These are games that have appeared on the Five & Dime lists before… and have risen in overall playing percentages.
| Game | % gain from 2009 |
| Thunderstone | 11.94% |
| Hansa Teutonica | 10.76% |
| Dixit | 8.50% |
| Dungeon Lords | 5.11% |
| Parade | 4.35% |
| Tobago | 4.16% |
| The Adventurers | 3.88% |
| Mosaix | 3.47% |
| Puerto Rico | 3.42% |
| Alea Iacta Est | 3.29% |
| Atlantis | 3.23% |
| Carcassonne | 3.03% |
| Cyclades | 3.00% |
| Castle Panic | 2.94% |
| Thurn and Taxis | 2.90% |
Just off the edge of the list at 2.69% – Campaign Manager 2008.
There are two main reasons that games appear on this list:
- They were reprinted and/or had another game/expansion added to their franchise this year (which this year really only applies to Carcassonne).
- They were “Essen”/end of the year games… they were released late in 2009 and were only played 5+ times by a couple of folks in 2009 (Thunderstone, Hansa Teutonica, Dixit, Dungeon Lords, Tobago, The Adventurers, Alea iacta est, Atlantis & Cyclades ).
As always, the interesting games here are the ones that can not be explained by these reasons:
- Castle Panic just took a while to build up a head of steam…
- Last year Finito! was finally recognized here in the U.S… this year, it was Mosaix’s turn.
- Parade has been around – but it finally got a stateside release & subsequent play.
- The only explanation I have for Puerto Rico and Thurn & Taxis is increased internet play… anyone else have a better idea?
Thunderstone, The Adventurers and Cyclades all solid games and tops on my table.
I need to give Thunderstone a 2nd try – the first play left me cold. (To be fair, I don’t particularly love Dominion.)
I think The Adventurers is fun – but it’s starting to feel pretty same-y after 5 plays.