PSA: This game involves luck

Forum rules
Please DO NOT POST BUGS on this forum. Please report (and vote) bugs on : https://boardgamearena.com/bugs
User avatar
Obiwan Jacobi
Posts: 15
Joined: 15 April 2024, 20:55

PSA: This game involves luck

Post by Obiwan Jacobi »

It seems strange to me that some people choose to play a game that involves a fair amount luck (like this one) and then end the game by complaining about their luck. If you play enough, you'll have a surprise loss where someone got all three army tiles right at the start, or always seems to have the right piece at the right time. You just say "Thanks for the game" (or say nothing) and move on. And if bad luck is too upsetting, BGA has plenty of games without a luck factor.
User avatar
HaggbartSlark
Posts: 31
Joined: 23 February 2021, 23:35

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by HaggbartSlark »

I win = skill
You win = luck

I think that's seriously how some people's minds work on this subject.
User avatar
InterDaex
Posts: 2
Joined: 16 July 2025, 22:24

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by InterDaex »

Its a fact that this Game depends on luck. You can play your tiles perfectly, u Will lose if u only get ducks and 7s at the begginning
User avatar
HaggbartSlark
Posts: 31
Joined: 23 February 2021, 23:35

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by HaggbartSlark »

InterDaex wrote: 09 September 2025, 19:45 Its a fact that this Game depends on luck. You can play your tiles perfectly, u Will lose if u only get ducks and 7s at the begginning
That is literally the title of this post, who are you arguing against?
R-Cane
Posts: 14
Joined: 15 February 2025, 19:25

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by R-Cane »

HaggbartSlark wrote: 09 September 2025, 20:46
InterDaex wrote: 09 September 2025, 19:45 Its a fact that this Game depends on luck. You can play your tiles perfectly, u Will lose if u only get ducks and 7s at the begginning
That is literally the title of this post, who are you arguing against?
Why do you asume he is arguing? He is agreeing with the OP. Pure and simple.
User avatar
InterDaex
Posts: 2
Joined: 16 July 2025, 22:24

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by InterDaex »

Sure, i was just agreeing with the title.
User avatar
HaggbartSlark
Posts: 31
Joined: 23 February 2021, 23:35

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by HaggbartSlark »

Okok :)
User avatar
tea231
Posts: 2
Joined: 11 September 2020, 20:15

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by tea231 »

While this game has some luck it’s not crazy by any sorts.
Any game with draws or dice will have some it’s not chess.
Learning how to mitigate that is part of the game.

At best it’s the kind of game that has 5% you win luck, 5% I win luck and 90% of games are skill or strategy.

I love games like this!
User avatar
Meeplelowda
Posts: 3832
Joined: 14 March 2020, 10:31

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by Meeplelowda »

tea231 wrote: 20 September 2025, 00:27 While this game has some luck it’s not crazy by any sorts.
Any game with draws or dice will have some it’s not chess.
Precisely this. One proxy for how much luck dominates a game, however crude, is to look at highest ELO that has been achieved in a particular game. The higher that ELO, the more skill plays a dominant role in a game. Think of games where the highest ELO is in the 700s or higher. Or for pure abstract games with zero randomness such as chess, ELO can get to the 900s or higher (not that chess has ELO on BGA, but that's a different topic).

On the other end of the spectrum are games in which the highest ELO is in the 300s to low-400s. Those are basically just elaborate ways of flipping coins.

Toy Battle is sorta in the middle with the peak ELO in the low 500s.
Play Now lobby 4ever! https://boardgamearena.com/lobby
User avatar
Dead Girl
Posts: 14
Joined: 13 February 2024, 20:42

Re: PSA: This game involves luck

Post by Dead Girl »

Meeplelowda wrote: 20 September 2025, 02:28
tea231 wrote: 20 September 2025, 00:27 While this game has some luck it’s not crazy by any sorts.
Any game with draws or dice will have some it’s not chess.
Precisely this. One proxy for how much luck dominates a game, however crude, is to look at highest ELO that has been achieved in a particular game. The higher that ELO, the more skill plays a dominant role in a game. Think of games where the highest ELO is in the 700s or higher. Or for pure abstract games with zero randomness such as chess, ELO can get to the 900s or higher (not that chess has ELO on BGA, but that's a different topic).

On the other end of the spectrum are games in which the highest ELO is in the 300s to low-400s. Those are basically just elaborate ways of flipping coins.

Toy Battle is sorta in the middle with the peak ELO in the low 500s.
Peak Elo is a terrible proxy for the strategic depth of a game on BGA because it depends entirely on the average skill of the player base. Games like Toy Battle that attract a casual player base have highly inflated peak Elos.
Post Reply

Return to “Toy Battle”