What’s a “Meeple”?
A Concise Glossary of Common Gaming Terms
​For The Uninitiated
​Author: David Fonda - August 12, 2020

Like any activity worth pursuing, gaming has its own particular language. While many of the words gamers use are borrowed from the Queen’s English (e.g. beer & pretzel, broken, fart factor), their meaning can make most non-gamers feel like they’ve fallen down a rabbit hole and entered a strange, parallel universe.
 
If you’re a newbie (someone who’s new to the wonderful, wide world of gaming), gaming lingo can also seem like an insurmountable barrier; one that can frighten and otherwise dissuade you from discovering the joys and laughter of playing board games with your family and friends.
 
To help you unlock the mysteries of this fast-growing lingo, and perhaps entice you to try board gaming for yourself, we’ve assembled this concise glossary of gaming words, terms and phrases. With this handy guide, you’ll be able to sit down at any gaming table and know exactly what to say and do should anyone ask you to, “please pass the meeples.”

Abstract game n.

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a simple, elegant game with no pretentious theme, no precious story, no unnecessary bells & whistles that’s usually played by two sane people following very basic rules

Alpha player n.

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a: a bossy player who, having just taken the lead, starts telling everyone else how they should or should not play (See my obnoxious friend or relative);
b: a true leader who shares their expertise, listens, and then teaches other players
how to plan and work together as a team (See Mom); synonyms: quarterbacking,
​the ‘leader effect’

Analysis paralysis (AP) n.

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an aggravating and not uncommon condition that arises when a player spends so much time overthinking their every move and its ramifications, that downtime surges while playtime vanishes and the game grinds wearily down to a mind-numbing halt; also called AP in forums and blogs

Balance n.

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a: the art of giving every player an equal chance of winning the game regardless of their starting position or skill level;
​b: an otherwise perfectly healthy and normal condition that disappears when a player starts taking the game far too seriously for anyone’s good

Beer & pretzels game n.

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a: any game, usually with a perfectly silly theme, that precludes players from devising much less executing anything resembling a strategy;
b: any game with in-built disruptions that can combine to confound, confuse and otherwise dumfound players just because it’s fun (See also filler)

Betting n.

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risking something you value (i.e. money) on a game’s outcome in the hope of winning something of even more value (i.e. more money)

Broken adj.

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any game that consistently disappoints players because it either rewards poor play, almost always ends in a draw or can easily be won using the same, lame strategy

Card-driven game (CDG) n.

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a game (typically war-centered) in which cards drive the action or play

Chits n.

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the various parts of a game that are used during play, especially if they are of greater weight and higher than average quality

Collectible card game (CCG) n.

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a card-driven game with very basic rules in which each player plans their strategy around the cards they’ll be using to build their personal deck. CCG cards can either reinforce or reverse the game’s basic rules, depending on their variety and value. Players can purchase ‘booster’ packs that contain mostly weak ‘common’ cards, a few stronger ‘uncommon’ cards and usually one, very powerful ‘rare’ card. While CCG rules usually define how many cards of each variety can be used in the game, poorly designed or ‘broken’ CCGs often boil down to ‘whoever-buys-the-most-booster-packs wins’! (If that’s your idea of fun, perhaps we can interest you in this barely-used booster pack.) (Examples of good CCG games include: Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Android: Netrunner, Star Wars: Destiny)

Cooperative game n.

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any game in which everyone pulls together to beat the game’s built-in brain or AI (artificial intelligence) (e.g.: Pandemic, Mysterium, Stuffed Fables, Time Stories,
​Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, Mansions of Madness, Zombicide)​

Designer game n.

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also known as a German or Eurogame because it credits the game’s inventor or designer rather the publisher (This may explain why most mass marketed games — i.e. not designer— are mass marketed.)

Dexterity game n.

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any game that challenges your physical abilities and fine motor skills, so you can totally embarrass yourself in front of your friends and family (e.g.: Klask, Flick’em Up, Animal Upon Animal)​

Downtime n.

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the time each player spends waiting patiently for the other player(s) to complete their turn (See also analysis paralysis)

Educational game n.

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any game designed to help players have fun while learning
​(P.S. Please tell your teachers.)

End-game n.

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a: the final closing minutes of a game that usually determine the winner;
b: the desperate, last-minute strategies that losing players come up with just before
the game ends;
c: the deviously clever strategy winners employ to preserve their lead and run out
​the clock

Escape room game n.

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a game that recreates the escape room experience (in which players must solve their way out of a room by resolving complicated clues) in the comfort of home.

Experience game n.

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usually refers to any party, role-playing or open-ended game that rewards players just
for playing and not necessarily for winning (synonyms: good fun, fun times, good,
​healthy fun)

F2F (face to face) adj.

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a game played against a real opponent in real time and in person versus someone somewhere else, either on-line or via correspondence (See also PvP)

Family game n.

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a simple, elegant game cleverly designed to make time fly as three or more people (often related), have fun playing, talking and laughing together (Incredibly, see also German game)

Fart factor n.

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a: the unmistakable sound a game box (preferably jam-packed with components), may make when you try to close it;
b: why the dog (usually a Labrador Retriever) is never allowed to sleep under the table while you play

Filler n.

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a quick and easy game that’s commonly played before, after or in-between heavier games (See also beer & pretzel)

FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) n.

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a: a brick-and-mortar establishment with friendly, knowledgeable staff who are eager to help you choose another great game (antonym: any Big Box store, on-line shopping); 
b: (Full Line Game Store) a rather arcane term that refers to brick-and-mortar stores that carry full product lines rather than just a smattering of selections from the catalogue

Gamer n.

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a person who devotes their entire waking life to playing board, video, educational, family, light, heavy, German, et cetera games to the exclusion of doing pretty much anything else (synonyms: sad, but think of the money I’ll make when I turn pro)

Gamey adj.

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