How can you tell when a set up is balenced?

[Mr Stoofer]

No. Not for certain. Even after the game has ended.

The best you can do is use your experience, and ask others for their opinion. If you post in the Set-up Review thread, someone will offer to help. I'll always give my opinion on a Large Normal Game if I'm asked. I'm a bit too busy at the moment to help out on other games.

[Mr Stoofer]

Like Yaw, I work out the worst case scenarios for each side, then consider how likely that it, and then consider how bad that scenario is.

if that game is (barring freak eventualities) still winnable by either side after several days, then that's the best you can hope for, in most cases.

I also often design games by strating with a game that has finished, which was shown to be balanced, and tinkering with that.