2. Wingspan (+2)

The winner of the 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres. Superb productions, obviously, but I especially like how accessible it is and its ability to draw new people into the hobby. There are enough strategical elements to satisfy gamers of all level too.

3. Maracaibo (+1)

The newest game to join the amazing lineup of games by Alexander Pfister. Do you still prefer Great Western Trail over this one?

4. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine (+3)

Card games have been the new hot these days (minor spoiler for the April update for this series of articles).

5. The King's Dilemma (+1)

First with Railroad Ink, and now with King's Dilemma, Horrible Guild (the publisher) continues to strike the right chord with SU&SD. Jumping +171 in position from January to February, The King's Dilemma lives up to its hype and is still going strong as we enter the second week of April. Do you think this will stay among the top 20 games visited in the upcoming months?

6. Brass: Birmingham (-1)

7. Root (-5)

My personal favorite. It's one of the most divisive games out there with those who love it vs. hate it. Either way, Leder Games has produced a game that won't be leaving the group of top 10 most visited game pages anytime soon (I may have to eat my words for April though, I started gathering data for the next article and there are numerous games that are shaking up the hierarchy).

8. A War of Whispers (-)

Perhaps you can notice a trend but this is yet another game that received SU&SD's "Recommends" badge. From looking at the analytics, this game had zero traffic until their review.

9. Gloomhaven (+15)

Maybe all of the people who have been on the edge are finally jumping on board before Frosthaven fulfills? Or maybe it's the mentality of catching up on on all of the movies you missed out on so that you can properly appreciate the sequel. It may also be a sign of people preparing for their shelter in place with a game that is sure to last.

10. The Isle of Cats (-1)

11. Camel Up 2E (-)

Chaotic fun that fully relies on luck and intuition. Despite having been out of stock for the longest time, it continues to remain as one of the top 30 most visited game pages. I just had to snag a copy when there was a reprint early this year and it was great fun for the family.

12. Blood Rage (+11)

This one had a significant jump but I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the influence of CMON's upcoming title Ankh by Eric Lang?

13. PARKS (-3)

14. Res Arcana (+1)

15. The Quacks of Quedlinburg (-1)

16. Everdell (+1)

17. Great Western Trail (+16)

Hmm I don't see any signs of it having been back in stock, so I'm not sure what caused the significant bump. Prior to this, it consistently remained around #30-40 for months.

18. Undaunted: Normandy (-)

19. Chinatown (-7)

20. Pax Pamir 2E (-)

21. Pandemic (+74)

That's a big jump. My best guess is that it's from all of the publicity the game and Matt Leacock (the designer) have received from various non-board game related media in connection with COVID-19.

22. Catan (+31)

You may be surprised to see this here but it's fairly consistent in its staying power to remain in the top 100. And unlike BGG's main audience, BGP's audience covers a much wider spectrum that includes new and casual gamers.

23. Atlantis Rising 2E (-10)

This may be a sign of a fall off after the huge publicity it's received from placing on several media personalities' "top games" lists, including Zee Garcia of Dice Tower placing it at his #2 game of all time in 2019. The April update I'm working on currently indicates a big drop off below #50 position.

24. Azul: Summer Pavilion (+14)

This is a continuation of an impressive run since February, when it jumped +32 in position after SU&SD's coverage. In comparison, Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra has been a no-show after December 2019.

25. Caper (New)

Zero traffic in December 2019, entered the fray at #238 in January 2020, went off the map again in February, and it's now back at #25. It's a bit of a mystery, but one thing I'm aware of is that Zee placed this as his #22 on Dice Tower's Top 100 Games of All Time 30-21, which likely explains the bump up in January. This still doesn't explain Caper's jump onto #25 though.

26. Twilight Imperium 4E (-1)

It may surprise you but this is another strong presence that consistently maintains its position within the top 30 games visited.

27. Terraforming Mars (-11)

28. Marvel Champions: The Card Game (-9)

The Marvel formula continues to see commercial success. Despite being in its early years, this card game quickly broke into BGG's Top 100 games after receiving praise from numerous media outlets. It's been showing signs of slowing down ever since it fell out of top 10 most visited games in the past months (and looks like it's taking a significant dip in April), but it's making up for it with new expansions that are starting to break into the top 50's.

29. Root: The Clockwork Expansion (+98)

This expansion unlocks the solo and co-op potential for Root lovers to get in more plays. Wasn't on the map even as far back as December 2019, but emerged starting February at #128 spot. Likely boosted by Leder Games' announcement for pre-orders starting late March.

30. Root: The Underworld Expansion (+22)

Similar explanation as The Clockwork Expansion.

31. The Castles of Burgundy 20th Anniversary Edition (-4)

32. Scythe (+12)

For some reason, it took a slight dive in traffic in Feburary. Most other months show that it consistently places in the top 30's spot.

33. Spirit Island (+6)

34. The 7th Continent (+2)

35. Dominion: Menagerie (New)

The staple deck-building game comes out with a new expansion, and this time with animals!

36. Unmatched: Battle of Legends Volume 1 (+196)

By now, you should be able to pick up that almost all monumental leaps in traffic is caused by SU&SD. After staying in the #200-300 mark for months, it has landed on #36 after SU&SD's review and receiving their "Recommends" badge. I can't comment on the gameplay, but you know Oliver Barrett has done an amazing job on the art if he can make you wish each of these unexpected legends had a comic book of their own.

37. Root: The Riverfolk Expansion (+11)

This expansion was out of stock for a while, so it may be the result of people coming to check its availability. Another likely reason is that people are naturally looking this up after news of pre-orders available for The Underworld and The Clockwork Expansions. By the way, if you haven't noticed, the base game and all expansions for Root are now placing in the top 50 game pages visited.

38. Azul (-4)

39. Tapestry (-2)

I've only looked as far back as December 2019, but despite all of the controversy, it has remained within the top 40 most visited game pages. It does seem like it will experience a drastic drop in April though. It's currently placed at #130 mid-April (I will be coming out with the April update hopefully this coming week!)

40. Century: Golem Edition (+79)

Simple but a solid entry-level engine-builder. The only explanation I can think of is that there was a major price drop, but that doesn't seem to be the case when I look at the historical price data on our game page.

41. The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 (+2)

I'll be honest and say that this is my first time hearing of the game. Except for December, it has continuously placed within the top 50 game pages throughout 2020.

42. Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game - Dark City (-21)

This is an older game that came back in stock in late February. I see a huge drop to #230 currently in mid-April.

43. Marvel Champions: Captain America (-1)

44. Arkham Horror: Pallid Mask (New)

45. Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 (+34)

My best guess is the same as the one I provided for Pandemic above. I can also see there was a significant price drop in March. A more creative guess is that people are getting in on legacy games before the shelter in place. Interestingly, this has gone out of stock starting April and is only available at second hand markets.



46. Barenpark (+187)

I can't point to any media coverage that would've done this. From looking at its price history, there doesn't seem to have been a major price drop. SU&SD covered this 5 months ago so it's not the likely cause either. Would love to get in on polyamino tile games but I think The Isle of Cats will be my first.



47. Taverns of Tiefenthal (-19)

Yet another game reviewed by SU&SD. It didn't earn a "Recommends" badge but Matt stated that "it's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be a 10/10 for you to really enjoy it". The exposure alone dragged this game to the top 10 most game pages visited after their December review. Since then, it's been showing signs of a gradual fallout.

48. Dune (-19)

I suspect this fallout is caused by the shelter in place all over the world. It certainly isn't the best game to get into at the moment since it requires a higher player count. Speaking of which, is there a recent purchase you've made that you're dying to get to the table but can't for similar reasons?

49. Architects of the West Kingdom (+7)

Viscounts of the West Kingdom's Kickstarter launched in the beginning of March. It's the last game in the West Kingdom trilogy from Garphill Games. The Kickstarter also offered the Tomesaga which attempts to tie in all three games for an epic campaign.



50. Shadow Hunters (-10)

An old social deduction game from 2005, it has managed to stay in the top 60 games viewed as far back as December 2019 (I haven't looked past that). Like many other games that require higher player counts, this game is also experiencing a drastic falloff in April (currently placed at #138).

Final Words

And we're done! In the beginning, I had planned to end this at #100, but it felt like too much for me and for the readers to go through. But I do plan to continue this series in the future if there's interest. I already have data compiled for a mid-April update and let me tell you, COVID-19 and the shelter in place has thrown everything out the window.

Hope you enjoyed the read and let me know what you think below! Thanks, and stay safe everyone.

Upcoming articles:

April Update for top game pages viewed.

Breaking down SU&SD's influence on game page views.



