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  • Top Ten game list

    TGN Chat

    As promised here are the top ten games based on the lists posted in our recent TGN Chat topic. There are more than 10 entries as there were several ties. I’ll post a complete list (without the entries only receiving one vote) later.

    Update: There are a few places linking to this page that seem to be taking this a bit more seriously than it was intended. This is just a few people online “shooting the sh*t” about their favourite games and isn’t intended to be scientific :-)

    Game Votes
    Warmachine/Hordes 31
    Warhammer 40k 24
    Warhammer Fantasy 24
    AT-43 22
    Confrontation 3 19
    Space Hulk 17
    Necromunda 13
    Epic 12
    Infinity 11
    Anima Tactics 10
    Blood Bowl 10
    Mordhiem 10
    Hell Dorado 9


    Here is a full list of the games submitted. I have excluded any products that only received a single vote simply to keep the list small.

    Game Votes
    Warmachine/Hordes 31
    Warhammer 40k 24
    Warhammer Fantasy 24
    AT-43 22
    Confrontation 3 19
    Space Hulk 17
    Necromunda 13
    Epic 12
    Infinity 11
    Anima Tactics 10
    Blood Bowl 10
    Mordhiem 10
    Hell Dorado 9
    AE-WW2 8
    Battlefleet Gothic 8
    Confrontation Age of Ragnarok 8
    Warmaster 8
    Dark Age 7
    Flames of War 7
    Star Wars Miniatures 7
    Lord of the Rings 6
    Void 6
    Battletech 5
    Wargods of Aegyptus 5
    Warmaster Ancients 5
    All Things Zombie 4
    Full Thrust 4
    Heroquest 4
    OGRE 4
    Star Fleet Battles 4
    Warhammer Ancient Battles 4
    .45 Adventures 3
    Gorkamorka 3
    Heroscape 3
    Ragnarok 3
    Tannhauser 3
    Urban War / Metropolis 3
    5150 2
    Advanced Squad Leader 2
    Axis and Allies: War at Sea 2
    Battlelore 2
    Chainmail 2
    Crossfire 2
    D&D Miniatures 2
    Elfball 2
    Federation Commander 2
    Heavy Gear 2
    Heroclix 2
    No Limits 2
    Pirates of the Spanish Main 2
    Pulp City 2
    Rezolution 2
    StarGrunt 2 2
    Starship Troopers 2
    Super System 2

    44 Responses to “Top Ten game list”


    Zac says:

    I’m not too surprised by how popular Space Hulk is (anyone from FFG reading this?) but I am quite surprised by how popular Necromunda is.

    I have taken the opportunity to pull out my old copies of the game :-)


    grimbergen says:

    Thanks for putting this together. What’s interesting to me is that given all the derision that Warhammer is usually greeted with among the posters here, it still ranks #2 and 3 (though it could be a different sample set with the voters?).

    It’s also sad that GW LOTR has so little interest… even less than star wars minis prepaints — I voted for both so the two are on my playlist, but I had thought that given the LOTR franchise and the lack of general interest for CMGs here would have given it a stronger showing. Again the sample size isn’t huge, but it is what it is…


    Thorbjorn Nielsen says:

    I must be on the wrong site.. not a single historical game among the top ten..

    And almost all of GW’s games among the top ten! Mon dieu!

    I forgot to vote myself though. Not that it would have changed a lot.


    Trent McCaffrey says:

    The poll was very informal, so the results are a very rough guideline at best.

    I’d be more interested to see what the results would look like if they were weighted…eg a #1 vote is worth 10 points and a #10 vote is worth 1 point. But the question would have to be more tightly worded in that case.


    Stu says:

    I’m not at all surprised so many ‘out of print’ GW wargames feature. Space Hulk, Necromunda, Mordheim and Blood Bowl are all amusing games in their own right that are generally balanced too considering they come from the GW stable. Of course they all require quite low figure counts to play at 15-20 figures per side, so GW don’t give a stuff about them these days.


    P-ko says:

    given the popularity it was sure GW games will be in the top 10, but iirc they weren’t on the top of the list in many instances. AT-43 also seems to be quite popular in the poll, given how young it is.


    Sergeant_Crunch says:

    I think people like to complain about the games, but still keep the minis so they can actually get some sort of a game in at the local store if they are without a club.


    gavroche says:

    I’m not surprised to see the major commercial games at the top of the list. They’re easy to obtain, easy to get into & also have nice miniatures. Nevermind if the rules aren’t great, most people can live with that, as long as they like the miniatures & can find other gamers to play with.


    metalminimadness says:

    gavroche is absolutely right. Finding a game almost puts more of a priority over rules or miniatures… almost.


    Zac says:

    I must be on the wrong site.. not a single historical game among the top ten.

    Its a big sci-fi and fantasy crowd here at TGN :-)

    We’ve been working for some time to rectify that and bring in more historical news and readers but they are a tough crowd to budge :-)


    Zac says:

    Finding a game almost puts more of a priority over rules or miniatures… almost.

    It is one of the reasons why people I know locally haven’t left 40K and WFB for other games. I think there are a lot of gamers who would move to another system but the fact is that one of our local gaming groups runs WFB events and gets 40 players to come out.


    wildger says:

    Just some minor surprises. I thought that Blood Bowl should be higher than Necromunda and Space Hulk. Afterall, the online community is very active and someone is actually making another computer game for it on Xbox 360. I never imagined that AT-43 would be that high since the marketing and availability were quite poor. Flames of war should be higher and this is mainly a sampling bias. Void/Metropolis/UrbanWar should be combined together - slight difference but same universe and basically same models. I am really disappointed that DBA did not even make the list. It is way more popular than Warmaster.


    fee_weasel says:

    I am delighted to see AT-43 making a strong showing and Space Hulk still running strong.


    Marauder says:

    Zac, this was a great idea. I suggest doing it annually, and leaving it up a bit longer so more people have a chance to vote. Not sure about doing a weighted vote though - I think top 10 or top 5 is sufficient.

    Nice to see Hordesmachine up at the top. PP certainly deserves it. I think it was smart to make Hordes and Warmachine the same game instead of two different ones (like 40k/WHFB).

    -Tim


    redstripe (Nick) says:

    If any historical players are reading this, does anyone recommend a particular American Civil War game? We play Johnny Reb around here and I guess its ok.

    Also, a French-Indian Wars or Colonial Era system you recommend.


    Schogun says:

    Perhaps 3 polls: Your Top 5 Minis Games/Rules (all genres); Your Top 5 SF/Fantasy Games/Rules; Your Top 5 Historical Games/Rules.


    Zac says:

    Void was left distinct from Urban War because the rules are quite different and it is now sold by a different company. It seems a different title than Urban War.


    gavroche says:

    I think it would be nice if with the next chat people would expalin their choices a bit more, and if the question was a bit less general perhaps. The top 3 hardly tells us anything we didn’t know already ;-)


    Dreadaxe says:

    http://www.tabletoptournaments.net/eu/t3_games.php?order=popularity

    # Warhammer Batailles Fantastiques (65%)
    # Warhammer 40K (53%)
    # Warmachine/Hordes (17%)
    # Blood Bowl (14%)
    # Mordheim (11%)
    # Battlefleet Gothic (10%)
    # Hell Dorado (10%)
    # Confrontation (10%)
    # Le Seigneur des Anneaux (8%)
    # Necromunda (7%)


    stormwolf says:

    I would just like to point out that although I voted for 40K as my number one, it wasn`t the dreary game of today, it was the Daddy “Rogue Trader”.

    The current versions wouldn`t even rate in my top twenty!

    Nice idea Zac, now how about a most popular line of miniatures (plastic and/or metal) poll?

    Cheers

    SW


    yslaire says:

    I agree with Gavroche : “I think it would be nice if with the next chat people would expalin their choices a bit more, and if the question was a bit less general perhaps. The top 3 hardly tells us anything we didn’t know already ;-)”

    We could have given a top 3-5 for different categories / aspects of the games ; example :

    1- rule system (mass) : Hordes/Warmachine, Confrontation AoR, Warlord

    2- rule system (skirmish) Hell Dorado, Anima Tactics, Mordheim

    3- Minis quality : Confrontation 3, Hell Dorado, Anima Tactics

    4 - Best editors (the quality of their service to customers and communities) : Asmodee, Privateer Press, Wargames Unlimited

    5 - Background : Hordes/Warmachine, Cadwallon, Inquisitor


    tuco says:

    I love that both Mordheim and Necormunda are in there. GW can make a good game. Too bad that, as pointed out already, they didn’t generate large mini sales and as a result were dropped. They were awesome games and for the investment you got a box full of good stuff.


    Chameleon says:

    Any chance of seeing a list of games that were single entries? I like the “oddball” games, and there might be a couple of titles on that list worth checking out.


    BK Bass says:

    Wow, no love for WarLord?


    tuco says:

    I’m actually surprised to see that Heroscape has only two votes. It’s a great game and the minis are actually pretty good for prepaints and they’re not collectible. No blind packs. I wonder if they were a little faster on new waves and there wasn’t a certain air of uncertainty since WotC took over if they’d ranked higher. The stats/rules for the Marvel expansion were perfect.


    Zac says:

    Perhaps there is less overlap with the traditional mini gaming market?

    I know when I was at GenCon that the people there for Heroscape were only there for Heroscape and didn’t seem all that interested in much of the rest of the show.


    talthar says:

    Got to agree with those who said that it’s funny so many GW games, old and new, made the list, especially since the company takes so many knocks from gamers. As fast as PP and other companies have been growing, GW is still the 500 lb gorilla of the industry. I’m hoping that with the release of Apocalypse and the 5th edition of 40K some of the things that made older editions so much fun will return.

    Having said that, it was great to see Warmachine/Hordes finish on top. I’m out of Warmachine at the moment, but over the next year I plan to build a Circle army for Hordes and get back into PP games.


    AAvH-Darkblade says:

    How many people actually participated?


    Zac says:

    Got to agree with those who said that it’s funny so many GW games, old and new, made the list, especially since the company takes so many knocks from gamers

    Well one of the things they get grief about is not supporting those games :-) Five of the GW games mentioned are not produced any more and one (Gorkamorka) hasn’t been supported for years.

    I think it is more a testament to the work of the old Design Studio since Space Hulk, Necromunda and Epic were all created by the same team.

    Many of the people that mentioned 40K also qualified their comments or mentioned their preference for an older version (including Rogue Trader).

    How many people actually participated?

    60ish.


    evernevermore (John) says:

    The GW games are there because GW produces quality minis and can produce some good games - everyone gets worked up when they stop supporting or fiddle with the games. People, in my experience, feel they tend to play around with rules that work, or radically change the game (40k 2nd to 3rd for example)


    Zac says:

    I was rereading my Rogue Trader rulebook last night and it is certainly a much more entertaining rulebook from a gamer’s perspective. Lots of details, piles of weapons and vehicles, an open-ended structure to the game. Much fun


    keltheos says:

    Zac, it’s a shame they couldn’t have stuck with 28mm scale for Inquisitor when it first released. That was the closest I think GW can ever get to the fun and detail of Rogue Trader. IMO it was a big mistake to make that a 54mm game.


    Zac says:

    Nice minis for people that like to paint but agreed, it could have been a much better game in 28mm.


    gavroche says:

    In 28mm it would’ve been just another skirmish game. It’s the large figures that set Inquisitor apart, not the rules which are basically rpg combat rules.

    But enough about that. Let’s throw another heretical claim on the table: WH40K Rogue Trader is a pretty average game too. At least when it comes to rules design. Yes, there’s detail, but that isn’t what makes a set of rules great. You need innovative & elegant design for that. RT was never more than an a plain average, and therefore instantly recognizable, game. There’s nothing in it you didn’t find in plenty of other 80s games. What drew people in was the fluff, artwork & miniatures, as well as the DIY attitude it seemed to encourage. Not the ho-hum rules which may have reassured the unadventurous, but didn’t offer anything new or interesting.


    Zac says:

    Always trying to stir up a controversy aren’t you :-)


    Zac says:

    I doubt you’ll find anyone who will claim that there was anything revolutionary about the Rogue Trader rules but it is very pivotal system in that it did make an attempt to provide a rich and dark background the game to be played against.


    yslaire says:

    It might be (once again) irrelevant to suggest that they carrefully avoided to create a skirmish game that would have impaired 40K sales…


    gavroche says:

    Sure, but the background has only become richer & darker since then, yet people seem oddly nostalgic for the actual game. Which is something I don’t get. I mean, I’d happily play Superfigs or Void or any of the better gamles of the past decade in the WH40K universe with GW miniatures, but RT or any edition of the WH40K rules? No way! Let’s get beyond nostalgia when listing the top 10 games.


    gavroche says:

    And I’m not stirring up controversy! I’m expressing honest heartfelt opinions, which are somehow often at odds with those of the rest of the gaming world :-)


    Zac says:

    I mean, I’d happily play Superfigs or Void or any of the better gamles of the past decade in the WH40K universe with GW miniatures, but RT or any edition of the WH40K rules?

    People like what they like. No real way to argue against preference.


    Zac says:

    Let’s get beyond nostalgia when listing the top 10 games.

    Why? Isn’t the game that got you into the hobby always going to have a special place in your memory? It was a pretty generic question so I can only assume that people had a variety of reasons for their choices but Rogue Trader is always going to be a great game to my mind if only because it was the first miniature game I purchased. It got me into this hobby and while I didn’t vote for it, I always have positive memories of it.


    evernevermore (John) says:

    Of course your causing controversy (you always do, its just how you are :P)

    Rogue Trader is a fuzzy term because when i think of that system to me its all 40k pre 2nd edition, something like a minimum of 7 or 8 books I believe (RT rulebook, the Compedium, Book of the Astronomicon, Vehicle book, the Chaos Duo of the Lost and the Damned and Slaves to Darkness, ‘Ere We Go and Freebooterz - I think). That is a ton of material, with a tone that is sorely lacking from the current GW line. Even just comparing the two rulebooks I own, in physical form, you can see a huge shift in feel to the game, from the Game Mastered form of the original rulebook to a more Army based version in the Compedium that provides the first Army lists.

    Rules wise the early stuff definately shows how it drew a ton from the Roleplaying games of the era for the complexity. However I think too many people assume simple rules are elegent rules and vice versa. There are alot of rules in RT that are not elegant at all (the rules for Robot Maniples jumps to my mind since Bell of Lost Souls managed to create a superb modernday incarnation and trim page count, not counting counters by about half) however there are some rules I think are pretty elegant and fitting the fluff.

    The ratio of vehicles and support weapons to Techmarines in a marine army was a nice limiter considering how powerful some of those pieces of equipment could be, you are forced to prioritze equipment just like a real world commander would. The prereqs in the Imperial Guard list fits a certain image that the fluff maintains too.

    All said I think RTs real claim to fame, besides starting the juggernaut of 40k going, is planting ideas in other designers minds. While the execution of some ideas was sloppy the ideas themselves are pretty sweet.


    Zac says:

    Of course your causing controversy (you always do, its just how you are :P)

    well I don’t have time for it so its good that someone will.

    the Compedium, Book of the Astronomicon, Vehicle book, ‘Ere We Go and Freebooterz

    What I wouldn’t do for a copy of those.


    evernevermore (John) says:

    Im looking to get the Vehicle Book this weekend - if its still there
    that leaves me with just one more book to be able to play my Marines in RT and 3 books short for my Chaos Marines

    I have three gaming stores I visit, one for RPGs, one for Minis, and one for Old and secondhand stuff


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