What are we talking about? Why, the first time you played Monopoly, of course.

Ask people to name a boardgame, and most will probably name this old classic. Baby-boomers may have started early in life with Candyland, or Shoots & Ladders, then 'graduated' to other classics published by Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley, such as Clue, Sorry, The Game of Life, Careers, Easy Money, and Mouse Trap. And don't forget Operation, Lie Detector, and Mystery Date. By playing games, and regardless of age, we learned about playing by rules, interacting with friends, and thinking through challenges.

Whatever happened to those games, anyway? Well, if you've shopped around a Toys 'R' Us or Target, you'll still find many of them; many survived (with occasional facelifts) to remain on store shelves over the years. Your family may even own a few. But you're probably not aware of some of the really challenging and fun games available today.

"Gaming isn't about rolling dice and moving your piece around a track. Gaming is about interaction, decisions, and skills."
- Alan Moon, award-winning game designer

Today, the best new board and card game designs are coming from European publishers, and particularly German companies. While Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, and Mattel-now all owned by toy mega-giant Hasbro - continue to publish the classics, they rarely publish a new title that isn't tied to a movie, television, or pop music subject. And variations - not only can you buy Monopoly, but you can find Star Wars Monopoly, NASCAR Monopoly, I Love Lucy Monopoly, Simpsons Monopoly, Barbie Monopoly, Pokemon Monopoly... well, you get the picture.

One particular German design is widely credited with not only rejuvenating boardgaming in Europe, but sparking an awareness and growing interest in the US. Klaus Teuber's The Settlers of Catan (Die Siedler von Catan) first appeared in the mid-'90s, and has sold tens of thousands of copies in Europe and North America. Settlers is a highly interactive game, as players gain and trade construction resources to develop roads, settlements, and cities in order to acquire victory points. The game board consists of randomly aligned hexagonal tiles, thus assuring that each game is different. It is considered an outstanding game to introduce novice gamers to the hobby, and can its strategies and excitement can be enhanced by the addition of expansion kits that introduce more rules (Seafarers of Catan, Cities & Knights of Catan. )

The explosion of game titles cover a number of gaming genres, and at varying levels of complexity, assuring that there is something for everyone. Would you like to run a railroad company laying rails and moving freight across the US, or Europe, or India, or even the Moon? Would you like to race Formula 1 cars on any one of two dozen Grand Prix tracks around the world, or pilot a riverboat in a race on the mighty Mississippi? How would you like to be a Machiavellian prince during the Renaissance, or the builder of an ancient civilization? You can hunt for Dracula through the streets of London, or solve a mystery in a medieval abbey, or make the best deals buying and selling expensive paintings to be the top art dealer at the auction? Or maybe you're just looking for a simple, new boardgame or cardgame that can be played in 15 or 30 minutes.

There are hundreds of great games are out there waiting for you now.

Usually, the best of the European/German designs are produced by American companies with the same high quality components of the German originals, with rules and game text published in English. These companies include Mayfair Games, Rio Grande Games, and Fantasy Flight, and most recently, new companies like Days of Wonder and berplay. And when games are unavailable in English, there are online resources providing downloadable translations of rules and text.

We carry the very best in contemporary German games, and if you don't see a particular title on our shelves, just ask and we can probably order it for you. Additionally, our in-house gaming group meets every Saturday from 3:00 - 8:00pm, and welcomes newcomers to discover the fun of German games.

So, if you remember playing boardgames and cardgames with family and friends, and want to bring that fun and social interaction back, visit us, or contact us by phone or Email, and let us help you select the games best suited to your tastes and skills.