Making Games

When I first started designing the Electioneer series of card games I wanted them to be everything - jam-packed full of trade-offs, difficulties, strategy, tactics and jam. Very quickly the games grew arms and legs and, as my playtesters generously pointed out, became far too complex to be enjoyable.

Think of a ‘dimension’ as each separate factor to keep track of. Each dimension is orthogonal, in a very mathematically-sloppy sense, in that each can change separately as a result of what you do. Mechanics are what you do when you play and they define how each of these dimensions vary and change relative to each other. Here are some examples:

1-dimension

🖼️Memory - the game where you take turns to turn over and match pairs of cards on the table. The only dimension here is how the cards are laid out on the table

2-dimensions

💵 Monopoly Deal - there’s properties and money and the two play against each other. Action cards and the other mechanics is how that trade-off happens

3-dimensions

🏰 Carcassonne - where you earn points by making cities, fields, rivers and roads by laying tiles. This has the tiles, the ‘features’ you make from them and the points you accumulate.

4-dimensions

🚂 Ticket To Ride - where you collect trains to build routes, fulfilling tickets and earning points (a family favourite)

Many-dimensions

🚀 Twilight Imperium - I’ve honestly got no idea how many dimensions this game has because I got bored before we’d even finished setting it up! Lots would be my guess

I think there is some type of game for everyone, however grumpy they may claim to be, but everyone has their own preference. So here is what I reckon the number of dimensions actually means for a game:

1-dimension

🍻Light-hearted games well under 15 minutes, keep one eye on the game and have a beer

2-dimensions

✨Some attention needed, likely to be finished in under 30 minutes

3-dimensions

🎲Serious thought to get really into the tactics, probably about 45 minutes

4-dimensions

♟️ A game with strategy and plotting, probably takes over an hour to play it out

5-dimensions

🤯A marathon with breaks needed in the middle, for people who want their brain to strain at the seams

The important thing is to know what sort of game you’re going for. A light-hearted game where it’s all packed away within 10 minutes probably shouldn’t have 4 dimensions.