"Balanced" Drafting Variant Request and "Balanced" Championship mode

[RazorOz]

Hi,

Is it right Asmodee/Days of Wonder approval is needed for variants? Are we able to put in official requests?

I'd like to put in the follow variant requests, both designed to balance the drafts more.

#1) For the Championship module, can we get a variant where each player starts with 2 upgrades rather than 1. Drafted back -> front, front -> back. This balances the upgrades from the beginning rather than currently where there is a significant advantage to getting early picks at the start of a Championship, and only having 1 upgrade each compounds that advantage further.

#2) For the garage module, can we get a balanced drafting variant. I think most players would agree the current rules significantly favour the cars at the back. The following balance the drafts so the draft is much fairer to all positions:

7 players
7th, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 5th, 1st, 4th
1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 5th, 2nd
5th, 4th, 2nd, 6th, 1st, 7th, 3rd

6 players
6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st
1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 4th, 3rd
3rd, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 5th, 6th

5 players
5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 3rd
3rd, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 5th

4 players
4th, 2nd, 3rd, 1st
1st, 2nd, 4th, 3rd
3rd, 1st, 2nd, 4th

3 players
3rd, 2nd, 1st
1st, 3rd, 2nd
2nd, 1st, 3rd

Thank you

[howie varez]

Agreed.

[critternation]

It's a good draft plan much better than giving one player TWO first picks.

[RazorOz]

What is the actual best way to go about this, because it seems nearly every regular player agrees the draft is not balanced, and as pointed out to me today it will likely only get more noticeable as the player pool improves. Go around asking the players to post here in support?

[Phoxtrot]

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that the current system favors cars in the back.

This is not the first discussion about this...
https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34663
https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33228

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/322853 ... ing-tweaks
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/318111 ... eat-oretto
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/316840 ... ng-variant
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/314059 ... uring-race

[RazorOz]

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that the current system favors cars in the back.

This is not the first discussion about this...
https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34663
https://boardgamearena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33228

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/322853 ... ing-tweaks
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/318111 ... eat-oretto
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/316840 ... ng-variant
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/314059 ... uring-race

For sure, so it then comes what are we as a player pool going to do about it. I'm pretty sure you can get the majority of regular players on board with something.

[PaulB-UK]

I guess it would be possible to trial a different drafting system, if you had trusted players.

Each player would state their pick in order and then pick that when it was their turn in the game.

Tracking stats could show up any flaws in the system or if it's improved balance.

[RazorOz]

For 7 players I am provisionally starting with this:

7 players
7th, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 5th, 1st, 4th
1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 5th, 2nd
5th, 4th, 2nd, 6th, 1st, 7th, 3rd


The messiest to currently do as it deviates the most from the standard draft. This is provisional pending some testing, because although this is the only way I think to achieve perfect balance numbers wise at 7 players, it's to be seen if in practice it provides the most balanced experience. The obvious thing that stands out is 1 player gets 4th pick 3 times, I have chosen 6th to be this player, as I generally believe 6th has the most advantages off the starting grid (although there are certainly edge scenarios where it doesn't, but those already exist at 6 player too).

[redfaern]

I have read elsewhere on BGA that only official rules from the publishers can make their way onto BGA. This is due to the licencing agreements. You'd need to get this drafting variant endorsed by DoW before it would make its way into BGA. It seems like the designers have great control over how this game is evolving so I think your best bet would be to petition the designers and hope they can release it in a future expansion. One of the designers, user AsgerSG on BGG, frequently gets involved on the BGG forums. RazorOz, I saw your suggested drafting variant on BGG, but he hasn't responded to it. Perhaps if you suggested this to Asger directly he would share his thoughts.

Personally, I agree that the drafting system is imbalanced and thus far from ideal for advanced/serious players. I can see why the designers went with the drafting method they did. It is first and foremost a family or casual game. Most people would assume that players closest to the front of the grid have an advantage (as is the case with the majority of race games, and in F1 itself) so the drafting would balance this. On the other hand, I don't believe DoW anticipated how successful the game would be. The game will be played at the World Series of Board Gaming 2024. If the game takes off as a serious competitive game, you'd think DoW would be more interested in making it appeal to more serious players and addressing what does seem to be a flaw.

[RazorOz]

There are definitely games on BGA that have variants on BGA that are not official rules, whether they were given publisher approval I don't know, in fact I would tend to think yes, because I am led to believe that is correct that they need publisher approval.

I agree the game needs a competitive drafting variant, I think nearly every player agrees on this, I don't know how likely you are to convince the designers, but I will support any attempts to do so.

Fwiw you can run the drafting methods listed here on BGA if every player agrees, as players can just call their picks in chat once it deviates from the normal draft. I and others have been doing it in private games, it's not really possible in open games though.