<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:12px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533">Hi everyone,</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"> So, I have been wracking my brain for a way to categorize games that allows people to have annual goals but at the same time doesn't drive me crazy. The original categories were poorly defined (I think they were Strategy and Board?) So I created thirteen game categories that were defined by the game mechanics. This proved way to unwieldy, so I cut it down to seven. Even that was too much, especially given how many games these days use multiple game mechanics. It was also pointed out to me that the categories were pretty uneven, with some having a handful of events and others having dozens.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"> I have come upon an idea that would be easier to administer and hopefully allow us to continue giving annual awards. What if the categories ignored the games themselves and focused on the times? Shorter games appeal to different players than medium length games, and some players prefer to sit down and play a game for 6 or 7 hours instead of playing three different games. If I created three categories based on the typical event length, the categories could be simply determined by sorting in an excel spreadsheet. This would also prevent players from "gaming the system" by finding those games that fall into a particular category, but are not very competitive. Players who prefer shorter, lighter games would compete against other players who like those types of games. Euro game players, where most of the medium length games will likely end up, would be in competition with other Euro players. And the TI3E and Titan players would have their own category for those who come to con to play their favorite two games =)</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"> Thoughts?</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"> Ideas?</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"> Help?</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr">Shane Sauby</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1468607313354_17533" dir="ltr">Boardgames Supervisor</div></div></body></html>