Board Record - Scores & Stats

First Launch and the Scoresheet Setup

Opening Board Record for the first time presents a clean, functional interface focused on one thing: getting your game data into the system. The home screen offers a prominent button to create a new play. Tap it, and you are prompted to select a game from your collection or add a new one. The app pulls game data from BoardGameGeek if you have synced your collection, saving you from manual entry. Once a game is selected, the scoresheet builder appears. This is where Board Record distinguishes itself from simpler score trackers. You can define rounds, score categories, and even complex calculation rules. For a game like 7 Wonders, you might set up categories for military, science, and civil structures, with the app automatically calculating the final score. For a legacy game like Gloomhaven, you can create a campaign that tracks character stats across multiple sessions. The flexibility is immense, but it comes with a learning curve. Setting up a scoresheet for a complex game can take several minutes, and the interface, while functional, is not always intuitive.

The app's cloud sharing feature is a standout addition. Once you have built the perfect scoresheet for a game, you can publish it to the cloud. Other players can discover, vote on, and download your scoresheet for their own use. This turns the app into a community resource, reducing the setup time for everyone. A user on the BoardGameGeek forum noted that this feature is a game-changer for groups that play multiple different games regularly. However, the feature is still relatively new, and the library of shared scoresheets is growing but not yet comprehensive.

The Custom Scoresheet Power and the Data Entry Friction

Board Record's strength is its customizability. The app allows you to create scoresheets that match any game's scoring system, no matter how complex. You can set per-round scoring, define win conditions, and even create tags to categorize how a game was won or lost. This level of detail is what makes the app appealing to serious board game enthusiasts. The statistics engine then processes this data, generating insights like average scores, win rates by player role, expansion usage, and even your H-index — a metric borrowed from academia that measures your gaming productivity. One user on the App Store praised the app's functionality, saying it "makes tracking scores painless."

But the praise comes with a caveat. The same user noted that "entering in game scores is still significantly harder than on ScorePal." This is a recurring theme in user feedback. The scoresheet builder, while powerful, requires a level of upfront configuration that can be off-putting. For a casual game night with a new game, spending five minutes setting up a scoresheet can feel like a chore. The autofill feature, which is supposed to speed up data entry, has been criticized for being unpredictable. One user reported that the autofill "incorrectly predict[s] the information most of the time," defaulting to old play data instead of the most recent session. This friction undermines the app's goal of being the "ultimate companion" for board game enthusiasts. The power is there, but the path to using it is not always smooth.

Performance, Bugs, and the Premium Paywall

The app's stability has been a point of contention. Several users have reported that the app freezes for several seconds or requires a full restart. One reviewer on the App Store wrote: "I seem to run into bugs relatively often that cause the app to freeze for several seconds or require me to restart the app altogether." This is not a minor annoyance. For a tool used during a game night, interruptions can break the flow and frustrate players. The developer has been responsive, with users noting "quick bug fixes and responses," but the underlying stability issues persist across versions. The changelog for the latest Android version (3.1.2.0) lists fixes like "List scoresheet rounds now support text entries" and "Added option to ignore duration of BGA plays," but none of the entries mention fixing the freezing or autofill bugs.

The monetization model adds another layer of consideration. The app is free to download, but many advanced features are locked behind a one-time Premium purchase of $3.99. Premium unlocks more advanced scoresheet options, campaign/legacy support, additional Game Picker filters, and more stat filters. For users who want the full experience, the cost is reasonable. However, some users have expressed frustration that features they assumed were free turned out to be premium. The app also offers optional "tip" purchases ranging from $0.99 to $12.99, which feels like a donation model rather than a traditional paywall. The presence of these tip options suggests the developer is an independent creator, which aligns with the app's small but dedicated user base.

The BGA Import Bug and the Version History

The most recent changelog entry, as of the latest version, is a single line: "Fixed bug causing BGA import to keep creating duplicate scoresheets on games." This is a specific, actionable fix, which is good. However, it also highlights that the app has had issues with importing data from BoardGameArena, a popular online board game platform. For users who play both online and in-person, this import functionality is crucial. Duplicate scoresheets can clutter the database and skew statistics. The fact that this bug existed and required a fix suggests that the import feature is not as seamless as it should be. The version history shows a pattern of incremental updates, with new features being added alongside bug fixes. The app has been on the store since June 2021, and the developer has maintained a steady update cadence, which is a positive sign for long-term usability. However, the persistence of freezing and autofill bugs across multiple versions raises questions about the app's underlying architecture and testing processes.