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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I like the idea of tracking “engagement” instead of simply counting plays. For board games and wargames, spending time learning rules, testing scenarios, or discussing strategy can be just as valuable as completing a full game session.