Boardgaming Renaissance

[JustARandomPanda]

The following has absolutely NOTHING to do with spirituality or any kind of qigong practice. However, it does reference a hobby of mine and I found it on another forum that's dedicated to my hobby. The "Designer" boardgames. Some Euro, some American. None being the old style games like scrabble, Monopoly or Clue.

 

Liked this forum's post so much I'm posting it here for my own easy access.

 

 

By Jezztrek:

 

 

Hello hello,

I think it's about time I threw in my hat on the subject of defining 'Ameritrash'.

I come from an art background, and we see a lot of similar confusion when it comes to defining art movements. A lot of times people want to break an art movement down into 4-5 exact unbreakable hard and fast rules. But in reality every rule has it's exceptions and every rule is bled in another genre here and there, so a lot of newcomers to art history tend to become frustrated and assume it's all just made up gobbletygook.

The problem is that when people try to define 'Ameritrash' they tend to use expressions of the quality 'Ameritrash' instead of trying to define the core of 'Ameritrash'. It's like if I were to ask 10 people to define 'dog' using one quality. I might get responses like: 4 legs, fur, floppy ears, wagging tail and so forth. Then the contrarians would go through each quality one at a time and find counterexamples or bleed examples: I knew a three legged dog once, so that means he stopped being a dog? Cats have four legs too, so do they qualify as dog? What about hairless breeds, are they not dogs? And thus the contrarians would assume the label of "dog" must be meaningless.

So to solve this dilemma we need to pan out a bit and attack the problem one level up.

Let me start at the very beginning. When we talk about Ameritrash vs Euros first of all we are not talking about the geographic location of the game's design or production. Ameritrash games can come from anywhere, Euros likewise. So why do the names have a geographic component? Because these labels are about one thing, Design Philosophy, and these design philosophies are movements. While these movements have their roots geographically, they have both spread well around the globe, but the names remain fixed on the geographic heart of movements they represent.

Ok, so what exactly is the design philosophy that drives Ameritrash vs. Euro games? When a designer is making a game he or she has a series of choices to make, and often these choices are something of a zero sum game. You can't have it all, so to speak. And as a designer you need to have priorities as to what you feel is most important, and are willing to build your choices around. Each side has it's "Core Priority" that really defines it's design philosophy.

The Ameritrash 'Core Priority' is Drama.
The Eurogame 'Core Priority' is Elegance.
The Wargame 'Core Priority' is Realism.

When a designer is working on a game it's is largely a balancing act between these three qualities (among others of course). And while all can coexist to some extent, as design for a game fleshes out eventually these qualities will begin butting heads.

All three genres have games about war, but each of them realizes these scenarios through the lens of their core priority. Let's say you are designing a game about war, you have most of the mechanics fleshed out but are trying to decide about whether to include any mechanics related to supply lines.

As an Ameritrasher you would be asking yourself whether by adding Supply Lines to your existing mechanics you would be bogging the game down making it less emotional and dramatic, which would not be a sacrifice you are willing to make, but if they could include it in a simplified stylized manner that would heighten drama (i.e. Fortress America) they would be happy to do so.

A euro designer would be asking themselves if there is way any way to include the mechanic seamlessly and elegantly into the core game, or would feel tacked on and add needless complexity.

A wargame designer, on the other hand, would be willing to sacrifice both a certain amount of elegance and a certain amount of "edge of your seat" drama if it meant fulfilling their core priority of realism.

So how does this all relate to the traditional definitions of Ameritrash? Well the conventional definitions try to list off expressions of this design philosophy, but since every game is different, every game expresses this core priority differently. Certain mechanics and qualities tend to gravitate to certain design philosophies, but there exists no mechanic or quality that exists solely within one genre and not another, there is always some bleed. Likewise there is no single quality or mechanic that is present in 100% of the games from a single genre.

But there are trends, and these trends will provide you your best clues as to what genre the game resides in. But keep in mind they are just that: clues. The clues to what genre a game is isn't the same thing as a definition of the genre. So let me take a moment to examine some of the qualities or 'clues' traditionally applied to Ameritrash:

How does Conflict relate to the core priority of Drama?

This one is any easy one, there are few things in life more dramatic then conflict. Love perhaps, but good luck create a board game that evokes that particular emotion. When you have your back to the wall, battling tooth and nail outnumbered by your enemies and still crushing them under your boot heel, that's dramatic. As such, to any designer trying emphasize the core priority of drama conflict is about as common as a quality can get.

How do Dice relate to the core priority of Drama?

Dice adds uncertainty, uncertainly is a fantastic tool for heightening drama. When I see a table full of players jumping to their feet in anticipation, or bursting out in cries of joy (or into yelps of obscenities) 9 times out of 10 dice are somehow involved.

How does Theme relate to the core priority of Drama?

These helps draw people emotionally into a game. The game ceases to be a simple multiplayer puzzle and instead becomes a world, and a world you are directly invested in. It's about feeling like you are commanding a legion and not pushing around cubes, manning a post apocalyptic battle car and not just moving a tile around a tabletop, it's pretty much inseparable to drama.

Those were your three examples, but I'll look to some other threads for the more common examples.

How do Nukes relate to the core priority of Drama?

Is there anything more dramatic in this day and age then potential for nuclear hellfire? It would be an earth shattering civilization changing event. Even if a single small nuke went off tomorrow and it was lobbed at Luxembourg or the like, it would be a major historical turning point. Now that is dramatic.

How do Excellent Titles relate to the core priority of Drama?

Ameritrash titles tend to be dramatic titles, it's the first and most evocative step in establishing a theme. From the moment you hear titles like Chainsaw Warrior, or Fortress America your imagination is gearing up in way manner that "Hey, that's my cube!" just doesnt match.


How does Chrome relate to the core priority of Drama?

Chrome is all about being evocative of the theme, and heightening the sense of immersion in the game. It also subtly plants the idea that there are a wealth of possibilities and anything could happen during the game. Robartin put it best:

"Rules that might occur in 2 out of every 400 games. Still, when they happen they are damn cool because they're straight out of the freakin book! Who doesn't remember the game where Jonathan Harker actually killed the Count?"

That's Drama!

How do Plastic Minis relate to the core priority of Drama?

The toy factor! Again, a fantastic way to maximize the sense of immersion in a game's theme. If I'm pushing a cube, I'm pushing a cube. But when I've scooting a fully armed and operational War Sun across the table I can practically taste the power at my fingertips. The more you can get your players emotionally invested in the game, the more dramatic the experience will be for them. Plastic minis are fantastic in this regard.

How does Player Elimination relate to the core priority of Drama?

This is a fantastic dividing line between what kind of game player you are. The sense of having it all on the line, and fighting for your life is far more dramatic then everyone staying in till the end and we count up points. And the sheer joy of matching wits and strategies against your most challenging opponent, then in one deft move finally crushing them and wiping them off the board is the kind of drama that just can't be understated.

How does a Long Playing Time relate to the core priority of Drama?

Again this is about emotional investment. When playing a disposable 45 minute mini-game you just haven't invested yourself in the same manner as someone heading into the 4th hour of their drawn out head to head conflict, it's just basic human psychology. If I've poured 3 hours of brain crunching into my plans and strategies I'm just far more invested in the outcome then if I was just dropping in for a quick filler. The more invested I am in the outcome, the more dramatic the game becomes.

How does Imbalance, Kingmaking, Ganging up, and the like relate to the core priority of Drama?

In the end Ameritrash games are about the people playing the game, and most importantly playing the game against each other. An Ameritrash should never feel like a thinly veiled puzzle masquerading as a game, or multi-player solitaire. With a multi player puzzle, where each player is basically try to solve the game, not beat the other players, balance is very important since the other players have comparatively little they can do beat down someone if things are unbalanced in that player's favor.

With head to head open ended conflict based games this is much less of an issue. In reality it's often times less about playing the rules of the game, but instead playing the minds of the other players. Trying to avoid drawing their ire, trying to look as weak as possible while making your position as strong as possible, often times the meta-game is the game, and that is inherently more dramatic then playing against the board. Ganging up, Kingmaking and Imbalance all just tend to come part and parcel in these type of games, and thank god for that.

Welp, I think those are most of the common qualities I see used to define 'Ameritrash', hope that helps answer your question. And I just have to say that I've only been here a few months myself, but without members like Robartin and Barnes I'd probably never have stuck around. Thanks much for making BGG a better place guys!

[JustARandomPanda]

I find it funny that the above also defines the typical American male FPS-fanatic video gamer. It's all about the drama...less emphasis on strategy unless the strategy adds to the drama feel of 'hunt and destroy'.

 

No wonder the genre name has gained traction around the world with the moniker Ameritrash.

 

American men are such Drama Queens.

[JustARandomPanda]

Another comment from Hunga Dunga:

 

 

 

A great comment!

I might be saying the same thing differently, but I disagree about Eurogame's core priority. I would say that the Euro priority is "solve for x". Elegance is certainly involved, but it is also a major factor in wargaming.

Someone made a comment on another thread that Euros are math oriented. You can "solve for X" without being elegant, though being elegant makes the game better.

 

A comment from Moriarty:

 

 

To add yet another gross oversimplification to the pile:

Euros focus on your decisions. In a euro, you and your opponents make choices, and the collective results of those choices determine a winner. The best euros offer the most interesting and challenging choices.

Ameris focus on your experience. In an ameri, you and your opponents play out dramatic conflicts, and from out of the chaos of those conflicts a winner will arise. The best ameris offer the most enjoyable and dramatic experiences.

There is a natural tension between these two, but there are numerous examples of games that combine them successfully. Among my favourite such:

Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation
Dune
Shadows Over Camelot

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

want to help me build a balanced RPG? n_~ looking for an omniversal game, a new genre of game that combines Sim, Puzzle/Strategy, Role Playing, Physics, and Hard Core (FPS/War).

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

want to help me build a balanced RPG? n_~ looking for an omniversal game, a new genre of game that combines Sim, Puzzle/Strategy, Role Playing, Physics, and Hard Core (FPS/War).

Problem is:

I'm having to build it ground 0 with 0 funds.

[Birch]

Kickstarter?

[JustARandomPanda]

Or IndieGoGo