definitions, links, etc.:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Ameritrash

It's not clear in the link, but as Mr. Weeks has pointed out Ameritrashers are the only people that ever actually have fun playing board games.

... My sarcasm detector isn't detecting anything. Are we seriously going back to this old crap? Count me out in supporting either camp.

Does this help:

[friendly jibe]It's not clear in the link, but as Mr. Weeks has pointed out Ameritrashers are the only people that ever actually have fun playing board games. [/friendly jibe]

I call sock puppet

**New user backs away slowly while trying not to make any sudden moves**

Perhaps it is the ghost of Barnes, kind of like "Jacob" in the tv show Lost.

steve B:

Welcome to BGG. I think you'll find it an amazing website with an unbelievable amount of information on board games that will take months or years of surfing to appreciate.

BGG also boasts an incredible community. Like all communities, we have our differences that occasionally flare up. Sorry about my initial response of "uh oh" but you accidentally touched on probably the most divisive of those issues. The "Ameritrash" debates/wars got so intense a while back that a couple user were actually banned from BGG (don't worry that was an exception and it took some serious flame wars for it to happen.)

In any case, to answer your original question, 'Ameritrash' and 'Euro' are two terms used as short hand to refer to game types. (The term eurotrash is used rarely if ever here, you'll see 'Eurosnoot' more often).

The definitions are far from precise (and many games either cross boundaries into both camps or simply defy easy categorization), but most BGG users will recognize the general point you are making when you use the terms.

Ameritrash: games that revolve around a specific theme (usually fantasy or sci fi, and usually involving conflict) and where the game's mechanics are built to illustrate/recreate the 'real world' mechanics of that theme. Rules simplicity, perfect play balance, and short playing times are not necessary, if they get in the way of making the theme 'come to life.' Ameritrash games embrace some randomness and dice.

Euro: games that stress streamlined and clear mechanics. They usually have reasonable playing times, and don't stress conflict. They also don't stress random elements, least of all dice. The term "Eurosnoot" has come about due to some folks perception that fans of Euro games "look down" on other game types.

Wargames: Games that depict (usually) a historical battle, war, or campaign. Often very detailed, and complex (but not always).

There is a lot more that can be said, but I'll leave that to others.

Again, welcome to BGG. Be careful, this can become a full-blown addiction pretty quickly.