Unfairness

[9thdragon]

I think the game is kind of unfair. The first player always has the advantage, while the last player doesn’t. The first player always gets more turns than everyone else. For example, if I’m the first player and I win on my 6th turn, everyone else only got 5 turns.

Game makers should just make the game fair by giving everyone the same number of turns, and the last player should be the one who triggers the end of the game.

The winning conditions should be simple:

If triggered by ghosts:

The player with the most ghosts wins. If there’s a tie, the player with the most amulet fragments wins. If there’s still a tie, then the tied players share the victory.

If triggered by amulet:

The player completed the amulet wins. If there's a tie, the player with the most ghosts wins. if there's still a tie, then the tied players share the victory.

If the last player can steal ghosts after triggering the end‑game, they gain an unfair advantage because earlier players cannot respond.

Once the end‑game is triggered, players may still steal ghosts from others, but the stolen player still counts that ghost for scoring.

These adjustments:

Remove first‑player advantage

Prevent last‑player swing advantage

Ensure equal turns

Keep scoring fair and consistent

Preserve the game’s tactical depth without punishing players based on seating order

Overall, this would make the game significantly more balanced and enjoyable for all players.

[Silene]

rules of the games aren't decided on bga. they're only implemented here. if you want game rules to change, you need to convince the publisher - not bga players.

[Thomas]

I think, Spooky Tower is designed as a pure race rather than an efficiency puzzle. In racing games, the sudden-death finish creates the tension that forces players to take risks. The current design prioritizes momentum and gut feeling over calculated turn parity.

[pikeoff]

Luck rating of 2 is ridiculous. It should be 4 at least. Who makes those ratings?

[ILetYouWin]

It’s not ark Nova. This game is spooky tower. You play it to have fun and race to the end over 10 minutes. I don’t take it that seriously but I’m getting pretty good so that might change.

I do agree the first turn advantage is real and your analysis is sound. Home rules with a boxed copy would fix. That’s the bad thing with bga.

[brokenfixer]

It would be so much simpler to just give a book or a flashlight or an amulet shard or a starting pet or a modifier to their first die roll to later players -- There's no need to eliminate the sudden death race condition, just give everyone a staggered start.

[pikeoff]

Ok but the MOST simple and fair thing would simply to be to give 2nd player one more turn after 1st player gets 5+ ghosts. If 2nd player ends with more ghosts that turn then they win. If it is a tie after 2nd player's turn then the game keeps going until one of the players is ahead after a full round.

(If there are more than 2 players then apply the same concept as you can imagine).

Of course we all know BGA's policy is not to change game rules but it's fun to talk about how we could make the game better if we were the boss.

[Gloire]

=>The first player always has the advantage, while the last player doesn’t.

Many games suffer from this imbalance; I've noticed it too.
But it's for the sake of speed, because that's really what makes this game so appealing. I don't think allowing a final turn is relevant.
From my point of view, the first player should start the game with their reroll exhausted.
Remember that games are not meant to be balanced and competitive, but fun; complicating the rules and adding tie-breaker mechanics is the antithesis of fun.

=>Luck rating of 2 is ridiculous. It should be 4 at least. Who makes those ratings?

The game might seem like a simple dice roll at first glance, but once you know the powerful cards, it's much easier to manage the randomness.
You have access to numerous rerolls and ways to target specific cards. And yes, luck can definitely be against you, but I promise you'd be surprised by my win rate.

[nervous-chicken387]

Not every games has to be completely fair and balanced to all players. I prefer games where there is some luck, it keeps me on my toes.

And you have to remember that the first player will not always be able to take advantage of their turn. Whether due to luck from dice rolls or their card use, or because the subsequent players in the turn order are better at the game then them.

In fact, depending on the game, sometimes an adjustment for more competitiveness may make it less fun than its luck-based version. Because luck is part of the game.