Each month I’m providing an update on the BGG Top 100: the list of games which I intend to play and review 100%. I’m slowly but surely chipping away, with over 10% done after just two months. The current list (updated monthly) can also be found here for easy access: https://thetopofthetable.com/the-list/

This month we’ve got two new arrivals to the Top 100, including one that is absolutely shooting up the charts.

1-10: Same games in the top ten, with some slight movement as 7 Wonders: Duel and The Castles of Burgundy both climbed one spot. I played both of those games in February and plan to write their reviews in the coming month.

11-20: Terraforming Mars continues to climb, albeit a bit more slowly. It’s beginning to look a bit uncertain whether the game will be able to crack the Top 10. Nevertheless, it’s still near the top of my list for games I’m looking forward to playing for the first time. Robinson Crusoe sees a slight resurgence with some new content recently released — I’ve played this game a bit over the past month and am hoping to publish a review of it in March.

21-30: We see Codenames holding firm to its spot, as two 2016 releases make their push for a spot in the Top 20. Mechs vs Minions is one of the toughest games on the entire list to get a hold of right now, with copies going for $250 on Amazon (over 300% markup over MSRP). Thankfully, a new print run is scheduled for July 2017, so if you’re in the market for this game, just be patient for a few more months.

31-40: Dead of Winter is dropping quickly, which can often happen when a second edition or stand-alone expansion of a game is published. Be that as it may, my copy of the original version still firmly holds its place in my collection. Speaking of second editions, Viticulture Essential Edition is one of the surprise climbers this month, jumping 9 spots after a stagnant January.

41-50: Two new releases join the Top 50, with Great Western Trail jumping ahead of A Feast for Odin. I got the latter for my birthday in February. As a game with so much variety, it deserves several more plays before I’m ready to give it a proper review. I know this is one that people want to hear about, so I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long.

51-60: Arkham Horror: The Card Game is still climbing pretty rapidly, and as a big fan of legacy games I got to say I’m intrigued. I probably won’t be buying it though, as you need to buy two copies of the base game (~$60 each) just to play the first three scenarios with 4 players, after which you’ve got to buy even more content. I’m not against the one-and-done model at all, but I’d expect more content for that price.

61-70: Troyes was previously one of the toughest games to find on the Top 100 list, but it recently got a little easier thanks to a 2016 reprint. This reprint is also the reason it is seeing a slight bump in the rankings, while other games around it are plateauing or falling.

71-80: Not a ton to say here. Out of the bunch I’m most interested in The Gallerist, which sounds like it has a pretty unique theme (curating an art gallery). It’s more interesting to play and review games that are different from any other, rather than just another agricultural Euro.

81-90: Whoa, Santorini! I’m gonna have to book you for speeding! The first 2017 release to enter the BGG Top 100 is ascending at an incredible pace, having jumped 166 spots in the past month. It’s a light and accessible game, which allows it to garner a high number of votes more quickly. At the same time, it’s generally harder for light games to receive high average rankings among the BGG crowd. Given its beautiful design, unique mechanics, and wide accessibility, I feel like this game has Spiel des Jahres written all over it.

91-100: Jaipur makes a brief appearance back in the Top 100 after dropping out last month. It won’t be here long though, as there are a few games ready to overtake it any day now. The biggest contender is the new Kickstarter mega-hit Gloomhaven (currently perched at #102), a massive legacy style dungeon crawler that currently has an absurd average rating of 9.3/10 with over 1,000 votes. With numbers like that, it’s not a question of whether Gloomhaven will reach the Top 100 or even the Top 10, but whether it will become the new #1 by year end.

101+: We say farewell to two former Top 100 games: Ticket to Ride: Nordic Countries and Tichu. I’ve played TTR Nordic and really enjoyed it — it may well be my favorite TTR, running neck and neck with TTR Pennsylvania. Also got to give some props to Tichu, as one of the oldest games to last this long on the Top 100 list. I’m sure it would have been an interesting one to play and review, if it could have hung on just a little longer.