by gmg159
Here is a comparison between the variable VP's and average score difference of all 1000+, 3-5 player games on Snellman.Variable Starting VP for Fire & Ice Side 1 (5539 games)
The mean variable starting VP is 23.0 (why didn't they keep 20 as the mean...)
Fakirs 26 - 3 = 23
Nomads 20 + 3 = 23
Halflings 25 - 4 = 21
Cultists 16 + 3 = 19
Alchemists 29 - 7 = 22
Darklings 16 + 6 = 22
Mermaids 17 + 7 = 24
Swarmlings 24 + 1 = 25
Auren 29 - 6 = 23
Witches 18 + 4 = 22
Dwarves 32 - 13 = 19
Engineers 21 - 3 = 18
Chaos Magicians 16 + 5 = 21
Giants 24 - 2 = 22
Ice Maidens 26 - 3 = 23
Yetis 26 - 6 = 20
Dragonlords 20 - 0 = 20
Acolytes 26 - 5 = 21
Riverwalkers 23 - 2 = 21
Shapeshifters 26 - 5 = 21
and Side 2 (aka revised Original board) (4046 games)
The mean variable starting VP is 20.0
Fakirs 26 - 7 = 19
Nomads 16 + 6 = 22
Halflings 19 - 1 = 18
Cultists 16 + 2 = 18
Alchemists 26 - 10 = 16
Darklings 16 + 2 = 18
Mermaids 14 + 9 = 23
Swarmlings 19 + 5 = 24
Auren 27 - 4 = 23
Witches 16 + 3 = 19
Dwarves 20 - 3 = 17
Engineers 16 - 2 = 14
Chaos Magicians 22 - 2 = 20
Giants 22 - 3 = 19
Ice Maidens 20 - 3 = 17
Yetis 20 - 6 = 14
Dragonlords 20 - 3 = 17
Acolytes 22 - 5 = 17
Riverwalkers 22 - 3 = 19
Shapeshifters 22 - 5 = 17
Both F&I Maps give Auren 11 VP over witches, so it's like getting the free town 5 VP a couple times just by choosing the other green factions.