Can the Scenarios be balanced?

1st off I like the different dynamics of the 12 different scenarios, but balancing the scoring of them for tournaments is a bastard.

Blackjack Scoring System tries to do this by forcing them into 4TP variance according to a variable gap depending on scenario.

Northern Kings Scoring System tries to do this by positive scoring up to 5VP, but also means losing scores can vary greatly with some scenarios never being able to score as high as other scenarios.

Herts Scoring System does not combine other parts into an overall TP, but uses Scenario VP, Kills, Attrition and Strength of Schedule as deciders.

Issues:

• Not all scenarios score the same
• Not all scenarios have the same max table VP
• Not all scenarios have the same max winning VP
• Not all scenarios have the same max losing VP
• Not all scenarios have the same highest winning VP if losing VP is at max
• Not all scenarios have the same highest draw score

So can the scenarios be balanced?

Short answer - yes

For the how, read on.....

The VP range

The fixed VP scenarios range from 3 VP available on the table for Loot to 14 VP available on the table for 3 token Push.

That is only one part of the issue, the core of the scenarios have 7VP available on the table, but then Raze pops its head up and although there is 7VP available on the table, the max a player can gain is 4VP, so again unbalanced scoring.

So what are the RAW scenarios scoring like in comparison?

##	Scenario	Scenario notes	VP available on the table	Max Winning VP	Highest Loss	Highest Win with the Highest Loss	Highest Draw Score	Type
1	Pillage	5 objectives used	5	5	2	3	2	Objective
1	Pillage	6 objectives used	6	6	2	3	3	Objective
1	Pillage	7 objectives used	7	7	3	4	3	Objective
2	Loot	3 Tokens on centre line	3	3	1	2	1	Token
3	Push	Centre Token, and 1 token per player	6	6	2	3	2	Token
3	Push	Center Token, and 2 tokens per player	10	10	4	5	4	Token
3	Push	Center Token, and 3 tokens per player	14	14	6	7	6	Token
4	Dominate	All in the center Circle	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Area
5	Invade	Get to other side	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Area
6	Control	6 squares, opposite middle worth more	7	7	3	4	3	Area
7	Kill	Kill at least 10% more than opponent	Random	Random	Random	Random	Random	Kill
8	Raze	1 OM in Center, each player places 3 OM on opposite side 6" from center line	7	4	3	4	3	Objective
9	Plunder	5 Tokens center line, 2 worth 2VP	7	7	3	4	3	Token
10	Fools Gold	5 Bluff Markers per player, all flipped End of Round 3	8	8	3	5	4	Objective
11	Smoke & Mirrors	5 Bluff Markers per player, a Markers if flipped by each player at the end of each Round	8	8	3	5	4	Objective
12	Salt the Earth	Center OM plus 3 each. End of Turn can destroy a OM you control	7	7	3	4	3	Objective

There's a light, over at the.....

So right off the bat you can see there are several that line nicely:

• Pillage with 7 objectives
• Control
• Plunder
• Salt the Earth

All with the same scoring profile:

• VP available on the table = 7VP
• Max Winning VP = 7VP
• Highest Loss = 3VP
• Highest Win with the Highest Loss = 4VP
• Highest Draw Score = 3VP

With this baseline, can the other scenarios be adjusted to this same profile?

To varying degrees, yes

Push

Use the 3 tokens plus Center that gives you 14VP available on the table, Then half the VP rounding down for scoring.

This then gives the same scoring profile as the others.

Smoke & Mirrors

There are two ways this can be leveled.

Option 1: Capping

Cap out at 7VP max for scoring and if loser scores 3VP max winner can score is 4VP

Max Draw score of 3VP each

Calculate VP for each player and add together

• If equal to or less than 7 VP, then apply VP for each player
• If more than 7 VP on the table at the end
• Work out the gap between VP
• If 0VP gap then winner gets 7VP, or if draw both gain 3VP
• If 1VP gap then winner gets 4VP and loser gets 3VP
• If 2VP gap then winner gets 5VP and loser gets 2VP
• If 3VP gap or more then winner gets 6VP and loser 1VP

Example 1: Player A scores 8VP Player B scores 0VP Player B did not score and VP over 7, so Player A gains 7VP, Player B gains 0VP	Example 2: Player A scores 4 VP Player B scores 4 VP Its a Draw, difference is 0VP, so Player A gains 3VP, Player B gains 3VP
Example 3: Player A scores 7 VP Player B scores 1 VP Difference is 6 VP, so Player A gains 6VP, Player B gains 1VP	Example 4: Player A scores 6 VP Player B scores 2 VP Difference is 4 VP, so Player A gains 6VP, Player B gains 1VP
Example 5: Player A scores 5 VP Player B scores 3 VP Difference is 2 VP, so Player A gains 5VP, Player B gains 2VP	Example 6: Player A scores 5 VP Player B scores 2 VP Equal to or under 7VP on table so no conversion required. Player A gains 5VP, Player B gains 2VP

Option 2: Adjusting

Remove one of 1VP Bluff counters from each player, and have a 1VP center Marker, this then gives the same scoring profile of:

• VP available on the table = 7VP
• Max Winning VP = 7VP
• Highest Loss = 3VP
• Highest Win with the Highest Loss = 4VP
• Highest Draw Score = 3VP

For Smoke & Mirrors instead of flipping a token each from end of round 1, start at round 2 as the center token is already "revealed"

Fools Gold

See Options 1 & 2 from Smoke & Mirrors

Loot

There are two ways this can be leveled.

Option 1: VP increase

3 tokens, center worth 3VP the other two are 2VP.

Limitation: players can never score 1VP

Option 2: Piles

Center pile of 3 tokens and the other two are piles of 2 tokens each.

A unit can only pick up one token from each pile per turn (so center token would take 3 turns to pick them all up).

Invade

Calculate Scoring Unit Strength for each player and add together

• If equal to or less than 7 Scoring Unit Strength, then convert US to VP for each player
• If more than 7 Scoring Unit Strength on the table at the end
• If only one player scored more than 7 Scoring Unit Strength then winner gets 7VP
• If both players have scoring unit strength then work out the gap between Scoring Unit Strength 
• If 0US gap then draw both gain 3VP
• If 1 or 2US gap then winner gets 4VP and loser gets 3VP
• If 3 or 4US gap then winner gets 5VP and loser gets 2VP
• If 5US gap or more then winner gets 6VP and loser 1VP

Example 1: Player A scores 9 unit Strength Player B scores 5 unit Strength Difference is 4 Unit Strength, so Player A gains 5VP, Player B gains 2VP	Example 2: Player A scores 5 unit Strength Player B scores 4 unit Strength Difference is 1 Unit Strength, so Player A gains 4VP, Player B gains 3VP
Example 3: Player A scores 6 unit Strength Player B scores 4 unit Strength Difference is 2 Unit Strength, so Player A gains 4VP, Player B gains 3VP	Example 4: Player A scores 7 unit Strength Player B scores 2 unit Strength Difference is 5 Unit Strength, so Player A gains 6VP, Player B gains 1VP
Example 5: Player A scores 8 unit Strength Player B scores 0 unit Strength Player B did not score and US over 7, so Player A gains 7VP, Player B gains 0VP	Example 6: Player A scores 7 unit Strength Player B scores 4 unit Strength Difference is 3 Unit Strength, so Player A gains 5VP, Player B gains 2VP

Rewards controlling the gap between your unit strength

Dominate

See Invade for scoring calculation

Kill

There are two ways this can be leveled.

Option 1: Scoring Unit Strength

See Invade for scoring calculation

Option 2: Eliminate and Kill

Adjust the scenario so it is not a pure Kill 10% more than opponent wins the game (ie in a 2000pt game needing to have killed 200pts more than the opponent).

At Start of game the two highest point including upgrades and artifacts Hero/Monster/Titans receive a bounty token, if you do not have at least 2 Hero/Monster/Titans then the two highest pointed units, if draw opponent can pick which unit to bounty.

End of game scoring

• 3VP for killing at least a 10% of the points used difference in your favour between your dead and their dead (ie the previous Kill win condition is worth 3VP)
• 1VP for each opponents bounty unit killed
• 1VP for each of bounty units that are are still alive

So max 7VP available on the table and to be scored.

Possible to win the game by killing both bounty units while keeping yours alive.

Raze

I played about with various adjustments, but most either just moved the issue into a different column, so were still not balanced.

The only one I could come up with that still fitted the scoring profile was:

• 1VP for each Objective you burn on the opposite side of the table
• 1VP for controlling the Center objective at the end of the game
• 1VP for controlling each of the objectives on your side of the table at the end of the game

May change the dynamic of the game too much, as holding back is then a viable win option.

My picks

So with all this an some various options, these would be my picks and adjustments, all with the same scoring profile:

• VP available on the table = 7VP
• Max Winning VP = 7VP
• Highest Loss = 3VP
• Highest Win with the Highest Loss = 4VP
• Highest Draw Score = 3VP

##	Scenario	Scenario notes	Balancing Adjustments
1	Pillage	7 objectives used	None
2	Loot	3 Piles of Tokens on centre line	Centre pile of 3 tokens and the other two are piles of 2 tokens each. A Unit can only pick up one token from each pile per turn (so centre token would take 3 turns to pick them all up).
3	Push	Centre Token, and 3 tokens per player	3 tokens each plus Centre - 1/2 VP for leveling
4	Dominate	All in the center Circle	Calculate Scoring Unit Strength for each player and add together If equal to or less than 7 Scoring Unit Strength, then convert US to VP for each player If more than 7 Scoring Unit Strength on the table at the end If only one player scored more than 7 Scoring Unit Strength then winner gets 7VP If both players have scoring unit strength then work out the gap between Scoring Unit Strength  If 0US gap then draw both gain 3VP If 1 or 2US gap then winner gets 4VP and loser gets 3VP If 3 or 4US gap then winner gets 5VP and loser gets 2VP If 5US gap or more then winner gets 6VP and loser 1VP
5	Invade	Get to other side
6	Control	6 squares, opposite middle worth more	None
7	Kill & Eliminate	Kill at least 10% more than opponent and the bounties	Have 10% difference in your favour between your dead and their dead for 3VP Kill top 2 Hero/Monster/Titans Points - 1VP per kill, 1VP if yours are still alive
8	Raze	1 OM in Center, each player places 3 OM on opposite side 6" from center line	1VP for each Objective you burn on the opposite side of the table 1VP for controlling the Center objective at the end of the game 1VP for controlling each of the objectives on your side of the table at the end of the game May change the dynamic of the game too much
9	Plunder	5 Tokens center line, 2 worth 2VP	None
10	Fools Gold	4 Bluff Markers per player, all flipped End of Round 3	Remove one of 1VP Bluff counters from each player, and have a  1VP center Marker
11	Smoke & Mirrors	4 Bluff Markers per player, a Markers if flipped by each player at the end of each Round	Remove one of 1VP Bluff counters from each player, and have a  1VP center Marker For Smoke & Mirrors instead of flipping a token each from end of round 1, start at round 2 as the center token is already "revealed"
12	Salt the Earth	Center OM plus 3 each. End of Turn can destroy a OM you control	None