Boardgames To Go

My annual Mark Madness contest is over, and co-host Adam Brocker joins me to wrap it up. Adam won the prediction contest last year, and this was his prize...a side job to work with me! Now we have a new winner, Mark363, who I am working to locate. If he's willing, in 2027 he will join me to run the next version of this contest.
In 2026 Adam had suggested we take a closer look at games that were designed by pairs or teams of designers, in contrast with their solo work. With that in mind, we set up four divisions of sixteen game titles apiece. One division was centered around Wolfgang Kramer's solo and partnered design work, then another with Alan R. Moon, one more with Bruno Cathala, and a final centered around the mostly-Italian designer collaborations.
After everyone made their predictions, we started voting for the games we liked best, wanted to win, or for any other reason. Gradually games were knocked out in a series of 1v1 matchups, leaving Azul, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders Duel, and Grand Austria Hotel as our Final Four. In the end, Ticket To Ride was the ultimate winner, which meant Mark363 had done the bes with his predictions.

For the third year in a row I made it to Dice Tower West. Not only that, I enjoyed that convention with DaveO and other buddies. Not only that, but once again DaveO was my partner-in-crime for insisting we dedicate one day of our convention to focus on older boardgames. By "old" we mean games that are at least 25 years old. When we started this tradition that mean games published in in the last century, last millenium--1999 or earlier. Now, however, we can include games published all the way up to the year...2001 or earlier! That still leaves plenty of old favorites and dim memories we want to rediscover.

 

We give a quick rundown about the games we played, then spend the rest of the time talking about our favorites from the weekend, as well as fielding some listener questions (posted in advance on the Discord server!) about OG games.

-Mark

The Sweet 16 is already done and we're on to the Elite Eight. That means just two remaining titles in each of our four divisions, so almost like a mini, division-level championship in each one. 

From Germany it's either Azul or 6 Nimmt, then from America it's Diamant or Ticket to Ride. From France we'll either have 7 Wonders Duel or Sea Salt & Paper, and from "Italy" it's either Grand Austria Hotel or Barrage.

BGTG 252C - Mark Madness 2026 (2nd Round [of 32])
 
1st round votes are in, now each successive round moves quickly—just three days. 2nd round voting due March 18 at noon BGG-time in Texas (UTC-5).
 
How are you voting? For the games you enjoy the most or the ones you predicted to win (based on what you imagined OTHERS would vote for)? I've heard the latter is like how a political primary works.
 
Close calls & Blow-outs
• Vikings squeaked by Wandering Towers via a single vote
• Same for Nucleum over Anachrony
 
• Meanwhile, Top & Down only GOT one vote compared to El Grande, losing 2% to 98
• Similarly Cleopatra & SOA over SOS Titanic, or 7 Wonders Duel over Terror in Meeple City, Diamant/Incan Gold over Andromeda, or Memoir 44 over Warriors. (I told you there were some gimmes in the first round)
 
But what about Ticket To Ride over Elfenland? 96% to 4%??
 
 
Regarding Designer Teams contrasting with individual designers, there doesn't seem to be any pattern in the results yet. That is, designers' individual efforts are not favored over their collaborations…or the other way around. It's just whatever is the better game?
 
However, thinking about has led me to offer some half-baked theories and observations.
 
All (almost): the collaborations tend to be with people from the same country, speaking the same language. I'm sure this is naturally easier
Kramer: I think the games with collaborators are more "gamer-y"
Moon: I think his collaborations are more "lush"
Cathala: Similar to Kramer
"Italians": Don't know! But looking forward to Nucleum vs Barrage

The first round is underway! Go vote at https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/375187/mark-madness-2026-designer-teams