It's impossible to boil a game down to a single number without losing a lot of the nuances of the experience, and two games with identical scores can have vastly different qualities with little or no overlap.
But review scores are still important. In-depth long-form reviews aren't always easy to parse, so having a final score can help bring everything together and make sense of all the nuances as one. Plus, when you're short on time, you may not be able to read every sentence of a sprawling review. Quick-glance scores are certainly useful then!
All that to say, I strive to wrap up all of my board game reviews with a score that summarizes the pros, cons, and vital details that make a game what it is. This score isn't meant to be a replacement for the review itself, though. You'll need to read the full thoughts to get the full picture.
Why I Use a 5-Star Scale
Since review scores are little more than summary values, I find 100-percent systems to be impractical. There's no meaningful distinction between, say, a game scoring 74% or 76%. To most people, both are "mid-70s."
A 10-point scale with decimals is the same thing—so that system is thrown out, too. (A game that scores 7.4 is no different than 74%.) If I were to use a 10-point scale, it would be with whole numbers only. But there are biases at play that tend to skew 10-point ratings, resulting in 7 points being "average."
That's why I prefer to use a 5-point scale with half points. And since most are familiar with the 5-star format used around the world, I'll stick to that.
What the Stars Mean
- 1–1.9 Stars: Lackluster. A game I can't recommend because it sparks zero joy, feels tedious to play, or isn't worth the effort for the experience. I would actively avoid playing this if someone suggested it.
- 2–2.9 Stars: Decent. A flawed, uninspired, or forgettable game that I could be convinced to play under the right conditions.
- 3–3.9 Stars: Approved. A satisfactory game that's enjoyable enough, but doesn't have anything special to set it apart from others of its kind.
- 4–4.9 Stars: Recommended. An engaging game that's greater than the sum of its parts. I would gladly suggest this over other games of its kind.
- 5 Stars: Excellent. An impressive, best-in-class game that delivers an unbeatable experience. The kind of game that won't leave my collection.
How the Stars Are Scored
I consider four key factors when scoring for a review. These factors are then weighted and combined to arrive at a final score:
- Fun (40%): The subjective enjoyment I have when playing a game. Enjoyment can come from a lot of things. In a strategy game, it's how engaging and satisfying it is to strategize towards a win. In a party game, it's how laugh-out-loud funny or exciting it is. The more I like it and the more I want to come back to it, the higher this score.
- Design (25%): The architecture of a game and how well it was executed. Is it convoluted and hard to understand? Or is it refined and streamlined? Is it unique and fresh? Or is it a rehash of ideas? Does it have an identity of its own? Does it blaze new trails? The conceptual package.
- Production (10%): The attention and thoughtfulness that went into the game's creation, including its artwork, graphic design, components, rulebook, and player aids. More expensive isn't always better. An overproduced game can be as detrimental as an underproduced one.
- Value (25%): The amount of gameplay and content you get for how much it costs, assuming you pay retail price. Replayability, component quality, modular content, and extra game modes all play into this. Also, the lower the retail price, the higher this score.
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