Which Light Euros are Acceptable?

I had an interesting discussion with my wife the other night. After yet another instance of the games we have settled on as being mutually compatible (2-3 hour relatively complex, theme heavy, low confrontation Ameritrash, see Arkham, Merchant of Venus) we had a discussion about the games she would choose to play if I wasn't at a board game night.

The discussion hinged on a key moment in my recent gaming life, when I bought 'Thurn and Taxis' and 'Arkham Horror' within a couple of weeks and realized I hated the former, loved the later, and moved from a euro-sympathizer to a die-hard Ameritrasher. In that way that women often hint at something and it takes you ages to realize that all those hints were her way of having a serious discussion, it turns out that she really liked Thurn and Taxis and was cross at me for trading it away.

Now I get what she liked about it. It was short in playtime, conflict minimal and not too complex. Why I hated it was quite odd. When playing I would enjoy the game and intellectual exercise of it, but afterwards would get angry at it, because I couldn't see the whole point of it. It was that whole thing most ameritrashers who have gone through a euro phase of "WTF have I been doing for the last hour, changing cards for chits for meeples?" There was no story, no conceptual theme, no "those guys are mine and represent this". In the same way I can't stand Carcassonne and like Settlers, because if a stranger with no game knowledge came up and asked about my game in the latter I could say I was building a colony, and this was my road and this was my city, etc, but I would have no idea what to say about the game for Carc.

Thus I told my wife that I would see if I could find a similar game that I could tolerate. Thus are there any light euros that people out there like and enjoy playing (what BGG calls laughably calls 'Family games'). Are there any good ones with some element of conceptual theme?

Hmm...I guess it depends on what you deem an acceptable level of abstraction--if it is theme you're looking for. Or what you would deem a Euro or not. (Personally, I like Carc--for 2 or 3 people...and even abstracts like Blokus).

I think Bohnanza is a family Euro that still has some theme if you accept the bean farming, trading, planting, etc...can be fun.

Forbidden Island (Pandemic version)---I actually like it better than Pandemic b/c of the theme, actually--though Pandemic could work.

Chinatown--I like this fast paced game

Galaxy Trucker (though a class unto itself in some ways--puzzle-blasting weirdness)

Starship Catan

Bohnanza is a great choice but it's not good for two players. With more it's an excellent game.

I like Kingsburg, but then again I kind of like Thurns & Taxis too so take that for what it's worth.

T&T feels like a race game to me. If she likes that part of it there's some very good race games to choose from. If it's more the look and feel that's another story.

My wife will play Ingenious and aMAZEing Labyrinth with us but virtually nothing else.

S.

I think what she liked about Thurn and Taxis was the level of complexity. She could do her own thing understanding all the rules and what her decisions meant while trying to achieve her goal. To contrast she has a bit of a love/hate relationship with Dominion as she enjoys the game but knows that there is a more complex level of tactics she has no interest in learning so soon I will outclass her.

I have been thinking that maybe Stone Age and Tobago might be the sort of games she might like, as they seem to have that same level of tactical complexity, and some semblance of conceptual theme and in game sense of self (I could say these guys are in my tribe, or this is my SUV).

Here's QueenPut's top 10 Euros that we own. Chateau Roquefort, Alahmbra, Funny Friends, Ingenious, Blukus, Pompeii, Unspeakable Words, California and Zooloretto. I'd rate all of them 6-7 on TOS which means I don't really mind playing them. I might be filing for divorce if T&T or Ticket to Ride was one of her favorite games.

I love Alhambra but haven't played it with two, and two is very different than three for that one.

Chateau Roq is very very pretty, but just ok as far as I'm concerned. You'll drop a few buckazoids on it too.

At the risk of sounding like an old man, Cribbage may be worth a shot.

Here's one out on a limb -- The Queen's Necklace. The rules are relatively simple though it produces some good gameplay.

S.

Thanks for the replies so far.

Here are some thoughts on the recommendations:
Looking for 2-4 (or more) players so a few are not viable for that reason (Bohnanza, Perry Rhodan, Starship Catan, Chinatown).

Some are out because I know she hates having the game destroy what she creates (Pompeii, Galaxy Trucker).

Attika - can't put my finger on why I know she'd hate it, but I get that vibe.

Kingsburg, Alea Iacta Est - Maybe. Still unsure and requires a bit further investigation.

Blue Moon City - definitely will investigate further. Looks like a decent possibility.

Forbidden Island - One I have considered already, particularly as Pandemic is out for various reasons

Age of Discovery - Doesn't look like there is an in-game persona so I would hate it.

ubarose wrote:

Alea Iacta Est and Kingsburg don't have an in game persona either, unless you count "my dice" as a persona.

I don't know for certain if it would bug me, but I suspect it would.

Euro's I've liked:

Domain
Settlers
Carcassonne
Citadels
China
Bohnanza
For Sale

If you're looking for quick, easy to learn, 2 player, wife compatible games, my top two are:

Battle Line
Hive

Neither one were on the list I just posted because I don't think of either as a Euro.

Zooloretto is probably one of the best for this vein, but Hive is fun and deeper than I'd have thought, especially with the expansions. Through the Desert is one of our favorites due to the complex strategies you can come up with, even though it's on the simple side in terms of rules.

I just don't play enough "deep euros", to be honest. I like my Euro games like my Euro women: light, sweet, and eager to be played.

Just suck it up and play some shitty games, Ancient! Then get on your knees and thank the stars that your wife will play ARKHAM HORROR. If I want to game with the wife, it's going to be Euro or card game and that's it. I am too busy trying to dodge party games to get in a huff if she says she wants to play TICKET TO RIDE.

That said: TICKET TO RIDE is fucking harmless. You are playing RUMMY, sometimes aggressively. It's incredible easy to teach. I would only play the base (USA) map with three or four. If you're going to doing mostly two or three, then invest in the Switzerland map. It's more crowded and someone will get screwed over, guaranteed. This leads to sandbagging and other fun endpoints. A crayon rails game might be good. Try EURORAILS.

CARCASSONNE doesn't make a ton of sense, but CARCASSONNE:THE CITY is probably the prettiest game in my collection. That's some heirloom shit right there. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish the game and connect up the walls--like finishing a big Lego.

Speaking of Lego, go get CREATIONARY. It's almost a party game, but it's awesome.

I am comfortable enough in my Ameritrashiness that I can enjoy PUERTO RICO as an exercise. If that's her thing, just suck it up and play. I wouldn't get too hung up on the whole "theme" thing, that road might lead to AGRICOLA and no one wants to see that.

Carolus Magnus is quite good. It is quite confrontational though. It's great with 2 and 3, haven't played it with 4 enough to tell if that is as good.

Cartagena is really fun. You can be pirates for fuck sake. Its pretty much a race game. You can also adjust it to make it as long, or as short as you want. Plays great through its whole player spread.

Dan