Hey Guys,
Just a quick question.
Do you guys prefer a game that has let's say 5 very distinct races, or one that has 10 that have similar components but still some small variations? Just curious.
Uniqueness vs Quantity
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 14:10
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 14:28
#1
abdantas wrote:Hey Guys,
Just
Hey Guys,
Just a quick question.
Do you guys prefer a game that has let's say 5 very distinct races, or one that has 10 that have similar components but still some small variations? Just curious.
I prefer things to be unique. It makes the game more fun if balanced properly. Take Robo rally for example I love that game...but all of the bots are the same. I wish they were different. You can make then start with different gear but that seems like you are just doing something they could have done in the first place.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 14:54
#2
Great question Abdantas.
For my tastes in a card game I like both uniqueness and quantity. I like large based storylines and alot of characters to fit the theme. I like variety in game mechanics.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 15:58
#3
Uniqueness
I vote for uniqueness with the caveat that it's WELL BALANCED uniqueness.
Look at Starcraft 2 - 3 races, but they all play very differently and the balance is very well tuned.
Magic has 5 colors, and they are quite different and defined, yet the overall balance is still there.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 16:27
#4
Quality
It's interesting that you pit Quantity against Uniqueness (instead of Quality). My vote would go for quality, if that were an option. I tend to prefer tighter and more minimal designs, which also swings my vote against Quantity (at least in the general abstract terms you are asking). Kind of depends on how your game is feeling though. I would strive for Uniqueness to start with, and then only add Quantity if helps address a problem with your more minimalist effort.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 19:30
#5
Asymmetry
Asymmetry tends to make games more interesting, though harder to balance.
You can look at game design in terms of ways of introducing asymmetry:
http://pulsiphergamedesign.blogspot.com/2012/11/looking-at-game-design-i...
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 23:20
#6
My preference
Do you guys prefer a game that has let's say 5 very distinct races, or one that has 10 that have similar components but still some small variations?
I prefer to play a game that has 5 distinct races. If they are *distinct* that will AT LEAST make me want to play the game five times... knowing that each time I play the game will be very different. The good news about that is perhaps one of those races may resonate with me... and I may enjoy the game experience... enough to want to replay as this race. Following that train of thought, maybe I may like 1 race so much, I enjoy playing the game. And therefore you might have me hooked as a fan of your game.
In the other scenario with 10 races, well I know the races will be very similar and will only have a limited variation. This may not encourage me to replay the game at all... Perhaps this scenario is the least beneficial to you because it means that you have not convinced me that I should replay the game with another of the races.
I think it is better to focus on *quality* vs. quantity. And put the emphasis on *quality*: the less there are of race and the more distinct they are from each other, the better. I would even suggest making less than 5 races, maybe 4 for a four player game. Then you play versus the other races and get an idea what the game looks like from another race. And again, maybe that would encourage me to replay another game with another race... simply to see if that race suits better my style or preference.
Note: I am designing a dual game (1 vs. 1) and have also the same things to consider. But I take into account the marketing of the game:
For my game, I will make the First Edition (Which is the Green Edition - Earth/Elves).
Most probably I will use Kickstarter or Indiegogo (International) and get the artist to do some nice graphics for it. But the goal is to release all 5 Editions of the game. Each edition will have it's own color representing a distinct element and will have different cards...
Ideally what I hope is to complete the First Edition as a prototype (with all the snazzy artwork) and submit that to a game publisher. As such the game will hopefully have a small following of gamers (from crowdfunding) that might be interested in the subsequent game editions...
Mon, 04/15/2013 - 09:02
#7
You could have 5 unique races
You could have 5 unique races with 2-3 sub-types of each of those races for flavor and variety. Maybe I don't want to play Wood Elves or High Elves, but Dark Elves are more my style.
I think the unique aspect is key, either way. Both looks and play style(no measly +1 stat difference please).
Sun, 04/21/2013 - 21:28
#8
Unique factor all the way
You can't go wrong with variety IMO. Be as unique as you want it to be and it'll give something to choose from a rather generic 'ho-hum green versus tan' approach. That's my take on it eitherway.
Mon, 04/22/2013 - 14:11
#9
This might be of use:
I don't know if it specifically answers your question (But I think a couple people have done that) But it's something I've considered a lot in the past week: Scale VS Kind
Fri, 05/31/2013 - 14:56
#10
quality, quantity and variation
I'm a newbie to this forum as well as to board game design so my comments may not be as informed as they should be. But, I like the question and I will echo the call for quality as opposed to... well... anything else. Defining quality I think is difficult. I believe the key is to think in terms of creating a rich experience aimed at a specific gamer-type. There are some nice examples of solutions that work on different levels. Here are 2 fairly simple games as examples --
Smallworld -- (a game that I do not particularly love) uses many races. Each race has unique abilities. Additional special abilities are randomized and added to each race at the beginning of each game. This allows for a different experience with nearly every play of the game. Add to this that each race only has a brief campaign on the board and you can begin to see why many gamers enjoy this game.
Mice and Mystics -- in this game each there are only 6 "hero" figures. Each has a set of unique qualities and each start with specific equipment. At the start of the game each is able to select a unique ability. Over the course of the game each hero may "level-up" as well as add or subtract abilities and add or subtract equipment. So, while this game is fairly simple, the different combinations of abilities, special abilities and equipment makes for a game that for a specific type of gamer is quite rich.
Wed, 06/05/2013 - 04:19
#11
abdantas wrote:
Do you guys
Do you guys prefer a game that has let's say 5 very distinct races, or one that has 10 that have similar components but still some small variations? Just curious.
I think that variety with quality/balance is always the best way; the point is: how difficult is to balance races with different skills? In my opinion and experience, it's the more challenging the deeper are the differences.
Wed, 06/05/2013 - 13:24
#12
I'm not a big fan of the tend
I'm not a big fan of the tend in game design to have Age of Empires style races. A unit type missing here or there, maybe a special unit, or a bonus to resources. Always very well balanced so that the net effect on the game's outcome is zero.
Why should I have to learn different rules then?
I think races should either be totally different from one another like Starcraft or further, or they should just go ahead and be the same.
