In the last 5-10 years, no other game company has come close to matching the quality, quantity, and beauty of Rio Grande games. They specialize in importing and translating German board and card games. Aesthetically, the games are very colorful. Most of the board games come with painted wooden pieces. And as games, they are without peer. Challenging and unique game mechanics make each one stand out from the typical American board or card game. The average board game runs in the $30 to $45 range and the card games range from $10 to $20. To my mind, any game on this list would be a worthy investment and will provide many hours of enjoyment. 

A relative newcomer to the scene, French company, Days of Wonder has become the benchmark for European style board games. DoW itself on extremely high quality artwork and game components. Oh, and the games themselves are challenging, varied, and yet simple to learn.
 

Another favorite game company. Cheapass Games produces board and card games, usually printed on card stock and packed in plain white envelopes or boxes. The games consist of a board or deck of cards and a sheet of rules. And that's it. The Cheapass philosophy is to design great games but not drive the cost up by including expensive components like pawns and dice or color printing. In other words, you'll have to borrow pawns or dice or money to play their games. We have a lot of fun coming up with wacky pawns for each game. Not only are the themes  completely loony, but the games themselves are challenging and fun even after multiple games. And, perhaps, best of all, the games cost between $3 and $8 (they do have some deluxe color versions that run $10-12). Even if you buy one you don't like, You're only out a few bucks. 

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