Knowing is half the battle. Knowledge of where your objective is simplifies getting to it by eliminating any possible false paths. But hidden information is different than just a straight unknown. Hidden information is when one side has knowledge that the others do not.
If no one knows where the objective is, we're all on equal footing. If it's a pre-game setup, then it's randomness. If it's up to the skill of the player, it may be player, solver, or perception uncertainty (we'll get to perception uncertainty soon). But when one side has the information, and another does not, it becomes hidden information.
This type of uncertainty adds an element of sly play and espionage to a game. Poker is the ultimate form of this, where skilled players read each other and calculate their odds in order to win. Many board games have similar mechanics, with hidden objective cards or even deduction puzzles.
RPGs rarely use hidden information, but when they do, it can be the surprise twist, or player vs player conflict that is the highlight of a play session. I would count the GM as a neutral entity, much like a random game setup or a 3rd party puzzle master. Their "known" information is hidden from the players, yes, but it's also subject to change, making it much more of a narrative uncertainty (which we'll get to later as well).
A common form of hidden information in RPGs is a betrayer, or person goals mechanic. Generally, smaller, more focused games have mechanics like this, so that the scenario allows that hidden information to be meaningful. But, there's no reason a long campaign can't end in an unexpected twist that the GM and another player have been in on since the beginning. But be careful with hidden information in RPGs; it can make or break a player's experience with the game if it was an "unpleasant surprise". Make sure the outcome generates more fun than anti-fun.
Not everyone digs hidden information. It can certainly muddy the waters and make the game feel lopsided, even if in theory all players have equal portions of hidden information. It can also feel random, as even the best poker players can be bewildered at the flip of the cards. But it can also keep tensions high until the very last minute, making the climax of any story a memorable one.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Sunday, July 8, 2018
Journal Entry: Slash & Burn
I missed a week or two, and it's because my mind has been focused on the tons of design work I've got in my lap. I'm DMing two bi-weekly D&D games, working on a design for an AR game by SightWeave, putting together playbooks for South of West, and trying to still slowly tackle Hostargo.
So we'll do a quick pause on the mini-series :)
As an update for Hostargo, I'm slashing two of the "classes"/"jobs", now just calling them "styles" to better suit how the character approaches situations:
So we'll do a quick pause on the mini-series :)
As an update for Hostargo, I'm slashing two of the "classes"/"jobs", now just calling them "styles" to better suit how the character approaches situations:
Through movement/tactics = Vessel
Through chaos/disruption = Eddy
Through discretion/trickery = Weaver
Through control/balance = Warden
Through confrontation/force = Plow
I'm also slashing the crazy three-tiered corp/crew/gang idea.
That basically nullifies my answers for the Power 19... but oh well.
I've been inspired to focus much more on the city itself, and introducing core
mechanics for the city growing and having conflicts that the players must deal with.
I've also been working on tying in runes. Magnostone has always been a cool
thing that floats in the air and can be used as generator fuel,
but I never figured out why or how it's made. Now I'm going to say that it's
formed from the gathering of memory, much like how water evaporates and forms clouds.
But instead of causing rain, it will simply grow into the floating islands you see around the world.
Runes then will be formed from that stone, basically by animancers acting as
sculptors to make the memory-infused rock focused into some specific effect.
But the types of effects depend on the types of memory. Magnostone only forms with large amount of memory, such as from a city. Now, the ancient ruins of civilizations and races long forgotten are filled with unique magnostone deposits, which is exactly what the mine in Hostargo is: less of a mine and more of an archeological dig!
It's got me excited again, and that's really all you need to keep pushing forward :).
Monday, June 25, 2018
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.
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.
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