The 2004 Century vote yielded a number of surprises in a record turnout. The trend toward nominating fewer titles with more support concentrated among those new events listed on the ballot by GMs who had already submitted event formats continued. The number of games receiving votes tied last year's record low of 196 - down from a high of 252 in 2001. The number of votes needed to top the list and to qualify for the Century also set new highs at 137 and 65 respectively over last year's 133 and 61.

Of the first 50 games, 46 appeared on the ballot as either an Alternate or Continuing Trial. And from the four write-ins, only one (Royal Turf at #19) appeared in the top 40. One wonders how it would have fared had a GM stepped forward to champion its cause in time.

For the second year in a row, an old out-of-print title (Ace of Aces) came out of nowhere to make the list - proving what can happen when a GM submits an event form for the ballot and campaigns long and loud on line for his event. Only time will tell if this is another one year flash in the pan and follows last year's Die Macher onto the cull list.

The real surprise, however, is the appearance of not one - but three - culled events at the top of the voting list. The checks and balances of the culling/voting process always return a number of culled events to the Century, but never has it returned one to the top of the pecking order - let alone three. And Acquire set a record for votes in the process! Either the membership is serious about protecting its turf with its veto power over the culling formula or 2003 was a weak year for new games. Opinions on that will be varied, I'm sure. But for whatever reason, Acquire now joins The Napoleonic Wars, Wilderness War, Battle Cry and Tikal as the most requested Century event in a given year. Can 1776 be far behind?

Numerical Order:

1. Acquire - 137
2, 1776 - 94
3. Auction - 93
4. Liberty - 85
5. Alhambra - 83
6. Monty's Gamble: Market Garden - 81
7. Ace of Aces - 75
8. Medieval - 74
9. Attack Sub - 72
10. Age of Steam - 65

11. Europe Engulfed - 64
12. Die Macher - 57
13. A House Divided - 53
14. TransAmerica - 52
15. Santa Fe Rails - 51
16. Storm Over Arnhem - 51
17. Web of Power - 50
18. Princess Ryan's Star Marines - 49
19. Royal Turf - 49
20. Origins of WWII - 48

21. Fortress Europa - 45
22. Age of Mythology - 43
23. Panzerblitz - 41
24. Wizard's Quest - 41
25. Across Five Aprils - 40
26. Guerilla - 40
27. Gettysburg - 39
28. Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation - 39
29. Elchfest - 38
30. Ivanhoe - 37

31. Reds - 34
32. Mexica - 33
33. Napoleon - 33
34. Facts In Five - 32
35. Dinosaurs of Lost World - 31
36. Empires of the Ancient World - 29
37. Traumfabrik - 29
38. Game of Thrones - 28
39. Strat-O-Matic Baseball - 28
40. Paydirt - 27

41. Carabande - 27
42. Junta - 26
43. Fifth Fleet - 24
44. Age of Napoleon - 22
45. Battlelines - 22
46. Circus Minimus - 22
47. Bohnanza - 21
48. Funkenschlag - 21
49. Pacific Victory - 20
50. Ardennes '44 - 19

51. Candidate - 19
52. Clash of Giants - 19
53. London's Burning - 19
54. Pirate's Cove - 19
55. Superstar Baseball - 19
56. Vanished Planet - 19
57. Cosmic Encounter - 18
58. Royal Tank Corps - 18
59. War & Peace - 16
60. Civilization - 15

61. Elfenland - 15
62. Wrasslin' Battle Royal - 15
63. Gettysburg (Columbia) - 14
64. Wrasslin' - 14
65. Liberte - 13
66. Silverton - 13
67. Illuminati - 12
68. TV Wars - 12
69. Blackbeard - 11
70. Industria - 11

71. New England - 11
72. Atikka - 10
73. Axis & Allies Pacific - 10
74. Empires In Arms - 10
75. Rommel in the Desert - 10
76. Cities & Knights - 9
77. Attila - 8
78. Hellas - 9
79. Collegitae Crew - 8
80. Bang - 7

81. Clans - 7
82. Simple Great Battles of History - 7
83. Wyatt Earp - 7
84. Balloon Cup - 6
85. Blue vs Gray - 6
86. Domaine - 6
87. Fresh Fish - 6
88. Medieval Merchant - 6
89. Russian Front - 6
90. Title Bout - 6

91. Villa Paletti - 6
92. Battle Cry of Freedom - 5
93. Brute Force - 5
94. Creature that Ate Shebpoygan - 5
95. Mare Nostrum - 5
96. MBT - 5
97. Metro - 5
98. Modern Art - 5
99. Starfarers of Catan - 5
100. Wallenstein - 5

101. Aladdin's Dragons - 4
102. Axis & Allies Europe - 4
103. Battletech - 4
104. Carcassonne - Hunters & Gatherers - 4
105. Empires of the Middle Ages - 4
106. Iron Tide - 4
107. Maharaja - 4
108. Mr President 4
109. Mustangs - 4
110. Panzer Grenadier - 4

111. Railway Rivals - 4
112. Risk 2210 AD - 4
113. Ukraine '43 - 4
114. Waterloo (phalanx) - 4
115. Great Battles of Alexander - 3
116. Knightmare Chess - 3
117. La Citta - 3
118. Napoleon in Europe - 3
119. Neppagames - 3
120. Ogre - 3

121. Paris, Paris - 3
122. Peloponnesian War - 3
123. Starship Troopers - 3
124. Statis Pro Baseball - 3
125. Settlers of the Stone Age - 3
126. Stephenson's Rocket - 3
127. The Prince - 3
128. Victory - 3
129. Waterworks - 3
130. Wizard - 3

131. Age of Imperialism - 2
132. Atlantic Star - 2
133. Baseball Strategy - 2
134. Blitzkrieg - 2
135. Blue Max - 2
136. Caesar Alesia - 2
137. Carcassonne Castle - 2
138. Central America - 2
139. Citadels - 2
140. Civil War - 2

141. Close Action - 2
142. Coloretto - 2
143. Dawn of the Dead - 2
144. D-Day '61 - 2
145. Fallschirmjaeger - 2
146. Fortress America - 2
147. Kasserine - 2
148. Lift Off - 2
149. Light Speed - 2
150. Lock n' Load - 2

151. Millenium Wars - 2
152. Modern Battles Quad - 2
153. Munchkin - 2
154. Nato - 2
155. Outpost - 2
156. Prince - 2
157. Princes of the Renaissance - 2
158. Prussia's Glory - 2
159. Railroad Dice - 2
160. Road to the Whitehouse - 2

161. Roadkill - 2
162. Rome - 2
163. Samurai (knizia) - 2
164. San Marco - 2
165. Seafarers - 2
166. Showbiz Shuffle - 2
167. Soldier Emperor - 2
168. Stalingrad - 2
169. Star Fleet Battles - 2
170. Stone Age Settlers - 2

171. Sumo Arena - 2
172. Supremacy - 2
173. Tac Air - 2
174. Tactics II - 2
175. Talisman - 2
176. Tichu - 2
177. Traders of Genoa - 2
178. Twilight Imperium: 2
179. Ursuppe - 2
180. Warlock - 2

181. Age of Rennaissance - Marketplace - 1
182. 30 Years War - 1
183. Advanced ETO - 1
184. Cataphract - 1
185. Coup - 1
186. Divine Right - 1
187. Great Pacific War - 1
188. Gunslinger - 1
189. In Their Quiet Fields - 1
190. Manifest Destiny - 1

191. Samurai - GMT - 1
192. Semper Fi - 1
193. Soldier King - 1
194. Spies - 1
195. SPQR - 1
196. Third Reich - 1

Alphabetical Listing:

30 Years War - 1
1776 - 94
A House Divided - 53
A World At War - 6
Acquire - 137
Ace of Aces - 75
Across Five Aprils - 40
Advanced ETO - 1
Age of Imperialism - 2
Age of Mythology - 43
Age of Napoleon - 22
Age of Rennaissance - Marketplace - 1
Age of Steam - 65
Aladdin's Dragons - 4
Alhambra - 83
Ardennes '44 - 19
Atlantic Star - 2
Attack Sub - 72
Atikka - 10
Attila - 8
Auction - 93
Axis & Allies Europe - 4
Axis & Allies Pacific - 10
Balloon Cup - 6
Bang - 7
Baseball Strategy - 2
Battle Cry of Freedom - 5
Battletech - 4
Battlelines - 22
Blackbeard - 11
Blitzkrieg - 2
Blue Max - 2
Blue vs Gray - 6
Bohnanza - 21
Brute Force - 5
Candidate - 19
Caesar Alesia - 2
Carabande - 27
Carcassonne Castle - 2
Carcassonne - Hunters & Gatherers - 4
Cataphract - 1
Central America - 2
Circus Minimus - 22
Citadels - 2
Cities & Knights - 9
Civilization - 15
Civil War - 2
Clans - 7
Clash of Giants - 19
Close Action - 2
Collegitae Crew - 8
Coloretto - 2
Cosmic Encounter - 18
Coup - 1
Creature that Ate Shebpoygan - 5
Dawn of the Dead - 2
D-Day '61 - 2
Die Macher - 57
Dinosaurs of Lost World - 31
Divine Right - 1
Domaine - 6
Elchfest - 38
Elfenland - 15
Empires In Arms - 10
Empires of the Ancient World - 29
Empires of the Middle Ages - 4
Europe Engulfed - 64
Facts In Five - 32
Fallschirmjaeger - 2
Fifth Fleet - 24
Fortress America - 2
Fortress Europa - 45
Fresh Fish - 6
Funkenschlag - 21
Game of Thrones - 28
Gettysburg (Columbia) - 14
Gettysburg - 39
Great Battles of Alexander - 3
Great Pacific War - 1
Guerilla - 40
Gunslinger - 1
Hellas - 9
Illuminati - 12
In Their Quiet Fields - 1
Industria - 11
Iron Tide - 4
Ivanhoe - 37
Junta - 26
Kasserine - 2
Knightmare Chess - 3
La Citta - 3
Liberte - 13
Liberty - 85
Lift Off - 2
Light Speed - 2
Lock n' Load - 2
London's Burning - 19
Lord of the Rings - The Confrontation - 39
Maharaja - 4
Manifest Destiny - 1
Mare Nostrum - 5
MBT - 5
Medieval - 74
Medieval Merchant - 6
Metro - 5
Mexica - 33
Millenium Wars - 2
Modern Art - 5
Modern Battles Quad - 2
Monty's Gamble: Market Garden - 81
Mr President 4
Munchkin - 2
Mustangs - 4
Napoleon - 33
Napoleon in Europe - 3
Nato - 2
Neppagames - 3
New England - 11
Ogre - 3
Origins of WWII - 48
Outpost - 2
Pacific Victory - 20
Panzerblitz - 41
Panzer Grenadier - 4
Paris, Paris - 3
Paydirt - 27
Peloponnesian War - 3
Pirate's Cove - 19
Prince - 2
Princes of the Renaissance - 2
Princess Rryan's Star Marines - 49
Prussia's Glory - 2
Railroad Dice - 2
Railway Rivals - 4
Reds - 34
Risk 2210 AD - 4
Road to the whitehouse - 2
Roadkill - 2
Rome - 2
Rommel in the Desert - 10
Royal Tank Corps - 18
Royal Turf - 48
Russian Front - 6
Samurai - GMT - 1
Samurai (knizia) - 2
San Marco - 2
Santa Fe Rails - 51
Seafarers - 2
Semper Fi - 1
Settlers of the Stone Age - 3
Showbiz Shuffle - 2
Silverton - 13
Simple Great Battles of History - 7
Soldier King - 1
Soldier Emperor - 2
Spies - 1
SPQR - 1
Stalingrad - 2
Starfarers of Catan - 5
Star Fleet Battles - 2
Starship Troopers - 3
Statis Pro Baseball - 3
Stone Age Settlers - 2
Storm Over Arnhem - 51
Strat-O-Matic Baseball - 28
Stephenson's Rocket - 3
Streets of Stalingrad - 5
Sumo Arena - 2
Superstar Baseball - 19
Supremacy - 2
Tac Air - 2
Tactics II - 2
Talisman - 2
The prince - 3
Third Reich - 1
Tichu - 2
Title Bout - 6
Traders of Genoa - 2
TransAmerica - 52
Traumfabrik - 29
TV Wars - 12
Twilight Imperium: 2
Ukraine '43 - 4
Ursuppe - 2
Vanished Planet - 19
Victory - 3
Villa Paletti - 6
Wallenstein - 5
War & Peace - 16
Warlock - 2
Waterloo (phalanx) - 4
Waterworks - 3
Web of Power - 50
Wizard - 3
Wizard's Quest - 41
Wrasslin' - 14
Wrasslin' Battle Royal - 15
Wyatt Earp - 7