Characteristics of Rules 

• Rules limit player action
• Rules are explicit and unambiguous
• Rules are shared by all players
• Rules are fixed
• Rules are binding
• Rules are repeatable

(NOTE: Some games question and violate these characteristics... something about "Rules are meant to be broken")

Activity: Change the Rules!

• Start with an existing game (Ex: Trivial Pursuit)
• Change the rules to make the gameplay different
  • ( -- correct answers win you turf on a board)
• Write the rules down, make them clear 
  • A stranger should be able to play without your help

Activity

1. Get used to the game
2. Brainstorm
3. Reinvent the game

Time

1. ~2 minutes
2. ~9 minutes
3. ~16 minutes

Reflect

• Report (tell us what your group played)
• Initial Reactions 
• Something good!
• Where would you take it?

Feedback Loops

• Positive feedback: (Snowballing)
  • Destabilizers
  • "For every N points a team is ahead, they may have an additional player in play"
• Negative feedback: (Thermostat)
  • Equalizers
  • "For every N points a team is behind, they may have an additional player in play"

Positive Example: 

• Players take turns rolling 1 die, first to 21 wins.
• If a player rolls a six, they get a bonus roll.

Negative Example: 

• Players take turns rolling 1 die, first to 21 wins.
• If a player rolls a one, they get a bonus roll.

Activity: Feedback Loops

• Start with an existing game
• Add a feedback loop to destabilize the game
• Write down what rules changed 
• Pass the game to another group

• Get a game from another group
• Add a feedback loop to fix/stabilize the game
• Write down what rules changed

Activity

1. Acclimate
2. Brainstorm
3. Destabilize
4. Stabilize

Time

1. ~2 minutes
2. ~9 minutes
3. ~13 minutes
4. ~13 minutes

Reflect

• What was broken about the game you received?
• How did you use feedback loops to "fix" it?
• How did the game feel change with each addition?
• Consider your current games in terms of feedback loops

Information

• Knowledge or content that is manipulated, acquired, hidden, and revealed during player
• Perfect Information: Players publicly share all knowledge in a game (Chess/Backgammon)
• Imperfect Information: Some information is hidden from some or all players (Poker/Memory)

Activity:

Information Manipulation

• Use one 'generic game material'
• Create a game based on the usage of information
• Examples:
  • All info is public (Chess)
  • Some info is private (Poker)
  • One player has special knowledge (DnD)
  • Game contains info hidden from all players (Clue)

Activity

1. Brainstorm
2. Create
3. Iterate

Time

1. ~9 minutes
2. ~21 minutes
3. ~13 minutes

Reflect

• What types of play does an information model create?
• A familiar game with a different information scheme?
• How does your current game use information?