Board Game Arena

Hi, I am strongly recommending to switch Lost Cities Arena Mode to 3 rounds. Hope to see other comments and opinions below!

Could try it a season like 7 wonders 3pl and 4pl change and see which format draws the most gamed played?

Personally I like 3 rounds with friends but 1 for Arena

Hmm, I also seem to prefer 3-rounds for friendly matches and 1-round for arena. I wonder why..

Although it is obvious that 3-rounds is more strategic, and therefore healthier for the Arena mode.. There might be a conceivable case for 1-round arena:
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A 1-round game takes 1/3 the time. So, if the matchmaking is quick enough, you should be able to play 2-3 1-round games instead of 1 3-round game at the same time. Now, the point of a 3-round game is to make up for the luck-element. So if someone gets a headstart early due to a good hand, there is still a chance to turn the tables.

If we're expecting luck to even out in 3 rounds for a 3-round matchup. Then we can just make a similar case for 3 games of 1-round matchup. So, if I'm not wrong. A 3-round matchup is technically equivalent to 3 games of 1-round. Since luck for each round is completely independent (So the loser/winner doesn't get an inherent advantage for being behind/ahead)

But here's the thing, for that purpose, 3 single round games are better, because in a 3-round game, someone who gets extremely lucky in the first round keeps their massive lead in rounds 2/3. But that's not the case for multiple single round games.

Also, many players (me included) occasionally use Arena mode as a quick way to get into game. For that purpose, a quick game of 1-round lost cities fits the bill nicely.
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This is what I could think of as arguments for the 1-round mode. Thoughts?

Arena Mode is supposed to be the competitive mode for players to try to be the best player of that season. It makes sense that the more competitive (less luck-based) option is available for Lost Cities in Arena.

3-round games would make the game longer, sure, but that isn't much of a problem here as Lost Cities is quite a short game anyway.

Players who wish to play the more luck-based 1-round games can still do so in Simple Mode, of course.

So, contrary to what I said a few months ago, I totally think Lost Cities Arena should permanently be 3 rounds in Arena Mode.

Concerning one 3-round game being more luck-based than 3 1-round games, that doesn't quite work when you factor in ELO. When a player has a high ELO and is trying to get #1, for example, three 1-round games could wreck her/his ELO, where one 3-round game is less likely to because of (bad) luck.

Edit: typo, changed "less" to "more".

Not that I play this competitively, but concur best of 3 is better.

The Luggage wrote: ↑01 July 2020, 01:17 Concerning one 3-round game being less luck-based than 3 1-round games, that doesn't quite work when you factor in ELO. When a player has a high ELO and is trying to get #1, for example, three 1-round games could wreck her/his ELO, where one 3-round game is less likely to because of (bad) luck.

I said that one 3-round game is MORE luck-based than 3x 1-round games. While taking approximately the same amount of time. Games where you have multiple rounds are a bit tricky to figure out.

I agree with the ELO thing being more volatile in a 1-round game though. (Therefore the same argument applies to EAS).

What's more to that is that the waiting time for lost cities isn't negligible. Then, I'd agree that 3-rounds is definitely the superior choice for arena, mainly because of those two factors.

nmego wrote: ↑01 July 2020, 02:21

The Luggage wrote: ↑01 July 2020, 01:17 Concerning one 3-round game being less luck-based than 3 1-round games, that doesn't quite work when you factor in ELO. When a player has a high ELO and is trying to get #1, for example, three 1-round games could wreck her/his ELO, where one 3-round game is less likely to because of (bad) luck.

I said that one 3-round game is MORE...

Thanks! Edited

Three rounds makes for a much more competitive game - with a single round, a very small point difference leads to huge swings in elo/ranking, whereas this gets evened out over several rounds.

I'd suggest an expert player playing against 'good' players might achieve a win rate of about 55% on single games - the number of games needed to play to climb through leagues and achieve a good ranking is therefore ridiculous!

Agreed, 3 rounds is much preferable. It changes play style for the better - you don't have to hoard your 10's for a final play if you know there's another round coming to even out the score.