Every quarter, I compare the current board game rankings at BoardGameGeek with the rankings from three months ago to see what new games have appeared and what old games have enjoyed sudden surges in popularity. Games tend to climb the charts more slowly in the overall ‘Board games’ category, so I list them when I see a jump of +100 ranks, whereas in other categories I only note jumps of +200 ranks. Sometimes classic games are added to new categories and will jump up for probably no other reason. Also, I only keep track of the top 500 games in each category from quarter to quarter, so it’s theoretically possible for a game to gain ranks slowly and never show up. But with those caveats in mind, here are some lists of games that have popped up on the charts in the past quarter.
Fast, positive movers among 'Board games': 014 (+143) Caverna: The Cave Farmers 051 (+109) Nations 059 (+228) Eldritch Horror 060 (+160) Russian Railroads 194 (+161) Lewis & Clark 220 (+232) Concordia 274 (+226) Glass Road 281 (+106) Amerigo 297 (+203) Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia 318 (+167) Firefly: The Game 329 (+171) Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #2 370 (+130) BattleLore (Second Edition) 373 (+127) Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #3 378 (+122) Francis Drake 392 (+108) Bruxelles 1893 396 (+104) 1775: Rebellion
Fast, positive movers among 'Strategy games': 199 (+301) BattleLore (Second Edition) 223 (+277) BattleCON: Devastation of Indines 273 (+211) A Study in Emerald
Fast, positive movers among 'War games': 019 (+481) Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #3 020 (+480) Advanced Squad Leader: Starter Kit #2 043 (+457) BattleLore (Second Edition) 067 (+255) The Hunters: German U-Boats at War, 1939-43 165 (+335) Diplomacy 256 (+244) Sails of Glory
Fast, positive movers among 'Family games': 055 (+445) Ingenious: Travel Edition 069 (+431) Mahjong 088 (+352) Steam Park 128 (+372) TurfMaster 151 (+349) Blueprints 222 (+278) Fantastiqa 287 (+213) Cinque Terre
Fast, positive movers among 'Collectible games': 012 (+488) Warhammer: Diskwars 016 (+484) Dungeon Command: Blood of Gruumsh 021 (+479) Star Realms 109 (+318) Huntik: Secrets and Seekers Trading Card Game 114 (+386) Xia: Legends of a Drift System
Fast, positive movers among 'Thematic games': 058 (+442) Zombicide Season 2: Prison Outbreak 098 (+402) Space Cadets: Dice Duel 117 (+383) TurfMaster 156 (+344) Police Precinct 185 (+315) Leader 1: Hell of the North 203 (+297) CV 216 (+284) Silent Death 227 (+273) Galaxy Defenders 229 (+271) HeroQuest Advanced Quest 276 (+224) Dark Moon 289 (+211) Super Fantasy: Ugly Snouts Assault
