All 6 Scoring Modes Explained

Why Six Different Modes

Real team activities are scored in different ways. A relay race is scored by position. A scavenger hunt is scored by quantity collected. A trivia round is scored by direct points. Trying to fit all activities into one scoring model creates frustration. So we built six.

This article explains each mode with examples.

Mode 1: Position

Use when: Teams finish in a clear order (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) and you want to award points based on rank.

Example: A relay race where Team Alpha finishes first, Team Beta second, etc.

How it works:

1. Set the differential (default 10) — the points difference between consecutive positions
2. Click each row to assign team positions (or use the dropdown variant)
3. Points are auto-calculated:
   • With differential 10 and 8 teams: 1st = 80, 2nd = 70, 3rd = 60… 8th = 10
   • With differential 5 and 6 teams: 1st = 30, 2nd = 25, 3rd = 20… 6th = 5

Tie handling: If two teams tie for a position, click ↑ Tie with row abovebetween them. Each game has a Tie handling setting (on the game's edit page) that controls how points are awarded to tied teams.

Split Points (Averaged) — the default. Tied teams share the averaged points across the slots they occupy:

• Two teams tied for 3rd in 8-team event (diff 10): both get (60+50)/2 = 55 points each. Next team is 5th.
• Three teams tied for 2nd: all three get (70+60+50)/3 = 60 points. Next team is 5th.

Take Highest Position— every tied team gets the higher slot's full points; lower slot points are not awarded:

• Two teams tied for 3rd in 8-team event (diff 10): both get 60 points each. Next team is still 5th.
• Three teams tied for 2nd: all three get 70 points each. Next team is still 5th.

Two input modes:

• Key In Team Number (default) — large number input, fast for typing
• Pick From Dropdown — better for touchscreens

Mode 2: Quantity

Use when: Teams collect, measure, or count something, and you want fair points based on rank.

Example: Most marbles collected, fastest completion time, most items found in a scavenger hunt.

How it works:

1. Set sort direction: highest wins (most) or lowest wins (fastest, least)
2. Set the differential (same logic as Position Mode)
3. Enter each team's quantity
4. GamesTally auto-ranks teams and awards points based on rank. Ties handled the same way as Position Mode (averaged points).

Example calculation (highest wins, differential 10, 6 teams):

• Team A: 100 marbles → rank 1, 50 points
• Team B: 80 → rank 2, 40 points
• Team C: 60 → rank 3, 30 points
• Team D: 60 → tied rank 3, also 25 points (avg of 30+20)
• Team E: 40 → rank 5, 10 points
• Team F: 20 → rank 6, 0 points

Mode 3: Direct Points

Use when: You have your own scoring system and just want to type the score directly.

Example:A trivia round where each team's score is determined by the trivia rules, not GamesTally's logic.

How it works:

• Type the score for each team
• That's their score for that game
• Negative numbers are supported (for penalty rounds)

Mode 4: Multiplier

Use when: Score = quantity × multiplier.

Example: A bake-off where quality (1–10) × number of judges (5) = points.

How it works:

1. Set the multiplier (e.g. 5)
2. Enter each team's quantity
3. Points = quantity × multiplier

Mode 5: Win / Loss / Draw

Use when: Activities have clear win/lose outcomes, like head-to-head matches or knockout rounds.

Example: Tournament-style football matches between teams.

How it works:

1. Set points per outcome (e.g. Win=10, Draw=5, Loss=0)
2. Click the corresponding button per team:
   • Win (red button)
   • Draw (amber button)
   • Loss (grey button)
3. Points awarded automatically

Mode 6: Custom Bonus

Use when: You need to award arbitrary bonus points, penalties, or special recognitions outside the structured scoring.

Example:"Most creative team" bonus, "Best dressed" award, late penalties.

How it works:

• Type any number (positive or negative) for each team
• Use this for special recognitions that don't fit the other modes

Mixing Modes In One Event

You can use different scoring modes for different games in the same event. The leaderboard sums points across all games regardless of mode. So Game 1 (Position Mode) + Game 2 (Quantity Mode) + Game 3 (Direct Points) all combine into one final ranking.

Need Help Choosing

When in doubt, Position Mode is the safest default for most team-building activities. Direct Points Mode is the safest for trivia and quiz-style rounds. Quantity Mode is best when teams are physically collecting or measuring things.

See Getting Started With GamesTally if you haven't set up your first event yet.