Game Design: a Complex Challenge (Warning: Words)

For many years now I've been working as a risk manager with financial services.  Over the years, I've witnessed and dealt with a phenomenon that might be described as "Striving for Simplicity".

So what's it all about?  Picture a Bank.  Imagine the effort that goes into coordinating the multitudes of systems, staff, and processes required to deliver an ever-evolving suite of products to millions of customers, each with their own diverse needs and wants.   It's easy to get wrong and when it goes wrong, the ramifications can be catastrophic.  That's where risk managers come into play, trying to ensure risks are identified, assessed, managed and monitored.  The problem is that there are never enough risk managers, so it necessary for everyone to contribute to the effort.

How do you get everyone to work together and deliver on that common purpose? One school of thought is if it's foolproof, then it doesn't matter if we employ fools.  Proponents for the same point towards the continual evolution or 'simplification' of the iPhone, where each release makes it easier to get things done.  It's an easy hypothesis to grasp and appealingly, well, 'simple'.  Translating that principle into an organisation's approach to risk management often manifested as trying to make the management of risk so straight-forward, that you'd have to fall asleep to fail - making the process of comprehensible to everyone.  If everyone can master an iPhone, which is a technological marvel, then surely everyone can master risk management right?  After all, it's not even a proper thing like accounting or sales!

Mmm... I may have gotten a little lost in my rant.  Okay, back to game design.

First and foremost, it's worth remembering that not all games are designed for the same purpose.  Sure, games are intended to be played, however, I'd suggest that there's a world of difference between a game that's being released with broad retail ambitions versus a more underground, independent releases.  Profitability is definitely front-of-mind with respect to a retail release and as such the product need be both polished and broadly appealing.  That's not to say that an underground, independent game can't be both polished and appealing, rather the independent game designer is more likely to forego their artistic vision for commercial gain and as such, be less concerned about alienating or offending prospective players - the author is more concerned with their satisfaction with the product rather than their potential market's reaction.  Maybe there are similar comparisons when it comes to differentiating fashion and art??

Imagine that we're shooting for a game that's got a chance of making it big commercially.  Putting thematic considerations like settings and IP aside, what would you employ for the game's mechanics?  Something tried and true, that's already familiar with is their target audience?  Or take a punt at something different, innovative or groundbreaking?  If we can infer anything from the likes of GWS, it's a relatively straightforward recipe: leave well enough alone.  Rather than risk the ire of an established customer base's an adverse reaction to innovation and change, keep the formula constant and play to your strengths.  I think the term Cash Cow back from my Marketing Major at Uni might even be applicable here.

Once a game system has been around for decades (!!!), is it any surprise that people confuse familiar with good?  Actually, I'm not critical of the W40k-type gaming system - it clearly provides many thousands of players around the world with an enjoyable experience.  What is interesting is when people who are both familiar and satisfied with (for example) W40k and they try a different system.  Actually, that's the first challenge - why would they even try something different? Indeed, why should they even need to try a different game?

Speaking from my own experiences in this regard, once we've gotten over 'giving it a go', it's rare that the W40k'er will outright hate a different game system.  Most people can see the novelty in something different, be it alternate activation, reactive actions or something relatively uncommon like unmeasured moves.  But it just isn't W40k so as attractive as it is, it would take time and energy to pursue the new, with a learning curve... well, it's "despite it being fun, I think I'll stick with what I know".  And there you have it: for the 'new' to be a contender, it has to be materially better (however you define that) than the incumbent, familiar standby game.  I wonder how many times has that occurred over the years?

I can think of at least one game that's carved out a slice of the W40k pie, that being Infinity.  Granted it's still a wargame with dice rolling and little metal soldiers, however, it has got some mechanics that don't feature in W40k that make it a distinct beast in its own right.  Evidently, it has managed to capture and hold the interest of many players such that it's now a well-established, retail brand.

Oh dear, I'm getting a bit verbose again.  Time to reign it in again Jase...

Where I think I was going with this is that differentiation can trump familiarity.  Differentiation need not be simple either.  It could be a new setting, scale, models or (God forbid) even rules.  With regard to rules, the game's target market can be altogether agnostic as to whether they are simple or not i.e. if you nail the setting, people could love it.

Back on the simplicity matter again, clearly there's a market for games that are complex.  The old bookshelf games from Avalon Hill are far from simple but have a huge legion of devotes.  I recall looking at a cannon and sail-type warship game that was so dense it scared me... but I bet someone out there loves it.  Maybe even two people.  So just because a game is complex, doesn't make it bad.  Nor does a simple game equate to good for everyone at every time.  It's horses for courses as they say.

In my own mind, I like the novelty of new rules or mechanics.  I'm not so interested in what amounts to variations in existing things (instead of d6 we now use d8!!), rather I get excited about something altogether different.  I've even thrown my hard-earned cash at more than one indie title over the years just because it has something novel included.  Here's a list of some games and their novel, sometimes simple, sometimes complex mechanics that have caught my eye over the years.  It's by no means exhaustive and I've just about exhausted myself finishing this post!  PS the list is mainly, but not solely miniature wargames.

7TV

Playing a game that's set in the production studio, making a TV show about heroic adventures was mindblowing.  In a miniature game no less!  I love the fact that the game actively acknowledges and leverages the fourth wall.  For example, take these cards which can feature in the game:

Apcolopyse World

A roleplaying game but quite unlike things such as D&D.  The focus is so much on the narrative and there's so much depth to the rules.  The resolution system (2d6) yielding success, partial success or failure + use of keywords in the narrative is so very clever.  A 10 out of 10 on the coolness scale.

Here's an example of how one of the game's actions work - you roll 2d6 and add a skill (called Hard).  Then you choose 1-3 of the effects.  So clever.

Doctor Who

If you know Doctor Who, you'd appreciate that brains overcome brawn 99% of the time.  The game makes that work by the Doctor's assistants working/stacking together to do stuff (like build a special robot disruption broadcaster) in-game.  Even hysteric screaming assistants have role to play... it really opened my mind to what a 'wargame' could be about.

Ironsworn

A solo role-playing game... kind of writing a story on the hop.  I didn't even know such things existed until recently.  The game's momentum tool for tracking the adventure's progress is very clever as is the skill resolution mechanism.  I like the idea that you are playing a hero - little things like details of supplies etc just don't factor into the game.  I tested it out a bit - you can read more about it here.

Judge Dredd

The game itself kind of shows its age, but there I thought it was a great adaption of the comics.  There were a few special rules in the mix that really gave it flavour e.g., Arrests which could see the crims just giving themselves in BUT unless the crims shoot first, the Judges must try to arrest.  Clever.

Lost Patrol

A game I just love playing, so much so that I rewrote the rules.  Easy to learn, difficult to master and I am yet to meet anyone who feels like they haven't got a chance at winning.  The manner in which the game board is slowly revealed is inspired and makes for a great hook.

Mayhem

From the guy who wrote Rogue Planet, Mayhem is his fantasy, mass battle system.  If you're familiar with Rogue Planet, you won't be surprised to find this game full of innovative mechanics.  Overdrive (a single unit can perform multiple actions for exponential cost increases), Versus (roll to resolve or choose the default value) and Heroic Units who can ignore terrain and even normal troops... well it all comes together and works.

Sengoku Monster Hunter 

A great solo or cooperative wargame.  Really clever use of story markers that could become monsters, events or other things.  The campaign system is inspired.  The action, skill resolution system is pretty exciting - kind of like exploding 6's but stepped up a notch:

Rogue Planet

Where does one start?  An Energy Pool, a 2d6 or 3d6 roll resolves 99% of stuff, variable Actions per Turn... just so much newness when it hit, I was (and still am) blown away.  If you want a taste, check out my first battle report.  It is probably the no measured moves which people find most weird, but I've grown to love.

Rogue Trooper

The manner in which scenarios are generated and worked out is pretty damn cool.  I wrote about it here.

Skirmish Sangin

I read some Skirmish Sangin stuff ages ago and it left me wondering for years.  A guy from our club lent it to me and I gave it a shot.  It changed my mind as to what complex in a game could be AND how that could be a good thing.  80-odd modifiers (see below, like a mate joked "What's the modifier for using a gun left-handed on a Thursday?").  10 Phased Combat Turns. It just works.  Lots of effort but worth it.

SLA Cannibal Sector 1

I was really excited by the SLA wargame, enough so that I tried to buy a guys collection from the UK but the shipping was astronomical.  "Rating Points" are similar to Kill Team's Command Points insofar they allow special actions during the course of play.  In SLA they are earned during the course of the game and IMHO a lot more thematic e.g., Scavs (Scavenger-type genetic warriors) can Customise their weapons mid-game and even access 'hidden' Equipment Caches with ammo, armour and medicine.  Plus the factions have top-notch meta as illustrated by the Cannibals below.

Terminator Genisys

This was my reintroduction to wargaming and my introduction of the hobby to my kids.  So asymmetric that it hurts (humans vs terminators), dice-shift and a wound system that is awesome in the context of the game.  I wrote a ton about it, made some home rules and even created a scenario based on Predator that was great fun and enjoyed by many.

The Battlefield

Yet another game from the Rogue Planet stable, this time emulating a First Person Shooter with regeneration, playing for kills and clever use of power-ups and more.  I played a few times with my sons and we had a blast.  Every time I look at it I think "I need to play this again".

That's about enough for now, but if you have any questions, special requests or alternate views, fire away!