I’d like to suggest a change regarding turn-based Arena games at the end of a season.
Currently, when an Arena season ends, any unfinished turn-based Arena game is converted into a Play table. Because of this, some players intentionally delay their moves to avoid finishing the game before the season ends and therefore avoid losing Arena rating or ranking.
Unfortunately, this is not just a theoretical issue—I have experienced it several times.
Here is a current example: https://boardgamearena.com/tableview?table=868070395
Normally, this particular opponent and I finish our games within 1–2 hours when we’re both online. Now, despite being online regularly, they deliberately wait until the very end of their timer before making each move. They’re making only one move every 1–2 days, turning what would normally be a short game into one that will likely last another 10–15 days.
The motivation seems obvious: by preventing the game from finishing before the season ends, they keep their current Arena ranking without risking a rating loss.
I understand that players are entitled to use the time available to them. However, intentionally using the timer only to avoid completing a game before the season ends creates an incentive for behavior that is unhealthy for the competitive environment.
A possible solution would be for unfinished turn-based Arena games to be resolved automatically when the season ends. For example:
● determine the result based on the current game state (where possible),
● use an objective fallback if the position cannot be evaluated,
● or introduce any other mechanism that removes the incentive to intentionally stall.
The exact implementation is open for discussion, but I believe the current system unintentionally rewards players for delaying games instead of playing them.
I’d be interested to hear what other players think.
Currently, when an Arena season ends, any unfinished turn-based Arena game is converted into a Play table. Because of this, some players intentionally delay their moves to avoid finishing the game before the season ends and therefore avoid losing Arena rating or ranking.
Unfortunately, this is not just a theoretical issue—I have experienced it several times.
Here is a current example: https://boardgamearena.com/tableview?table=868070395
Normally, this particular opponent and I finish our games within 1–2 hours when we’re both online. Now, despite being online regularly, they deliberately wait until the very end of their timer before making each move. They’re making only one move every 1–2 days, turning what would normally be a short game into one that will likely last another 10–15 days.
The motivation seems obvious: by preventing the game from finishing before the season ends, they keep their current Arena ranking without risking a rating loss.
I understand that players are entitled to use the time available to them. However, intentionally using the timer only to avoid completing a game before the season ends creates an incentive for behavior that is unhealthy for the competitive environment.
A possible solution would be for unfinished turn-based Arena games to be resolved automatically when the season ends. For example:
● determine the result based on the current game state (where possible),
● use an objective fallback if the position cannot be evaluated,
● or introduce any other mechanism that removes the incentive to intentionally stall.
The exact implementation is open for discussion, but I believe the current system unintentionally rewards players for delaying games instead of playing them.
I’d be interested to hear what other players think.
