Top 10 hottest board games: March 2019

Counting down the hottest, most popular board games each month to help you find the best new games that people are playing, backing on Kickstarter, and talking about!

March 2019's list of the top 10 best board games is designed to help you find the best new board games that you may not have known about!

How does our list compare to yours? Which games are on YOUR top 10 list of the best games for March 2019? Let us know in the comments!


#TopBoardGames #Top10GamesMarch #BestGamesMarch

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Games discussed this month include:

THE CASTLES OF BURGUNDY - 2019
Catapulting thirty-five spaces to end in spot seven is this month’s biggest climber, the upcoming new edition of The Castles Of Burgundy, by alea and Ravensburger. In the game, players control a small princedom, which they improve by building settlements and castles, practice trade along the river, exploit silver mines, and gain knowledge from travelers. This is accomplished by taking settlement tiles from the game board and placing them into the princedom on their player board. The game ends after five rounds, with victory points being awarded for unused money, workers and stocked goods. The original version of The Castles Of Burgundy was published in 2011. The 2019 version of the game includes eleven expansions, ten of which were previously released as promotional items and one that is new to this edition. This 2019 edition of Castles Of Burgundy, brimming with expansions, is scheduled to be released in August.

ARCHITECTS OF THE WEST KINGDOM
In Architects of the West Kingdom, set at the end of the Carolingian Empire, players earn points by constructing various buildings and advancing work on the Archbishop's cathedral. To accomplish this, players may need to make some ethically-questionable decisions. Performing a few underhanded deals may be okay, but push it too far and cataclysmic retribution will be incurred.

TEOTIHUACAN: CITY OF GODS
In Teotihuacan: City of Gods, each player commands a force of worker dice, which grow in strength with every move. While managing their workforce and resources, players develop new technologies, climb the steps of the three great temples, build houses for the inhabitants of the city, and raise the legendary and breathtaking Pyramid of the Sun in the center of the city. Teotihuacan: City of Gods is a meaty game with a striking table presence

TERRAFORMING MARS
In Terraforming Mars, players run colossal corporations competing to transforming the Martian landscape into a new world capable of providing humanity with a new planet on which to shovel snow until their hands freeze and cramp into little frostbitten fists.

ROOT
Root is a game of adventure and war in which 2 to 4 (1 to 6 with the 'Riverfolk' expansion) players battle for control of a vast wilderness. The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods. In Root, players drive the narrative, and the differences between each role create an unparalleled level of interaction and replayability. Leder Games invites you and your family to explore the fantastic world of Root!

WINGSPAN
Taking flight from spot thirteen to land at number one this month is Wingspan by Stonemaier Games. Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game in which players are bird watchers, ornithologists, researchers and collectors - all seeking to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves. Demonstrating that even in the world of tabletop games, even environmental conservation is rife with competition. The game includes 170 unique cards featuring fabulous feathered illustrations, custom dice and a tailor-made Game Trayz insert, 75 egg miniatures, a birdfeeder dice tower, and other components designed with an avian touch. Wingspan will be soaring into retailers on March 8th. In the meantime, if you wet your beak, you can try out a digital version of the game that’s available right now on the Tabletopia online platform

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All the games in the March 2019 Top 10 board games countdown are:

10. Architects of the West Kingdom (0)
9. Teotihuacan: City of Gods (+3)
8. Scythe (0)
7. The Castles Of Burgundy - 2019 (+35)
6. Arkham Horror: The Card Game (+1)
5. Spirit Island (0)
4. Terraforming Mars (-1)
3. Wingspan (-2)
2. Root (+2)
1. Gloomhaven (+1)

[nialls]

My dad has had Britannia since it came out and I play it often with my friends. It’s so good that we’re making our own copy made out of wood (map burnt in). To answer your question, in the 30 years my dad has played this game, it has never been the same twice and it’s history has remained fascinating. Innovation can be great so I won’t stand in the way, but the game is worth it as is (though I haven’t played the FF edition).

[otterbot]

"Out of print for a hundred and fifty million years..." = comedy gold! Well done. Well. Done.

[troynewhoff]

I love when an older game is remade (not just reprinted) with better rules, gameplay ane better components!!

[wyz]

To answer the question: I think a game could survive. If it was good back then I don't see why it would not be good today. Maybe updating the graphic design of the game to make it look more appealing compared to more recent games would be a good idea. Also, if the same game can be played with more streamlined rules... why not reprint with both the original rules and the streamlined ones?

[carlosemiralonso]

I came to the debate hope soon enough that i get a read on my comment. Question of the video: yeah, even for me that i like games like monopoly with solid but easy mechanic would love to buy a new game if play time is shorter. People grown up a bit so that it takes more responsabilities and so, the free time becomes leser. Nice video, keep it up.

[nicka.]

I like that you're switching this up. The top ten games on the hotness list don't change but so much. I really like that youre adding more content like you did for February and now March with more information on games that spiked interest or the publishers first game. Super cool! thanks

[arcubal]

What a fascinating flash-back to how these game creators/publishers started. Noice!

[KabukiKid]

I love Britannia... one of my favorite four player experiences, actually. I almost can't even conceive of a version that plays in like an hour.

[ryanboone]

quite enjoying that the sanity of the script writer is slowly waining. very entertaining.

[DanielSolis]

looking forward to archaeopteryx second edition.

[monomundo]

Thank you Chaz for making me laugh :)
Britannia is actually one of my favourite games and I would like to have it reprinted with better components. Having an alternative streamlined rules version would be nice - but I would probably never use it. I am playing with a range of players spreading from reluctant neo-gateway-gamers to heavy-euro-engineering as a job-gamers. The playing time is only relevant for the first category as their attention span is quite low.

[bryanvogel]

In answer to your question, DUNE. published in 1979, and republished last year with not many changes, still good as ever.

[awaudio]

Patrick Leder’s first game was actually Five Fingered Severance, but it was published before he formed Leder Games.

[tttopolis]

Whoa burning question will come with burning answers.

[bcmaledragon]

Without even getting to #1 and seeing Root at #2 and Wingspan at #3 I can only assume that Gloomhaven is #1....Rolls eyes...

[brianpotter]

I think games that reprint have to consider the mindset of their target audience. If the targeting audience is older people that MAY have played the original game, you would have to add something extra to entice them to purchase the newer version. If you're going to target the next generation with the game's release, then you would have to revise the rule book to be more streamlined because people are more attuned to "instant gratification" (due to the advances in technology). It's sad but true...

[Bodyknock]

An astounding assembly of apropos alliteration as always.

[lloydcrosby]

Love that Tshirt! However you should have some of those hit spaces filled out. No mech is pristine!

[drspunj]

Love the BattleTech t-shirt, Chaz! :)

[Capwi]

I think it's possible a game could be successful if its rules hold up and don't have glaring holes for exploits or is just too clunky for its own good. I think they only thing that would hold an old game back is its box art or components. There's a wide variety of different types of players, so if a game from 1986 is too rules-heavy for some, it's not that it needs to be streamlined, it's that those players should find a more streamlined game while others enjoy the original game for what it is. Some games might be too clunky, and if it's just a better design decision to streamline them and update the rules for today I think that's fine, rather than updating and streamlining for the sake of potential audience reach.