Top 100 Songs: #60-#51

We're finally reaching the halfway point...

• #60: Desperado (The Eagles - 1973)
• I knew the song from listening to K-Earth "sounds of the 60s & 70s" growing up in L.A. - but I have a distinct memory of running into it a book of hymns & choruses for youth group. (I just can't figure out which book…)
• #59: Earth Has No Sorrow, Heaven Can't Heal (Vigilantes of Love - 1992)
• The first time I heard this was Bill Malonee performing solo at a gathering of GenX church planters in 1997… and I was blown away.
• #58: Satellite (The Hooters - 1987)
• The combination of cynicism and rock'n'roll hoedown just works.
• #57: Sliver (Hokus Pick - 1997)
• Not their most popular song… but one that speaks deeply to me. (I saw them live multiple times when they were still together - what a fun band.) 
• WARNING: the track of this song was combined with a really bad "comedy bit" that makes it nearly 30 minutes long - just listen to the 4 1/2 minutes song.
• #56: Into Your Arms (The Lemonheads - 1993)
• I was sad to hear about the mental health collapse of the lead singer (including criminal behavior)… that doesn't change my warm feelings for this song which expresses both the way I feel about my bride of 35+ years as well as the love of God. (Yes, we used it as a worship song in the church I planted back in the late 90s.)
• #55: Toxic (Chris Llewellyn - 2023)
• The rap part is just OK… but the chorus has been a refrain in my life as I attempt to disentangle my faith in Jesus from the cultural practices that try & choke it out.
• #54: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash - 1982)
• The Clash had such a huge influence on artists I love: Steve Taylor & Hokus Pick for starters. And this song shows why.
• #53: Girlfriend is Better (Talking Heads - 1983)
• The music library at Baylor had a growing collection of high-end CDs in the mid-1980s… so when I needed to study, I go to that floor and put on headphones to cut out all the noise. One evening, I checked out the Stop Making Sense soundtrack… and I was hooked.
• #52: The Word is Love (Rick Elias - 1990)
• Rick was probably better known as one of the artists behind "That Thing You Do" - but his debut album has a number of great songs on it.
• #51: You'll Find Your Way (Andrew Peterson - 2012)
• Andrew wrote this song for his son… but in the insanity of the end of my time in vocational ministry and leaving the church I'd pastored for nearly a decade, it was a lifeline for me.

#85: Northgard: Uncharted Lands (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Northgard: Uncharted Lands

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 1,272
• rating: 7.6
• published: 2022
• designer: Adrian Dinu

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• I know it's a "port" of a well-established computer game - but from my perspective Northgard combines "dudes on a map", area control, and deck-building into a really sweet mix.

Tips & Tricks:

• Exploration can be your friend - you can occasionally explore your way out of a bad tactical situation. 
• Gamers should feel comfortable adding the Leaders module to the game from the get-go... it's got a couple of twists but the asymmetric start is worth it.
• Don't add the monsters or alternate lands into your first game - they are both great modules but there's more than enough going on without throwing them in the mix as well.

Extras

• There is an expansion on the way - Northgard: Uncharted Horizons.
• I had the opportunity to be involved in some of the early playtests for the solo design that is coming with the expansion later this year. I'm looking forward to seeing/owning the finished product.
• I wrote a pretty extensive preview of the game when it first came to Kickstarter back in 2020... which includes an excellent (and appropriate) video from The Muppet Show.
• This is the second new-to-the-top-100 game on the countdown.

#86: Favor of the Pharaoh (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Favor of the Pharaoh

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 2,149
• rating: 6.8
• published: 2015
• designer: Tom Lehmann

Print Status

• out of print

Why It's On The List

• A re-imagined version of the classic dice game To Court the King - imagine Yahtzee crossed with Magic: The Gathering. You use dice to obtain card powers in order to manipulate dice to obtain more power (and dice) to finally win the favor of the Pharaoh.

Tips & Tricks:

• You need dice - and a few manipulation powers. Going the other way (dice manipulation powers and a few extra dice) will lose you the game.
• The game works well with 2-4 players.
• The variability introduced in this version is excellent - each game has its own feel.
• I do wish I'd sprung for a second set of dice... with 4 players, you have to do a lot of trading around of base dice.

Extras

• I had the privilege of Tom Lehmann (the designer) showing me the unpublished expansion for To Court the King some years back... many of those great ideas ended up in Favor of the Pharaoh.
• This is the first of seven (7!) Lehmann designs on my list.

#87: Claustrophobia (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Claustrophobia

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 562
• rating: 7.5
• published: 2009

Print Status

• out of print

Why It's On The List

• Imagine taking the asymmetrical structure of the classic game Space Hulk (hordes of bad guys vs. a small band of heroes) and cross-pollinating it with some very clever dice mechanics (one even borrowed from the much-loved Euro game, Kingsburg)... and then packing the box as full of high-quality components as possible. And there you have it.

Tips & Tricks:

• Both players (the good guys AND the bad guys) have to carefully manage all of their resources - each of them has some pretty nifty "powers" but almost all of those are limited in their use.
• Not unlike the original Space Hulk board game, sometimes winning is just taking out as many bad guys as possible before you go under.

Extras

• The playing time for Claustrophobia is almost always less than an hour... and, with a few exceptions, it's pretty easy to set up as the caverns will be explored and the game board laid out as you play.
• Warning: this is probably the "darkest" game I own (thematically)... this is not for everyone.
• The De Profundis expansion has a lot more scenarios, some new monsters & heroes, and a bunch of new tiles & cards... and, as per the designer's wishes, does NOT make this a multi-player game. (Croc - yes, that's his moniker - was very clear that he'd designed a two-player game and that putting more folks around the table would mess up the design.)
• The Furor Sanguinis expansion adds a new "faction" - well, to be accurate, giant lizard/demon bad guy. We've had a lot of fun with it.
• Yes, I know there's a (relatively) new edition [circa 2019]. But this is the one I own.

#88: Battle Beyond Space (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Battle Beyond Space

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 10,011
• rating: 6.3
• published: 2012
• designer: Frank Branham

Print Status

• out of print but not impossible to find

Why It's On The List

• Have a massive multiple armada space battle... in 60 minutes. With almost no luck.

Tips & Tricks:

• Important safety tip: I was a long-time playtester on this game... it's not my baby but it certainly feels like it.
• I do wish the colors of two of squadrons in the blue fleet weren't so dang close. I need to use a Sharpie to mark one of them.
• Like Catan, initial placement is important. You have to make wise choices based on your special power and your judgement about the relative aggressiveness of your closest foes.

Extras

• I wrote an ode to joy about the publication of Battle Beyond Space on my blog back in 2009.
• The inscription on my "thank you for playtesting" copy of the game...

#89: Entenrallye (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Entenrallye

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 20,473
• rating: 5.9
• published: 1988
• designer: Walter Müller

Print Status

• incredibly OOP

Why It's On The List

• A splendid road rally race that's fraught with luck... and some actual decision-making.

Tips & Tricks:

• You can't make it to every prize ceremony - so don't even try.
• Deciding when to cut & run - or at least leaving yourself that option - is one of the keys to winning the game.

Extras

• This is probably the lowest ranked game (BGG-wise) on my Top 100 - and frankly, I think that simply indicates that my list is superior to the opinions of a whole lot of other people.
• Here's what I wrote about Entenrallye for The One Hundred.

Top 100 Songs: #70-#61

The fourth installment of my top 100 songs - and, yes, there's two songs by the same artist off of the same album. (The whole album is just that good - even 40 years later.)

• #70: That's Ex-Doormat to You (This Train - 1995)
• There are some great break-up songs… but none that make me laugh as hard as this one - "Sorry when you want to yell I just can't hear your shouts / Now I live so far away, wish I could help you out / But I realized I'm no punching bag, and I know you hate that / So now you'll have to do without, or get yourself a cat".
• #69: Mess of Me (Switchfoot - 2009)
• A fervent prayer wrapped in distorted guitars.
• #68: You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon - 1986)
• This pop-y highly danceable song about confusion and hope lands not because Chevy Chase is in the video but because of the stunning musicianship on display.
• #67: Outdoor Elvis (Swirling Eddies - 1989)
• This homage to Blue Hawaii is also a thoughtful (and humorous) look at how we obsess about fame and famous people.
• #66: You Will Go Free (Tonio K - 1986)
• Tonio K's Romeo Unchained album is filled with amazing songs - this is the first of four that ended up on my top 100 list.
• #65: Falling Slowly (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - 2006)
• Yes, we first heard it in the film "Once" - but the haunting duet continues to worm its way into my brain.
• #64: Hold It Up to the Light (David Wilcox - 1994)
• I first heard David Wilcox on an NPR radio show performing some of his songs in the studio… and promptly drove to a record store and bought his album. Such an amazing storyteller.
• #63: Love Reign O'er Me (The Who - 1973)
• I've never seen "Quadrophenia" (which this song is from)… but the soaring sweep of the song blows me away.
• #62: Hawkmoon 269 (U2 - 1988)
• There's a lot of mystery about the title of this song (which was relegated to the Rattle & Hum album without appearing in the film)… but this declaration of love (to God? to a woman?) grabs me.
• #61: Perfect World (Tonio K - 1986)
• Yes, another song off "Romeo Unchained"… this plaintive song about the loss of a relationship has been covered by a number of folks (Glen Burtick, ALIAS, What If, etc.) but I still think this is the best version.

#90: Lost Cities (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Lost Cities

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 342
• rating: 7.3
• published: 1999
• designer: Reiner Knizia

Print Status

• in print?

Why It's On The List

• I've played this over & over and I'm still intrigued each time. How far can I push my luck? Should I play aggressively or defensively? For such a simple game, it continues to draw me in. (Probably doesn't hurt that the production of the game is gorgeous.) Now, it's not that I win all that much. My wife is a pro... and my oldest son gets better every game we play.

Tips & Tricks:

• I know some people don't like the big cards or the board... but I do.
• Good Lost Cities play is based not only on the cards you draw but also on the play of your opponent. It is a game about reading their plan as much as executing your own.
• Lost Cities spawned a whole series of games:
• Keltis & it's uglier cousin, Lost Cities: The Board Game (I enjoy them both)
• Keltis: Die Orakel (which I have not played)
• Keltis: Der Weg der Steine (which I like a lot... hint hint)
• Keltis: The Dice Game (so-so)
• Keltis: The Card Game (decent - but I like Lost Cities better)
• Lost Cities: Rivals (which is very good!)
• Lost Cities: Roll'n'Write (which is decent as well)

Extras

• Here's a link to what I wrote about Lost Cities for The One Hundred...
• Lost Cities is available to play online on BGA.
• This is the first of five (!) Knizia game designs on my top 100 list.

#91: Schnäppchen Jagd (Mark's Top 100 - 2026)

Schnäppchen Jagd (Bargain Hunter)

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 3,993
• rating: 6.7
• published: 1998
• designer: Uwe Rosenberg

Print Status

• out of print

Why It's On The List

• This three-handed trick-taking game resets trump on each and every trick - and yet the unique scoring system (with bargain piles and junk piles) is surprisingly easy to understand. It's just difficult to play well!

Tips & Tricks:

• There is a memory element to the game - but you can refresh your memory between hands.
• The game will play with four players - but three is the number you really want.
• Don't be ashamed of a low score - it took me 2-3 games to get a positive score.

Extras

• This game also ended up on Chris Wray's 20 Favorite Trick-Taking Games list for 2024 over on the Opinionated Gamers site. "If I could pick one game that is undervalued by those newer to the trick-taking obsession, it is Bargain Hunter. The game is a masterpiece!"