Diane said:> Paul and I have been having a lot of fun with "Perry Rhodan: Die
Kosmische Hanse" lately. And "Cleopatra and the Society of Architects"
is one I always enjoy. But the only "euro" that wrings out as much fun
as LNOE for me is "Pandemic". I have a blast every time I play, no
matter what size the group.

WARNING: existential coffee shop/college stoner philosophizing coming (that "Whoa, dude--I just realized,  dog is God spelled backwards" level of b.s. ). This is all just time waste material and just fun thought food I was gnawing on on my ride home Tuesday.

The over arching questions I'm working on: What is the appeal of Euro games to me? And, I'm curious, what makes Euros such a draw for you as well?

Personally, I love playing Euros--love them--but I don't think of them as fun in the same way as "Last Night on Earth"--so, what exactly is that emotion I'm feeling when I play?

I love "Pandemic". A great game so far. Very tense. I'm willing to play it almost any time. So, I obviously enjoy it, but I don't think of it as fun in the way that "Last Night on Earth" was...so, what is the difference?

Is it a sense of story? A sense of character? Is it the difference between playing an Operation level of wargame vs. a squad level wargame?

I think so.

I don't know how to name the Euro emotion though; I think the difference comes down to the level of challenge and the type of experience.

Euros are an abstracted challenge that I enjoy, but there's not a sense of story or character and the events seem one step removed from allowing that. So, in the Euro context, luck would bother me if my game was trashed due to a single die roll or getting crappy card draws that hamstring me; you know, those things you can't do anything about and are just a victim of. However both of these things exist handily in "Last Night on Earth" and it didn't bother me--I was having a blast--why the difference?

When, I'm into a Euro time passes fast, I get absorbed, and I'm into the challenge of it. It's an intellectual level of fun...a mental exercise that works my wits and present puzzles each turn. It's almost like it's a competitive puzzle and multiplayer wits challenge. Almost a sport's type of competition--only, without moving. :o)

Contrast that notion with: The incredibly  fun time I had with my first session of  "Last Night on Earth" on Tuesday. I had crappy rolls at times, and brilliant rolls at others, but it didn't bother me one bit because a story was unfolding and a movie was playing in my head. I could enjoy the ride and just be entertained.

I think I'm at the nut of the issue for me personally, but I'm left wondering: How can there even be variations of "fun"?

Truthfully, I'd never given this a ton of thought before; I'd kind of thought of "fun" simply as "fun." But, I'm a bit bored and I was intrigued by my personal reaction to "Last Night on Earth".

Ah well, back to real issues. LOL.

Live well, laugh much, love often!
Jason Henke

This man built the worlds of my youth.

I learned story telling, imagination, drama, team work, problem solving, bravery, tactics, and made many friends due to his work and the game he and his friends created.

It honestly brought a lot into my life and I'm still using knowledge I gained to this very day. My friends and I have many memories and laughs that we still regale each other with.

I can not type a moment of silence, but I can hold one.

I'm so very sorry for his friends and family and my thoughts are with them in their pain and loss.