Theme in Small Games

There is a tendency within the board game community to use 'thematic' as a euphemism for Ameritrash/Amerithrash. This usage bothers me because it puts artificial limits on what we mean when we say "thematic games" and because I don't find Amerithrash games to be the pinnacle of 'thematic.' 

When it comes to narrative-driven media, I prefer movies, plays, and books that don't try to do too much. I love lots of detail, but detail needs to make sense and fit the narrative. Stories padded out with lots of detail just to add length are a bad writing choice. As I have stated many times on this blog, every element should serve the whole production. 

This is why I prefer small theatrical productions. Large splashy productions have more opportunities for failure, more details that have to fit together. Some Broadway shows (or Vegas shows because they have more money) are fine-tuned and perfectly balanced pieces of entertainment. But most that I have seen are uneven in quality- usually a few perfect moments surrounded by choices where it's clear that compromises had to be made. Hamilton has one of the most technically perfect scenes in musical history and also moments where songs were cut and the seams really show. Small theatrical productions have fewer moving parts and cost less. As a result, the quality has a chance of being more even throughout. The people working the show simply have more time to get all the details perfected. I've worked enough shows to know what I'm talking about. 

As far as I can tell, games have to exceed a certain size to be considered Amerithrash. If the mechanics are fairly simple, the game makes up for it in an abundance of plastic. There are too many details. The details themselves tend to be fairly thematic, but making every detail of a large game work together in a thematic way is inherently difficult. This is not a statement on the enjoyability of these games; this is a statement on the nature of creating a piece of art with a lot of moving parts. 

Small games offer a chance to really polish every detail. But that in itself does not mean that small games are a good vehicle for theme. However, if you approach a small design with the intention of creating a thematic game, you have the opportunity to make something that really resonates. A small design offers an opportunity for a strongly focused theme, such as in simulation games like Super-Skill Pinball: 4cade. I think simulations work best as small or simple games. For more ways to add theme in a small box, look at my post on resonance. 

I believe that small games can be as thematic or more thematic than large games. There are several benefits to designing small thematic games. As previously stated, it is easier to polish every detail. That may mean tweaking a theme for more resonance or creating more thematic components or focusing on integrating theme and mechanics. (A small design also means that the mechanics are easier to playtest thoroughly.) I find that lowering the rules overhead leaves me more space to take in the theme- in other words, fewer rules means fewer breaks in immersion. Lastly, fewer components allow for an uncluttered visual design and fewer icons leave more room for art. 

I believe that it takes more skill to add a single thematic detail than it does to add twenty to a game. Simple, effective design choices are the most challenging parts of mechanism design and also thematic design. Thematic choices that synergize with mechanics and produce a unified, integrated experience are not produced at the last minute via flavor text and art. A strongly thematic game is thematic even as an unpolished prototype. Throwing in lots of details gives the appearance of theme, one that often doesn't withstand scrutiny. 

So what is a better definition of a thematic game? I think that truly thematic games are ones that if you removed the art and flavor text and a bystander missed the rules explanation but watched the gameplay, that the bystander would be able to give an accurate explanation of what the game is about. The art, flavor text, and components simply need to match that narrative. Every piece should serve the whole, regardless of the size of the game.