STAR RATINGS

[Pedros]

Star Ratings as follows:-

Games included: 1
Respondents: 7

A. How enjoyable was the variant as a player? (If you were set upon by three other powers and eliminated quickly it doesn't necessarily mean that you think the variant is rubbish!!)
5: I love it and will play any chance I can 1
4: Good game - would like to play again 2
3: OK - Would be happy to play again 2
2: A bit weak (boring/not enough to think about etc) 0
1: Poor. Would definitely not play it next time! 0
(One vote at 1-2)
Average: 3.6
B. Was the game reasonably balanced (not necessarily does everybody start out equal, but how likely is it to win from every position, for example, or did everybody have a reasonable opportunity to impact on the game)? Think of Regular Dip as around 3
5: Very balanced - good opportunities all round 0
4: Reasonably balanced 4
3: Average - some coutries a bit weaker, some a bit stronger 3
2: It was clear from the beginning who would be the dominant powers in the variant 0
1: Unbalanced - some powers doomed from the outset 0
Average: 3.4 = = = -

C. How dynamic is the game? Are there plenty of opportunities for movement/change of alliances/sudden thrusts throughout the game? Or is the pattern, for some powers at least, restricted for at least some of the powers? (Regular has a number of blocking points apart from the main stalemate line and I would put it at 2-3)
5: Very fluid - lots of movement and opportunities right to the end 3
4: Plenty of chances but it can get stuck at times 3
3: OK - some opportunities to make choices about options but they're a bit limited 0
2: Choices are limited and the game can get bogged down. 0
1: Pretty static really! 0
(One vote at 0-1)
Average: 4.5 >

D. How complicated is the game? (This may be the complexity of the map or of the rules, or both. We've put Regular Dip at 2 out of 5 for this one; variants scoring 5 probably have a complicated map and particularly complicated rules!)[/color]
5: Mind-bendingly complicated; you'll need to work really hard at this one! 0
4: Very complicated map or rules, or both of them quite complicated 0
3: Complicated - more to think about than Regular - some extra rules (not just Build Anywhere etc) 6
2: Not especially complicated (think ~ Regular) 0
1: Simple game - small map, no tricky rules.
[color=#BF0040]Average: 3.0

[Kithchener]

Sorry, forgot to respond. Generally agree with consensus though

Another thing I would add is that stalemate lines are impossible! So that's what makes it a great game

[Radical Pumpkin]

I didn't get around to responding yet either, though I was intending to. But there are 6 respondents... are those ratings for this game?

[Pedros]

Not too late Pumpkin. One is (obviously) over-recorded, and don't forget the ones at something point 5 (which wasn't really an option!) And not everybody voted for everything.

[Jegpeg]

What do the 3 stars indicate link to Black hole diplomacy. Is it just a flag that the rating is in or is it the "average" score.

If the later does it include question D? If so I don't think this should be the case. Generally people will want enjoyable, balanced and dynamic games the same is not true for complicated. If I saw a varient with a 5 score on complexity I would give it a wide berth.

[Pedros]

This was covered in the original discussion in DVFG - it is the "Enjoyment" figure only, as being the one which most players are likely to want quick access to when they look at a variant they don't know.

There needs to be an indication of this somewhere, but I haven't yet worked out where the best place is to put it without overcrowding loads of pages; one bit of inflexibility in the software.