Modern Strategy & Eurogames
This 1995 German masterpiece by Klaus Teuber revolutionized modern tabletop gaming by introducing a hex-based island map and resource trading
Catan (Accept: The Settlers of Catan)
This specific 1903 anti-monopolist game designed by Lizzie Magie was patented decades before it was repackaged and sold as Monopoly
The Landlord's Game
This two-word French phrase refers to a genre of games—like Carcassonne—where players score points by physically drawing and assembling the board piece-by-piece as they play
tile placement
In this 2015 hidden-identity game, a "Spymaster" gives one-word clues to help their team locate all of their secret agents on a 5x5 grid of words
Codenames
In tournament Chess, if a player touches a piece on the board, they are legally required to move it if it has a legal move, under this strict, universal rule
touch-move rule
In this highly acclaimed, intense cooperative game, players portray CDC scientists racing against time to eradicate four global outbreaks before world panic sets in.
Pandemic
In 1974, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson published this genre-defining tabletop system, utilizing 20-sided dice to birth the modern role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons (Accept: D&D)
Popularized by the game Dominion, this specific mechanism requires players to start with a weak, identical hand of cards and slowly purchase better cards to customize their own personal draw pile
deck-building (Accept: Deck construction)
This fast-paced, high-stakes game challenges a clue-giver to get their team to identify 5 secret words in under a minute using limited, rapid-fire words or phrases
25 Words or Less
To prevent games from dragging on indefinitely, professional tournaments for games like Chess and Scrabble utilize this specialized dual-timer device
chess clock (Accept: Game timer)
This massive, 20-pound tactical legacy game set in a fantasy world challenges players to complete a persistent 95-scenario campaign as mercenary factions
Gloomhaven
This ancient, two-player abstract strategy game originating in China over 2,500 years ago focuses on surrounding more territory than your opponent using black and white stones
Go (Accept: Weiqi)
This mechanical term describes games where players take turns committing a limited number of physical tokens or meeples to specific action spaces on the board to block opponents from using them
worker placement
In the high-intensity deduction game Secret Hitler, players are secretly divided into two opposing political factions named these
Liberals and Fascists
In competitive Scrabble play, this is the exact, massive point bonus a player receives for successfully playing a "bingo" by using all seven tiles on their rack in a single turn
50 points
Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave, this beautifully illustrated 2019 engine-building game requires players to attract diverse avian species to wildlife preserves
Wingspan
This 1979 tactical sci-fi board game by Eon Games was revolutionary for giving every single player a completely unique, rule-breaking alien power
Cosmic Encounter
In game theory and board game design, this specific compound word refers to a mechanic that helps losing players catch up by penalizing the player currently in first place
catch-up mechanic (Accept: Rubber-banding)
This award-winning party game requires players to look at a grid of beautifully illustrated, surreal cards and guess which card matches a vague, cryptic clue given by the storyteller
Dixit
This is the official name of the mathematical rating system used by international tabletop federations to calculate and track the relative skill levels of competitive players over time
Elo rating system
This highly strategic 2004 Eurogame by Martin Wallace challenges players to build competing canal and rail networks in England during the Industrial Revolution
Brass: Lancashire (Accept: Brass: Birmingham)
Invented by British radar engineer Anthony E. Pratt during WWII blackouts, the original 1949 UK patent for this murder-mystery game was registered under the title Murder!
Clue (Accept: Cluedo)
Originating in Germany, this specific four-letter tabletop term refers to the standard, human-shaped wooden game pieces most famously used in Carcassonne
meeple
This 2020 cooperative word game requires players to secretly write down a one-word clue to help a guesser find a mystery word, but any identical duplicate clues are immediately deleted before the guesser can see them
Just One
In competitive tournament Monopoly, this is the exact, standard cash penalty a player must immediately pay to the bank to release their token from jail if they do not want to roll for doubles or use a card
$50