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      Elements


    Elements of Strategy

*by Brian Gleichman*
Feb 11,2003

	


  Elements of Strategy

I discussed in a previous article
<http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements01nov02.html> various
core concepts of game design that resulted in tactical play. Now I'd
like to cover the big sister of tactics, strategy.

Since there are a number of possible definitions for both tactics and
strategy it would be best to nail down the specifics of the discussion
before things become more confused than they should be. I'm not using
the common one found in military circles (tactical, operational,
strategic) since in game terms those concepts are basically contained in
the idea of scale. Instead I'll be using a definition that is much the
same as the one used in chess and other similar games.

Thus Tactical play is the immediate decisions made for material or
immediate positional advantage, or in terms of another previous article
<http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/elements11dec02.html>-
decisions and play that exists purely at the Game level. At its most
basic, tactics is playing the board for immediate effect.

Strategic play however takes place at the Near Game or even the
Meta-Game level (if not using the finer definitions from the Layers of
Design article, I'd simply say it takes place in the Meta-Game). Here
the focus isn't directly on immediate concrete concerns, but rather on
long-range goals and estimates of how one's opponent is going to move
and react. Strategy is not playing the board, but rather playing the
man. As an example, in chess one may decide as a matter of strategy to
launch your main attack on your opponent's kingside- either because
you're more skilled in that line of attack than you are with other
options, or because you know your opponent is weaker in that line of
defense.

Let's consider the primary elements of Strategy under this definition.
Although they are greatly interrelated, almost like dance partners, they
can be broken down as follows:


      Prediction:

    /"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the
    result of a hundred battles."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*.

This element covers predicting the decisions of your opponent and your
own performance. Some examples: Knowing that Joe tends to put his most
powerful units in the center or realizing that Sara loses effectiveness
in chess if her queen is exchanged. Knowing that your heavy fighters can
hold the line long enough to complete the flanking maneuver you have
planned. Etc.


      Deception:

    /"Hence, when able to attack, you must seem unable, when using your
    tools, you must seem inactive. When we are near, we must make the
    enemy believe we are far away, when far away, we must make him
    believe we are near."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*.

This element represents the flipside of Prediction, the ability to
conceal your intentions and decisions from your opponent or even
convince him that you are following a different course from your actual
one. If he has positioned himself to protect from a strong center attack
at the moment your Cavalry hits him on the right flank- your chances for
victory is enhanced.


      Causality:

    /"In war everything is simple, but it's the simple things that are
    difficult."/ General Carl Von Clausewitz.

This is the causal chain required to implement strategic decisions. If
one decides to use your Calvary to flank your opponent on the left while
tying down his main body with your infantry- the causal chain is all the
steps (and time) needed to properly position your troops in order to
reach that objective.

A very important characteristic of the causal chain is its length- how
many actions are needed over how much time. If the chain is too short,
strategic decision itself will become trivial as the other elements
become irrelevant. On the other hand, as the chain lengthens the
difficulty and importance of the strategic decision increases.
Prediction must look further ahead into increasingly fuzzy ground while
deception must be prolonged. Failure on either point can result in
catastrophe.

As a result, the length of the causal chain is perhaps the most
important of the Elements of Strategy as it determines the impact of the
others. Many game designs seek to employ both Prediction and Deception,
but by resolving the end result immediately in a single roll or two they
reduce the Strategic nature of their design to something no more
interesting than rock-scissors-paper; an immediate guess followed by
immediate and final outcome. It is still a strategic game design, if a
very simple one suited only for those seeking the simplest of challenges.

Given these definitions and moving from theory to more practical (if
still abstract) concerns- what design concepts are important to consider
in creating or evaluating a game's strategic environment?


      Tactical Elements:

A strong tactical game will by nature normally produce a strong
strategic one.

Chess is again an excellent example of this case, as it needs nothing
but its tactical design to present strategic challenges worthy of
centuries of play. Between players of near equal tactical skill the
causal chain is long and complex enough that essentially limitless
Strategies become available and defeating your foe's perception of the
game is nearly as (if not more) important than mastering its reality (as
Deep Blue's defeat of World Champion Gary Kasparov showed).

So for strategic groundwork first look to the tactical elements:
Resource Management, Dissimilar Assets, Maneuver and Pace of Decision.
It will be these elements that define the causal chain and it will be
these elements that frame the strategic environment.

A game design however can increase its strategic depth beyond that
provide by its tactical environment in a number of ways. This can be
used to make a moderately tactical game into something considerably more
challenging- or turn an already demanding environment into any
commander's nightmare.


      Hidden Decisions:

By hiding decisions made by a player from his opponent(s), the need to
judge the intent of your foe and predict his actions is greatly
increased. Resources that are to be used against you are not in sight.
Where could they be? Where would your opponent likely place them?

Hidden Movement is perhaps the most common example of this method in
wargames and even in rpgs although the latter seldom emphasizes the
subject in the rules directly. D20 for example includes rules for sight
range under specific lightning conditions without much comment. My own
/Age of Heroes/ takes line of sight limits for granted- a matter for GM
judgment based upon the map. Adding this to any system is easily done to
great effect.

Beyond the simple fact of hidden movement are active measures taken to
hide (invisibility spells, smoke, etc.) or deceive (decoy troops
carrying the banners of important units, riders trailing branches to
raise dust, etc). All can be given to a player as a toolset to expand
his strategic options.


      Reconnaissance:

If some attempt to hide things, others will always develop methods of
investigation to reveal them.

Adding resources and methods to allow for such in a game adds yet
another layer to the strategic environment, especially if by their use
other resources are limited or spent. A classic example here are the
divination spells from D&D. Information about one's opponent can be had-
at the price of losing a spell slot that could have been used for combat
magic. Outside of magic, even the use of scouts in almost any system
means that resources (which could have been of use in a main force) are
diverted to a recon and/or harassment role.

Like the three elements of strategy above, Hidden Decisions and
Reconnaissance are each part of a dance- play benefiting from both
having their impact. When balanced to a fine degree, one may well
discover part of a foe's casual chain and thus act to interrupt it- but
interpreting scattered clues to determine the correct causal chain can
be left in large part to the Prediction skills of the player instead of
being given as simply stated fact.

I'd like to emphasize two factors touched on above due to their
potentially vast impact on strategy.

    /"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at
    what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the
    ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in
    relation to the foe whom he is facing."/ Sun Tzu, *The Art of War*.

I've already covered Dissimilar Assets in the Elements of Tactics
article and noted it's impact on Strategy above. One should take effort
however to extend this concept. Not only can the assets within ones own
force be dissimilar- the type and nature of assets each force can draw
from may differ. Wargames such as /Warhammer/ use this to great effect
to increase the range of its tactical and strategic environment while
D&D gains the same effect from its vast range of creatures and races.

Terrain like ground-to-water shapes the very fundamental nature of a
conflict. Woods and hills to conceal one's movement. High ground to
provide a combat bonus or a good spotting location. Swamp to reduce and
channel movement. All impact the tactical and strategic environment as
the hammer impacts a nail. Leaving it out is like leaving chocolate out
your devil's food cake- sure you'll have a cake; just don't complain
when someone describes it as bland.

One of the easiest tests for good Strategic game design is to see if the
classic wisdoms of war apply to the end results. The quotes from Sun Tzu
and Clausewitz above for example. If characters in your game can make
use of such concepts, you've at least got a good start. If they can't
gain victory without using such concepts constantly, you've managed it.

Lastly a challenge to the readers. I've left out at least one important
concept in increasing a game's strategic complexity (due to the fact
that I wanted this article to be a reasonable length). Can you name it?
I'll give you a hint; the quote I would use for it is from Napoleon.


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------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Previous columns

    * Elements of Strategy </news+reviews/columns/elements11feb03.html>
      by Brian Gleichman, 11feb03
    * Rationales for Mechanics (or the Case for Designer's Notes)
      </news+reviews/columns/elements14jan03.html> by Brian Gleichman,
      14jan03
    * Layers of Design </news+reviews/columns/elements11dec02.html> by
      Brian Gleichman, 11dec02
    * Elements of Tactics </news+reviews/columns/elements01nov02.html>
      by Brian Gleichman, 01nov02
    * Elements of Complexity
      </news+reviews/columns/elements20sep02.html> by Brian Gleichman,
      20sep02


      Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet

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