TBM: Ep 8 script

In an attempt to transition out of hiatus, I will be posting the scripts of my Thinking Beyond Mechanisms segment. I don't plan to edit them, so there may be some differences between the audio and written versions. Take the audio as the correct version.

Gates

Welcome to Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, an in depth look at some of the other aspects of game design, the segment that looks at some of the theory of board game design that goes beyond what typically gets covered when we learn how to design games. My name is Sarah Shipp and today I want to talk about times when restricting player agency leads to interesting game experiences. 

If you’re listening to this, you have likely heard that games should present interesting choices to players. Interesting choices must be impactful to gameplay. Too many choices at once can lead to player confusion and too few choices can lead to player frustration. Interesting choices allow players to have a grasp on the impact of their choices, giving direction to gameplay. 

Every game usually has some uninteresting choices. Choosing a player color is one of the most common. It is a necessary choice, but has no impact on the outcome of the game. Every game usually has instances of non-choice as well. If the decision space shrinks over the course of the game, players may have only one option left by their last turn, such as in a trick taking game when players play the last card in their hand. This type of non-choice is still interesting because every choice in the game led to this last moment of reveal. 

I refer to mechanical instances of non-choice as gates. Gates are moments in a game that players must pass through in order to progress, but the gate itself is fairly scripted. Importantly, gates must involve player action, even though the action is a non-choice. Pauses to read lore in a campaign game do not count, although certain actions during recovery phases (such as resting in a town) might. Three common types of gates are forced actions, objectives, and events. 

Forced actions are actions players must take in order to progress. Hand management games usually include forced actions such as discarding or using a turn to pick up used cards. Time tracks and roundels often make use of forced actions. For instance, Tokaido gives players choices of which locations to visit, with the exception of the inns which are required locations. The inns in Tokaido are gates that players must pass through to progress in the game. 

Objectives can behave similarly to forced actions. Not all objectives are gates, but when players have to achieve objectives in a certain order to be able to progress the objective becomes a gate. Reaching objectives may unlock rewards that players need to succeed. When objectives become required goals they typically also become gates. 

Tech trees are a combination of objectives and forced actions in which players must progress in a certain way to reach a given ability. Each step in a tech tree could be an objective that provides a reward, but is also a required action in order to reach a further step. Tech trees combine player choices and gates because players may follow more than one gated path through the game. 

Events are the most scripted type of gate. Forced actions and objectives leave room for the player to perform them at variable times. Events involve the least amount of player agency because the timing is not up to the players. Events usually occur at set times throughout play. Events usually provoke forced actions for the players. If the events are set and public, players can plan around them, but if they are random or secret players will not be able to strategize as well. 

Because random events involve the least amount of player agency, many designers recommend avoiding including them in games. However, if the random events provide benefits for players more often than not and if negative events are not overly punishing, random events can inject variability between rounds of play. Since Quacks of Quedlinburg is already a high randomness game, the fortuneteller cards help each round of the game feel slightly different. Crucially, the random events often provide players with temporary agency, such as being able to go further without busting or to restart after an initial bad pull from the bag.  

Gates serve a number of purposes. They can help guide players through the content of the game. They can curate the intended play experience. They can point to various strategies that player might employ. Gates often signpost progression of play; because gates are required actions players can gauge progress by passing through them. Gates can also reinforce theme. Anchoring moments of non-choice in the theme justifies the action mechanically while also ensuring certain thematic moments occur during play, such as dining at inns in Tokaido.  

There are other ways gates can be used thematically, which I will explore in a future episode. For more ways of thinking beyond mechanisms, you can visit my blog at shipp board games dot blog spot dot com or catch future episodes of thinking beyond mechanisms on ludology.