Board Game Hot Takes is one of my favourite board game podcasts. The casual banter the guys share make it feel like you’re part of a group, just chatting about your favourite games. In their most recent episode, #277, they dig into the games they’ve ranked on Board Game Geek, and I thought it would be fun to piggy-back on their conversation and explore my own BGG ratings. But before I get into that, I want to send a sincere congratulation to the BGHT crew on reaching 1 million downloads!

Now, if you’ve spent any time on Board Game Geek, you’re well acquainted with the BGG rankings. Every registered member can rank any game from a 1 to a 10. I’ve talked before on why I don’t include numbers in my reviews, as I don’t think a single number can really capture my experience with a game. But today, I’m diving straight into that subjective mess, how I actually rate games on BGG, and why those numbers matter a bit more than I want to admit.

So to set the stage, here’s my stats. On BGG, I’ve ranked 628 games, and my average rating is a 7.06. At this point in my board game career, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what I’m probably going to enjoy. So most of the games that catch my attention and make their way to my table will end up being around a 6 or 7 on my enjoyment scale. It’s pretty rare that a game has me excited and interested enough to play, but to fall utterly flat on its execution. Rare, but not impossible.

While I don’t take the BGG ratings of a game as the gospel truth, I do think there is some value in crowd-sourced rankings. So in this post, I’m digging into the full 1–10 spectrum. What BGG says those ratings actually mean, how I personally use them, and which games end up in each of those categories. Grab a coffee, brace yourself for some self-reflection, and let’s talk numbers.

1 – Defies description of a game. You won’t catch me dead playing this. Clearly broken.

0 Games – 0%

At the very bottom sits the rarest of ratings: the game so broken, incomplete, or objectionable that it barely qualifies as a game at all. A 1 isn’t just bad, it’s the kind of experience you keep on your list only to remind yourself what went wrong.

Perhaps a little controversial here, but I actually haven’t rated any games as a 1. With the criteria of getting a 1 being “defies description of a game”, I would have to play something so arbitrary and pointless, that I’d rather sit on the couch and learn to knit while the rest of my group plays a 1-rated game. When that game shows up, I’ll come back and edit this entry.

2 – Extremely annoying game, won’t play this ever again.

2 games – .32%

A 2 is reserved for the experiences that waver between disappointing into downright aggravating. These are the games that spark frustration and rage rather than fun. These are the games that make me swear off gaming, and inspire me to find new friends.

The only 2 games that I’ve ranked as a 2 are Cards Against Humanity, and Munchkin (the Christmas edition, but that’s a stand-in for the entirety of the Munchkin product line). Cards Against Humanity is a garbage game about putting the most absurd and inappropriate card from your hand into a sentence to make you feel like you were being clever. You know a game is bad when you can just draw the top card from the deck, and it happens to win more often than not.

Munchkin on the other hand, has a tiny bit more respect. I find Muchkin painful to play, as inevitably, one player makes it to 8 or 9 points, then everyone spends their cards hurting everyone else. I’ve had games take over an hour to complete, with players just getting close to the goal, only to be denied. It’s the anthesis of fun.

3 – Likely won’t play this again, although I could be convinced. Bad.

2 Games – .32%

Here lie the games that simply miss the mark. They’re not rage-inducing, but they’re firmly in the “no thanks” category. A 3 signals something fundamentally unenjoyable. Like the 2’s, I only have 2 games rated as a 3. Exploding Kittens, and Monopoly.

Exploding Kittens I can kind of get it’s popularity. It’s easy to play with kids, reminicient of Old Maid, but actually playing it feels like an exercise in tedium. Monopoly, on the other hand… Well, I don’t think I need to get into why I rated it a 3.

4 – Not so good, it doesn’t get me but could be talked into it on occasion.

8 Games – 1.27%

A 4 represents that the slow transition from actively avoiding playing a game, to a tepid, reluctant acceptance. These games aren’t as unplayable as the ones that came before, but I’d need a strong, convincing argument to get me to sit down and play these games.

I’m not going to go over every game in each category, but perhaps the most controversial 4’s I have are Grand Austria Hotel, and Ticket to Ride.

Ticket to Ride I’ve already reviewed ranted about, but Grand Austria Hotel is a fairly beloved game, so what gives? I find the dice drafting to be an exercise in frustration. Add to that the downtime between turns as the game can be fairly AP prone, I find the acronym for Grand Austria Hotel sums up my thoughts nicely; GAH!

Rounding out my 4’s are games like New Bedford, Nox, Phase 10, and Pokémon Master Trainer.

5 – Average game, slightly boring, take it or leave it.

35 Games – 5.57%

A 5 game is the equivalent of a shrug. Perhaps perfectly serviceable, usually slightly boring, and often easily forgotten, these are games I will never seek out, but then again, probably wouldn’t protest too loudly if someone else is really keen to play them. A 5 is usually a dumping ground if I recognize a game has some interesting elements, but don’t jibe with me personally.

Some notable 5’s include Dorfomantik: The Duel, Isle of Trains: All Aboard, Disney Villainous, and Rajas of the Ganges. My most controversial 5’s are Terraforming Mars, Great Western Trail, Maracaibo, and Teotihuacan. I’m sure you can argue that my distaste for these games is a skill issue, and if that’s the case, then I invite you to start your own blog and call me out for my bad opinions.

6 – Ok game, some fun or challenge at least, will play sporadically if in the right mood.

100 games – 15.92%

The 6 rating marks the beginning of genuinely enjoyable territory. These games offer some entertainment or challenge, even if they don’t call to me consistently. They’re usually pleasant, albeit perhaps a bit fragile. Maybe requiring the right group, and are generally not that memorable.

A lot of euro games end up here. Some classics like The Pillars of the Earth, Amerigo, Catan, Finca, Machi Koro, and Viceroy. Some more contemporary 6’s for me include the likes of Deus, In the Hall of the Mountain King, or Ex Libris. Most of these are games that had a cool or had an interesting hook, but nothing that made me want to come back.

Speaking of games that made me not want to come back, other popular games languishing in my 6’s include Beast, Arcs, Terra Mystica (and by extension Age of Innovation, and The Quacks of Quedlingburg. These are games that others love, but I simply did not enjoy. To each their own, I suppose!

7 – Good game, usually willing to play.

220 Games – 35.03%

The 7 category is where my “average enjoyable game” lives. These games are reliably fun, worth returning to, and generally welcome on the table. Not masterpieces, but certainly good gaming.

Some games that I like more than the majority of BGG users include such titles as Bananagrams, Stalk Exchange, Roll to the Top, Dinosaur Tea Party, Bag of Chips, and even the classic Scrabble.

Some beloved games that I’ve slotted into the 7 space are heavy-hitters such as Ark Nova, Gloomhaven, Twilight Struggle, Root, Mage Knight, and Tzolkin.

Really, the majority of games in this category are just good games, but ones that didn’t really blow my socks off. Marco Polo is intresting, but I find a tiny bit tedious to play, I recognize that Ra is a great game, but I fundamentally dislike auction games, so here it sits. Architects of the West Kingdom, Raiders of the North Sea, Lorenzo il Magniflco, Trajan, Yokohama, Tapestry, Dominion, King of Tokyo, Spirit Island, and Clank! A Deck Building Game are all examples of games that I enjoyed, but I don’t feel the need or urge to play them again, let alone rush out and buy a copy to own.

8 – Very good game. I like to play. Probably I’ll suggest it and will never turn down a game.

201 Games – 32.01%

An 8 is where my enthusiasm starts to shine through. These are games I’m genuinely excited to bring to the table. They’re often polished, engaging, replayable, and memorable. I won’t t always choose them over my absolute favourites, but I’ll happily recommend them and would rarely turn down a play.

The upper crust of the 8’s are the ones that just barely squeak onto my top 100 games of all time lists. These are games I’d be happy to own, or would easily recommend to others as great games to give as a gift, or just to play.

Some of the most popular games that I’ve ranked as an 8 include the eminently popular Wingspan, Azul, and Carcassone. Some heavy games that hit my 8 rating include A Feast for Odin, SETI: Search for Exterrestrial Intelligence, Pax Pamir, The Gallerist, Voidfall, and Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy.

Some games that I think are criminally underrated include Between Two Castles, One Deck Dungeon, Wok Star, Pendulum, A Little Wordy, Crash Octopus, and Applejack. But I think for almost all of these games, the problem is they have less than 1,500 votes total, and with more visibility, they’d rise up the BGG ranks.

9 – Excellent game. Always want to play it.

46 Games – 7.32%

A 9 is reserved for the games that spark joy almost every time I think about them. They’re often the ones I suggest first, that I never feel done exploring, and remind me why the board game hobby is so great in the first place. When a 9 hits this level, it’s a great day. This includes Pandemic, 7 Wonders, Scythe, Patchwork, The Castles of Burgundy, Jaipur, and Brass: Birmingham.

Some hidden gems include Tokyo Highway, Now Boarding, Hardback, Fit to Print, and Super Motherload,

10 – Outstanding. Always want to play and expect this will never change.

14 Games – 2.23%

A question the BGHT crew posed was “What seperates a 9 from a 10?” For me, the 10 is the pinnacle. The games that feel complete, magical, and endlessly rewarding. These are the experiences that define me. Whether it’s emotional, elegant, epic, or simply perfect for me, a 10 is more than a favourite, it’s a masterpiece that reaffirms why I love board games at all. These are the games that make me salivate when I think about them, and my heart race while I’m playing them.

Paperback Adventures was Slay the Spire crossed the deck building in a way that just excites me. Bullet❤️ had that spark that reminded me that board games can still really excite me. Galaxy Trucker never fails to make me full-belly laugh. Isle of Skye, Istanbul, and Race for the Galaxy are endlessly replayable. And then, of course, there’s Food Chain Magnate, which was the perfect combination of mechanics and theme that burrowed its way into my psyche and never ever let go.

Conclusion

In the end, BGG ratings aren’t about winning some invisible argument about what a game should score. They’re about capturing how a game made me feel when I played it. What surprised me, what fusturated me, and which games stuck in my brain as I laid in bed after an exhillrating game night.

My 1s and 10s and everything in between aren’t objective truths. They’re breadcrumbs marking where I’ve been in this hobby and where I found joy and pain along the way. They subjective opinions that tell my story. If you’ve struggled with rating games for fear of ‘giving the wrong rating’, don’t stress about it. If there’s one thing I’ve realized during this exercise is that the numbers change. Let me know where you agree with me in the comments below, and if you disagree with some of my takes, then that’s okay too.