Europa Universalis/YMMV


 * Adaptation Displacement: A lot of players have never heard of the original French board game.
 * Contested Sequel : The fandom is really divided on whether EU II or III is the superior game (though III has won more supporters with each Expansion Pack). They all agree though, that both installments are equally awesome.
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: Several (courtesy of long-time Paradox Interactive composer, Andreas Waldetoft), but "A Cruce Victoria" from EU III takes the cake.
 * Equally awesome are Conquistador, "Para Bellum" and "Battle of Damascus" themes. "Discover New Land" isn't bad either, and "Swashbuckling Privateers", caters to your seafaring and piratey needs...
 * Demonic Spiders: The Divine Wind expansion pack turns the Golden Horde and Timurids into these for everyone between Eastern Europe and China.
 * Ear Worm: The first two games utilize period music. One piece, a 15. century Spanish folk song called Falalalan, has reached Memetic Mutation status due to... Well, just listen.
 * Goddamned Bats: If you aren't careful, pirates.
 * Good Bad Bugs: The AI does not understand the concept of attrition. It's entirely possible to lure a large army into your territory, Scorch the Earth in that province with a fast / sacrificial unit, and let that (or the winter) whittle the enemy army down to almost nothing.
 * The flipside is that naval attrition has to be disabled for the AI, leading to things like Ottoman territories in the Baltic, or Castille owning Finland.
 * Naval attrition in European waters is nigh-nonexistent anyway.
 * If the player starts the game anytime later then 1399, the game would remember all changes that happened since that year and mention them in the country's history log. Start the game as the USA anytime after 1797 and read how George Washington's period was only remembered for his drunkenness!
 * Memetic Mutation: On the forums, someone started a thread titled "Can Poland into space?", itself originally a meme from a minor Image Board webcomic. This has become a minor meme, with the Strange Screenshots thread containing many instances of nations claimed to "into space" - apparently it's the new word for "blobbing". The backlash is summed up by this image.
 * But Poland can into space!
 * Also, the Meteor Sighted event.
 * Ascended Meme: As of Divine Wind, "Poland can into space" is an achievement acquired by reaching maximum level in all technologies as Poland.
 * Also, "Spain is not the Emperor." It appears on the loading screen as a hint. And it originated from an achievement "Spain is the Emperor."
 * Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Europa Universalis II, compared to the original.
 * What an Idiot!: OPMs tend to make idealistic stands against an aggressively-expanding player. However, annexing OPMs will eventually drive up your infamy.