by ras2124
johnnyspys wrote:
I am also sad that in last few years the hyped, most common denominator games have all reached the top 50. It used to be that the top 30 games had to take some time before they reached number one. Puerto Rico stayed number one for a long time, and it took awhile for Agricola to reach that spot. Now I am worried that once a year when some mass produced "hit" comes out we will have a new number one game. I guess that is one of the effects of BGG getting so big.
That aside though, I think it is a bit premature to say the sky is falling or BGG is too big now. Pandemic Legacy has several unique things going for it that led to its rise (which I believe is legitimate).
First, this is not a new game, it is a reworking of Pandemic, a very popular and well-loved game that alone has had a top 50 position for many years, has a long list of Golden Geek awards from 2008/2009, and has been through numerous, wildly successful printings. To say that P:L came on to the scene out of nowhere is just nonsense.
Second, people love Legacy. I think we can safely say that this is beyond the hype stage as Risk:Legacy came out 5 years ago. Admittedly, it is not for everyone, but there is a reason that Risk:Legacy is still 125 in the ranks while basic Risk is in the 10k region.
Finally, the combination works. Again, not everyone is going to love it here, and you and the OP raise good points about its flaws, but for the majority it takes two really loved things in boardgames that have stood the test of time and combines them really well.
Essentially to act like its rise to the top is some sort of cult of the new craziness that will continue to happen, you are really leaving out a lot of history that has led to this point.
