I do a lot of board game reviews, and I have more that I can do coming up here as I keep on playing games. Some I haven’t reviewed yet because I want to play them more, and others I just haven’t gotten to you. But I think it’s good to talk about how I review games. Especially if you see my Board Game Geek collection. So how do ratings for board games even work?

Two Rating Systems But One

So when I rate games on Nerdologists.com, I rate them with a letter grade scale. Then on Board Game Geek, I rate them numerically, since that is BGG’s scale. But I really use both of them as the same thing. I started with my own letter grades simply because that’s how I think of them more so. Lately, I think of grades or ratings on games in both.

So, while my grades might not always seem to align perfectly with the number scale, the two are meant to be the same. Or if there is a larger discrepancy Board Game Geek is more up to date of the two. I don’t go back and change a review article of a game increases or decreases for me.

What Do The Different Letters/Numbers Mean?

10

This generally equates to a game that I give an A+. Or it might be a game with an A rating but is really close to getting an A+.

But what does it mean? Generally these are the games that I love the most, not generally, but specifically. And generally, that means that I want to play them all the time. Now some, like Gloomhaven, I don’t know when or if I’ll come back to it. But that extensive experience that I had with it is that memorable and enjoyable. The same with other campaign games, I want to play them, but once I’m done, I might never come back.

9

This is going to be my A games. Again, these are games that I basically always want to play. I really enjoy them. The main difference between a 9 and a 10is just maybe, how memorable they are. Or how much each play can feel different. 9’s are going to be a bit less epic in my memory of the game.

8

This will be A- and B+’s in my letter grading. And they are a bit lower because I do see some flaw with the game. Not one that will keep me from playing the game, but something that might have me play it less. Or it is a smaller game, as well. Something like Arboretum is an amazing game, but since it’s not as epic as a game like Aeon’s End, for example, it gets a slightly lower grade. This is where a big bulk of the games are going to end up for me.

7

A 7 is going to be a game that is a B or B-. Fun games and one’s that I’d play, but now we’re getting to games that I’d be less likely to pull off the shelf myself. The example of this would be Air, Land and Sea. It is a good two player game where you fight for control in three theaters of war by playing out cards. It is similar to Hanamikoji, which I like a lot better. Hanamikoji is a 10 for me, and I would always pull it off the shelf before Air, Land, and Sea, but Air, Land, and Sea is still a game that I’d play if someone else wanted to.

6

6’s are going to be that C+ to C range when I give out a grade. Generally they are games that I can have fun with, but they aren’t ones that give me the same range of choice of other games, I feel. These are often, for me, gateway style games at this point, but not the really good ones that offer depth and strategy. Again, not a game that I’d say no to playing, but most 6’s leave the collection pretty quickly.

5

Following the scale, this is a C- of a game. Slightly below overage game or just doesn’t work for me for some reason. Often times there is a lot more luck in these games. Or the game is more about the laughs, which has limited replay value as well. The game does what it says but not enough to interest me to continue playing it.

4

With four, I think this often is where I stop wanting to play the game again. Though, there are some fours, for me, that I’ll come back to. This is a D+ game for me. And I think this is the spot, often, where a game promises something but fails to fully deliver on it. So, something like Codenames is a D+ for me, or a 4. Mainly because it promises to be a party game, but isn’t. And I don’t get any additional benefits like feeling clever from it.

3

D rated games go here. 3’s are games that I just find boring to play. Dominion, it might be a great game, but I find it boring to play, and I don’t want to anymore. And I find that there is a limited amount of strategy to the game. If you are good at Dominion, you spot the best combination and build that engine. The game doesn’t offer the variety to do well.

2

This is going to be a D- game. If I rate it a two, I really don’t like the game. It might do one thing, but that one thing isn’t that interesting. Exploding Kittens or Dr. Eureka are two 2’s for me. Exploding Kittens feels derivative and boring. Dr. Eureka is basically a puzzle with a speed element to it and dexterity thrown in. It just feels like a puzzle you give a kid, not a game.

1

These are straight up F’s for me. I don’t think a one is worth playing. Often times a game will get a one because it leans on it being a joke. For example, Exploding Kitten: NSFW Decks. It is just not an interesting thing to take a boring game and pretend that it’s now risqué. Actually adding in NSFW content takes a bad game and makes it worse. Or a game that is boring. Concept, for me, is a game that just adds in boredom. The game drags and it is just players thinking on something that masquerades as a fun social game.

Board Game Ratings Final Thoughts

Now, your ratings on a given game will differ from mine. That is why I try and give ratings for gamers and for casual players. I don’t care how great I think Gloomhaven might be, it won’t work that well for a casual gamer. Even the box, just the size of it, might immediately push them away. I think if they can learn it, it’ll be something they don’t find too complex, but there’s a massive barrier to entry.

And even my estimates for a gamer or a casual player, those are going to vary for each person individual. What I hope by giving a rating is that you can start to figure out how you align with my perspective on games. I want you to see what I like or dislike about a game, but then also have a quicker reference, than just reading a review, to know how you’d compare.

How do you rate board games? Do you do a letter grade, 1-10, 1-5? Do you use decimals, or do you not really have a grading system? Let me know in the comments below.

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