Fix starting turn order when playing same game with different opponents

[watershipdown]

This might be an impossible ask, but I think there is an issue with how this site determines the play order of players. This is a small sample size, but I recently got back into Agricola this month and have played seven games. Out of those seven games, I was the last player in six of them. I played two 2-player games (both times I started second), three 3-player games (one time I was first and two times I was last), and two 4-player games (both times I was last). My suggestion would be to calculate each player’s starting position over their last several games (for example, the last 20). Then, the player with the highest number would go first, the second-highest number would go second, and so on. I will say that the recently implemented "snake opening" in Agricola does help.

[Ceaseless]

This might be an impossible ask, but I think there is an issue with how this site determines the play order of players. This is a small sample size, but I recently got back into Agricola this month and have played seven games. Out of those seven games, I was the last player in six of them. I played two 2-player games (both times I started second), three 3-player games (one time I was first and two times I was last), and two 4-player games (both times I was last). My suggestion would be to calculate each player’s starting position over their last several games (for example, the last 20). Then, the player with the highest number would go first, the second-highest number would go second, and so on.

What you're suggesting is rigging the system. Rigging the start order on BGA is not a good answer to randomness. The whole point of it being random is that you can't predict what you'll get, which also prevents you from trying to take advantage of it. Knowing that you will probably get to go first/last just means you can attempt to rig the system further, such as lining up your match-ups based on whether you're more likely to go first or last. You can check player game counts and send them challenges accordingly. Important match-ups can wait until you have the advantage, then you rack up fluff games vs people you go last with to build up your fortune. What are you even trying to say the issue is? That you were a bit unlucky for a few games?

[BarnardsStar]

And how unlucky were they? Well, I could only view six of the seven games (the seventh is turn-based and getting to the start of the logs is such a pain), but in those six games he was last four times—yes, contrary to the claim, there were two games he was not last: the 3p game where he was first and one of the 4p games he was third of four.

So, 2 2p games, the odds of being last in both is 1/4. In 3 3p games the odds of being last in any two of them is 2/9. And, taking him at his word that in his current turn-based game he is last, the odds of being last in one of the 2 4p games is 3/8. Put them all together and it’s about a 2% chance.

If I gave you a hundred-sided die and said it would never roll a 1 or a 2, you’d say that die was rigged, wouldn’t you? That’s what is being asked here, as Ceaseless observes: rig the system. And I’d agree it’s not a great idea just because you had a run of bad luck.