Playing several card games, I've noticed a huge difference between the physical game and the BGA version. Being unlucky by nature, I prefer more strategic games with as little randomness as possible.
The problem is that the algorithm too often favors a single player during drafts, and the card games that face off are often either two players with the same algorithm or several consecutive games with the same algorithm (yes, I've tested this).
So, by combining a ridiculous draft with an equally ridiculous card order, the extreme is that you're either completely favored or completely disadvantaged. This happens far too often on BGA when comparing to real life.
However, in a deck of 10 cards, each card has a 10% chance of being the first to be played. Why is it so often the same card ? And regarding the cumulative order of identical cards: the logic is that players space them out in their deck, to avoid getting doubles or triples in a row, before shuffling them later.
The same applies in a draft. It doesn't make sense to have 3-4 identical cards or cards from the same suit, and then have either the same suit or a completely different one. The ideal consistency would always be 1% in a 100-card deck with 10 suits. Normally, 10% of a card from each suit and 10% of a card from that suit. It's possible to have identical cards in pairs or from the same suit, just as it's possible to have single cards from different suits. It's not always just one player with duplicates/triplets. I have seen, in BGA, too often a player have the same card in triplicate or quadruplicate (available in 4 copies).
So, in drafting games, the algorithm must be based as the same set, but the order of algorithm must differs from one player to another. Some games, like Eternitium, offer cards to adjust the randomness and gain some control over it. Even then, I often see problematic algorithms (card is always sought in the last draw).
Examples, the order in Challengers! :
1. With 7 cards and 2 pairs, I often play my pairs first (Mime, Mime, then Illusionist, Illusionist) and then play my other singles.
2. In decks with more than 10 cards, with trios and pairs but only one Butler; the Butler is often played first or last, rarely between the 2nd and 9th positions.
Examples, the draft in Challengers! :
1. I get two Vendors in the first draft. After that, I either get no yellow cards or lots of yellow cards in subsequent drafts.
2. Often, I either have decent cards at the start or at the end. In both cases, the good cards to combine with the others either don't appear or all of them appear. This results in an extreme game of easy wins or losses without a fight, due to the draft's illogical algorithm.
You see it's ridiculous ? This happens often in BGA, but rarely with the physical game.
The problem is that the algorithm too often favors a single player during drafts, and the card games that face off are often either two players with the same algorithm or several consecutive games with the same algorithm (yes, I've tested this).
So, by combining a ridiculous draft with an equally ridiculous card order, the extreme is that you're either completely favored or completely disadvantaged. This happens far too often on BGA when comparing to real life.
However, in a deck of 10 cards, each card has a 10% chance of being the first to be played. Why is it so often the same card ? And regarding the cumulative order of identical cards: the logic is that players space them out in their deck, to avoid getting doubles or triples in a row, before shuffling them later.
The same applies in a draft. It doesn't make sense to have 3-4 identical cards or cards from the same suit, and then have either the same suit or a completely different one. The ideal consistency would always be 1% in a 100-card deck with 10 suits. Normally, 10% of a card from each suit and 10% of a card from that suit. It's possible to have identical cards in pairs or from the same suit, just as it's possible to have single cards from different suits. It's not always just one player with duplicates/triplets. I have seen, in BGA, too often a player have the same card in triplicate or quadruplicate (available in 4 copies).
So, in drafting games, the algorithm must be based as the same set, but the order of algorithm must differs from one player to another. Some games, like Eternitium, offer cards to adjust the randomness and gain some control over it. Even then, I often see problematic algorithms (card is always sought in the last draw).
Examples, the order in Challengers! :
1. With 7 cards and 2 pairs, I often play my pairs first (Mime, Mime, then Illusionist, Illusionist) and then play my other singles.
2. In decks with more than 10 cards, with trios and pairs but only one Butler; the Butler is often played first or last, rarely between the 2nd and 9th positions.
Examples, the draft in Challengers! :
1. I get two Vendors in the first draft. After that, I either get no yellow cards or lots of yellow cards in subsequent drafts.
2. Often, I either have decent cards at the start or at the end. In both cases, the good cards to combine with the others either don't appear or all of them appear. This results in an extreme game of easy wins or losses without a fight, due to the draft's illogical algorithm.
You see it's ridiculous ? This happens often in BGA, but rarely with the physical game.
