Ah, the takeover of Europe, a classic theme for board games and the wars that inspire them. A massive clash of peoples over a relatively small chunk of the world is what it’s all about it seems. Many readers might know the Europa Universalis name from the series of video games by Paradox, released in 2001, but they may not know that these games were originally based off a boardgame series by Philippe Thibaut. The Board Game Geek page begins by describing that game from 1993 as ‘a monster wargame of diplomacy, territorial expansion, trade, military technology, economic development, and war where you play the part of kings as you relive 300 years of world history’.