Although I am not the type for New Year’s resolutions, I am instituting a new methodology for how I record my gaming plays on BoardGameGeek.
To track my plays I usually use the Board Game Stats app. The BGStats app has an easy interface for adding play of a game to include players, scores, and location (amongst many stats those are my essential ones).
One problem I encountered when I first tried recording my gaming plays on BGStats is defining a “play.” I quickly became unhappy with my stats as one “play” of a quick 15-minute filler game was recorded equally with one “play” of a monster game that took hours of time. My end of year stats would show many lighter, filler games at the top of my lists. Unsatisfying.
I then tried to “weight” plays by time, so that one play of an hour-long boardgame was logged as 4-plays whereas that 15-minute filler logged as 1-play. I even tried to 30-minute increments but it still was unsatisfying.
At the same time I was unhappy with BGS recording only “plays.” When I am writing something like a “History to Wargame” segment I may have played (and logged) several scenario plays but, as I write my post, the relevant game (or games) are nonetheless on my table, likely in some semi-play state. Other times I have the game out as I am translating or learning a game. How do I count those events?
The solution I am trying this year is to reconceptualize “play” as “engagement.” If the game lands on the gaming table and is played that counts. If I spend at last 15 minutes in a day with a game on my gaming or learning table and I “engage” with the design that is logged as a SINGLE play. Writing a post with the game at hand? That is a play (one per day limit). Translating a rulebook? That is a play (one per day limit). Played a game with the RMN Boys then write a post in the same day? That is two plays (one for the game session, one for the post writing engagement).
That is how in one day I get a result like shown here:
Although the date range is a month the record actually reflects the record of a single day, in this case New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve I worked (about an hour) on translating the rules for Modern Armored Warfare and (about an hour) on my major review of Next War: Taiwan 2nd Edition. I also “played” Sky Team (single game ~25 minutes) and Star Wars: Villainous Cold Tactics (single learning game ~30 minutes).
I will see how this works in January. If promising I will try to keep it up for 2026.
Feature image courtesy RMN
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