I've already expressed my views on the subject in a previous (post-vote!) post. I wasn't that keen on the 25-0 system but firmly believe the 35-0 one has gone too far. Proponents of the system argue that it's meant to encourage aggression. Poppycock! DBMX players don't seem to need such ego-boosting scorelines and MeG's system works well enough with a modest 15 points maximum. Are we saying players of other rule sets are naturally more aggressive than FOG's? Obviously not.
The problem with such exaggerated scores is we're forgetting about the players on the receiving end. I've argued before that walloping less experienced players will lead to many of them dropping out and had various replies rubbishing my claim. Well, I've done a quick check of the recently published ADLG rankings and compared them with a 2015 listing for FOG. Of the current top 50 ADLG players no fewer than 24 were listed as playing FOG in 2015. Significantly, 22 of those 24 have higher rankings than they did with FOG - in ten cases improvements from 69th to 156th into ADLG's top 50. So, we're losing players to ADLG and they're doing better into the bargain. I wonder what that tells us?
Nik Gaukroger has previously suggested:
That's a sad indictment of competition play but, surely, losing 35-0 instead of 25-0 can hardly help?IMO (and lets face it its all anecdotal) the thing that puts people off comps the most is not losing to a more experienced player, or by how much they lose to them, but where they lose because the experienced payer is able to leverage a loophole or quirk of the rules that appears to them to be gamesmanship/cheese/or even cheating. Being beaten fair and square by a better/more experienced player is not an issue.
The other thing that puzzles me about FOG's scoring system is that points conceded aren't taken into account at all. General Greedy says "Let's grab as many points as possible, never mind the cost!" Don't most real life generals want to minimise their own casualties as well as inflicting more on the enemy? Wouldn't points difference (as in many sporting leagues, such as football) be more sensible, rather than encouraging 'Pyrrhic' victories?
Lots to debate but please remember, we need to keep as many players as possible playing FOG. Battering the less experienced won't help give us a brighter future. Now, I'll no doubt get caned for being negative, but a brighter future is my sole motivation...