I don't like the types of games that CCGs epitomise (dynamic responses trying to form a meta-stable system). Yes, I have played. I have built decks. More than once. I learned the lesson and don't want to do that again.

Is this like a building filled with smaller buildings which are in turn full of horses?

You know, I never metagame I didn't like.

MTG is good clean fun, if it wasn't overblown, overpublished, and expensive. (Yes, it is expensive. A good deal of the fun comes from having lots of cards. Yes, its only as expensive as you let it be, but you will always want more. Always.)

On that note, I really like Blue Moon.

LOL about the horses.

Metastable is an actual scientific term, though perhaps a bit esoteric for boardgames. It describes a theoretically unstable state that nevertheless persists.

I think it might be because chess is in between. Go is frequqntly considered to be deeper (I'm not in a position to judge), so when looking for a light game, the "hardcore" crowd "go" for it.

If they want a lighter classic abstract, then backgammon is the better choice.

Also, Chess isn't as uber-cool as Go.

*Indignant splutter*

For the love of all that is holy, HARE AND TORTOISE made the frickin' list!

Clearly, O Ancient One. Looking at the list, I'd say the count was maybe 55-10 or so.

And of course Hare & Tortoise made the frickin' list! It's a great game!

I voted for Titan, and it certainly wasn't for nostalgia value.

And this one even has a boob. Go figure.

Not just any old boob. Lucrezia Borgia's boob.

Republic of Rome is a great experience.

Dune is a great game.

At least you can see Lucrezia's nipple.

Always looking for an excuse to add this to the list?

Was it out then?

We voted in December of 2004 and Yinsh was released in 2003, according to the Geek.

I didn't vote for any of the GIPF series (or chess either). I'm not much of a fan of this type of game.

The only games that I was surprised not to see were YINSH, Santiago, Amun-Re, and Magic. The first three were all 2003 games that might place better now, but several other games from this vintage did make it (Attika, Goa, Ticket to Ride, Power Grid).

I predict that both YINSH and Santiago would make the list if we voted again right now. I'm not sure about the other two.

I suspect there's a reluctance to put too many GIPF games on one list. Probably people picked their favorite and voted for it, even if the others are deserving as well.

Oh, I almost forgot. Amun-Re also has the world's greatest session report written about it! (Thanks, Joe!)

I would have been surprised if we did see San Juan, because of the system we used. It would have to be among the 15 favorites of at least two or three of the voters. San Juan doesn't seem like a game that would be in many people's top 15.

Well, I'd have been tempted to vote for it. Lots of people have hundreds of plays on BSW ...

Well, I'd say the same thing about Africa, McMulti, Mamma Mia, and a bunch of other games that made the list, Josh. San Juan may not be the kind of game that inspires a fanatical devotion, but a lot of people prefer it to Puerto Rico and rate it quite highly. I'd consider San Juan's absence one of the quirks of the list, just like some of the games that did sneak in.

Pure roleplaying games don't qualify for inclusion, so the admins have ruled. It has to have a board or some cards.

Well, it's their call, so I can't really argue, but it strikes me as a very anti-productive and arbitrary ruling. A Gamut of Games is in the database (as it should be) and that's just a book. I see some of the VCR generated games included--not much of a board there. And Tribes, which is a straight RPG, is there as well! It seems that when there's any doubt, the Geek tends to allow borderline pastimes to be included, which is fine with me. But RPG's, which are OBVIOUSLY games, are deliberately excluded? That's just weird. For the life of me, I can't see why a game as historically important and as popular as D&D shouldn't be *prominantly* included in the Geek, along with others like Runequest, Vampire, etc.