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How to design an Abstract Strategy Board Game *Top 10 Mechanisms*
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- čas přidán 7. 02. 2022
- I recently received a selection of review copies from Gigamic’s Modern Classics line. The first thing you’ll notice about the games is that they are made from attractive wooden shapes. They have no theme or setting. They might remind you of traditional classics like Chess, Go, or Checkers - games which date back thousands of years - yet similar games continue to be released each year from a host of publishers around the world.
Among tabletop gamers, these games are called Abstract Strategy games, and in this video we’re going to delve deep to explore the most common features shared by these titles.
I love the opening of Hex. Since the center is over powered, and the edges under powered, one player places a piece whether they like. The second player then decides which color they are, either accepting the initial placement as their first move, or rejecting it, and immediately taking their move in response.
Abstract Strategy is a great starter project for new game designers. I got my start banging out about a dozen crappy abstracts, just to learn the basics of making intuitive mechanisms and constraints.
No mean feat to create a dozen abstracts! Do you think it’s still feasible to get abstracts published in 2022? Or has the market moved on?
@@AdaminWales As you observed, abstracts are a luxury market within a luxury market. Since the rules are so easy to share, what you're selling is either premium, hard-to-fabricate materials (ie Gigamic, Shobu) or other content, usually cards (ie Onitama, Santorini). I've seen a few add "random draw" into the mix for some added spice but they don't seem to have legs after their initial debut (ie The Duke, War Chest).
I can easily imagine abstract strategies are the games which an idea just suddenly comes to you by accident eureka like or massively mangling existing games in a bizarre fashion just to see what happens. IMO I think they are super hard to create
A few days ago I came up with a very simple abstract game of my own (a riff on three men's morris), almost by accident. This video has been a fantastic overview of different ways to think about how I'd like to develop my game.
I love PUSH-FIGHT!
The goal is to push one of your opponent's game pieces off the board. But there's a twist: once you move one of your pieces, you place a small red piece on top of it, so the opponent can't push it during their turn.
Once the other player makes his move, he takes that same red piece and places it on top of it, so the red piece is a shared item in this game.
When someone pushes an opponent's piece off the board, the game ends.
I haven’t come across this one. It sounds fun!
@@AdaminWales I really like Push Fight. Recommend that one. The guy who designed it is selling it online from his own site. It it possible to mix pieces and boards. He sends you an email about it when you order.
@@diamondmeeple Supposedly it’s also (like other Sumo style push games) meant to simulate martial arts in a very abstract way…in this case, the grappling of Jiu Jitsu!
This is maybe the best overview of abstract strategy board games i have ever seen. Thank you!
That Time You Killed Me is a fantastic abstract strategy game as well
My wife got us this one purely because it ticks like nine different boxes for me. Spectacular fun.
I find abstract strategy games fun because I like the computable options, but I find them hard to bring to the table.
Yes, I think they have a different audience to other types of games - and people seem to enjoy mastering one or two titles rather than dipping into a large selection (as I like to do!)
I would include backgammon as abstract strategy even though it does have a random factor
I've just recalled a very obscure abstract strategy game that uses dice in a unque way - Duell - a bit like Chess - your aim is to capture your opponents King dice, your dice move by being "rolled" a number of spaces according to the pip value showing on the top face. As you move that dice the resulting top face may change to another. pip value. Fascinating game involving dice but NO randomness used
Great point about Shobu. It could have been built as 1 board with dividing lines. The presentation chosen creates a question for new players and re-inforces the mechanics. Elegant!
Best overview of abstract strategy games on the internet. Well done, Adam. You also include a nice variety of old and new, classic and innovative games.
Thanks for this lovely overview! I love many abstract games, and some that you showed here are among my favorites, but you didn't mention my all-time favorite game, Homeworlds (though you did mention Martian Chess, which also uses the Pyramid Arcade pieces). Homeworlds is on a totally different league from all other abstract games, in my opinion.
Gotta add Hnefatafl as well for asymmetric abstract strategy games!
I am absolutely loving your videos, Adam! Thank you for these. I am in the middle of designing an abstract strategy game myself at the moment and this is very helpful. I will present my game, Stoikéa, at the First Exposure Playtest Hall at GenCon this year. :)
I'm surprised you didn't mention Shogi, the ancient Japanese game where most pieces can evolve and the captured pieces can change owners and be dropped back into the game. Similar to Chess but with a more dynamic endgame.
Yeah Quarto! I like it a lot, it's so clever and can be explained to new players under 2 minutes.
You definitely need to explore some of Dieter Stein’s games. They’re fantastic abstracts-as good as the GIPF series.
I just purchased Urbino... the others a proving more difficult to acquire.
Great video Adam. I am about to release my own abstract strategy game on Sr David's Day and I was watching anxiously; hoping that I hadn't invented something that already existed. Phew!
Ah great! Post a link when it’s released so I can check it out :)
Adam - that was absolutely fantastic. I agreed with Mandala, Azul and War Chest not being part of your brilliant commentary because they have secret information or randomizing features. I disagreed that Patchwork should have been left out. This game is pure strategy except for the randomized setup that it shares with LYNGK. The comment about product design being exceptionally important for this genre is spot on. The difference between Santorini 2004 and Santorini 2016 says it all. Gavan Brown transformed aesthetics by putting it on that cute little island pedestal. The word abstract and pure strategy really need defining. War Chest is an abstract randomized draw game. Santorini is a themed pure strategy game.
Thanks - glad you enjoyed it :)
For me Patchwork is an extension of the genre, rather than a clear-cut example. You’re right that it’s 100% strategy, zero luck, and essentially themeless. But it has a significantly more complex ruleset than most combinatorial games. Patchwork feels very inspired by modern Euro games, with its button economy & income events, the out of sync turn sequence (time track) and end game scoring. For me it’s not pure enough (or that horrible word “elegant” enough) to fit the standard mould.
In the video I compare it to Onitama with its changing setup between games, and drafting mechanism which sits outside of the core game. Both games feel “modern”. This is a really positive observation - not a criticism at all - but it makes them feel like something “different” to the classic genre.
I suppose in my head I might ask: could this game be manufactured from wood and left on a tabletop as an attractive object? Onitama has those additional cards - and Patchwork has pieces all over the place. It’s just too busy to sit alongside Chess, Checkers, Quarto, Hive, Shobu etc.
It’s a very subjective take. On objective criteria alone, I can’t disagree with you.
Yinsh, gipf and tak. Love it!
I love YINSH & GIPF, but haven’t had a chance to play Tak yet. I’d like to after researching it for this video.
Such an excellent video! Lots of classics here including some like Camelot that don’t get the recognition they deserve. Nicely done!
Great video overview of abstract board games! Thanks a lot for this!
Hi Adam, I've been getting back into game design recently and just found your channel. Fantastic, in depth analytical work you are doing, really enjoying the videos!! Bit of a surprise for me at the end there lol but I do remember our chat!
Haha. Thanks for watching Jamie. Glad you're enjoying the videos.
Great video. I've been designing an abstract board game myself, and I have been doing a lot of research to make sure it has it own mechanical identity. There's a lot of games with shared mechanics, which is a bit tiresome. But, some games have really stood out to me. Shobu, Quarto, and Gobblet are a few that come to mind.
Great - good luck with it! Hope I get to try it out sometime.
Já criei umas 20 variantes de xadrez. Algumas das primeiras eu já encontrei por aí, criadas por outras pessoas, de tão simples que é a ideia. Mas de outras criações minhas mais maduras, e posteriores, eu gosto muito. Nunca lancei nenhuma.
Mas criar variantes de xadrez é fácil. Ao menos para mim. Agora, jogo abstrato eu não sei nem por onde começar. Parece que tudo já foi inventado nessa área. É outra fantasia minha. Um dia criar meu próprio jogo abstrato. Mas acho esse um objetivo bem mais difícil.
So happy that you mentioned Tortuga 🙂 unfortunately Gigamic has stopped publishing the game.....
I'll stan simplexity. It's connect 4 with the wrinkle that each player can win with 4-in-a-row of their own shape in addition to their color. Each player gets 10 pieces with their own shape and 11 of their opponent's, so eventually you have to start placing some pieces in such a way that they help you get a color win, but are unlikely to help your opponent get a shape win.
many many thanks for explanation!
Great video, I really enjoyed your video. You mentioned a lot of interesting games. I feel bad that the abstract strategy games don't receive the attention they deserve. I was surprised that you didn't mention Santorini (my all time favourite game)
Yes, you’re right that Santorini deserved a mention. I don’t have a copy of it, so that’s the main reason I didn’t cover it - but there were others which I don’t own which still got mentioned. It was a bit of an oversight because Santorini is certainly one of the most popular abstracts out there - and deserves a mention for its presentation alone!
@@AdaminWales Santorini and Battle Sheep are both interesting examples to me of abstract games that fared better upon rerelease with a theme… mostly because the presentation and components were so great, while the gameplay hadn’t changed!
Another great video, thanks Adam!
I have been considering Katarenga. I feel we have something in common Adam.
Great video Adam. Thanks for posting! :)
Thanks for watching :)
Quick note, in Martian Chess the smallest pieces only move one space in any diagonal direction.
Thanks - sorry I missed that!
I usually don't comment but i saw that in your video you didn't talk much about the possibility that the board can reduce at each round or turn (like Tchag, Penguins), was that on purpous?
Bu the way, i take this opportunity to thank you for all your videos ! You gave me so much to think about when creating or playing board games ! It's blowing my mind how many strategies there is and how you manage to categorize them :o
it's easier to understand how it works !
(i hope my english isn't too bad >< )
Thanks Annaxel - no, I didn’t leave reducing boards out on purpose. I just hadn’t really played a game like that!
Adam, I've been watching a lot of your videos in the past few weeks and really enjoy and appreciate watching your analytical mind at work. I have a question for you: you usually approach everything with one foot firmly planted in the business realities and one foot in the game design side. If you could detach yourself from the business aspects, what would you suggest that's different? In other words, if you weren't worried about what you had to do to sell the game, would that change anything?
Sorry for slow reply Edmund - busy week! When I started designing games I didn’t think about business at all. My games Pikoko and Thrown were created without any concern for commercial success. I’m glad they exist, but they’re very niche products. I’m sure I’d still be making little experiments like these. In fact, I do still make experiments like these… I probably just let them go before they ever make it in front of a publisher these days.
Big Bazar and Doodle Rush were both made with a commercial intent. Doodle Rush was more successful in that regard.
I really enjoy thinking about product design, not just game mechanisms - so it doesn’t feel like I’m losing anything to design in this way. Still feels totally creative and satisfying to me :)
My favourite perfect information abstract strategy game is TZAAR.
TZAAR and ZERTZ are the only two of the GIPF project which I haven’t played. I’m sure I’d love them. YINSH is my favourite of the ones I’ve played.
@@AdaminWales TZAAR got four ways to win. It is like being on a battlefield. Some describe it as a "battle royal" feeling.
It takes some matches until the players understand it is more to the game than one single big stack chasing the opponent's.
I go back and forth on which I love more TZAAR or DVONN
great video, Adam!
Thank you for the video but I was expecting an actual lesson on the reasoning and logic behind design decisions. For example, I can set some basic rules but, how can I know which board type fits them best? And which type of pieces, movement, amount,etc.
Thanks for the feedback. I try to lay out the scope of each of my videos in the first minute or so, so that people know what they’re getting into. Sorry it didn’t answer some of your questions!
@@AdaminWales what a quick response, thanks! No prob, the video was still entertaining! BTW Do you have any insight on the process of fine tuning the details of the game and knowing which ones are best? Because I keep thinking to myself "what if a 6x10 board is worse than an 8x12 in the end" or "what if there's a fatal flaw I haven't seen yet" and all that stuff haha
@@artemaniaco293 I think most of that stuff comes out in playtesting. There’s no formula for it. There are infinite possibilities for what a game can be. So really, it’s a case of trying different board sizes and configurations and seeing what generates the best experience and feedback. I have other videos on playtesting on my channel (along with many other aspects of design) if you fancy checking them out :)
Nice one Adam
list your top 10 abstract strategy games
Players: "Why is it like that... bad?"
I am successful!
Hive the best abstract game. 🐝❤
This might be controversial, but IMO, to design a great abstract, you need a background in mathematics or computer modeling. Abstracts don't have much appeal besides their decision space and decision complexity. Santorini is a good example in this regard, because the creator tested every variable player power against each other with a computer to test for balance and depth.
I’m sure this is a very effective way of creating a strong abstract game - and essential for blanching different powers. That said, for a simple system like Connect 4 or OK Play, I’m not sure a computer programme, or even much knowledge of mathematics, would be necessary. I wonder how many of the games demonstrated in this video did use that approach?
Other backgrounds might be surprisingly powerful too, for example Nick Bentley learned the idea of perceptual binding from his neuroscience background, which inspired him to design Bug. Medo and Blooms might also be inspired by it to some degree
don't majority of euro/war/abstract games today start with computer modeling formulas, just so the matematics work from the start
@@deepdivemusicreactions I think you’d be surprised. Some do. But many designers work on instinct - and balance their games through extensive play testing and observation rather than computer modelling. It’s as much art as science.
@@AdaminWales I suppose Mark Steere is one of those who use that approach?
Spell chess is an abstract strategy game, but with unique mechanics. what do you call that type of mechanism?
Fantastic overview over game mechanics!
Are there any books on game design using known and new mechanics?
Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design by Shalev & Engelstein is the definitive text at this point. It’s a massive encyclopaedia of mechanisms.
@@AdaminWales thanks for the quick reply!
Bummed not to see go mentioned!
It’s mentioned a couple of times, but only briefly. I wanted to focus primarily on the new abstract strategy games which are often overlooked rather than traditional classics which are well known and understood. Sorry to disappoint! :)
This is cool.
Well, the thought of the creator of Connect Four in my opinion is far-fetched :P
Great video! I created my own abstract strategy game and I am trying to find contact or someone I can send my idea to. Do you know some websites I can find for sending new ideas?
What is it called when there is one strategy that always wins
It’s generally called a “dominant strategy”. In the abstract strategy genre, some games are described as “solved” meaning that if both players play optimally, the outcome will be predictable, often ending in a draw. Tic Tac Toe is an example of a solved game.
@@AdaminWales oh, ok. Thanks, did you know pentago is also like that
What do you think of my game JH Duel
What, no mention of the Japanese Chess-like game, Shogi?
When making these videos I’m somewhat constrained by the games which I have available to me (to demonstrate). This video in particular was quite an expensive one to make because I bought several of the games to show them in the video. Inevitably that meant some great games were left out.
But you’re right, Shogi would have been worth a mention - in the “Capture X” category, but probably more interestingly in the “Special Abilities” section because of its interesting system of upgrading (“promoting”) pieces during the game.
@@AdaminWales I also once saw an interesting variant on Chess called Qwik Chess. In that, you play on a 5x7 board, each player only has 1 of each unit except pawns, which they now only have 5 of (meaning each player is locked to 1 tile color of bishop, opposite tile colors). Also in chess, you can promote a pawn that gets to the other side into anything you want, but a vast majority of people only ever bother to promote to queen. Qwik chess gives no option, automatically queen. Also, I'm not sure Castling or En Peasant are valid rules in Qwik chess.
I heard of a variant of chess where first player moves once, then 2nd player moves twice, then first player moves thrice, and so on, getting to make more and more moves in a single turn with each passing turn. I have no idea how that version of chess works. Is Check still a thing? Is the rule that kings can't make moves that'd put them in danger still in effect if they are just able to make another move to immediately get out of danger again anyway?
Rule variants on such strategy games might be a good subject for another video.
Great video! Thought I'd give a shout out to a few older favourites that don't get much love these days: Trax, Fibonacci, Navia Dratp, Gyges, Chase, High Kings of Tara, Entrapment.
I haven’t heard of any of these! But I’m always ready to try new abstracts :)