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Changes to arena game options
Posted: 01 June 2026, 16:41
by gaarel2
I dislike an expansion that is currently included in the arena of a game. I think it makes the game more luck based and less balanced. How can I propose its removal? Who decides the options applied in the arena? Thanks
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 01 June 2026, 17:10
by Meeplelowda
gaarel2 wrote: ↑01 June 2026, 16:41
I dislike an expansion that is currently included in the arena of a game. I think it makes the game more luck based and less balanced. How can I propose its removal? Who decides the options applied in the arena? Thanks
The Arena format for each season is voted on by
"gurus" who are players selected for each game based on their volume of play. If you are a guru, there is a special page where you can discuss and vote on the format for the next season. There is no established way for someone who is not a guru to communicate with gurus. I'd suggest putting your request in the sub-forum for that game.
New feature: Games Gurus
As you know, there is always plenty of discussion about the Arena settings: why is this option enabled? Why 3 players and not 4? And so on...
We used to tell you to use forum polls to propose and vote for the best Arena settings. However, only a few of you were actually taking part in the votes, and some of you were not even aware of their existence.
As a community-based website, we would like to find a community-based solution for this: the Game Gurus.
If you are one of the most active players for game X, you will now be a member of a a group called "X's Gurus." If you are Guru for a game, you can see it on the "Community" page.
As a key member of the community, being a member of this group is going to give you you special powers. For now, the only special power you have is "propose & vote for the next Arena settings." More powers will come in the future- but this news is about Arena so let's stick to this for now.
At the end of the new Season, the suggestions & votes will be taken into account when upgrading the Arena settings: the best proposition for each game will be applied to the corresponding game.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 01 June 2026, 20:27
by gaarel2
oh ok! I didn't know about the gurus, thanks!
If any guru of Bang! reads this, please consider voting to remove the expansion next season!
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 01 June 2026, 21:16
by ChiefPointThief
gaarel2 wrote: ↑01 June 2026, 20:27
oh ok! I didn't know about the gurus, thanks!
If any guru of Bang! reads this, please consider voting to remove the expansion next season!
Pretty sure there is already a thread about this in the bang sub forum. As well as complaints of player count.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 01 June 2026, 23:13
by Meeplelowda
gaarel2 wrote: ↑01 June 2026, 20:27
If any guru of Bang! reads this
Why would you say this here, instead of in the specific
sub-forum for Bang like I suggested above?
In case you don't know, there is a sub-forum for every game you've ever played on BGA (unless the game has been removed) at the bottom of the page where you found this one.
Or you can go to the single-game lobby for that game and scroll down to where it says "Forums."
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 02 June 2026, 17:09
by gaarel2
Meeplelowda wrote: ↑01 June 2026, 23:13
gaarel2 wrote: ↑01 June 2026, 20:27
If any guru of Bang! reads this
Why would you say this here, instead of in the specific
sub-forum for Bang like I suggested above?
In case you don't know, there is a sub-forum for every game you've ever played on BGA (unless the game has been removed) at the bottom of the page where you found this one.
Or you can go to the single-game lobby for that game and scroll down to where it says "Forums."
I already posted there 7 days ago, and I only got one reply. Clearly these game specific forums are not widely read, which I now understand is the reason this guru role has been created in the first place.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 15 June 2026, 02:59
by Shogun2049
For me personally, this Season is going to show my lowest play count in over 2 years of being here. Why did they make practically every game 2 players? Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders Architects, Love Letter, Sushi Go, Gizmos, Azul, Wingspan, etc. So many great games but terrible at 2 players. Most should be a minimum of 3 players. There's a few that are 4+ but it's not easy to get into those games since they're not the most popular ones like Stella, For Sale, etc.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 15 June 2026, 05:01
by BarnardsStar
Shogun2049 wrote: ↑15 June 2026, 02:59
Why did they make practically every game 2 players?
There is no “they”.
Each game’s Atena options are chosen each season by the “gurus” of that game, and, while it is true the selection process for gurus is a little opaque, they are still fellow players who are among the most active of players for that game, and each game’s gurus are chosen independently of other games.
So you see, there is no “they”.
There
is rampant speculation that the process tends to favor 2p Arena: players who play mostly 2p will have shorter games, and can rack up more games in a season, and are therefore more likely to be gurus. And gurus who play mostly 2p may be more likely to choose 2p for Arena. But it’s hardly a conspiracy.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 15 June 2026, 05:35
by Ceaseless
Shogun2049 wrote: ↑15 June 2026, 02:59
For me personally, this Season is going to show my lowest play count in over 2 years of being here. Why did they make practically every game 2 players? Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders Architects, Love Letter, Sushi Go, Gizmos, Azul, Wingspan, etc. So many great games but terrible at 2 players. Most should be a minimum of 3 players. There's a few that are 4+ but it's not easy to get into those games since they're not the most popular ones like Stella, For Sale, etc.
Because 2 player is usually where the greatest skill is required, reducing random variation that cripples player choice and giving players a proper chance to interact with their opponent on more even footing. The main exceptions to justify going above 2-player are when you're basically playing multiplayer solitaire and don't actually care about the other players or if the game is going all in on player politics, often at the price of technical skill.
Re: Changes to arena game options
Posted: 15 June 2026, 12:57
by tbhp
It doesn't matter if you think a game is balanced or not. The game exists, the creators made it with the rules they chose, and now it can be played competitively on BGA just like any other game. If you don't like the way the game works, you can choose not to play it or criticize it, but that doesn't give you the right to request that it be changed into a different game.