Comments for Dicey Business

Comment on New on GamePlan: Rome vs. Rome by Shaun Haynam

Shaun Haynam — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:16:19 +0000

Brutus, I shall see thee at Philippi!!!

Comment on Wizard Kings Free… by Philip Moerenhout

Philip Moerenhout — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:11:57 +0000

Hello,

I just bought the base game today (Belgium) and was quite surprised to see that there were 4 grey blocks (dwarfs) and 1 black block (undead) missing !

So, I have a couple of questions.

1- Is this promotion - free base game - still on ?

2- If yes, would it be possible for you to send me the 5 missing blocks together with the 10 booster order I would make ?

Looking forward to your reply,

Philip Moerenhout.

Comment on Boardgame Geeklists by coolveacalt

coolveacalt — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:08:11 +0000

Is this gonna end someday??

Comment on Wizard Kings Free… by Grant Dalgliesh

Grant Dalgliesh — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:55:01 +0000

Through Labor Day.

Comment on Wizard Kings Free… by TriOpticon

TriOpticon — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:14:51 +0000

How long does this sale last?

Comment on HarnCon 2008 by Jae

Jae — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:07:49 +0000

Does anyone know when the next Harncon will be in the UK?

Jae

Comment on Athens and Sparta Victory Conditions by Fred Bauer

Fred Bauer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:22:44 +0000

I’ve played Athens & Sparta quite a bit (including both Prezcon and WBC tournaments) and the rules do need to be tweeked a bit. I’m working on an “after-action report” that takes in the suggestions made by numerous players and should have that to you within two weeks. You may wish to hold off a bit before changing the victory conditions until you read what they have to say. Thanks for your consideration.

Comment on HarnCon 2008 by 3 » 7/11/2008 Dicey Business Harn: Columbia’s Electronic Newsletter

3 » 7/11/2008 Dicey Business Harn: Columbia’s Electronic Newsletter — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:40:10 +0000

[...] http://columbiagames.info/harncon-2008 [...]

Comment on Boardgamegeek User Ratings by Stewart Winter

Stewart Winter — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:12:05 +0000

It’s a bit unreasonable to be too hard on bgg. A broad appeal for a game is a good thing, not a bad thing. bgg is a mass system and therefore has ratings that reflect the view of the masses. While I have several Columbia games and will considering buying others, I will likely never own Eastfront because I will never find anyone to play against. Bgg ratings are pretty reflective of the choices my family and friends would make for games, not necessarily my personal preferences.

I tend to base my buying decisions on the comments and reviews that I read. As an example, Chris Farrell’s thoughtful reviews have sold me on more games than the bgg ratings ever will.

I look at the service that bgg provides and think that anyone would be hard pressed to do better given the size and scope it has grown to and I would be surprised to find that the bgg ratings are having any material impact on Columbia games. I’m sure if you continue to produce great games and provide great service and let your positive reputation and positive reviews be your best marketing that the bgg ratings will be a marginal issue for your business (here’s hoping).

Lastly, I would suggest that encouraging your readers/customers to add thoughtful comments and reviews to the bgg database will do more for your business than a few extra ratings.

Best Wishes … Stewart

Comment on Boardgamegeek User Ratings by Chris Farrell

Chris Farrell — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:42:27 +0000

The good thing about low ratings is that are a sign that the game has credibility. If a game has no low ratings at all, this is a red flag and a big warning that it’s appeal is extremely narrow, and nobody outside the hard-core fan base is even trying to play it. The designer or someone can mobilize the fan-base, but if nobody else is playing it, you won’t see low ratings.

That’s why comments are so important, whether you are rating a game low or high. If you give a game a low rating, and either no or an incoherent comment, people can discount it. If you give a game a low or high rating and a comment that says why, people can figure out what to do with it. For example, I love Ted Alspach’s comment on Hammer, even though he rates it a 3.66 - although how he evaluates games to two decimal places, I’m not sure. In general most of the people who give Hammer a low rating and also left a decent comment seem fair and might be helpful to a prospective buyer, given that tastes vary.