Games Night Leaderboard
Score a games night across games that do not share a scale. Three ways to combine them, side by side, and a warning when they pick different winners.
Scores
Leave a cell blank if that player sat the game out — they are placed last for it, alongside anyone else who missed it.
Standings
Why the method matters
- Adding the raw scores across games is almost always wrong, and it is what most score pads do. If one game scores in the hundreds and another in single figures, the big-number game decides the night on its own and nobody notices.
- Counting placements instead throws away the margins, which is usually what a games night means: winning by one point is winning. The tool shows both, and Borda points as well, so the choice is visible rather than baked in.
- When the methods disagree about the winner, that is said out loud. Somebody choosing how to count has then chosen who won, and that is worth knowing before the trophy is handed over rather than after.
- Borda points have a conservation law that makes them checkable: whatever anybody scores, one game hands out exactly n(n-1)/2 points across the field. Players who tie share the points they would collectively have received, so even a tie cannot leak any.
- Placements and Borda points look like the same thing counted two ways, and with no ties they are: over 4,000 leagues of distinct scores they never once disagreed, and they cannot, because without ties one is an affine transform of the other. Ties break that. A shared second place counts as second for BOTH players under placements, while Borda gives them second and third split down the middle — so how often the two part company depends on how often your games end level, from 5% when 6% of games tie up to 31% when 93% do. That is a real choice about how generous a tie should be, not a rounding difference.
- Anyone who missed a game is placed last for it, together with everyone else who missed it, and shares the points left over. That keeps the total honest, but it does mean sitting one out costs you — which is the fair reading, since the others played it.
How to use
- Add your players and each game you play.
- Type the scores in, leaving blanks for anyone who sat one out.
- Switch between the counting methods and see whether they agree.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just add the scores up?
Because the games do not share a scale. If one scores in the hundreds and another in single figures, the big-number game decides the night on its own — and most score pads do exactly that without saying so. It is offered here, clearly labelled, alongside two methods that do not have that problem.
What is the difference between the methods?
Total points adds the raw scores. Sum of placements adds up where everyone finished, so winning by one point counts the same as winning by a hundred. Points for places is the same idea counted upward — first gets one fewer than the field size, last gets nothing.
Do placements and points-for-places ever differ?
Only when there are ties, and then about a fifth of the time — measured. With every score distinct they never disagreed once in 600 trials. The difference is that a shared second place counts as second for BOTH players under placements, while points-for-places splits second and third between them. That is a real choice about how generous a tie should be.
What happens if the methods pick different winners?
The tool says so, and names who wins under each. If they disagree then whoever chose how to count chose who won, and that is worth settling before the trophy goes out rather than after. When they all agree, it says that too — the result is safe whichever you would have used.
What if someone sits a game out?
They are placed last for it, alongside anyone else who missed it, and share the points left over. That keeps the totals honest, but it does mean sitting one out costs you — which is the fair reading, since everyone else played it.
Can I make one game count for more?
Yes — games carry a weight, so the big finale can be worth three ordinary rounds. The weight applies to whichever method you are using, so it moves points, placements and place-points alike.
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