Some of my faithful readers will recall when I spoke about how fun can not be a design goal for your game. In that discussion, I highlighted a few things that I find fun in order to highlight my own bias. To save you some trouble my list looked something like this:
- Making a meaningful decision is fun
- Seeing the stories of the world unfold is fun
- The spectacle of the game is fun
- Learning about new things is fun
- Seeing what happens is fun
At least half of those things fall into a category that I call "Playing to Find Out". This was a term that was coined from Role-Playing Game (RPG) discussions. However, today I want to apply it to wargames and see what we come up with.
Are you ready to go on a journey and see what happens? I guess we will have to read along to find out!
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| Wars of the Republic |
First of all, it is a philosophy. That means it is a way to approach the game. A way to think about what playing wargames means.
In this case, the philosophy you bring to the game is one of action. You intend to explore the games reality by actually taking actions and playing the game. You are going to explore it mechanically, narratively, and through decision-making.
In RPG parlance, that means an emphasis on open-play, with emergent story-telling, player agency, and multiple choices. Similar philosophies can be applied to wargaming. I would categorize it as scenario-focused, meaningful decision-making, friction, and cooperation before competition. To have a "Play to Find-out" mentality in wargames means being willing to engage with the game and see where it goes.
Sometimes, it is illuminating to define something by talking about what it is not as well. "Play to Find-Out" is not about playing to try to manage the outcome of the game. You are not trying to optimize the results. You are not trying to see which player is better at using and understanding the mechanics of the game. It is not about game state or rules mastery.
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| Restless Sun |
Philosophy Not Rules, BUT.....
You may recall that I also said in the What is Fun article that designers need to have an idea of what they find fun. That should be the foundation of their own POV to help create games that meet those criteria. So how do you make a game that is conducive to a "Play to Find Out" mentality? Let's talk about it.
I have referenced Ash Barker's design notes for Last Days in the past. I still recommend that folks give them a read. One of his own ideas is something he calls a "Cracker Jack". For those unfamiliar with the old-style snack, they were a caramel cover popcorn and peanut snack. However, their claim to fame was having a "prize inside each box". This was often a sticker or temporary tattoo. The idea is that you can access the prizes once you eat all the Cracker Jacks.
Ash Barker uses the term to mean the surprises players uncover from engaging with the game. What are the "cool" things that you can unlock as you play. This could mean picking up found equipment, enhancements from objectives, challenge events, how it rewards clever use of mechanics stacking, or campaign buffs and debuffs.
Therefore, as a designer you can apply this philosophy of Play to Find Out into the rules.
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| Odin's Ravens |
The Wrong Way?
In my opinion there is a right way and a wrong way to implement a Play to Find Out philosophy in your game. It is a method that was popular in the early days of wargaming. However, it has since fallen out of fashion. I use the term "wrong way" but that is not the correct way to think of it. It was a method that worked for what the designers were attempting to do at the time. However, time has moved on and methods have changed.
To me, the wrong way of going about adding these surprise moments is by adding random tables of effects that are applied "in game". Now, I think random tables have a place BUT that is in the Strategic portion of the game, away from the tactical action of the game.
For example, in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader there were numerous charts and tables to help determine the effects of things. Where you hit a vehicle, effects from Shokk Attack Gunz, psychic effects, etc. These were charts that would break the flow of the game as you had to roll the result, open the book, and cross-reference the dice roll with the effect, and then apply the effect. It lead to some amazing, memorable, and crazy events but things that would take seconds on the battlefield ended up taking multiple minutes to resolve fully.
However, there were also a lot of tables for determine things like equipment load-outs, missions, mutations, flora and fauna, etc. These charts were used PRIOR to game play and not during game play. These also led to crazy, memorable, and interesting events happening in game.
To summarize, randomized charts and tables during game is bad, randomized charts and tables before or after game is fine.
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| Restless Stars |
The Modern Way?
Since the days of Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader wargames have found new and different ways to create interesting situations via rules-interactions and on-table activities in order to "Play to Find Out". Here are a few examples that I have seen and would like to touch-on:
1. Complications
A complication is something that is placed on the board or game-wide effect that can make it harder for players to achieve their objectives. As the name implies, they make it harder for players to freely act within the confines of the game.
For example, Pulp Alley has various tokens on the board. When a player's models interact with them they draw a card from a deck. This will lead to a challenge that the Model will have to overcome with a dice roll. if successful, they gain a beneficial result, if failed they gain a handicap. There is no way to know what will happen until it is resolved. All components needed to resolve the complication are on the card so you do not need to go back to the rulebook.
2. Resource Allocations
In this scenario, players can choose to allocate special resources to units to improve their performance or abilities. These resources are often finite and their allocation on one part of the battlefield means they are unavailable elsewhere or at a different time of the game. You can not decide how to use them until you are actually playing the game, and the results are determined within the game.
For example, Dux Bellorum has Leadership tokens that you can use to boost the combat power of a unit. How you allocate and when you use them is a key part of the game. They stack and can allow you to push or defend a key part of your battle line. These are played out immediately in the turn.
3. Rules Overlaps
In this example, various rules overlap and interactions are built into the game to trigger various effects. You know these effects prior to the game, but how they will interact with other special rules will come into effect when the game is played.
For example, War Machine is well known for their chaining of special rules together to trigger effects. It is these cascading results that happen once they begin tumbling like dominoes on the battlefield that means you need to play to find out how they will interact together.
4. Chrome
Chrome is special rules that come into play during the game. These rules impact how a unit or model will perform in the moment. These are often gained as the game itself is being played or when certain criteria occur during the game.
For example, the game Ragnarok has the models collect "power-ups" that can unleash extra effects when they defeat foes or interact with terrain. These power-ups can be stacked and used as the player wishes during the battle.
5. Mechanics
The mechanics themselves allow a degree of randomness in the results beyond the normal fail/succeed states. This is often in the form of a critical hit or critical failure states that add further success or complications into a normal rules interaction.
For example, Dystopian Wars is famous for using something called "exploding dice". Essentially, as you roll a maximum result on the dice, you can re-roll and keep adding effects until you stop rolling maximum results on the die. This can lead to unexpected outcomes of over-reach or surprising success levels that are outside the normal statistical range.
6. Campaigns
Adding a post-game campaign sequence is a great way to add surprise for players. This can come in a variety of forms. However, the idea is that the players unlock new abilities, equipment, or other options and complications for future games.
For example, Outremer from Osprey Games has a very in-depth and elaborate campaign system that makes each member of your warband a unique individual. If you played a new warband, they would also each develop their own unique abilities and niche. This makes each member unique and each game using them a different experience. You have to play to find out.
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| Heirs of Empire |
Final Thoughts
Play to Find Out is a philosophy for approaching games that encourages the players to engage with the game to see what happens and how the outcomes unfold. It is one of many philosophies. Typically, these types of philosophies of play should be provided by the players.
As a designer, you may wish for players to bring certain philosophies to the games you design. You can influence these with the way you design your rules to lean into these philosophies. To do this, you will want to bring a POV of the game. Then, as always; you can apply the right game design tools to the job.
The best way to lean into the "Play to Find Out" philosophy is to create "surprises" that the players will be able to unlock by playing the game. The more they play, the more they can potentially unlock. Therefore, they will want to "Play to Find Out" what can happen in a game.
Until next time.
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