More interest in German-style boardgames!

The guys at Penny Arcade have found yet another way into my heart: Tycho plays German-style boardgames. While I can't wholeheartedly applaud his choice of games (Ticket to Ride isn't my favorite¹), it's great to see that other electronic gamers are also interested in boardgames. As Jerry (Tycho) says:

I mention it [playing German-style boardgames] because (as I have said in the past) gamers - by which I mean gamers of the electronic variety - would find a lot to like in these games, because they are simply well-built systems which accept time as an input and produce fun. They have a delicious logic and a competitive thrill that strategy gamers especially might find irresistible.

I primarily enjoyed strategic multiplayer computer games (think Rainbow Six vs. Half Life, Kohan vs. Starcraft, and Combat Mission vs. Command and Conquer²); now I find that German-style boardgames have more of what I want in a game. For one thing, it's nice to be able to pick up a game, learn the rules to it, and become decently good at playing it in less than 2 hours. It's also nice not to have to worry about getting smashed to bits by players who've spent the last month learning every little trick and programming macros for the game. The downside to boardgames, of course, is that you need a local group of people who are willing to play with you, but assuming you have that, they're a great hobby.

¹ My current favorite is Puerto Rico, closely followed by Saint Petersburg, Leonardo da Vinci, Tower of Babel, Louis XIV, and BattleLore.
² While I hardly ever play them anymore due to lack of time (and a preference for boardgames), I vastly prefer the first game of all those comparisons.