5 & 10 Lists 2001 - The Results! (LONG!)
Mark Jackson
of games they played 5+ and 10+ times in 2001. The chart below compares the
previous responses.
YEAR #/GAMERS #/GROUPS TOTAL
1998 15 1 16
1999 23 2 25
2000 36 2 38
2001 50 6 56
The following lists are based on the information collected. When you see
"points" mentioned, I awarded games pts based on 5 pts for each gamer that
listed a game as something they'd played 5+ times, and 10 pts... blah, blah,
blah. You get the picture. The percentage numbers refer to the overall
percentage (both 5 & 10+ plays), while the numbers behind them in
parantheses indicate the breakdown of that percentage (with 10+ being
first). Finally, the "99 rank" or "00 rank" refers to where that particular
game was ranked in 1999 or 2000 on that particular list.
I did not include classic games (Backgammon, Chess, etc.), prototypes, games
played with a standard deck of cards, or Werewolf (which I believe is simply
a party game - I've played similar games for years with teenagers.)
I hope, finally, to figure out a way to post these statistics on the Game
Central Station website.
I compile these lists hoping to start conversation... begin typing!
=====
MOST PLAYED GAMES (2001)
---game--- points % breakdown 00 rank 99 rank
1. Carcassonne 300 70% (38/32) 24th new
2. Liar's Dice/Bluff 190 43% (25/18) 7th 8th
3. Lost Cities 180 43% (22/21) 2nd 1st
3. Wyatt Earp 180 38% (27/11) new <--
5. Settlers of Catan 155 40% (16/24) 1st 3rd
5. Crokinole 155 29% (27/2) 136th 62nd
7. Princes of Florence 105 30% (7/23) 14th new
7. Ra 105 28% (11/17) 4th 9th
9. Bohnanza 95 25% (9/16) 20th 16th
9. Schotten-Totten/Battleline 95 23% (11/12) 6th 79th
Just missed (at 90 points): Can't Stop
Interesting Observations:
Wow... only ONE new game in the Top Ten - congrats to Mike Fitzgerald &
Richard Borg for the success of Wyatt Earp. (In fact, this was a good year
for the whole Mystery Rummy franchise... all three of the MR games gained
ground.) As usual, those who look down their collective noses at the "five &
dime" method of comparing games (because of it's obvious tendency to favor
shorter games), 6 of the games clock in at 45 min+... that's one more than
last year!
I'm at a loss to explain the resurgence in Liar's Dice/Bluff... it actually
went OOP again (what is this, the 5th time?!) in Germany, so who knows why
"the call of the Cups" echoed throughout the land? I'm equally mystified by
the continuing popularity of Schotten-Totten/Batteline, but that's more of a
personal thing.
Now, when you break down the Top Ten by publisher... (note: the total does
not equal 10 because many of the games were published by more than one
company.)
Rio Grande 6
Alea 3
Kosmos 2
Amigo 1
ASS 1
FX Schmid 1
GMT 1
Hans im Gluck 1
Mayfair 1
? (Crokinole) 1
Congratulations to Jay Tummelson, manages not only to sell a bunch of
games... but to publish ones that are wonderfully 'playable'!
When you break down the Top Ten by designer...
Reiner Knizia 3
Richard Borg 2
Mike Fitzgerald 1
Wolfgang Kramer 1
Uwe Rosenberg 1
Klaus Teuber 1
Richard Ulrich 1
Klaus-Jurgen Wrede 1
? (Crokinole) 1
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride (no SdJ award -yet!- for the Good
Doctor)... but 3 of his games find their way into the Most Played list.
=====
PLAYED TEN+ TIMES (2001)
---game--- # of players 00 rank 99 rank
1. Carcassonne 21 23rd new
2. Crokinole 15 -0- 34th
2. Wyatt Earp 15 new <--
4. Liar's Dice/Bluff 14 4th 6th
5. Lost Cities 12 2nd 1st
6. Settlers of Catan 9 1st 3rd
7. Tally Ho 6 42nd new
7. Loopin' Louie 6 13th 4th
7. Ra 6 8th 9th
7. Schotten-Totten/Battleline 6 4th 74th
Just missed (at 5 players): Apples to Apples, Bohnanza, Zertz
Interesting Observations:
That's TWO years in a row for Bohnanza to JUST miss making this list...
which says something about it's staying power. The addiction that is
Crokinole shows up big-time here... which is a major change, as NO ONE
reported playing it 10+ times last year (which means, as you can guess,
Glenn Kuntz wasn't involved.) :-)
Settlers lost ground on this list but gained on the 5+ plays list, which
means we may finally be at a point where most of the known gaming world has
played it so many times they're ready to choke. (Note: after you take a
break from Catan, you'll find it's siren call luring you back again - it
certainly has me!)
Ra, Bohnanza, Liar's Dice... all three of them seem to be settling into
"utility fielder" position - they're the "games almost anyone will play and
help settle that 'whadda we play next?' dispute."
=====
PLAYED FIVE+ TIMES (2001)
---game--- # of players 00 rank 99 rank
1. Carcasonne 18 20th new
2. Princes of Florence 13 3rd new
2. Settlers of Catan 13 10th 34th
4. Can't Stop 12 3rd 11th
4. Lost Cities 12 13th 15th
4. Web of Power 12 1st new
7. Liar's Dice/Bluff 10 20th 20th
8. Battle Cry (AH) 9 7th new
8. Bohnanza 9 38th 6th
8. For Sale 9 85th 34th
8. Ra 9 3rd 4th
Just missed (at 8 players): Flowerpower
Interesting Observations:
Hmmm... no new games this year (though Carcassonne only had a couple of
months of playing time in 2000 and so is 'close' to being a new game). It's
nice to see the überfiller, For Sale, make a reappearance. (And it seems to
building momentum!)
Interestingly, Web of Power has held onto a spot - I'll be watching to see
if it hangs on next year. (It's role as "strategy game lite" haven't hurt
it's chances of doing just that.)
A major part of the Liar's Dice resurgence occured in this category... those
groups which had been playing it 10+ times a year (helloooo, Westbank
Gamers!) are still playing it 10+ times a year. It's all the groups &
individuals who've started playing it a bit more who made it 'what it is
today.' :-)
=====
LO, HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN (biggest percentage drop from last year)
(2001)
1. Ohne Furcht & Adel -26.39%
2. Zirkus Flohcati -22.42%
3. Settlers of Catan -21.83%
4. Battle Cry (AH) -20.24%
5. Carolus Magnus -18.65%
6. Ra -14.88%
6. Texas/Rosenkonig -14.88%
8. Taj Mahal -14.29%
8. Guillotine -14.29%
10. Torres -13.89%
Just missed (at -13.69%): Euphrat & Tigris
Interesting Observations:
The thundering drop was for Ohne Furcht & Adel... it went from 5th most
played game last year to top of this list in 2001. Ouch. (This does NOT bode
well for it's publication in English later this year. Mind you, it's a very
good game, but it may have already saturated the market.)
Battle Cry doesn't surprise me - it dropped off in number of playings for me
this year as well - but I don't think it will fade completely away. It's too
enjoyable & fits in the hard-2-find "short wargame" category.
The trend that will cause the most concern amongst strategy gamers is the
drop-off of 'meatier' games: Taj Mahal, Torres and E&T. The number of people
giving these games serious table time (in the case of all four of these
games, a minimum of 8 hours) has dropped.
> FROM MY 2000 REPORT: While I'm not sure that Money or David & Goliath or Tikal
> will ever surface again, I believe that Klunker, Lost Cities, and UP will
> stabilize right where they are for next year.
Checking my power of prognostication...
---game--- 2001 % 2000 % 1999 %
--------------- ------ ------ ------
David & Goliath 3.57% 0.00% 20.69%
Money 3.57% 2.78% 24.14%
Tikal 1.79% 13.89% 34.48%
OK, so the games I predicted would stay down did... in fact, Tikal fell even
further! So far, so good...
---game--- 2001 % 2000 % 1999 %
--------------- ------ ------ ------
Klunker 5.36% 11.11% 37.93%
Lost Cities 42.86% 44.44% 55.17%
Union Pacific 12.50% 16.67% 37.93%
...but I *missed* on Klunker (which I still think is one of Uwe's best
games). Union Pacific was sort of a miss, too, though it didn't fall as hard
as Klunker. I nailed it with Lost Cities, though - my theory is that it's a
game 'gamers' can get their wives to play, so it'll ALWAYS be in vogue. ;-)
Maybe I ought to stick to predicting which games will fail... hmmmm.
=====
JOINING THE "IN" CROWD (biggest percentage gain from last year) (2001)
1. Carcassonne +52.98%
2. Crokinole +25.79%
3. For Sale +15.87%
4. Liar's Dice/Bluff +15.07%
5. Zertz +12.30%
6. Taboo +10.71%
6. Volldampf +10.71%
8. Password + 8.93%
9. Tally Ho + 8.73%
10. Bohnanza + 8.33%
Just missed: Ivanhoe (a 7.94% increase)
Interesting Observations:
Glenn's hard work has finally paid off, as Crokinole invaded 'german' gaming
circles this year. Hard-earned money that might have gone to deforest
Deutschland instead worked here on domestic forests in order to make large
flat surfaces for this addictive little game.
Carcassonne reported the HIGHEST total percentage I've seen since I started
keeping this list - 70% of the gamers who responded have played it 5+ times.
(I do NOT think this will hold... I'm guessing there will be a drop below
50% next year.)
Volldampf & Tally Ho were released LATE in 2000, which didn't give them
proper time to show up on many 5 & 10 lists.
Taboo was released in an electronic version, which I'm sure helped it's
numbers this year. (Catch Phrase had NEVER appeared on the 5 & 10 lists
before this year - Electronic Catch Phrase changed all that!)
I have NO idea why Password popped up... really. No idea whatsoever.
Prediction: Santa Fe/Santa Fe Rails and High Society will be on this list
next year (as both are being reprinted). Hey, I'd love to Um Reifenbreite
here, too, but I'm not holding my breath.
As you can probably guess, the "IN" CROWD did not include this year's
releases.
=====
FRESH FACES (most popular games released this year) (2001)
1. Wyatt Earp 180 38% (27/11)
2. Flowerpower 60 18% (4/14)
3. Atilla 55 16% (3/13)
3. Nur Peanuts 55 14% (5/9)
3. San Marco 55 14% (5/9)
6. Traumfabrik 45 14% (1/13)
6. Africa 45 13% (4/9)
6. Evo 45 13% (4/9)
6. Knights 45 13% (4/9)
6. Formula Motor Racing 45 9% (7/2)
Just Missed (at 40 points): Catch Phrase, Don
Interesting Observations:
Yes, I'm well aware that Atilla & Traumfabrik were released LATE in 2000...
but neither one of them garnered enough playing time to even show up in last
year's count. So, they get bumped on over to this year!
The newbies are an interesting mix this year... some card games, some
tile-laying, a couple of 'heavier' games and a couple of pieces of fluff.
The two oddities are Wyatt Earp & Formula Motor Racing, both games which
inspired people who liked them to play them A LOT... notice more gamers
played them 10+ times than 5+ times.
--
Westley: It's not that bad...[receives a glance from Buttercup] Well I'm
not saying I'd like to build a summer home here but the trees are actually
quite lovely.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Mark Jackson
Game Central Station
http://geocities.com/scareyjo/
Nashville, TN
Matthew Gray
You made several observations of games that have gained popularity
this year:
> Wow... only ONE new game in the Top Ten - congrats to Mike Fitzgerald &
> Richard Borg for the success of Wyatt Earp.
> I'm at a loss to explain the resurgence in Liar's Dice/Bluff...
> Glenn's hard work has finally paid off, as Crokinole invaded 'german' gaming
> circles this year.
> (Catch Phrase had NEVER appeared on the 5 & 10 lists
> before this year - Electronic Catch Phrase changed all that!)
>
> I have NO idea why Password popped up... really. No idea whatsoever.
I find it interesting to note that this seems to correlate extremely
well with the trends among gamers here in Eastern Massachusetts. It
occured to me while it may just be that we follow the same trends as
everyone else, another possibilitiy may explain it.
In most of the gatherings here, there are a large number of people who
record and track the number of games that get played. I've been under
the impression that in many other groups there is one record keeper
and the remaining players aren't quite as compuslive :-) For the
groups with many record keepers though, this means one game which gets
played by four record keepers five times gets on four people's "5+
list", while a game played in a group with only one record keeper only
gets on one "5+ list".
Particularly:
- Wyatt Earp has been extremely popular with almost everyone I
play with in MA except me. This is probably just a
reflection of a general trend though.
- Catch Phrase and Liar's Dice have gotten a LOT of play at
several regular Massachusetts groups. With many players, 5
plays of these can easily end up on several people's lists.
- A couple of the locals purchased Crokinole boards this past
Spring and it's spread seriously among the local gamers. I
personally played at least five games with other record
keepers.
- Password is probably Dave Bernazzani's fault :-) He made a
concerted effort to play more of this last year and again,
he plays with lots of record keepers in addition to being
one himself.
So, that's one theory, but then again, I may just be under the
delusion that Boston is the hub of the gaming universe :-) Clearly,
for your next version, you need to add some sort of
geographic/gaming-community normalization :-)
Thanks for a great compilation of data!
...Matthew
frankvf
>
> =====
>
> MOST PLAYED GAMES (2001)
> ---game--- points % breakdown 00 rank 99 rank
> 1. Carcassonne 300 70% (38/32) 24th new
> 2. Liar's Dice/Bluff 190 43% (25/18) 7th 8th
> 3. Lost Cities 180 43% (22/21) 2nd 1st
> 3. Wyatt Earp 180 38% (27/11) new <--
> 5. Settlers of Catan 155 40% (16/24) 1st 3rd
> 5. Crokinole 155 29% (27/2) 136th 62nd
> 7. Princes of Florence 105 30% (7/23) 14th new
> 7. Ra 105 28% (11/17) 4th 9th
> 9. Bohnanza 95 25% (9/16) 20th 16th
> 9. Schotten-Totten/Battleline 95 23% (11/12) 6th 79th
> Just missed (at 90 points): Can't Stop
>
as important as the Internet Top 100. This analysis confirms
suspicions that I have had for a while. In the end, even though a
game may get great ratings, prospective buyers want to know how much
fun it is and how much longevity it has. I think that some people
rate games based on technical merit and complexity, which skews the
results. Where is El Grande? Where is Tigris and Euphrates? These
games are sitting at 1st and 3rd place on the Internet top 100, but
are getting very little play according to this analysis. This seems
to indicate to me that for the most part, people prefer games that are
fun and strategic, in that order. While we all may admire the design
and mechanisms found in El Grande, the elegance and flow of Tigris, in
the end it's the addictiveness and fun of a game like Settlers, that
counts in how well a game will do. Looking at the games that Rio
Grande has published, I believe that they understand this point. Now
then, if only we could change the rating system so that it would
reflect this. But that topic is probably best saved for another
thread :-)
Dave Eggleston
> found in El Grande, the elegance and flow of Tigris, in
> the end it's the addictiveness and fun of a game like
> Settlers, that counts in how well a game will do.
In the end, a lot of us end up playing most of our games against family and
"non-gamer" friends. I think this accounts for why the Internet Top 100
doesn't match the Five & Dime lists. I trust that folks contributing to the
Top 100 are honest about what they want to play.
- d
Andrew B. Gross
> First of all, thanks for doing the analysis. In my opinion, this is
> as important as the Internet Top 100. This analysis confirms
> suspicions that I have had for a while. In the end, even though a
> game may get great ratings, prospective buyers want to know how much
> fun it is and how much longevity it has. I think that some people
> rate games based on technical merit and complexity, which skews the
> results. Where is El Grande? Where is Tigris and Euphrates? These
> games are sitting at 1st and 3rd place on the Internet top 100, but
> are getting very little play according to this analysis. This seems
> to indicate to me that for the most part, people prefer games that are
> fun and strategic, in that order. While we all may admire the design
> and mechanisms found in El Grande, the elegance and flow of Tigris, in
> the end it's the addictiveness and fun of a game like Settlers, that
> counts in how well a game will do. Looking at the games that Rio
> Grande has published, I believe that they understand this point. Now
> then, if only we could change the rating system so that it would
> reflect this. But that topic is probably best saved for another
> thread :-)
I wouldn't draw that conclusion at all.
For myself, out of the 20 or so games I have in my closet, I like
"Settlers" just about the least. I really can't even make up my mind
if I like the game at all. I have rated it poorly for Aaron's
Internet 100.
However, if I had contributed to the 5&10 list, only two games would
have received 10 or more plays from me in the last year: Titan (which
I rated a 10 on the Top 100), and Settlers.
Bottom line: my wife likes Settlers, and we know several other
couples that know how to play and enjoy playing Settlers. It's that
simple.
A 5&10 list is going to be *heavily* skewed towards games that don't
take that long to play, games that are easy to teach, and games that
fringe-gamers enjoy. I would think the reasons are so obvious that
they don't really need to be stated.
However, this says nothing about how much I like a game, or how good
it is, or how often I would play it if I had an endless supply of time
and willing opponents.
frankvf
>
prefer games that are primarily fun(addictive), and secondarily
strategic.
I still think that for the most part this is true. Of course, I am
drawing these conclusions based on people I know and play with, and
numerous other 5 and 10 lists I have seen. It has always struck me as
interesting that most 5 and 10 lists bear little resemblence to the
Internet top 100. You would think that the best games should be the
ones that are played most.
Now, I agree, as Dave E. pointed out previously, that it is correct to
assume that the ratings given to the Internet top 100 are honest and
accurate. So why the large differences between the 5 and 10 lists and
the Interent top 100? Perhaps the reason may be due to the fact that
the 5 and 10 lists consider number of times played instead of total
time played. Therefore, even though El Grande gets only played a few
times and Bohnanza gets played more, if you totalled the number of
hours that both have been played, El Grande may be played more. It
would be interesting to see if this was the case. I know that with
the people that I play with, the games we enjoy the most, are the
games that get played the most. I can't imagine why we would all sit
down together and play Settlers if the majority of us wanted to play
T+E.
I consider 5 + 10 lists to be the litmus test by which one can judge
the popularity of a game. Many people might love T+E, but they are
either not often in the mood for this type of game, or it's very
difficult to understand, or it's too long for their tastes or
whatever. If they are not playing it, that tells you that it is
probably only for certain rare moods and tastes. The majority of
people who play games enjoy the family style of game. By the way, I'm
just using T+E as an example.
> For myself, out of the 20 or so games I have in my closet, I like
> "Settlers" just about the least. I really can't even make up my mind
> if I like the game at all. I have rated it poorly for Aaron's
> Internet 100.
> However, if I had contributed to the 5&10 list, only two games would
> have received 10 or more plays from me in the last year: Titan (which
> I rated a 10 on the Top 100), and Settlers.
> Bottom line: my wife likes Settlers, and we know several other
> couples that know how to play and enjoy playing Settlers. It's that
> simple.
>
Here again, most people prefer games that are fun(addictive) with some
strategy, interaction and relative ease by which you can formulate
plans. They do not care too much for the "brain burner" type of game.
This is why you introduced Settlers instead of T+E to your friends.
I've done the exact same thing (except that I really like Settlers).
I believe you when you say that you don't care much for Settlers, but
I don't think this viewpoint is shared by most people. I enjoy Chess,
but I don't get to play much against human opponents because not many
people that I know share my interest. But even though I enjoy it, I
still would not rate it higher than Settlers because it is just not as
much fun to play. It sure has a lot of replay value though, and for
this reason, should still be rated fairly high.
> A 5&10 list is going to be *heavily* skewed towards games that don't
> take that long to play, games that are easy to teach, and games that
> fringe-gamers enjoy. I would think the reasons are so obvious that
> they don't really need to be stated.
> However, this says nothing about how much I like a game, or how good
> it is, or how often I would play it if I had an endless supply of time
> and willing opponents.
The nice thing about 5 and 10 lists is that they show us the games
that most people find to be fun/addictive. Over time, they also show
us which games have good replay value, which is also a very important
consideration. To my way of thinking, these two qualities are most
important in determining the worth of a game.
Now, I understand, that there are times where a person might want a
game with some real meat on it. For these games the criteria for
success may be different. Perhaps it is unrealistic to judge family
games by the same criteria as gamer games.