GermanStyleGame

German-style games are board games either published in Germany or very similar in style to those published in Germany.

The elements of this style include many of the following:

1. Multi-player, typically 3 to 6
2. Game durations of 30-90 minutes
3. Rules that take 5-15 minutes to explain
4. Player interaction instead of waiting doing nothing while others take turns
5. Excellent production values, i.e., visually pleasing and durable components
6. A satisfying balance of strategy and luck
7. Fun!

For more information, see the page that I cribbed most of this from, http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~debbiep/billabong/german.html.

The German Games FAQ is also good.--IainCheyne?