BGG rates games using a Bayesian system. First of all, a game can't get a rating until at least thirty people have rated it. This keeps a game with a single vote from being number 1...obviously, that game doesn't really have the popularity to really be number one. To date, there are only about 5400 games rated out of around 40,000. But, what if a game has only been rated 30 times? If those thirty votes average a rating of 9, does it really deserve to be ranked over Agricola, with 9573 ratings and an average of 8.37? No, probably not. If nearly 10,000 people think a game is that good, shouldn't it get more attention than a game that only thirty people know about? To counter this, BGG uses a Bayesian number. It adds in a number of average ratings, which on BGG is a 5.5. The number of these dummy ratings is unknown, but standard thought is that there are 100 of those, which really affects games with less votes, and doesn't really touch the ones with a lot of votes. To continue our illustration, our game with 30 votes is now at 6.3, and Agricola is now at 8.29.

There are people who put a lot of stock in the ratings. If they disagree with a game being highly rated, they'll rant and rave about stupid people rating games. They may even give a highly rated game a 1 just to try to bring it down a peg (Puerto Rico has really suffered from this backlash). Plus, your favorite game may not be very highly rated - my favorite, Cribbage, is rated at 260, even though I think it as close to perfection that a game can get. But, really, who cares - at the very least, it's nice to see what people are playing and enjoying. There are plenty of games that may not have as much recognition and may be better, and if you look, you'll find them. The rankings are really just there as a guide...the final decision is up to you.

So, here they are. In honor of my first 51 games, here's the top 51 at BGG (as of July 1, 2009). A lot of them I've already talked about, and I'll point you back to those posts. I'll also give some personal comments. Enjoy!

1. Agricola (2007, Uwe Rosenberg, #51) - I just talked about this! I don't own the game, but I have played it a few games. I enjoy it, though I sometimes have a hard time thinking about all the things I need to do. I've tried to solo game, which is really difficult because the score you need to get is very high. I can see why it's number one, and while it's not my number one, it's very good.
2. Puerto Rico (2002, Andreas Seyfarth, #16) - Puerto Rico is still one of my favorites, but I'm beginning to see why people think it's too predictable. Patterns start to emerge in people's playing styles, and strategies seem obvious. But, it's such a streamlined game, I still really like it. It's not at all a gateway game, but it's very intuitive and is probably a good next step. I do own this...it's one of the first games I got as I was really getting into the hobby.
3. Power Grid (2004, Friedemann Friese, #36) - This game definitely has its supporters. I enjoy it, even though I don't like auctions that much. I do like that the auction is not the main focus of the game, but it's definitely important. Another one I don't own, but probably will someday...my wife loves the game.
4. Twilight Struggle (2005, Jason Matthews & Ananda Gupta, #50) - I don't own it, and I've never played it. I've never been that interested in wargames, but this one does pique my interest. If I do play it, I'll let you know what I think.
5. Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization (2006, Vlaada Chvátil, #49) - Another that I've never played. I've only played one game by Vlaada Chvátil, but it's one of my favorites. I've read about several of his games, including his upcoming Dungeonlords, and I'm a fan. This is near the top of my want to play list.
6. Dominion (2008, Donald X. Vaccarino, #21) - Since my original post, I've bought and played this game, and it's rocketed up my favorite games list. It's very replayable, and is very fun. This is another one that my wife really likes. PLUS, it was just announced on Monday that it is the Spiel des Jahres winner for 2009 (look back at Expansion #11 to see what game I mentioned that was in contention the honor this year).
7. Tigris & Euphrates (1997, Reiner Knizia, not covered) - This classic by Reiner Knizia was one of the first to hold the number one spot at BGG, and it has so far stood the test of time. It's essentially an abstract game (much like most Knizia games) in which tiles are placed to build up your ancient civilization. I currently have no plans to cover the game on the blog, but who knows - I have toyed with the idea of doing a Knizia series, and this would be a part of it.
   
8. Le Havre (2008, Uwe Rosenberg, not covered) - This was Uwe Rosenberg's follow-up to Agricola, covering shipping goods this time. It's been on the rise of late, and I wouldn't be surprised if it went even higher (people have been predicting that it would replace Agricola since the day Agricola took the top spot). In fact, since I started working on this post, it's already risen from number 9 to number 8.  Expect it in a future series.
9. El Grande (1995, Wolfgang Kramer, not covered) - This is an area control game in which you are vying for control of provinces in medieval Spain. This one will be appearing in a future edition, when I cover area control games.
10. Caylus (2005, Arnaud and Cyril Demaegd & Mike Doyle, not covered) - This game was a trailblazer in the worker placement mechanic, assigning your pieces to various places on the board while building a castle. From what I hear, it's a really good game, just way too long. No plans for this one, and I doubt it will be covered.
11. Race for the Galaxy (2007, Tom Lehmann, #26) - Since my post, I have bought this game and played it a few times. I really like it. Once you understand what's going on (which I didn't really when I did my post), it goes pretty quickly. I still see the similarities to Puerto Rico, but it's its own game. I've also gotten the Gathering Storm expansion, which brings it up to five players and adds a solo game. I'm still trying to figure out the solo game, but it's pretty cool.
12. Brass (2007, Martin Wallace, not covered) - This game covers various industries in England, including cotton, iron, railways, and shipping. I don't know a whole lot about it, but there are a lot of big Martin Wallace fans out there, so I'm interested in trying one of his games out sometime. I have no idea if this will ever appear in the blog.
13. Age of Steam (2002, Martin Wallace, not covered) - This is a train game, again by Martin Wallace, in which you're trying to build routes across the US. If it sounds a lot like Ticket to Ride, it's not. There's shipping involved, and it's a more complex game. It is being reprinted soon (if not already) as Steam, after a dispute over the owner of the name. Expect to see this one in a train series, but that's a ways off.
14. The Princes of Florence (2000, Richard Ulrich and Wolfgang Kramer, not covered) - This game involves building up the culture of your medieval and renaissance cities. It's a game with an auction mechanic, which means I'm already not very interested. But, who knows. I'm fairly sure this won't get covered on the blog.
15. War of the Ring (2004; Francesco Nepitello, Marco Maggi, and Roberto Di Meglio; not covered) - As you may have guessed from the title, this is a game about JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. One player runs the Free Peoples, while the other plays the Shadow Armies. They fight, trying to win control of the ring. This may come up in a series on book-based games, but I haven't decided yet.
16. Commands & Colors: Ancients (2006, Richard Borg, not covered) - There are currently four games by Richard Borg that use the battle system featured in this game, and this is the most popular. In fact, the system has come to be known as the Commands & Colors system, despite this being the third game in the series. I currently have no plans to cover this particular game, but I do plan to cover at least one of the other games that uses this system, which you can find further down this list.
17. Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage (1996, Mark Simonitch, not covered) - This card-driven wargame was out of print for a while, but when Valley Games reprinted it in 2007, it gained significantly in popularity. Obviously, it deals with Hannibal's Carthagian army and their struggles with Rome. If I do a war series, this may make an appearance. No idea yet.
18. Paths of Glory (1999, Ted Raicer, not covered) - Another wargame, another card-driven system. The game is about World War I, and players use their cards to determine the outcome of the war. I have no plans for this one.
19. Battlestar Galactica (2008, Corey Konieczka, #27) - Since covering this game, I have not played it. However, I have gotten about halfway through the third season on DVD. It's an excellent show, sci-fi for people who don't really like sci-fi. I still look forward to giving this a try sometime.
20. Goa (2004, Rüdiger Dorn, not covered) - This is an auction game that is set in the early 16th century. You'll be developing spice plantations in competition with the other players. No plans for this one.
21. Shogun (2006, Dirk Henn, not covered) - This is a Japanese retheming of Wallenstein, which will appear later on the list. The game features a unique method of determining the outcomes of battles, a cube tower. I currently have no plans to cover this game, but that could change.
    
22. Die Macher (1986, Karl-Heinz Schmiel, Expansion #15) - I haven't played this one yet, but I am interested. I have to find someone with a copy and five hours to spend playing it. The theme really sounds boring (German politics, oooh), but from what I hear, it really is great.
23. Pandemic (2008, Matt Leacock, #22) - Since m post on this one, I have played it several times and really enjoy it. The game was my first cooperative experience, and since then, I've played several others (ok, two...Shadows over Camelot and Red November). Pandemic is currently my favorite of the genre, and one of my favorite games. It was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres for 2009, but lost to Dominion.
24. Railroad Tycoon (2005, Glenn Drover and Martin Wallace, not covered) - This is essentially Age of Steam applied to the video game Railroad Tycoon. Many people say it's simpler and more streamlined, many people prefer the original AOS. Nonetheless, both are in the top 25. No plans for this one.
25. Ra (1999, Reiner Knizia, not covered) - The BGGeeks love their auction games, and this classic is consistently listed as one of the favorites of the genre. It's Egyptian themed, and it's an auction game, and I even said way back in the post about Cleopatra and the Society of Architects that I was pretty uninterested in this game. That hasn't changed.
26. Imperial (2006, Mac Gerdts, not covered) - Antike was the first rondel game from Mac Gerdts. His second was Imperial, which is more of an economic game than Antike, which was more area control. It is possible that you'll see this one if I decide to do an economic series, but I don't know if that will happen.
27. 1960: The Making of the President (2007, Jason Matthews and Christian Leonhard, not covered) - This follow-up to Twilight Struggle follows the 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. It's for two players, and you can be either side, collecting enough electoral votes to win. I'll be doing a second two-player series soon, and this will be among the games discussed.
    
28. Conflict of Heroes: Awakening the Bear! - Russia 1941-1942 (2008, Uwe Eickert, not covered) - The title should let you know everything you need to know about the game. It's a wargame, it's the first game in a series, and it covers the German invasion of Russia. I don't plan to cover this. Even if I do a war series, I doubt this will make the cut.
29. Stone Age (2008, Bernd Brunnhofer and Michael Tummelhofer, not covered) - This game is sometimes referred to as Caylus-lite-lite, indicating that it is a simpler implementation of the worker placement mechanic used in Caylus (why not just Caylus-lite? I'll tell you in just a few posts, but not today). I don't have a plan to cover this one, but I'm looking for a way to incorporate it.
30. Combat Commander: Europe (2006, Chad Jensen, not covered) - Another card-driven wargame that covers tactics in Europe. It's another series, and I don't plan on covering any of them.
31. Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition (2005, Christian T. Petersen, Expansion #15) - This ginormous game is not one I'm terribly interested in playing. It seems like a huge time commitment with a theme that doesn't really draw me.
    
32. Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery (2007, Glenn Drover, not covered) - This civilization game is based on the popular PC game. I've never played the computer game, but being such a fan of Sid Meier's Civilization, I'm a bit leery of it. I'm sure the game is great, and I'll play it if someone wants to teach it to me. For now, no plans.
33. Small World (2009, Philippe Keyaerts, not covered) - Way back in Expansion #3, I mentioned that Small World was getting a lot of buzz as an upcoming game from Days of Wonder. It came out in April, and here it is, #33 on the charts. It's a redesigned version of Vinci, an area control game from 1999. The big difference is that Vinci is about European civilizations, while Small World is about fantasy races. This one's coming soon to this blog.
34. Go (ancient Chinese game, not covered) - Go is a simple abstract game that pits white pieces against black. It's a game of area enclosure, trying to capture your opponent's pieces by laying your own pieces on the board. No plans as of yet.
35. BattleLore (2006, Richard Borg, not covered) - BattleLore was the fourth game to use what has come to be called the Commands & Colors system, and added a fantasy element to the game system. This particular version of the system will be covered in the upcoming two-player series.
36. YINSH (2003, Kris Burm, #13) - I have not played this game yet; however, I have played another game in the GIPF series, ZÈRTZ. That game was very interesting, and I'm still excited to play the other games in the series. This one remains at the top of my list.
37. Tichu (1991, Urs Hostettler, not covered) - This Chinese themed trick-taking game has enjoyed great popularity. It is not one that I've played, but you can expect to see it in a future series. In fact, you'll see it sooner than any other game on this list - it's making an appearance in my next series.
38. Galaxy Trucker (2007, Vlaada Chvátil, #25) - This game has become my second favorite game (behind Cribbage). I love the puzzle part, I love the pressure element, I love the chaos that ensues during the flight. This is a game I would highly recommend to everyone, even though I accept that not everyone will like it as much as I do.
39. The Settlers of Catan (1995, Klaus Teuber, #1) - My enthusiasm for this game has cooled as I have discovered other games. However, I still recognize it as one of the best introductions to the hobby out there. I think the best way t play it is with the Cities and Knights expansion, though I have not played it at all with the Seafarers expans
40. Wallenstein (2002, Dirk Henn, not covered) - As I mentioned earlier, this is the predecessor to Shogun. They are essentially the same game, just with different themes (this one is set in Germany during the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century). It features the cube tower. I don't think I'll be covering it.
41. Crokinole (19th century, public domain, not covered) - This is a popular parlor dexterity game where you flick pieces around, trying to score points. There's a dexterity expansion coming, and this will be one of the games mentioned in that.
42. Blood Bowl: Living RuleBook (2004, Jervis Johnson, not covered) - Blood Bowl is a series of games, and represent a combo of rugby/soccer/American football in a fantasy world. There's not much else to say. I have no plans for it, but if I ever decide to do a sports series, this will most likely be included.
43. Advanced Squad Leader (1985, Don Greenwood, Expansion #15) - I talked about it in the beasts expansion, I don't really feel the need to explore it any further.
44. Memoir '44 (2004, Richard Borg, not covered) - This is the third game using the Commands & Colors system in the top 51.  The other, Battle Cry, will not appear on the list.  It's set in World War II, and many people see it as a good gateway wargame.  If a war series appears, this will be covered, but none is planned as of yet.
45. Hammer of the Scots (2002, Jerry Taylor, not covered) - This game is the story of William Wallace, the Hammer of the Scots, and his struggle against the English.  You can either be English and try to quash the rebellion, or you can be Scottish and attempt to win your freedom.  It covers the same ground as Braveheart, and may be better for the real history than that movie.  No plans here.
46. Samurai (1998, Reiner Knizia, not covered) - As the title suggests, this game is set in Japan.  You'll be trying to earn influence, surround cities, and generally be the best.  It's part of Knizia's tile-laying trilogy, which also features Tigris & Euphrates and Through the Desert.  No plans for this one, though it could appear in a Knizia series.
47. Ticket to Ride: Europe (2005, Alan R. Moon, #37) - The first sequel to Ticket to Ride is also the highest rated.  I enjoyed my one play of the game, which I won, but we messed up a rule or two.  I'd like to play it again.  The stations add a lot to the game, and I think would transition nicely to the original.
48. Struggle of Empires (2004, Martin Wallace, not covered) - This game, set in the 18th century, involves the struggle of European empires trying to gain dominance in the world.  I have no plans for this one, but maybe I should do a Martin Wallace series sometime and cover it.
49. Arkham Horror (2005, RIchard Launius and Kevin Wilson, not covered) - A re-implementation of a 1987 game with the same name, this game is centered in the works of HP Lovecraft and involves the Cthulhu mythos.  For more on that, see the post on this game when I do a book series.
50. Taj Mahal (2000, Reiner Knizia, not covered) - This is an auction game set in India, where players try to win various prizes over the course of twelve turns.  My current plan is to cover the game as part of a world travel series, but that could change.
51. Ticket to Ride (2004, Alan R. Moon, #3) - This game is still highly regarded, even after many additions and sequels.  I think it's probably the best game out there to introduce people to the gaming hobby - simple and accessible, and lots of fun.

There you have it. The 51 greatest games in the history of the world. On to the next 51! Happy gaming!
-Jesse