What is an Ameritrash Board Game? Explanation With Examples

What is an american style/ameritrash board game? An american-style/ameritrash board game is one focused on drama and excitement in gameplay. Major ways that this is accomplished is through employing game elements such as the use of heavy themes, luck, player conflict, detailed miniatures, player elimination, etc.

Though many games fit this description fairly well, none fit exactly into the category in all ways. Below we explain in more depth what an American-style/ameritrash game is.

Detailed Explanation

As american-style board games first gained popularity, many started referring to them pejoratively as “Ameritrash” games. They were viewed as inferior to the mechanically proficient euro-style games, and thus, should be thrown away. Fans of American-style games ignored the intentioned insult and accepted the name gladly; consequently, they are still widely referred to as Ameritrash games—though the “more official” name is American-style games.

At the core of american-style games is drama and excitement, with colorful and heavy use of themes. Board game creators purposely look for ways to use and heighten the amount of drama within the game. Game mechanics, while important, aren’t the main focus like they are in euro-style games. Instead, these games aim to get players emotionally invested in the game with unexpected twists and turns or with beautiful miniatures or creative themes. They may use luck and conflict between players in order to add uncertainty and the need for change in strategy.

Historically, American-style board games were exclusively designed in America. Similarly, Euro-style board games were developed in—you guessed it—Europe. Specifically, Euro board game creation had its start in Germany and spread throughout Europe over time. That same trend has continued with Euro board games over the last few decades, spreading throughout the world. The geographic definition of where a Euro game is created just doesn’t hold true anymore. The same is true for Ameritrash games. Though they had their start in the United States, creators across the globe enjoy and create Ameritrash games. The only way to differentiate is through game style and purpose.

What are distinguishing characteristics of Ameritrash games?

Heavy themes

When looking at Ameritrash games, one of the most obvious characteristics is the use of themes, which are usually pivotal to the game itself. In other words, a game often wouldn’t make sense without the theme—or at least wouldn’t be nearly as good without it. Which makes sense because they tend to be games that are centered around journeys, war and other concepts where context is important in understanding what the game is and how it works. The theme adds to the dramatic core of the game, getting the players invested and excited to play it.

Conflict

Conflict is a large part of american-style games because players directly fighting with one another is the perfect way to heighten excitement and inject drama into a game. Players are constantly wondering who is going to attack them next and who they should attack. They aren’t sure if they can make the stand to win the game or if they’ll lose it all. Winning an unexpected battle creates excitement, while losing that same battle may be a crushing defeat.

Players see ups and downs in emotion with conflict—sometimes to the point where the conflict in the game is over, but the players are still mad at each other. And if that happens, there’s no question of whether or not this element is doing its job.

Dice/Luck

There is no doubt that the unexpected—and unpredictable— adds to the emotional appeal of games, and pretty much everything else under the sun. That’s why TV shows have unexpected twists and turns that leave viewers reeling. The same thing applies with luck—whether good or bad—when it comes to american-style games. Usually this takes the form of dice, but it doesn’t have to. Designers use this element to keep players on the edge of their seats in anticipation to see the dice finally reveal the outcome. Or to throw off the strategic players who thought they had the game in the bag. Nothing is more dramatic than an outcome that wasn’t or couldn’t be expected.

Dice and other luck-based elements in games bring all the players to the same level—at least for that specific point in the game. Other players may play a better strategic game, but when it comes to dice, they are at the mercy of how the dice fall and what outcome that brings. Which, consequently gives the underdog in the game, a fighting chance when they otherwise didn’t have one.

Player elimination

Who ever wants to be eliminated from a game they are playing with their friends? With the exception of Monopoly (another story for another day), I certainly don’t. So, what encourages game players to get into the game and try as hard as they can to show their friends who’s still the best at Risk? The potential to be eliminated right off the bat and have to sit and watch the rest of the game from the outskirts. Often players have to fight for their right to survive over and over again throughout the game. Emotions are all over the place when you could be eliminated in seconds due to a miscalculation or lack of attention to detail. Talk about exciting and dramatic.

Miniatures

When I was a kid, I loved playing with detailed figurines and other cool toys. When my little toys were fighting each other, my imagination took me to the battlefield. I was there on the field with them and no one was telling me that I wasn’t. Though I’m an adult now, and I don’t feel the same way about the figurines in games, there’s something to be said about moving a game piece that is decorated in armor holding a sword; where the alternative may be a red rectangular wooden pawn in a euro-style game.

The ornate pieces evoke more excitement and pull the players into the game ever so slightly more (or for some people, a lot more) than they otherwise would have been. It feels just a bit more real and players can see themselves “there” just a bit more easily. They tap into the emotions and bring out the child inside.

Alternative Major game types

To understand what an Ameritrash game is, it is important to understand a few other essential major categories.

Euro-style games

Euro-style games (also Euro games, Eurostyle games and German-style games) are games that virtually the opposite of what Ameritrash games are. The main idea with euro-style games is seamless and perfectly designed game mechanics. Some describe this as a focus on elegance. The theme of the game, therefore, takes a back seat to how the game plays. In fact, the theme could often be removed or replaced with another theme, and the game still works and plays well. They do still contain well-thought-out themes, they just aren’t integral like an ameritrash theme.

Like Ameritrash games, other essential elements of Euro games exist that make them unique. Luck, by way of dice, is seldom used in these games and much more emphasis is placed on strategy (not to say Ameritrash games don’t have strategy). Additionally, player interaction is limited and is usually passive aggressive, instead of direct, combative interaction. Players can take things from others, but it is usually done by outmaneuvering instead of attacking and breaking the other player’s things.

Another unique mechanism is that all players typically play to the end of the game even when they aren’t playing as well as they’d hoped. That usually translates into shorter games. The game pieces are also more abstract than those in ameritrash games, giving less emphasis to detail and drama—and more emphasis to mechanics.

Mass Market Games

Some wouldn’t consider this a major game category but I think these games are unique enough that they deserve a spot on the list. These games are designed for quick learning, often in large groups where simplicity and speed are essential. Consequently, the rules are simple enough that they fit on a page or two. Players can learn the game quickly even if no one has ever played before.

The main purpose of these types of games is light-hearted fun and entertainment. Which means that mechanics, strategy and drama can often take a back seat—though not always. They make great games to play when the family has all gathered around and wants something fun to do. Or when together at a work or social gathering, and small talk for two hours sounds like the worst hell there is. They are simple, fun and meant for large groups of people.

How Does An Ameritrash Game Play? A Few Examples

Arkham Horror

Arkham horror is a game where players are a team of investigators in the 1920s in Arkham, Massachusetts. Aliens are showing up everywhere, which players discover is just the beginning. The Ancient One is coming, and if the investigators can’t figure out how to close the gates, they have to fight it. If they lose the fight, the town is doomed to destruction. To win the game, they can 1) seal gates the aliens are using to enter Arkham, 2) close gates or 3) defeat the ancient one in an epic battle if they didn’t accomplish on of the other two.

Arkham Horror, like all Ameritrash games, has an extremely strong theme that is vital to the gameplay. If it is removed, the game doesn’t make much sense, and no one would want to play it. Another quick look at Arkham Horror, a player can see the use of dice and other elements of luck that accompany Ameritrash games.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game where players all assume character from what are called character sheets. Generally it is a loose-structured game where players decide what to do based on a map or through imagination. A dungeon master narrates the game and adds elements to the game as it progresses. Players roll dice when events happen in the game to see if they win/progress or if they need to try another way.

If there was ever a game about drama and excitement, this would be it. The dungeon master literally is there to add exciting and interesting elements to the game. Players aren’t ever really sure what to expect or what to do next. And dice as an integral part of the game adds luck and even more unpredictability.

Survive

Survive is all about getting your team off a sinking island. Each player uses any means necessary to get all of his/her players off the island before it sinks into the ocean. The problem is that as each player is trying to get off, they are almost trying even harder to stop everyone else from getting their teams off the island. Players unleash whales to break boats, sharks to eat meeples in the water or enlist sea monsters that are able to do both at the same time. The player that manages to get the most meeples to safety on nearby islands wins the game.

This game is all about sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat drama as you wait to see if someone catches you before you unload a boat full of your meeples onto dry ground. Players are pitted against each other in direct conflict. This game gets ruthless and tempers often flare when players see their hopes get dashed as another player sends the sea monster to engulf a boat full of their meeples. It is a game where certain victory can quickly turn into a swift defeat in a single round with a stroke of bad luck.