When I watched Neil Peart’s A Work in Progress, he talked about his approach to writing drum parts for songs. Alex and Geddy bring him musical structures–more like sketches–complete with a drum machine part. Then, Neil throws everything he has at it, filling the song with every trick he’s got. As the process goes, he whittles the bits down until he has a structure he’s happy with.
Throw in everything, then boil it down.
It surprised me to learn that because Neil’s approach is pretty much exactly how I design game mechanics. I throw all the mechanics I’ve got in my head into the game, then during playtest, I slowly remove the parts that just don’t work. Boiling it down.
During playtest, I watch how the players approach the game. I watch for mechanics they use and mechanics they don’t use. The ones that they remember to use are the ones that are fun. The ones they forget to use are the ones that aren’t. Those are the first to go.
Then, I watch how people use the mechanics. For example, last Friday’s playtest showed me the “Duty” Motivation/Passion/whatever was too easy to abuse. The definition could stretch all over all the other M/P/w’s. So, I re-thought the idea, and decided that not only should Duty get ditched, but Motivations/Passions/whatevers should, too.
Loyalties? Nobody used them. What’s more, the question kept arising, “So, it’s like an aspect, but different.”
In fact, a lot of mechanics came out that way. Like an aspect, but different.
Time and time again, the players kept coming back to aspects. They’re fun, easy to understand, and cool.
Steam pouring over the pot lid now. My glasses steam as I look in.
Virtues remain. I made them mandatory, so players are always using them, but the same comment keeps coming back. “I like the fact that I can’t have all of them.” I do, too.
Virtues and aspects. And the Provinces. We had a ball with Provinces.
- What is your game about?
- How does it do that?
- What behaviors does it reward?
- Why is that fun?
Damn him, that Sorensen! I’ll get him. And his little dog Magnus, too!