Uncertainty in Games: Analytic Complexity

It can be difficult to convince an older RPG player to try any other game than the one they've been playing for the past 20 years. And it's really no surprise that after pouring hundreds of hours into their system of choice, they are reluctant to give up the mastery that they've achieved. In tabletop RPGs, especially older ones, analytic complexity is a significant factor in determining who the target audience is.

Analytic complexity can be both frustrating and rewarding. Because the uncertainty comes solely from if, when, and to what degree a conclusion or solution is found, the enjoyment received from performing that analysis varies greatly from person to person. Some people enjoy burning their brain on charts, graphs, and trees, preferring to dive deep into a game's mechanics, while others prefer to focus on the high-level ideas of role playing, keeping their systems light and out of the way.

To be completely clear: there is no wrong way to play.

While there's a moving line of enjoyment per complexity for each player, there's also a fine line between complexity and depth. Mechanics that add complexity, but do not add strategic value or interesting choices, are often poorly designed or added in just for complexity's sake. Regardless of your preferred style, adding depth to the game without bogging it down with needless rules should be the goal of every game designer. Games that are heavy but streamlined are not only possible, but have their own audience of gamers.

The amount of time spent outside of a game session can be a direct indicator of the game's analytic complexity, which in turn can tell us what kinds of players would enjoy that game.  Mechanics such as party creation, character progression, and GM prep time should all be taken into account when choosing the "perfect system" for your table.

Uncertainty in Games: Players

Competition has been a part of human civilization since the earliest days of man. Whether struggling over food, wrestling for ruling power, or just participating in an entertainment spectacle, "games" in the classical sense have almost always involved other people. So when it comes to player uncertainty, the roots are deep.

You cannot possible know what another person will do; what choices they make in a game. This is a factor of uncertainty that exists, to some degree, in all multi-player games. From chess to Pandemic, the other players are an unknown, uncontrollable factor in your gaming experience. You can guess, and indeed the better you predict what others do the more likely it is you'll succeed in your goals, but even the most predictable player can sometimes surprise you. This is something that few AI systems accomplish with any degree of depth (as of this writing... the future is soon!), making human players an ultimate source of uncertainty.

In tabletop RPGs, other players bring the world around your character to life. Everyone from the GM to the most shy PC participate in building a setting and a story that would not be possible without the imagination of everyone at the table. There's no replacement (again... yet) for this level of uncertainty. That's not to say that you can't run a solo RPG and not have fun, but there's definitely something missing there, yeah?

Player uncertainty is often what makes a game's core tick, and tabletop RPGs are no exception. While it doesn't have as big of an impact on how the players interact with the mechanics of the game, it provides dimensional doors to all of the other uncertainties that we will explore in this series.

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A mysterious side note: Co-op board games fall a little short in this category, and this is likely the reason that I find most of them a little dull. Often, player interaction and uncertainty is negated by "the puzzle" being solvable in terms of there being a "best move". This is why "quarterbacking" is such a huge problem - most co-op board games are a glorified solo game. RPGs, on the other hand, are much better set up to have each player making unique choices. 

Uncertainty in Games: Solver's

"Will they solve the puzzle?" can be a great dramatic question for a roleplaying scene. The party might uncover a secret clue, find hidden treasures, or save an NPC from a trap. From the simplest puzzles to the most elaborate mysterious, solver's uncertainty can play an important role in RPGs.

Solver's uncertainty is all about finding patterns and drawing conclusions. Unlike "analytic complexity", it's not about brute force strategy analysis, but rather the ability for players to connect the appropriate dots together. This style of uncertainty comes in various forms, such as a mechanical contraption, or a weave of political scandals, and is used to challenge the players in a different way than a combat or social situation.

This works best in cooperative and/or single player games. RPGs, co-ops like TIME Stories, or video games like Portal, all use this uncertainty because there's no direct competition involved. Generally, competitive puzzle games use timers and other uncertainty factors to force the solver to act. This, in my opinion, creates less fun and only rewards those that can complete the puzzle within the other constraints.

Solver's uncertainty has a distinct effect on games. It challenges players without putting a heavy burden of rules or mechanics. Instead, it gets right to the fun (that doesn't even include hitting people with swords!).

Out on Vacation!

Even though I'm in the middle of a neat mini-series, and have multiple game design projects going... it's still important to drop it all and get away for a bit. I'm heading out on vacation for a while, so I'm not sure when you'll hear from me next. Cheers!