Global Board Game List

Most of you would have figured out by now that I like figures. I like numbers and I like handing them out to just about anything (television shows, boardgames, housemates....). Next I tend to arrange them according to the value given with the assumption that if A>B>C>D, then A>>C, B >> D and A>>>D. And then comes the fun part; I stratify all items and crunch my numbers in any way I can think of, await the final result and then come up with all sorts of presumptious theories on why the figures appear as such. Sometimes the result can be totally unexpected, and that is why I like numbers so much. Because numbers don't lie. Attaching a figure to any subject gives it an objective value that is comparable to its peers.

And this is such a list.

It is a Top 10 list (gasp!) but this time on a global scale.
1. Each game's rating is broken down to figures from individual nations.
2. The average rating from 5 countries are singled out.
3. The average from each country is totalled together with my rating for the game and an average is obtained effectively giving each country (and me....) 1/6th of a voice i.e. the 20 gamers from country X has an equal weight to the 3000 gamers from country y combined.

This eliminates all possible political/cultural/socio/economic/moral/ethnic/medical differences tipping the ratings in favour of nations with numerical superiority (I did say it was presumptuous). Naturally not all countries are considered and so a carefully selected few is chosen and assumed to represent the rest of the world. Again because I'm grandiose and like to have my say I am deemed a nation and given 1/6th of a voice.

So which other fortunate nations have been seen as being sufficiently significant to be incorporated into the 2006 Global Board Game List and why?

America
Because they are cool and rich and obliged to meddle in any and everything. Well actually its because the United States dominate Boardgamegeek, and with 52% of the ratings coming from US geeks (at least 5000 of them) the American voice is hard to ignore.

Canada
Just north of America this country with the second largest population on the geek provides 8% of the ratings data by at least 700 of them.

Germany
Germans make up the 4th largest population with 5% of the ratings data and over 300 geeks. But the more fundamental reason is that most games are produced in Germany, and with their designers dominating the annual board game awards year after year it would be clearly unwise not to consider the influential German trend.

New Zealand
Sitting at no 17th with approximately 80 geeks barely totalling 0.7% of the geek population, Kiwis are hard-pressed to create even a small ripple in the boardgame community. But their views are important because this is where I am presently and hopefully will be for the next couple of years. I love Auckland!

Malaysia
Malaysians don't currently have sufficient numbers to justify an assembly of its own and as of this moment is lumped together with other countries under 'other nations'. Hopefully the opening of a new Settlers Cafe in Mid Valley and our first convention at the similar venue last year paved the way for more geeks to jump aboard. Their views are important because this is where I was from and where I will be going back to at the end of the year.

Those interested in visiting Settlers Cafe please send me a notice. From what I understand it is a coffee place (ala starbucks or coffeebean) with heaps of boardgames within its premises that customers can play. Friendly staff are always present to assist customers in learning new games and will be more than happy to get in on a game themselves at any opportunity. Now this is one place I can work in over the summer. Maybe even for free :)

Myself
The newly established nation of me with me as its president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary.....

Anyway having explained all the hypothesis and principles that regulate this statistical list, without any further delay let us now move on to the actual basis for this post: The pilot Global Board Game List. And among the questions that our research will be waiting to answer include:

What games are indisputably adored the world over?
How will each country, now given identical weightage, influence the final order of the list?
Will there be noticeable differences in the manner each country rate their games?
Who generally rate games higher?
Who generally rate games lower?

And after years of study by our globally renown group of international researchers, we are now finally ready to answer these questions. It was a gruesome task and on many occasions we have had to claw our way out of tough challenges (e.g. lack of funding, poor numerical skills, contamination, spies), and at times we thought we would not be able to make it. It was a dangerous job but somebody's got to do it. And finally as a direct result of our hard work, we have now before us a list of the top boardgames in the world; the creme of the crop, the very few that is held with as much esteem as is each country's very own president. But patience is required as we embark on a short journey with each game, as we learn of their personality, appreciate what makes them unique, identify what makes them tick and ultimately understand what puts them at the pinnacle of the Global Board Game list. And starting right from the top, at no 1 is....

P.s. Format undertaken: country/total raters/average rating

1. Caylus - 8.43

New games are designed and published all the time - some are appaling, many are mediocre and a few are really good. But every 10 years or so one game comes along that blows away everything in its path. A game that has everything - a good theme, a wonderfully produced board with excellent bits, and brilliant mechanics that fit together flawlessly. Caylus is that game for this decade. Centred around castle-building in France and ranked 2nd in my Top 10, 3rd on the geek and top in this list Caylus was introduced last year and shot up the charts to settle at no 3 within weeks. With hardly any peers Caylus is exactly what makes me so proud to be a geek.

2. Power Grid - 8.43

Despite mounting a remarkable challenge for top place Power Grid eventually had to settle for second spot trailing Caylus by only an impressive 3/1000th of a point (8.430 vs 8.427). This was a game I fell in love with just reading the rules. An auction scheme for power plants, area control while competing to power cities on the board and a fuel market in which prices fluctuate throughout the game according to supply and demand? Checked. However despite all its strength this isn't a game for everyone. An average session last 90 minutes with plenty of tough choices throughout - and winning Power Grid the first time around is an achievement not easy to forget (I won mine one game short of my 20th game).

3. Age of Steam - 8.41

If ever there was a game that is mean, cranky and incredibly bad-tempered then this one is it - clocking in at number 3 is the notorious Age of Steam. A train game in which you compete to link-up cities and race to deliver goods across the United States sounds rather harmless. But a brutal economic system in a contest where money is everything means finances is hard to come by and in a classic 6 player game, 2 players will be eliminated via bankruptcy within the first 2 rounds. One of the most competitive games on the market and trailing the joint leaders by a mere 2/100th of a point, Age of Steam packs a punch and rounds up our Top 3.

4. Die Macher - 8.33

Sitting at no 4 is a game few as yet has had the opportunity to play - myself not included. But rave reviews have been heard from those who have. A game concerning seven political factions in different regions of Germany, players as rulers of national political parties attempt to manage limited resources to help their party to victory in the upcoming elections. And like the predecessor Die Macher is a mammoth - 3-5 players are required for the game to kick-off and each session on average runs for the next 240 minutes. Pretty impressive for a game published in 1986. And the primary reason only a handful of the more privilege gets to attach a number to this game? Its been out of print for the past 10 years. Presently the only means to get your hands on this beauty is to search for an aged copy. And although old games occasionally do get republished, I wouldn't be holding my breath.


5. Puerto Rico - 8.31

Finally the finest game on the geek makes an appearance at no 5. Masquerading as plantation owners in Puerto Rico and attempting to grow up to five different kinds of crops: corn, indigo, coffee, sugar and tobacco, this is the first of 3 games in which players compete on a common board while simultaneously managing separate individual boards out of their rival's reach. Published in 2002 Puerto Rico catapulted to the top of of the geek displacing at that time Tigris & Euphrates and raking up the crown over 3000+ other games and holding on to that position since. As you can deduce I'm probably not one of its biggest fan but unfortunately the rest of the world seem to be. So when that happens what do I do? I jump on the wagon and say 'count me in'. Because all these people can't possibly be wrong.


6. Princes of Florence - 8.30

Debuting at no 6 is the 2nd game in which players compete at least partially on individual boards and falling behind Puerto Rico by a mere 1/100th of a point - Princes of Florence. Set in the renaissance era players develop medieval cities to attract citizens of various professions (such as astronomer, painter and architects). These citizens goes to work in their respective residence producing art, map, buildings etc which help enrich their cities. Individual board represents the city and points are totalled after seven rounds. However after playing online at least 5 times I have yet to see its brilliance shine through. Nevertheless unlike Puerto Rico I never go 'mehhh' when I'm playing but again nothing spectacular jumps out at me and yell 'great game this one!'. Maybe there are some subtle attributes I have yet to discover but will with repeated playings. Or maybe I just have something going against all game with individual boards.

7. Tigris & Euphrates - 8.15

Known as part of the Knizia tile-laying trilogy and widely regarded as Reiner Knizia's best game Tigris and Euphrates holds on tight at no 7. Boasting an almost royal bloodline coming from the same designer who brought us Ra, Modern Art, Amun-Re and Through the Desert anticipation for its release reached almost fever pitch back in 1997. When it was finally published Tigris & Euphrates catapulted to the top of the charts and remained there until one faithful day 4 years ago. Set in the ancient fertile crescents of Mesopotamia players advance their civilizations through tile placements in four different categories (farming, trading, religion, and government). Leaders are employed to watch over the workers and help build up their kingdoms but with a twist - your score at the end is the number of points in your weakest category. Alas this is another game which I do not hold up with as much esteem as my fellow geeks. After multiple playings I have yet to grasp how everything fits together. However because it is ranked 2nd on the geek and because it is designed by Reiner Knizia and because my housemates seem to be such big fans Tigris & Euphrates will keep on hitting the table until the day when I comprehend and fall in love.

8. El Grande - 8.12

One of the more elegant games produced and trailing Tigris & Euphrates by 3/100th of a point stands El Grande. Set at a time of political upheaval in Spain this is a subject I have written on previously and there is in reality nothing else to add to a spectacular game. Published more than 10 years ago and settling down comfortably into 5th position on the geek El Grande has proven its worth beyond the most trusted of all denominator - time.

9. Ra - 8.11

Following close behind El Grande at 1/100th of a point Ra makes itself noticed at no 9. A pure auction game with an Egyptian theme, players as pharaohs compete to advance their individual kingdoms. Farms are irrigated to provide food, astronomers and religious leaders add culture to civilizations while constructed monuments dedicated to the sun god Ra brings eternal glory. This continues over 3 epochs with the pharaoh accomplishing the most crowned the new Prince of Egpyt. Initially produced in 1999 Ra went out of print within the year and remained so for 6 years - however a high demand and continuous calls for reprinting finally came through. Last year Ra was given a lifeline and 6000 new copies were produced dropping them into the hands of eager geeks the world over. Currently sitting pretty on the geek at no 8 Ra is one of my most played and admired game.

10. Diplomacy - 8.07

And finally rounding up the list at no 10 is my most esteemed game of all time - Diplomacy. In this classic game of pure negotiation, deception runs rife and the one frustrating question you're always asking - whom do you trust? Trust and treachery are the entertaining ingredients in this international game of intrigue as each player represents one of the great European powers prior to World War I. To gain control of Europe you must forge alliances and advance with the co-operation of your neighbours. However at the other end cunning and cleverness are required to combat the deception and betrayal that surrounds you. For ultimately to rule Europe one must stand alone. The trouble is - when do your allies become your enemies? The first time I played this with my university mates a hugefall-out occured and the group split into separate factions of 3 and 4 for lunch. This is the degree of emotions involved in playing Diplomacy and why it is the absolute perfect game in my mind. Chance plays no role as it boils down to your ability to negotiate your way out of any challenge you face - it is the art of giving people what they think they want. For the record I have never brought Diplomacy back to that same gaming group. For this is an adult's game and if you can't be old enough to differentiate a game from reality, even in the midst of being brutally back-stabbed and attacked by 4 of your closest mates, then Diplomacy is probably not the best game for you.