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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Review Drift – The Basics

The idea for this is that reviewers don’t generally play games like the general public. They either play a game a ton of times in a short period, which isn’t like most gamers, or they play a game only a few times before they form their opinion on it. I tend to fall more into that latter camp. However, even with that, I also don’t try to force timely reviews.

And that is really why there is this thing where reviewers and how they play games that tends to be so divergent from what most gamers do. If you want to experience a full game, like Tainted Grail and put out a relevant review you are going to need to play 50 hours in two weeks of just one game. Or on the flip side, you might have played four games of it, which is 10-15 hours or so, but you haven’t experienced the full story so there could be something you strongly dislike later.

So Do Reviews and Ratings Matter?

I would say that they still do matter, but I think it puts some of the onus on the consumer to understand how reviews and ratings are done. Let me talk about my process. If I want to put out something immediately after getting a game I’ll do a few things. First, I might do an unboxing, it tells you nothing about the game except what the components are like. Next when I’ve played it once or twice I might do a Beyond the Box Cover article. This is basically some first thoughts but not a full review. Then I’ll do my TableTopTakes when I’ve had more time to play with it and more time to sit with it.

From what I’m doing I’m hoping to create a more natural experience for getting a game reviewed. Even with what I do, though, I will push to review a hot game faster. Generally those games are easier to get to the table multiple times. And with stuff like Tainted Grail, I’ve reviewed that and then come back to it again, because I’m further into the game. I don’t believe you need to have experienced the whole game to have a strong understanding of what you like or dislike about it.

But yes, reviews and ratings still do matter, that’s what I’m trying to get at.

Why?

Because without them everyone would need to get a ton of games and play them all to be able to form an opinion on them. Now, I love to get games and play them. So I’m always going to do that. But because of reviewers and previewers like The Dice Tower, BoardGameCo, Quackalope, and GloryHoundd, I’ve found a ton of games. I’ve also gotten information on games that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. This is through reviews, previews, and playthroughs, like I’ve said.

It actually makes it easier for me to determine what game I would want to get. I can pick reviewers to watch who match my taste in games. Let’s look at GloryHoundd and DrGloryHogg, both on the GloryHoundd channel, when they do a playthrough of a roll and write, I pay more attention to how GloryHoundd is enjoying it. I know she tends to like roll and writes and I tend to like them as well. So if she’s enjoying it, I know it’s one to look at.

On the flip side, if it’s a bigger story driven, dice chucking game, I know GloryHoundd doesn’t like dice rolling. So she’s probably not going to enjoy it as much. I also know that DrGloryHogg is much more interested in that style of game, so I’ll pay attention to his reactions to the game.

But for me, as a consumer (and kind of reviewer) it helps me know what to pick up. And I don’t need to look at every game. I instead find the right reviewers and content creators whose tastes align with my own. When they like a game, that is a signal for me to checkout that game, to checkout their review, other reviews, read up on Board Game Geek and more.

How Do You Find Reviewers?

Honestly, it comes down to reading and watching their content. To do that, find a game you already like and watch reviews. Do the reviewers line up with your tastes? Are they talking about the same things you like in a game or not?

Now dissenting opinions are fine, but know the reviewer. I’m going to go back to Tainted Grail. No Pun Included gave it a scathing review. That got them a ton of views, but I didn’t need to watch it. Why, because I’ve watched enough of their reviews to know I don’t always agree with them. And to know that Tainted Grail, by it’s nature, is not their type of game. They are the ones who powered through the whole game as well in two weeks or so to make their review. That is unnatural for a game like Tainted Grail and is going to taint the review for that reason.

So, negative isn’t bad, just know how they got to that opinion. Know the reviewers tastes before you go into a game. The same with a positive review. If someone is a heavy euro gamer and does a glowing review of Castles of Burgundy, that doesn’t mean the game is for me. And I know Castles of Burgundy isn’t a heavy euro game, but from someone who loves euro games. I don’t love euro games that well, that means that it’s probably not a game for me just by that nature. Even though that reviewer loved it, a review from a reviewers who tastes match more with mine would matter more to me.

And Are Ratings Good?

This is where it’s more of a question? Ratings aren’t a bad thing, but let’s talk about what a rating means? Is a 10 a perfect game with no flaws. Or is it a game that I’d never say no to and I want to get other people to play and love as much as I do? Is a 1 a game that is completely broken or a game that doesn’t work for me. Would I keep a game that is a 5 in my collection, is a 5 just an average game?

Ratings are actually harder to say they are good than reviews. Simply because people use them differently. Board Game Geek has their 1 to 10 rating scale, that’s great. But is a 7 a game that I like and will pull of the shelf and play, maybe? Or is it a game that someone else can pull off the shelf and I will gladly play it, but I might not pull it off my shelf? Or is a 3 a game that I’d never play again?

You can see how ratings are more confusing. There is nuance to how people do them. And BoardGameCo talked about that. he also talked about setting up a situation where its almost a Rotten Tomato style pass or fail setting. It’s either fresh or rotten. Now, is that completely useful, maybe not, but it’s a good/interesting metric to have for a game. I might spend some time trying to create something like that, it’s to be determined, but “ll keep people informed.

Who are your go to reviewers?

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