What makes a good game?

With work so slow today, I figured I would post some ramblings on something I have been thinking about for a while. What makes a good game?

For some this is a difficult idea to grasp, especially those who's likes cross many different genres. Most of the time, it can be boiled down to a number of items:

1) Decisions - You need to be able to make some important decisions during the game. However, the decisions should not be tedious. For example, when playing a wargame, deciding how to supply your troops may be an important decision, but what kind of trucks you are going to use is going a bit too far.

2) Replayability - Games need to be able to be played with different strategies to pursue, and each have an equal chance of victory if played well. So this item ties in with the item above. Axis & Allies is a perfect game to illustrate the importance of replayability. The first few times you play, it is a great light wargame. Then, you begin to realize, if you are the Allies, you must invade North Africa. The Russians HAVE to build at least 8 infantry every other turn. The Germans HAVE to make a play for Karelia and take it by turn 2 or 3, or else they lose, etc. There are decisions you need to make, but unless you make the right decisions, you will lose the game.

3) The Random Factor - No one wants to play the same game time after time. We long for the unexpected in games, so we can react to that. In some games, this is accomplished by rolling dice, in others, it is tile draw, etc. However, it is important to not have the game be so unpredictable to completely eliminate strategy from the game.

Several good examples of the random factor in games is Puerto Rico's plantation tiles, Princes of Florence's profession, bonus card, and prestige card draws, and the card draw in Medici.

This is not to say that some games cannot be more random in others, but it entirely depends on what the game is trying to be. If a game is of the lighter variety, it is good to have a higher random factor, then a brain-burner strategy game.

4) Time - Time is a factor that is dependant upon other factors. For example, you do not want to play a simulation of WWII that lasts only 5 minutes. On the other hand, you do not want to play a 6 hour hand of poker. Because of this, time is a fuzzier factor than the others here. A good rule of thumb a light game should play in 15-30 mintues, whereas a deeper more complex game should play in 1-2 hours, and a historical simulation should play in 3+ hours.

5) Complexity - Typically, the simpler a game is, the better it will play. However, the longer the game the more complex it can be. Also, simulations and more complex games can afford to have a higher degree of complexity. However, you do not want to have rules that border on fiddley. For example, normally you draw two cards, but on the first full moon, after the third Monday of the month, etc.

6) Well-written rules - This is not as much of a factor as the others listed, but it is important nevertheless. No one wants their game ruined by a rules lawyer.

7) Immersiveness - This is another important factor, that follows a sliding scale. The longer the game, the more immersive it needs to be.

A good game follows 3 or 4 of these tenants, whereas a great game follows all of them. I will use the examples of three games, Puerto Rico, Empires in Arms, and Robo-rally.

Puerto Rico gives you the opportunity of developing your own settlement in Puerto Rico, the more you develop and exploit the resources of your plot of land on the island, the more prestige you gain. The player with the most prestige wins. The game is very tactical, and you must make a number of decisions each turn. The random factor is low, and the complexity is medium. The rules are well written, but reading them you scratch your head because of everything that is happening. However, halfway through your first game, everything will become second nature to you. The game can be played in an hour easily, and I have played some games as fast as 15 minutes. The weakest part of the game, as it is with many of the "German" games is its immersiveness. Most everyone that plays this game hails it as one of the best games of all time.

Empires in Arms is a game that enables you to steer one of the 7 major European nations through the Napoleonic Wars. The games last anywhere from 2 hours for a scenario, to 200+ hours for the entire 10 year campaign game. The rules are very complex, and there is a high random factor, as each battle is fought based upon army tactics and die rolls. Good or bad die rolls can make or break an entire war, though this can be mitigated somewhat. The replayability is high, as you have free reign to negotiate with any and all powers throughout the game, however, it does get some black marks here, as most games boil down to how can everyone gang up to stop France. Finally, the immersive factor is very high, as you get attached to your leaders and how your nation is performing. However, it only receives a rating of a good game. Why? The rules are poorly written, and combined with its high complexity, it causes many game play errors. Also, the time needed to play the game makes it very difficult to find players to play, without having 1st, 2nd, and 3rd alternates for each country.

Robo-rally is a light racing game in which players try to complete a race course with their robots. Each player receives cards which have simple commands on them, move forward x spaces, turn left, turn right, U-turn, and move backwards. They pick five of these cards to move their robot for the turn. To make things difficult, different spaces on the board present different hazards, conveyor belts, crushers, pushers, gears, lasers, etc. Also, other players can shoot and damage your robot. As you take more damage, you receive fewer cards which limit your options. If the game moves along quickly, it is a great game. Unfortunately, there are always two or three players that decide they need 5 minutes to figure out their move, which bogs the game down horribly. The decisions made each turn range from none (low card draw) to many (wide selection of cards). The random factor is in the card draw, if you get good cards it makes everything a lot easier. The rules are straight forward and easy to understand. Immersiveness is low. Finally, the game is highly replayable with different boards, and different flag locations can make each board play differently from game to game. That said, the fun factor comes down to time. If the game plays in under an hour it is great fun, but if it starts moving into the 2-3 hour range, people will not ask for it to come out of the box again, especially if they were losing!

Well, that is all for now, I gotta go earn some money to fund my "habit!"

Warhammer