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11 |
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12 Elements |
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13 |
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14 |
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15 Elements of Strategy |
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16 |
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17 *by Brian Gleichman* |
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18 Feb 11,2003 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 |
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22 |
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23 Elements of Strategy |
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24 |
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25 I discussed in a previous article |
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26 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements01nov02.html> various |
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27 core concepts of game design that resulted in tactical play. Now I'd |
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28 like to cover the big sister of tactics, strategy. |
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29 |
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30 Since there are a number of possible definitions for both tactics and |
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31 strategy it would be best to nail down the specifics of the discussion |
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32 before things become more confused than they should be. I'm not using |
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33 the common one found in military circles (tactical, operational, |
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34 strategic) since in game terms those concepts are basically contained in |
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35 the idea of scale. Instead I'll be using a definition that is much the |
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36 same as the one used in chess and other similar games. |
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37 |
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38 Thus Tactical play is the immediate decisions made for material or |
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39 immediate positional advantage, or in terms of another previous article |
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40 <http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements11dec02.html>- |
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41 decisions and play that exists purely at the Game level. At its most |
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42 basic, tactics is playing the board for immediate effect. |
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43 |
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44 Strategic play however takes place at the Near Game or even the |
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45 Meta-Game level (if not using the finer definitions from the Layers of |
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46 Design article, I'd simply say it takes place in the Meta-Game). Here |
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47 the focus isn't directly on immediate concrete concerns, but rather on |
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48 long-range goals and estimates of how one's opponent is going to move |
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49 and react. Strategy is not playing the board, but rather playing the |
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50 man. As an example, in chess one may decide as a matter of strategy to |
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51 launch your main attack on your opponent's kingside- either because |
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52 you're more skilled in that line of attack than you are with other |
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53 options, or because you know your opponent is weaker in that line of |
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54 defense. |
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55 |
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56 Let's consider the primary elements of Strategy under this definition. |
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57 Although they are greatly interrelated, almost like dance partners, they |
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58 can be broken down as follows: |
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59 |
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60 |
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61 Prediction: |
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62 |
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63 /"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the |
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64 result of a hundred battles."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*. |
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65 |
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66 This element covers predicting the decisions of your opponent and your |
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67 own performance. Some examples: Knowing that Joe tends to put his most |
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68 powerful units in the center or realizing that Sara loses effectiveness |
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69 in chess if her queen is exchanged. Knowing that your heavy fighters can |
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70 hold the line long enough to complete the flanking maneuver you have |
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71 planned. Etc. |
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72 |
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73 |
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74 Deception: |
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75 |
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76 /"Hence, when able to attack, you must seem unable, when using your |
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77 tools, you must seem inactive. When we are near, we must make the |
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78 enemy believe we are far away, when far away, we must make him |
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79 believe we are near."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*. |
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80 |
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81 This element represents the flipside of Prediction, the ability to |
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82 conceal your intentions and decisions from your opponent or even |
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83 convince him that you are following a different course from your actual |
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84 one. If he has positioned himself to protect from a strong center attack |
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85 at the moment your Cavalry hits him on the right flank- your chances for |
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86 victory is enhanced. |
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87 |
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88 |
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89 Causality: |
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90 |
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91 /"In war everything is simple, but it's the simple things that are |
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92 difficult."/ General Carl Von Clausewitz. |
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93 |
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94 This is the causal chain required to implement strategic decisions. If |
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95 one decides to use your Calvary to flank your opponent on the left while |
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96 tying down his main body with your infantry- the causal chain is all the |
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97 steps (and time) needed to properly position your troops in order to |
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98 reach that objective. |
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99 |
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100 A very important characteristic of the causal chain is its length- how |
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101 many actions are needed over how much time. If the chain is too short, |
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102 strategic decision itself will become trivial as the other elements |
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103 become irrelevant. On the other hand, as the chain lengthens the |
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104 difficulty and importance of the strategic decision increases. |
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105 Prediction must look further ahead into increasingly fuzzy ground while |
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106 deception must be prolonged. Failure on either point can result in |
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107 catastrophe. |
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108 |
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109 As a result, the length of the causal chain is perhaps the most |
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110 important of the Elements of Strategy as it determines the impact of the |
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111 others. Many game designs seek to employ both Prediction and Deception, |
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112 but by resolving the end result immediately in a single roll or two they |
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113 reduce the Strategic nature of their design to something no more |
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114 interesting than rock-scissors-paper; an immediate guess followed by |
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115 immediate and final outcome. It is still a strategic game design, if a |
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116 very simple one suited only for those seeking the simplest of challenges. |
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117 |
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118 Given these definitions and moving from theory to more practical (if |
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119 still abstract) concerns- what design concepts are important to consider |
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120 in creating or evaluating a game's strategic environment? |
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121 |
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122 |
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123 Tactical Elements: |
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124 |
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125 A strong tactical game will by nature normally produce a strong |
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126 strategic one. |
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127 |
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128 Chess is again an excellent example of this case, as it needs nothing |
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129 but its tactical design to present strategic challenges worthy of |
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130 centuries of play. Between players of near equal tactical skill the |
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131 causal chain is long and complex enough that essentially limitless |
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132 Strategies become available and defeating your foe's perception of the |
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133 game is nearly as (if not more) important than mastering its reality (as |
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134 Deep Blue's defeat of World Champion Gary Kasparov showed). |
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135 |
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136 So for strategic groundwork first look to the tactical elements: |
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137 Resource Management, Dissimilar Assets, Maneuver and Pace of Decision. |
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138 It will be these elements that define the causal chain and it will be |
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139 these elements that frame the strategic environment. |
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140 |
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141 A game design however can increase its strategic depth beyond that |
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142 provide by its tactical environment in a number of ways. This can be |
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143 used to make a moderately tactical game into something considerably more |
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144 challenging- or turn an already demanding environment into any |
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145 commander's nightmare. |
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146 |
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147 |
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148 Hidden Decisions: |
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149 |
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150 By hiding decisions made by a player from his opponent(s), the need to |
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151 judge the intent of your foe and predict his actions is greatly |
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152 increased. Resources that are to be used against you are not in sight. |
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153 Where could they be? Where would your opponent likely place them? |
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154 |
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155 Hidden Movement is perhaps the most common example of this method in |
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156 wargames and even in rpgs although the latter seldom emphasizes the |
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157 subject in the rules directly. D20 for example includes rules for sight |
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158 range under specific lightning conditions without much comment. My own |
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159 /Age of Heroes/ takes line of sight limits for granted- a matter for GM |
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160 judgment based upon the map. Adding this to any system is easily done to |
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161 great effect. |
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162 |
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163 Beyond the simple fact of hidden movement are active measures taken to |
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164 hide (invisibility spells, smoke, etc.) or deceive (decoy troops |
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165 carrying the banners of important units, riders trailing branches to |
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166 raise dust, etc). All can be given to a player as a toolset to expand |
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167 his strategic options. |
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168 |
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169 |
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170 Reconnaissance: |
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171 |
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172 If some attempt to hide things, others will always develop methods of |
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173 investigation to reveal them. |
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174 |
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175 Adding resources and methods to allow for such in a game adds yet |
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176 another layer to the strategic environment, especially if by their use |
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177 other resources are limited or spent. A classic example here are the |
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178 divination spells from D&D. Information about one's opponent can be had- |
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179 at the price of losing a spell slot that could have been used for combat |
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180 magic. Outside of magic, even the use of scouts in almost any system |
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181 means that resources (which could have been of use in a main force) are |
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182 diverted to a recon and/or harassment role. |
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183 |
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184 Like the three elements of strategy above, Hidden Decisions and |
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185 Reconnaissance are each part of a dance- play benefiting from both |
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186 having their impact. When balanced to a fine degree, one may well |
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187 discover part of a foe's casual chain and thus act to interrupt it- but |
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188 interpreting scattered clues to determine the correct causal chain can |
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189 be left in large part to the Prediction skills of the player instead of |
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190 being given as simply stated fact. |
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191 |
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192 I'd like to emphasize two factors touched on above due to their |
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193 potentially vast impact on strategy. |
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194 |
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195 /"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at |
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196 what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the |
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197 ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in |
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198 relation to the foe whom he is facing."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*. |
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199 |
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200 I've already covered Dissimilar Assets in the Elements of Tactics |
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201 article and noted it's impact on Strategy above. One should take effort |
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202 however to extend this concept. Not only can the assets within ones own |
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203 force be dissimilar- the type and nature of assets each force can draw |
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204 from may differ. Wargames such as /Warhammer/ use this to great effect |
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205 to increase the range of its tactical and strategic environment while |
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206 D&D gains the same effect from its vast range of creatures and races. |
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207 |
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208 Terrain like ground-to-water shapes the very fundamental nature of a |
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209 conflict. Woods and hills to conceal one's movement. High ground to |
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210 provide a combat bonus or a good spotting location. Swamp to reduce and |
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211 channel movement. All impact the tactical and strategic environment as |
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212 the hammer impacts a nail. Leaving it out is like leaving chocolate out |
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213 your devil's food cake- sure you'll have a cake; just don't complain |
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214 when someone describes it as bland. |
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215 |
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216 One of the easiest tests for good Strategic game design is to see if the |
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217 classic wisdoms of war apply to the end results. The quotes from Sun Tzu |
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218 and Clausewitz above for example. If characters in your game can make |
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219 use of such concepts, you've at least got a good start. If they can't |
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220 gain victory without using such concepts constantly, you've managed it. |
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221 |
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222 Lastly a challenge to the readers. I've left out at least one important |
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223 concept in increasing a game's strategic complexity (due to the fact |
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224 that I wanted this article to be a reasonable length). Can you name it? |
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225 I'll give you a hint; the quote I would use for it is from Napoleon. |
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226 |
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227 |
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281 |
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282 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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283 |
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284 |
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285 Previous columns |
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286 |
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287 * Elements of Strategy </news+reviews/columns/elements11feb03.html> |
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288 by Brian Gleichman, 11feb03 |
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289 * Rationales for Mechanics (or the Case for Designer's Notes) |
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290 </news+reviews/columns/elements14jan03.html> by Brian Gleichman, |
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291 14jan03 |
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292 * Layers of Design </news+reviews/columns/elements11dec02.html> by |
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293 Brian Gleichman, 11dec02 |
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294 * Elements of Tactics </news+reviews/columns/elements01nov02.html> |
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295 by Brian Gleichman, 01nov02 |
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296 * Elements of Complexity |
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297 </news+reviews/columns/elements20sep02.html> by Brian Gleichman, |
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298 20sep02 |
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299 |
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300 |
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301 Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet |
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