When two players sit across from each other to play a game, there is an implicit understanding that they intend to engage in a fun and challenging battle of wits. To these players, a good experience generally follows this set of unwritten rules:
Both players are playing the same game. If one player is trying to play chess while the other is trying to play checkers, the game will be mystifying, to say the least.
Both players generally want the game to be fair and to be balanced enough that either player has a good chance of winning. For games like Star Wars: Destiny, the inclusion of an element of chance also means that even if a player loses ground in the early game, they have some hope of making a comeback.
There should be interactivity in the game. The way you play the game should change based on what your opponent is doing. Players should have some ability to disrupt or outpace each other’s strategies.
When one player uses a strategy that radically alters the game’s fundamental play pattern, wins by a crushing margin, or completely turns off interactivity, at least one of the above rules has been broken. There is a tangible feeling of a breach of etiquette, and this can leave players feeling bitter about these particular losses. This feeling is called an NPE, or Negative Play Experience, and it’s Public Enemy #1 when you’re trying to make a fun game.
Jonathan is a tabletop roleplaying game designer working out of Northampton in the UK. His RPG works include 'Those Dark Places' and 'Pressure' from Osprey Games, the cinematic adventure 'Rapture Protocol' for Alien: The Roleplaying Game from Free League Publishing, rulebook and adventures for Fighting Fantasy RPG Stellar Adventures, adventures for Moebius Adventures, Gallant Knight Games and other publications, as well as dozens of articles, essays, reviews and interviews on the tabletop roleplaying hobby.
When two players sit across from each other to play a game, there is an implicit understanding that they intend to engage in a fun and challenging battle of wits. To these players, a good experience generally follows this set of unwritten rules:
Both players are playing the same game. If one player is trying to play chess while the other is trying to play checkers, the game will be mystifying, to say the least.
Both players generally want the game to be fair and to be balanced enough that either player has a good chance of winning. For games like Star Wars: Destiny, the inclusion of an element of chance also means that even if a player loses ground in the early game, they have some hope of making a comeback.
There should be interactivity in the game. The way you play the game should change based on what your opponent is doing. Players should have some ability to disrupt or outpace each other’s strategies.
When one player uses a strategy that radically alters the game’s fundamental play pattern, wins by a crushing margin, or completely turns off interactivity, at least one of the above rules has been broken. There is a tangible feeling of a breach of etiquette, and this can leave players feeling bitter about these particular losses. This feeling is called an NPE, or Negative Play Experience, and it’s Public Enemy #1 when you’re trying to make a fun game.
Jonathan is a tabletop roleplaying game designer working out of Northampton in the UK. His RPG works include 'Those Dark Places' and 'Pressure' from Osprey Games, the cinematic adventure 'Rapture Protocol' for Alien: The Roleplaying Game from Free League Publishing, rulebook and adventures for Fighting Fantasy RPG Stellar Adventures, adventures for Moebius Adventures, Gallant Knight Games and other publications, as well as dozens of articles, essays, reviews and interviews on the tabletop roleplaying hobby.
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The Three Rules
