Dear game lovers,

 

The new top 50 has been put online.

The game database, which I maintain since mid 2002, contains 3273 games.   

A game can only be taken into account if it has at least 3 ratings. The ratings come from the following 26 internet sources:

 

* Internet Top 100

* Board Game Geek (USA)

* Spielphase, Siegpunkt, Ausgepackt, Holgs Spieleteufel, Games we Play, Spielbox, Spieletreff, Hall9000,
Spielonaut, Westpark, Michas Spiel, Spiele-Truhe, Boardgame (GER)

* Spieletest (AUS)

* Spellengek & Spel a/d Maas, Hieke's Anderspel (NL)

* Jeux2Rody, Ludo le Gars, Ludigaume, Moissy Cramayel (FRA)
* La Tana dei Goblin (ITA)

* Vlaams Spellenarchief, Speelduivel, My personal ratings  (BEL)

 

This amounts to exactly 1500 games with 3 or more ratings.

The top 20 stayed the same.

Two games re-entried in the top 50: Sankt Petersburg (won the German 'Spielerpreis' in 2004) and Hive (original abstract 2-player game).

 

42. Sankt Petersburg: Nice game for 2-4 players which plays (and replays) very easily.

 

49. Hive: abstract 2 player game from John Yianni.

 

The top 50:

 

1 (1) Puerto Rico (Alea)

2 (2) Eufraat en Tigris (Hans im Glück)

3 (3) San Juan/ Puerto Rico kaartenspel (Alea)

4 (4) El Grande (Hans im Glück)

5 (5) Die Fürsten von Florenz (Alea)

6 (6) Die Siedler von Catan: Steden en Ridders (Kosmos)

7 (7) Die Siedler von Catan: Basisspel (Kosmos)

8 (8) Yinsh (Don & Co)

9 (9) Der Herr der Ringe: Der Ringkrieg/ War of the Ring (Phalanx Games, Fantasy Flight Games)

10 (10) Torres (FX Games/ Ravensburger)

11 (11) Medina (Hans im Glück)

12 (12) Java (Ravensburger)

13 (13) Die Siedler von Catan: Kaartspel (Kosmos)

14 (14)  Goa (Hans im Glück)

15 (15) Macchiavelli/ Ohne Furcht und Adel (Hans Im Glück)

16 (16) Magic the Gathering/ Magic die Zusammenkunft (Amigo/ WOTC)
17 (17) Blokus (Sekkoia)
18 (18) Keythedral (R & D-Games, Pro Ludo)

19 (19) Die Siedler von Catan: Zeevaarders (Kosmos)

20 (20) Raja: Palastbau in Indien/ Maharadja (Phalanx Games)

21 (21) Löwenherz (Goldsieber/ Kosmos)

22 (23) Tikal (Ravensburger)

23 (25) Funkenschlag/ Power Grid (2F- Spiele)

24 (26) Tadsch Mahal (Alea)

25 (24) Obstgärtchen/ Boomgaardje (Haba)

26 (22) Rush Hour (Binary Arts)

27 (27) Serenissima /Méditerranée (Descartes)

28 (28) Die Händler von Genua (Alea)

29 (30) Go (3M, Ishi, ...)

30 (29) Roads and Boats (Splotter Spellen)

31 (31) Santiago (Amigo)

32 (32)  Rumis (Murmel)

33 (33) Middle Earth: the Wizards (Iron Crown Enterprises/ Queen Games)

34 (34) Carcassonne (Hans im Glück)

35 (36) Junta (Descartes, West End Games)

36 (43) Einfach Genial/ Genius (Kosmos)

37 (37) Lauras Sternenspiel (Amigo)

38 (38) La Citta (Kosmos)

39 (39) Die Siedler von Catan: Das Buch zum spielen (Kosmos)

40 (40) Die Werwölfe von Düsterwald/ De weerwolven van Wakkerdam (Asmodée/ 999 Games)

41 (41) Die Macher (Hans im Glück, Moskito)

42 (2N) Sankt Petersburg (Hans im Glück)

43 (42) Diplomacy (Jumbo, Avalon Hill)

44 (44) Civilization (Avalon Hill)

45 (45) Antiquity (Splotter Spellen)

46 (46) Dvonn (Don & Co/ Rio Grande Games)

47 (47) Sternenschiff Catan (Kosmos)

48 (35) Macchiavelli: Die Dunklen Lande (Hans im Glück)

49 (2N) Hive (John Yianni, Gen Four Two)

50 (49) Ursuppe (Doris & Frank)

 

(N: new entry, 2N: re-entry)

 

Dropped out of the top 50:

 

51 (50) Kohle, Kies & Knete (Schmidt)

52 (48) Der Herr der Ringe-Die Feinde/ Friends&Foes (Kosmos, Fantasy Flight)

 

Extra 1: Rüdiger Dorn

 

Some of the best games I've played recently are Goa, Jambo and Louis XIV, all from the designer Rüdiger Dorn.

A reason to focus on the games he has designed.

Rüdiger Dorn was born in 1969 in Nürnberg and designed little more than 10 games so far.
And his games are getting better and better !!!

 

Rüdiger Dorn

 

The best listed game from him is Goa, one of the best games made in 2004.

 

Goa: the best game of Rüdiger Dorn so far.


Another well-known game is Die Händler von Genua (Traders of Genoa): a trading game published by Alea.
The last 2 games from him are Jambo (2-player game which plays differently each time) & Louis XIV
(brand new Alea game in which 2-4 players can take on roles at the court of Versailles).
Louis XIV has only 2 ratings yet but I'm sure that this game will be a new Alea hit.

 

Here the list of Rüdiger Dorn games with 3 or more ratings:

 

14. Goa (Hans im Glück, 2004, 3-4 spelers)
28. Die Händler von Genua/ Traders of Genoa (Alea, 2001, 2-5 spelers)
88. Jambo (Kosmos, 2004, 2 spelers)
345. Emerald (Abacus, 2002, 2-5 spelers)
427. Ex und Hopp (Ravensburger, FX Schmid, 1996, 3-6 spelers)
528. Zauberberg (Ravensburger, 2001, 2-5 spelers)
853. Gargon (Amigo, 2001, 3-5 spelers)
1357. Spacewalk (Ravensburger, 1999, 2-5 spelers)

 

 

Extra 2: Best new games compared to last month:

 

The best new game this month is a rather old game (from 1991): Wie Du mir...

 

316. Wie Du mir...: dobbelsteenspel van Wolfgang Riedesser uit 1991.

 

1.  Wie Du mir... (Schmidt, 1991) new on position 316

2.  Coloretto Erweiterung (Spiele aus Timbuktu, 2004) new on position 341

3.  Carcassonne: Der Graf von Carcassonne (Hans im Glück, 2004) new on position 455

4.  Dicke Dämonen (Edition Erlkönig, 2004) new on position 485

5.  Chinagold (Bambus Spieleverlag, 2004) new on position 487

6.  Gold und Rum/ For a few orcs more (Asmodée, 2003) new on position 599

7.  Jochen der Rochen (Zoch, 2004) new on position 635

8.  Diamant (Schmidt Spiel, 2005) new on position 740

9.  Fano Rona (Parker, 1979) new on position 745

10.  Logeo Ratio (Huch & Friends, 2005) new on position 785