PBM design and formulae - a summary From: rob@ccc.govt.nz (Rob McNeur) Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 09:53:02 +0000 After having followed the "Formulae in PB(e)Ms" discussion/argument in rec.games.pbm over the last week, it seems that there are 2 quite different requirements for 2 different type of games and these 2 different attitudes came through strongly in the discussions. Type 1: Wargaming :- The objective is to massacre everyone else in the game, or to accumulate points, thereby becoming the "winner" by achieving a specific goal (usually by being the sole survivor or by reaching a specific score etc). The "winner"/"Looser" attitude rules. This includes the majority of games like Galaxy, Diplomacy, Chess, Empire, Monopoly, Draughts, Card-games etc. Type 2: Roleplaying :- The ojective of the game is to have fun, to learn and explore the surroundings and to interact with others doing similiar things. There is no "Winner" and no "Looser". This includes very few games other than the obvious roleplaying ones such as xD&D, Amber, Gurps etc. Also includes Olympia, and probably Monster Island although I haven't played it so aren't sure. I believe that the need for displaying the formulae is different for each. In Wargaming games, I think that formulae must be given. The players need to min/max everything, optimizing their growth so as to be the biggest fish in the pond. The only way you can do this fairly is to allow everyone to have equal information, ie all rules, all stats, all formulae. In Roleplaying games, the needs are different. As the players do not have the need to obliterate each other (many still do, but I think that they are missing the point of the games), they do not need to optimize everything, hence do not need full information. Here, the prime requirement is to learn, to enjoy and to develop, not to "WIN !" Hence, the roleplayer style of games does not need full formulae, although they still need many stats and general rules. The rest they can learn as they go. For any specific game, I think that the game authors must decide in advance which of these categories the game is intended to come into, and then publish full information or not dependant on the style of play intended or expected. For Wargames, publish everything, rules, stats, formulae. For Roleplaying games, publish rules and stats, but NO formulae. Rules and stats equate to background knowledge that the player has about specifics, formulae are those world based things that relate to experience, and hence must be learned by experience. Just a few thoughts... Rob McNeur Rob@ccc.govt.nz Referenced By Up