Top 10 boardgames on BGG

[MerricB]

#21-30 are interesting, and we get our first traditional boardgame here:

#21: Ra
#22: Goa
#23: Railroad Tycoon
#24: Pandemic - that's very, very high. I don't think it'll keep it, but it's an astonishingly high rank
#25: Battlelore
#26: Imperial
#27: Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery
#28: Combat Commander: Europe
#29: Twilight Imperium 3rd edition
#30: Go.

Of the top 30 games, there's only one I haven't played - Paths of Glory - and that's a game we own and plan to get to in the near future.

Cheers!

 

[Melba Toast]

My favourite boardgame of all time was a 1970s/80's game "Survive" by Parker Bros. If it were produced today, it'd probably be called a eurogame, but I don't think that's appropriate since it's was actually fun!

The board resembles the board for Settlers, with an island constructed from hexagonal cards. The island is exploding though, and each turn you remove one of the island peices and reveal the object or instructions underneathe.

Each player controls a tribe with (I think) 12 people. Each of those 12 people has a point value assigned to it, but you won't know til the end of the game.

The islanders either try to swim or row to the nearby islands before the sharks, whales or sea serpents get them.

Brilliant stuff. I can't beleive it's fallen into obscurity.

 

[MerricB]

My favourite boardgame of all time was a 1970s/80's game "Survive" by Parker Bros. If it were produced today, it'd probably be called a eurogame, but I don't think that's appropriate since it's was actually fun!

The board resembles the board for Settlers, with an island constructed from hexagonal cards. The island is exploding though, and each turn you remove one of the island peices and reveal the object or instructions underneathe.

Each player controls a tribe with (I think) 12 people. Each of those 12 people has a point value assigned to it, but you won't know til the end of the game.

The islanders either try to swim or row to the nearby islands before the sharks, whales or sea serpents get them.

Brilliant stuff. I can't beleive it's fallen into obscurity.

That sounds really cool. (There's a recent Eurogame called Downfall of Pompeii which has your meeples being fried by lava and tossed into the volcano, which is also amusing. Horrible things happening often are in games...)

Survive! is ranked #229 on BGG as well - that's exceptionally high.

It's hard for boardgames to stay in print; they need to be really exceptional and keep selling (as Monopoly, Carcassonne and Settlers of Catan have). I dare say that in five years, the Top 10 on BGG will change significantly.

I've also been noting a rise in wargames, as several good games are released that are good introductions to the hobby for gamers.

Cheers!

 

[Asmor]

I've only played 4 of the top 10...

Dominion's a fast favorite, and everyone I've introduced it to (with the notable exception of my fiancée! ) loves it.

Tigris & Euphrates is my favorite game, though sadly I've only played it a few times.

I'm a fan of Race for the Galaxy. Hope to add it to my collection sooner rather than later...

And Puerto Rico's not a bad game, to be sure, but I always feel it's horrendously overrated. I just don't understand why it's rated so highly.

 

[MerricB]

And Puerto Rico's not a bad game, to be sure, but I always feel it's horrendously overrated. I just don't understand why it's rated so highly.

I think it has a lot to do with when it was published: in 2002, it provided a game with several interlocking economic mechanisms, and the variety of the different building types.

Like Caylus and Agricola, you're building up your engine so that the late game plays quite differently from the early game, and each game plays differently based on the different buildings you buy. That's also the attraction of Dominion and Race for the Galaxy, of course!

However, of the top games on BGG, Puerto Rico was first. Caylus was 2005, and Agricola very recent indeed. It had 3-4 years to build a very healthy rating. I don't know if those who voted it up are still active on BGG, or how often they still play it, but it's definitely one of the stand-out games of the last decade.

No, it isn't one of my Top 10, but I see the attraction.

Cheers!

 

[scitadel]

I'll third the over-rating of Puerto Rico, but I tend towards more Ameritheme games anyway. Of the top 10, I have played only 4 - the top and bottom 2. Hee. I've heard great things about Dominion and definitely intend to pick up a copy myself, ditto Caylus (or Caylus Magna Carta - any suggestions on which? I like the potential portability aspect of CMC).

The others I have friends who I can mooch games off

Oh and if you want a real logistics / supply chain management game - buy Container. I still need to play that game with some real gamers - it's so not a gateway game.

 

[MerricB]

I'll third the over-rating of Puerto Rico, but I tend towards more Ameritheme games anyway. Of the top 10, I have played only 4 - the top and bottom 2. Hee. I've heard great things about Dominion and definitely intend to pick up a copy myself, ditto Caylus (or Caylus Magna Carta - any suggestions on which? I like the potential portability aspect of CMC).

The others I have friends who I can mooch games off

Oh and if you want a real logistics / supply chain management game - buy Container. I still need to play that game with some real gamers - it's so not a gateway game.

I think CMC is a pale imitation of the original. It just isn't as tense or as good as Caylus. Caylus plays very well with 2-4 players, less well with five.

Cheers!

 

[Victim]

Of the top 10, I've only played Race (which I really enjoy), so it's hard for me to really compare. Agricola just doesn't sound interesting to me though. It seems so petty.

 

[C_M2008]

Tigris & Euphrates is terrible, I don't know why it's on that list.

Puerto Rico is pretty good, I don't know if it deseves #2.

Surprised there's no Catan on that list to be honest, I guess "best" doesn't mean what's popular.

 

[Korgoth]

I haven't played any of the "Top 10". Agricola sounds like "multi-player solitaire", which is what I've heard about Race ftG too.

I am glad to see that a number of wargames are rated pretty highly.