#15: St Petersburg

Since the voting for this list was done twelve months ago, this is the one game I (Mark) think would drop down or off the list. It's not that I don't like it - it's a lot of fun to play. It moves quickly and is filled with interesting decisons. But I don't think St Petersburg has the staying power of the games it's surrounded by... even the ones I don't like. (See #14.)

Frank Hamrick: "Good tension, simple mechanics, agonizing choices each turn, minimal luck, short playing time put this one in my top 15. It is as low as it is because it is a bit short on "aggression" and "strategy." Still, it gets played an aweful lot by our group and it has always been enjoyable to me. As many have said, it is a game of "timing" - when do I switch from a "money" to a "victory point" strategy. We have also adjusted the Aristocrat end game scoring track so that the building cards become a bit more important, creating a game in which balance between money, buildings, andaristocrats is also a viable strategy, an often winning strategy. This makes the game even more enjoyable to me."

Joe Huber: "A wonderfully balanced game, which just begs for repeated play."

James Hamilton: "A bit flavour of the moment but I am playing this over and over against the computer. When played on the PC it is almost like solitaire and has that just one more game attention grabbing ability. So far out of 250 games played I am at a 56% win rate."

Andrea Meyer: "This is best for the times I need to prove that not only women can think but we can also calculate."