Below is a description of the various types of board and card games we play in this group:

Strategy Games
Strategy Games tend to have a theme that is only loosely tied to the game mechanics, feature minimal and indirect player conflict, and emphasize strategy over simulation.

Examples of Strategy Games we might play include Acquire, Agricola, Amun-Re, Cuba, Dominion, Hoity Toity, Power Grid, Princes of Florence, Puerto Rico, Roll Through the Ages, Settlers of Catan, Small World, Stone Age and Thurn and Taxis.

Adventure Games
Adventure Games tend to emphasize a highly developed theme, have direct player conflict, and feature significant amounts of luck.

Examples of Adventure Games we might play include Chaos in the Old World, Filthy Rich, Illuminati, Last Night on Earth, Talisman and Twilight Imperium.

Wargames
Wargames feature direct military conflict as the central theme. There is a lot of crossover between Adventure Games and Wargames, and newer Wargames feature elements of Strategy Games as well.

Examples of Wargames we might play include BattleLore, Conquest of the Empire, Heroscape, Here I Stand, History of the World, Memoir '44, Nexus Ops and War of the Ring.

Train Games
Train Games are those in which the operation of a railroad is the central theme. Most train games feature route building, goods transport, and/or a stock market; although not all of these components are found in every train game. For example, Ticket to Ride focuses solely on route building, Chicago Express emphasizes the stock market, and Railroad Tycoon contains both route building and goods transport.

Examples of Train Games we might play include Chicago Express, Empire Builder, Railroad Tycoon, Ticket to Ride and Transamerica.

Magic: the Gathering
Magic: the Gathering is a fantasy themed trading card game. Relatively easy to learn, but difficult to master, Magic is an intensely competitive and strategic game. This group plays Magic with an emphasis on keeping costs down. We play a modified Standard Constructed Format, where all rare and mythic rare cards are banned. When we're not playing constructed, we are drafting from a "Cube". These formats cost little to nothing to play, and require very little in the way of advanced preparation.