by BaseTwelve
Bubslug wrote:
Higher math? Voodoo? Might there be something better?
Voodoo. :)
This actually gets discussed quite a bit, so you're not alone in your wondering. Take a search through the BGG General forum and you'll find lots of discussions about the rankings and subdomains. For example, this recent thread claims that for a vote to count in the subdomain rankings, that user must have rated other games in that subdomain, whereas all votes are considered in the main rankings. Also that the subdomain rankings get a different number of dummy votes added as a result of this disparity in vote count. Finally, it's worth noting that the exact ranking algorithm is intentionally kept secret to stop people from gaming the system. You're welcome to suggest adjustments or alternatives, but good luck finding out the exact voodoo being used. ;)