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Glossary
Board Game terms, explained
Short, plain definitions of the words you'll see on product pages and spec sheets. Each one links to a guide when there's more to know.
A
- Alpha player
- A player who tells everyone else what to do in a co-operative game. Also called quarterbacking. Read the guide →
- Ameritrash
- A fan term for theme-heavy games with dice, conflict and dramatic moments. Also called thematic games.
C
- Card sleeve
- A plastic sleeve that protects a card from wear and spills. Read the guide →
- Co-operative game
- A game where all players work together against the game itself, winning or losing as a team. Read the guide →
D
- Deck-building
- A mechanism where each player starts with a small deck and buys cards during the game to improve it. Read the guide →
- Downtime
- The time you spend waiting for other players to take their turns. Read the guide →
- Drafting
- Choosing cards or tiles from a shared selection, often passing the rest to the next player.
E
- Engine building
- Building up a set of cards or abilities that produce more resources or points each turn as the game goes on.
- Euro game
- A strategy game style focused on planning and resource management, with little luck and little direct conflict.
- Expansion
- An add-on that adds components, rules or player count to a base game.
G
- Gateway game
- A modern board game simple enough for new players but with real decisions each turn, used to introduce people to the hobby. Read the guide →
I
- Insert
- A tray or organizer inside a game box that holds components in place and speeds up setup. Read the guide →
L
- Legacy game
- A game that permanently changes over a campaign of plays, with stickers, sealed boxes and destroyed cards.
M
- Meeple
- A small wooden person-shaped playing piece, first popularized by Carcassonne.
P
- Party game
- A light game for larger groups that plays quickly and focuses on talking, guessing or laughing. Read the guide →
- Player count
- The range of players a game supports. The best count, voted by players, is often narrower than the box range. Read the guide →
R
- Roll and write
- Games where players roll dice and mark results on personal score sheets. Usually quick and portable.
S
T
- Teach
- The explanation of rules given to new players before a game. Read the guide →
- Tile laying
- Placing tiles to build a map or pattern, as in Carcassonne. Read the guide →
W
- Weight
- How complex a game is to learn and play. BoardGameGeek rates weight from 1 (light) to 5 (heavy). Read the guide →
- Worker placement
- Placing a limited number of tokens on action spaces, often blocking other players from the same action.