Make it So Challenge #3 Results

by Charlie Plaine, Make it So

20th December 2013

The third challenge, Storytelling, tasked each of our challengers to create a stroy-based objective, trying to capture a specific story moment. Top down design can be very difficult, as it is a very fine line to walk between the demands of a story and the needs of a game. Making a card too focused on exactly representing the story can lead to a card that is unplayable or impossible to balance; on the other hand, making a card based on mechanics can miss on story beats. In addition, having the kind of freedom available can make it difficult to focus on walking the line. Let's see how the contestants did:

Results
Here are the collected results from this challenge:

The detailed results, including comments from the public and the judges, will be available at a later date.

Leaderboard
Here are the standings after the first three (3) individual challenges:

Analysis
Official Make it So statistician Chris Lobban (Maelwys) did some number crunching and sent the following data, which we are sharing with you:

Bargain with the Borg
Mean: 5.88
Median: 6
Mode: 7
Received average grades across the board, with pretty even distribution.

Establish Dissident Escape Route
Mean: 4.28
Median: 4
Mode: 6
Scored the lowest Mean and tied for lowest Median on this challenge, and didn't receive a single score above 7 from any voters.

Give Me Genesis!
Mean: 6.03
Median: 6
Mode: 6
This one seemed pretty polarizing, it was tied for the most 1s received (with three), but also tied for the most 10s received (also three), cancelling out and giving it 6s across the board.

Happily Ever After
Mean: 7.28
Median: 7
Mode: 8
Received the most 8s (with eight) of all entries this round, and with only one grade lower than a 5, this was one of the most solidly rated cards this round.

Mother's Day Heist Getaway
Mean: 6.06
Median: 6
Mode: 5
An "average" card, this card received the most 5s on the challenge (with eight), and a pretty even spread above and below that gave it an average 6 score almost any way you look at it.

Present Forgery
Mean: 4.31
Median: 4
Mode: 3
This card scored a lot more low numbers than Dissident Escape Route (with the most 3s at eight, and tied with it for the most 2s at five), but it was saved somewhat by getting several scores above 7, which gave it the lower mode average, but a slightly higher mean average.

Protect Peace Conference
Mean: 7.31
Median: 7
Mode: 7
The highest mean average in this challenge, this card was helped immensely by the fact that it didn't get a single score below 5. It was also the most unanimously agreed upon score, with almost 45% of reviewers giving it a score of 7.

Release the Pah-wraiths
Mean: 4.66
Median: 4
Mode: 6
Receiving fairly mediocre numbers, this card received the most 6s (with nine), the most 4s (with eight), and was tied for the most 2s (with five).

Repair Iconian Gateway
Mean: 7.00
Median: 7
Mode: 8
This card received more high marks than the winning Peace Conference (tied with Happily Ever with eight 8s, and a record-setting six 9s), but it didn't have the same spotless record as those two, receiving one score in each spot from 1 to 4, which meant that although it had a higher mode average than Peace Conference, it's mean average ended up more than a quarter point lower.

Overall Comments
Finally, the public was given the opportunity to offer any comments on the challenge and the submissions overall. Those appear here, unedited:

• I really think the contestants need to go over their wording better. I am by no means a wordwizzard, but I can definitely feel that the wording on these cards is off and thus detracting from the overall rating.
• Some good stuff here, better than the last entry.
• Some very good, some very bad ideas. Good luck for the next challenge!
• Some good ideas, but contestants do need to think more carefully about using key terms in their wording. There were several instances of missing "your" which could cause issues.
• There where a lot of alternative mission requirement in this challenge. Two manages to earn artifacts without either attempting a mission or seeding the artifact. Most of them managed to stick to trek-sense but some are a bit contrived. Some dip below the power curve and some really peak above. It's all over the place. Nothing was a sure winner but some was could be a fine support card.
• A couple of cards struggled with the wording. Watch that on these long/story cards.
• Where's all the Borg love?!? I can't effectively use any of these with A Change of Plans.
• What a great and fun challenge, perhaps designing Story cards is easier, or at least a LOT more fun!
• It was way more fun to look through these than the last equipment entries. I feel some are too complicated and try to hard to look like the episode they are from. Some try to change too much. That´s why I like the first entry so much: Very simple and very innovative and very much like the episode.
• I think the contestants did a great job of representing Trek, but sometimes went too far and sacrificed gameplay for it.
• Quite a few cool story cards, at least a few that look VERY fun, only one real stinker, that had it been worded much better could have been great.
• These seem to be very hit or miss.

Thank you to everyone who participated in voting for this first challenge of Make it So! Join the discussion of this challenge and the results on our forums, and don't forget to return after the new year for the fourth and final individal challenge!

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