Got told my game night scoring was making people not want to come back

I used to track scores really strictly with a big whiteboard and penalties for rule mistakes. One friend finally pulled me aside after a 4 hour session of Agricola and said it felt more like a test than fun. I cut the penalty system and started just doing a casual honorable mention for the winner instead of full leaderboards. Has anyone else had to dial back the competitive side of their game nights to keep people interested?

2 comments

2 Comments

leor373d ago

Wait, are you talking about a written score sheet or a huge whiteboard that's part of the setup? I gotta say, a whiteboard in plain sight during a 4 hour game is pretty intense. The penalty system was probably the worst part though. Making mistakes should be part of the fun, not something to write down and punish. Sounds like you fixed the right thing by dropping that.

perez.christopher4d ago

Friend of mine kept a handwritten ledger of every board game score for two years. At his New Year's party someone grabbed it and threw it in the fireplace.

-1