About Orange County Board Gamers

We're a group of mostly adults that meets 1-2 times a month to play strategy board games. Many of the games that we play are European in origin. You don't need to know any foreign languages, or even be very "strategy-oriented" to play; common features of the games we play are: easy to learn, fast playing time (usually 45-120 minutes), no player elimination (everyone is involved all the way to the end), little down time (everyone's usually involved, even when it's not their turn), and significant decision making. We're willing to teach these games to people, and it's not uncommon for our members to learn several new games during a game day.

The games we play are sometimes also called "Designer Games" (because game designers are actually credited for their work on the box), "German Games" (becase the first wave of these games initially came from Germany), "Euro-games" (because other European publishers followed suit by publishing these types of games), or "Family Strategy Games" (because the games are simple enough for families to play together, but sophisticated enough to offer significant decision points throughout [i.e., luck is often minimized]). In Germany, game playing is more of a family affair, and these style of games have spread to Europe and beyond. Now, even American companies are creating original games utilizing these game design elements and game mechanics.

In America, Board Games are often dismissed and Children's entertainment, or "Party Games" (Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, etc.). The games we play provide adult entertainment while still being accessible to younger players (typically ages 8 and up).

We have an extensive game collection, but feel free to bring any games that you're interested in playing.

A great site for this hobby is Board Game Geek [ http://www.boardgameg... ]. You certainly don't need to be a "Geek" to play; just a desire to have fun! Our members are regular people from all walks of life who enjoy getting together to play games. Come discover a whole new world of Board Games that are significantly more sophisticated and fun than traditional American fare like Monopoly, Life, or Clue. Most people get hooked on this hobby after playing one or two games. So come try it out! We know you'll have as much fun as we do.