Theming Part Two

The card game I wrote about in my previous post on theming is coming along.  At this point it is an actual game... not just a mocked-up idea of a game.  I have a design for some poker-sized cards (though some real ART would be nice).

Which means, of course, I'm already knee deep in my next game idea.  I know, I know.  But I can't help it.

Anyways, most recreational projects I take on start by setting a novel goal for myself.  So, I decided I'd try to make a game that would score well on Garfield's Cosmic Poker scale.  To do so I thought I'd try my hand at a new genre: Designers games (a.k.a. Eurogames).  Now, I make no guarantees that I will actually accomplish said goal, but it at least got the ideas flowing.


The principle mechanics of the game are node-capture (via "secret auction" bidding), randomly assigned assets, and a fixed quantity of resources.  It is a boardgame, and as I see it, the actual mapping on the board is going to be crucial to the playability and enjoyment of the game.

The map is not going to be easy to make.  I'm currently working with over 30 nodes, with multiple paths into and out of all of them.  So to make the prototype, I used a VERY simple, VERY representational drawing.  It looked like a flowchart.  A wicked, involved flowchart.

The result when people see it is almost invariable... "Whooooa..... YEESH!"  I didn't realize how common the word "yeesh" was until last week.  Now, I'm going through this narrative to illustrate a point.  Not that I have a bad idea (in fact, most people kind of dig on the idea once they understand the game).  It's not about complexity.  The game is VERY simple in principle and in mechanics.  It is about apparent complexity.  It's about supposed difficulty.

I'm writing about distraction.

When the game was about "capturing nodes," and scoring with an unnamed currency ("little guys?"), the game was very abstract.  Abstract is inherently difficult for many people.

The movement people make is to start with the tangible thing, and once it has been mastered, to slowly strip away the outward signs to discover inner (abstract) truth.  Consider math, for example.  The notion of counting or addition did not arise on their own.  I may now be able to assent to the abstract principle that 2 + 2 = 4, but consider how children are taught that truth.  They hold two crayons in one hand, two in the other, then push them together and count them all.  It is more meaningful for the child to be able to learn how crayons interrelate than to simply present them with the abstract (although simpler) concept of adding two numbers.

Now, let's go back to the "Overwhelming Flowchart Game."  Let's replace "nodes" with "clubs and arenas."  The currency is well... cash.  The objective is for you (a fledgling record label) to secure exlusive contracts (via unabashed bribery) for your bands to play at as many venues as possible on their tour.

Okay... so now we have an extra layer of information, but most people won't be saying to themselves, "Oh dear... I have to remember that these nodes are supposed to be concert locations..."  People intuit that, because it resembles their own experience.

So, what happens is the theming actually distracts from the basics of the game, which in turn makes the game less daunting and easier to digest.