- BGG rank
- BGG #4,711
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Rocky Road à la Mode
- 2–4 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,355
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Top Pop
2023
Rules assistance for Top Pop
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Top Pop
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Top Pop is a board game released in 2023 for 2–5 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Joshua J Mills and Mark McGee and its main mechanics are Set Collection.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,525
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Milkman
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,445
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Tether
- 2–4 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,686
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Kintsugi
- 2–3 players
- 10–15 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,856
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Aldabas: Doors of Cartagena
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,080
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Big Easy Busking
- 1–5 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #59
- BGG rating
- 8.2
On Mars
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 4.6/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #135
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Tigris & Euphrates
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 1997
- BGG rank
- BGG #137
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Keyflower
- 2–6 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #208
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Glen More II: Chronicles
- 2–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #301
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Isle of Skye: From Chieftain to King
- 2–5 players
- 30–50 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #351
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Endless Winter: Paleoamericans
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2022
About the game
It is the 1960s, and soda pop has taken off as America's go-to drink. Instead of just getting the refreshing drink over the counter, the soda companies have bottled their sensational soft drink. These bottles are showing up in all of the major cities in grocery stores and vending machines. As the owner of a soda pop company, you need to make sure that your product captures the market it deserves in all of the major cities and that it knocks out the competition leaving just one top pop. Top Pop is a card game in which players are placing city cards onto the table and stacking bottle caps (which represent the company's influence) onto the played cities on the table. At the start of a player's turn, if their bottle cap is on a higher stack than the other players on a city card, that player collects that city; if not, they continue to try to gain dominance on city cards where they can. Each city comes in two types: day and night. Day city cards are played face-up on the table for all to see. Night city cards are played face down and only the player who played the card and whoever it is in front of can see it. At the end of the game, players earn points for majority control in a city and sets of cities collected. In the advanced version of the game, cities also have powers that are earned when a city is collected. A player continues to maintain their power until another player has collected the associated city, at which the power is then transferred. —description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Talon Strikes Studios LLC
Questions and answers
Top Pop supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Top Pop is 30–45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Top Pop for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Top Pop has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Top Pop belongs to these categories: Territory Building. Its main mechanics are Set Collection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Top Pop are: Joshua J Mills and Mark McGee. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Top Pop as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.