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The country that takes board games seriously
Germany is the center of the board-game world, and the phrase "German-style board game" is an established category in English for a reason. The Spiel des Jahres award, running since 1978, can turn an unknown game into a million-seller overnight, and the jury's red pawn logo on a box is a genuine mark of quality. The Essen fair each October is the largest gathering of its kind anywhere, with well over a hundred thousand visitors. Underneath the industry is an ordinary domestic habit: a Spieleabend, a games evening, is a normal way to spend time with friends of any age, and a household will own a shelf of games rather than one battered Monopoly. The style has a recognisable character — competition without elimination, so nobody sits out for an hour, and usually less luck and more decisions than the Anglo-American tradition. If you are invited to one, the useful phrases are Wer fängt an? (who starts?), Du bist dran (it's your turn) and Ich gebe auf.