Creating Complexity in Turn Based Games

There is a broad variety of rich and complex turn based games that are renowned and enjoyed for their depth and skill. This article details some common techniques the designer uses to create a engaging experience for the user.

Variety of Choices

There must be a variety of choices. In general, this means choosing something to be good at. This usually involves choosing how to allocate offensive, defensive and other more esoteric skills such as crafting, earning income, etc.

Some games employ a specific “boons and flaws” system in which the player must choose weaknesses, while other games are balanced to treat a lack of skill as a weakness itself. The key is to have many types of things be important, while making it impossible to get all of those things. This forces the player to work around key weaknesses.

Weaknesses and Resistances

Weaknesses and resistances are always relative to a some “average” character. I've heard this character called “The Mario” before. In most of his appearances, Mario is fantastically average, the second best at everything. In Mario 2, he is the second best jumper, and the second fastest at picking up objects.

In Dungeons and Dragons, humans are, statistically, “the Mario” with average scores in every stat. They are not so tough as dwarves or nimble as elves, but they make up for it in their broad aptitudes.

Other races wear their weaknesses on their sleeves and boast their resistances proudly. Dwarves are quite resistant to poisons and see well in dim light. Elves are resistant to enchantments. The weakness of Humans, and of “The Mario” in general, is the same as their strength. Their lack of specialization make them the second best at everything.

The Mario must develop a strong Plan B to make up for his lack in superiority at Plan A. The Mario is willing to sacrifice of his strengths if he can force his opponent to do the same. A complex design forces a character or player out of their comfort zone. Spellcasters will be forced to deal with magic resistant monsters, and sneaks will likewise be thrown against dogs with a keen since of smell that they must avoid.

Likewise, dwarves will be put in situations that call out their lack of nimbleness, elves will have to pay for their lack of toughness. The illiterate barbarian will be forced to talk to highborn kings and shrewd number counters.

Limited Resources

Limited resources keeps “broad spectrum” characters like bards from winning the day. Mario is forced to specialize in some skills instead of increasing his skill in everything at the same pace. Without focusing adequately on “Plan A” threats take too much time or resources to deal with. A good damaging attack is still a great answer to a lot of problems. Focusing too much on “hedging your bets” must hinder your ability to take out key threats quickly.

The tension between focusing on Plan A and Plans B,C,D becomes the key concern of great players in strategy games. This is seen keenly in the board game “Go”. With Go, the player must focus on expansion and focus on securing his territory. A great player will find a way to do both. Not only will he attack key weak points in the opponent's territory, but he will do so in a way that forces a sequence that benefits him, and leaves him stronger and with more territory.

This idea carries over to many turn based games: expand while defending your weaknesses.

Layering

Ideally, you manage to find a design that is “simple to understand, years to master”. Yes, it's cliche, but it's true. Typically this means that your interaction are, on their face, easy to understand, but have deeper uses and have overlaps over other game systems.

Consider the Wizard101 spell “Sacrifice”. The printed text reads “Take 250 [death damage] to give 700 [health]”. On it's surface the card is straight forward, you take some damage and then heal some life. In fact, most players will read this as if it simply heals them for 450. However, if the player has an effect that double death damage they deal (or receive), or changes their healing effect, this will work much differently for them. Likewise, if they are near death, this spell can actually bring their hit points below 0 and then back up again, which will clear any buffs or debuffs on them.